October 9 and 10 BRUSSELS
Our flight was without any glitches and the taxi Jorg reserved showed up, quite late but nevertheless, he showed up.
We had had a very good lunch in Zagreb and almost no one wanted dinner except Bernie and I, who wanted maybe a bowl of cereal before bedtime. As it turned out, Jorg went to the local Friterie and got a truck load of stuff. All the not hungry people sat down at the table and we all had dinner. Nothing like having the food in front of you to make you change your mind.
The evening is bittersweet knowing that our time together is coming to an end. We will have to say goodbye to people we don't get to see often. One couple lives in Brussels, the other one in California and we, in Ottawa. Will we ever travel with Jorg, Maria and Valerie? Jorg is back at work on Monday for two weeks and then the little family leaves for Australia where they will spend two months traveling with another couple who also have a baby. They will each have their own rental R.V. It is nice to be young and energetic. They will be back in December for 2 days before flying to Columbia to spend the holidays with Maria's family who will be so elated to see their new granddaughter or niece or cousin. I wish I could be there to witness this.
Tonight, everyone retires early so they can enjoy their last day together in Brussels.
Today, Saturday, we take it rather easy. Jorg makes us delicious Dutch pancakes to add to our already substantial breakfast. This afternoon, Bernie, Lynanne and Lloyd will attend Jorg's soccer game. There is only one car and we cannot all fit so Maria, Valerie and I stay behind. Maria has been wanting what she calls a "plain cake" which she has been unable to have throughout this holiday so we set out to make one and also, Maria is a potato freak so I will show her how to make "potato baji" an Indian potato dish with lots of fresh coriander. The dish and the cake are a hit with Maria and I know for sure she will make them again. When everyone comes back from the game, they polish off most of the cake with a nice cup of warm tea. From what I gather, they have been quite cold all afternoon.
Our last evening was a really good one. We first walked into town to a sushi restaurant Jorg and Maria love. They have been wanting us to have a meal there from before we left on this trip and, by the end of the evening, we all know why. The food was excellent, absolutely well presented, in an extremely large quantity. It was hard slogging at the end, but we managed to finish the Titanic- a large sushi presentation for 5 people- and also my very large Teriyaki sizzling plate. Once we got home, Jorg had a nice surprise for all of us. He had been downloading all of Bernie and Lloyd's pictures all through the trip and had prepared a overview slideshow for us. It was nice to relive this happy time with them. But now it is late, we need to get up around 5 a.m. tomorrow. This departure will be a hard one.
As I thought, it was hard to say goodbye to this beautiful and loving little family. We will definitely miss them a lot, we will miss not seeing Valerie grow up but we will keep hoping that our paths will cross again soon.
Jorg and Maria, Lynanne and Lloyd, thank you for a great holiday and a beautiful and rich friendship
We are home safe and sound and Bernie is already planning our Winter holiday and our next Fall holiday. He is asking me my opinion and my reply is, "let me unpack before planning anything else."
Our flight was without any glitches and the taxi Jorg reserved showed up, quite late but nevertheless, he showed up.
We had had a very good lunch in Zagreb and almost no one wanted dinner except Bernie and I, who wanted maybe a bowl of cereal before bedtime. As it turned out, Jorg went to the local Friterie and got a truck load of stuff. All the not hungry people sat down at the table and we all had dinner. Nothing like having the food in front of you to make you change your mind.
The evening is bittersweet knowing that our time together is coming to an end. We will have to say goodbye to people we don't get to see often. One couple lives in Brussels, the other one in California and we, in Ottawa. Will we ever travel with Jorg, Maria and Valerie? Jorg is back at work on Monday for two weeks and then the little family leaves for Australia where they will spend two months traveling with another couple who also have a baby. They will each have their own rental R.V. It is nice to be young and energetic. They will be back in December for 2 days before flying to Columbia to spend the holidays with Maria's family who will be so elated to see their new granddaughter or niece or cousin. I wish I could be there to witness this.
Tonight, everyone retires early so they can enjoy their last day together in Brussels.
Today, Saturday, we take it rather easy. Jorg makes us delicious Dutch pancakes to add to our already substantial breakfast. This afternoon, Bernie, Lynanne and Lloyd will attend Jorg's soccer game. There is only one car and we cannot all fit so Maria, Valerie and I stay behind. Maria has been wanting what she calls a "plain cake" which she has been unable to have throughout this holiday so we set out to make one and also, Maria is a potato freak so I will show her how to make "potato baji" an Indian potato dish with lots of fresh coriander. The dish and the cake are a hit with Maria and I know for sure she will make them again. When everyone comes back from the game, they polish off most of the cake with a nice cup of warm tea. From what I gather, they have been quite cold all afternoon.
Our last evening was a really good one. We first walked into town to a sushi restaurant Jorg and Maria love. They have been wanting us to have a meal there from before we left on this trip and, by the end of the evening, we all know why. The food was excellent, absolutely well presented, in an extremely large quantity. It was hard slogging at the end, but we managed to finish the Titanic- a large sushi presentation for 5 people- and also my very large Teriyaki sizzling plate. Once we got home, Jorg had a nice surprise for all of us. He had been downloading all of Bernie and Lloyd's pictures all through the trip and had prepared a overview slideshow for us. It was nice to relive this happy time with them. But now it is late, we need to get up around 5 a.m. tomorrow. This departure will be a hard one.
As I thought, it was hard to say goodbye to this beautiful and loving little family. We will definitely miss them a lot, we will miss not seeing Valerie grow up but we will keep hoping that our paths will cross again soon.
Jorg and Maria, Lynanne and Lloyd, thank you for a great holiday and a beautiful and rich friendship
We are home safe and sound and Bernie is already planning our Winter holiday and our next Fall holiday. He is asking me my opinion and my reply is, "let me unpack before planning anything else."
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