Escape to the Lowlands

We are finally travelling abroad again, after being trapped in the UK since last July while we waited to get our passports back from the UK Border Authority.  It was a strange feeling last night, packing my suitcase, going through the familiar but disused pre-departure rituals of checking in, planning, organizing, looking for foreign currency and maps.  Staying home, or only travelling overnight within the UK, makes for a simpler, quieter life.

But now it’s back to travels and adventures.  This week, a trip to Belgium and the Netherlands to attend to business in Leuven and EFT training in Veldhoven and Korthout in the eastern part of Belgium.

This week, however, Europe is in the grip of cold, icy weather worthy of the American Midwest.  It was -7C (about 20F) when we landed at Schiphol Airport outside of Amsterdam.  It’s a bright, sunny day, but the snow is not melting and the canals are mostly frozen up.  Lots of trains cancelled, including ours to Antwerp, so we end up having to wait any extra hour.  Nevertheless, we have arrived.