Last days: Amsterdam to Brussels

Hello! This is Eli in Europe. Well, not anymore. Yesterday we returned from our trip to Europe. Due to my parents' reluctance to pay $19.95 for internet on the airplane, I have some catching up to do on this blog. This post will describe my final two days of vacation.

On Wednesday, we went to the Rijksmusuem, which has art from the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th century. Unlike the van Gogh museum, many artists have their work in the Rijksmusum.

After this, we realized what had been approaching for the last few days: we had to leave. With all our luggage in the trunk, we were ready to depart Amsterdam for the airport hotel in Brussels.

The sun had set, making driving more difficult.  In addition, we were trying to make reservations for dinner. It was new years day, and not many restaurants were open in rural Belgium. The process was to use a map to find a town close to the highway, then use the internet to find a restaurant in that town. This method was not very effective, as we called seven restaurants a one wrong number with no luck. Finally, after an hour of searching and calling, we called up a place that was open and had a table for five people. As we entered the town, we saw it was very rural, and my mother joked that we may be eating dinner at someone's house. 

Het Hertebos - Ambient!

When we found the restaurant, it did look like a house from the outside, except for a sign announcing "Het Hertebos" (the name of the restaurant. ) The restaurant had a wonderful atmosphere, and zero tourists were be found. The waitress did her best to explain the menu, sometimes acting out a food item. It was an enjoyable and delicious way to have our last meal in Belgium.

The next day, on the airplane, I had my last memorable meal of the vacation. It was specaloos ice cream. Specaloos is a Belgian syrup, similar to the one in stroopwaffel.

The trip has come to a close, but many lasting memories have been made. Thanks for reading the blog and maybe I'll be able to make another one day... Something like Eli in Tokyo. (Sponsors welcome!)

This is Eli in Europe, signing off.

Best airplane food ever...