Amsterdam -> Atlanta

Trip Day 14 - November 12th - Home

My trip covered the 3 Benelux countries - Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. By no means was this an in-depth trip, but more a taste.

Some tips if you want to go here:

1. If you use them, take washcloths (and little baggies to store them in wet - make sure to hang them up as soon as you get to your next abode).  

2. Take a top sheet (simple sheet under a blanket for example) if you feel a duvet is too much. Every place had heavy duvets and no top sheets.  

3. If traveling in November, weather can be wet and cold (duh). Take a warm hat and gloves and perhaps even a heavier coat. I didn't and bought a hat and gloves and wore multiple layers (two shirts and two lighter jackets). I forgot my umbrella in my luggage the day I needed it and got drenched (it was a rain jacket, but still not pleasant).

4. We call it Holland, but that's only a province in the north. The country is The Netherlands and they speak Dutch there. English worked excellently. The Dutch are awesome and friendly.  

5. In Luxembourg, public transport is free. Feel free to jump on any bus or train and ride around. Language ranges from German, to French, to Luxembourgerish. English worked quite well.

6. In Belgium, they speak 3 languages, but mainly French and Flemish. In the east near Germany, they speak German (great for me!) If you are in Brussels, learn French or refresh it if you know it. I did not and found a lot of folks did not speak English (especially cab/uber drivers).

7. In Brussels, if you call Uber, you usually get a cab which is fine. 

8. Speaking of traffic, in Amsterdam, watch out for bikes There are more there than anywhere else in the Benelux.  

9. In Brussels, every chocolate shop is "the best". Okay, so I bought a lot of chocolate! I also went on two chocolate making tours. I did one in Vienna last year and they were pretty much the same. You usually get a full bar with your toppings on it plus some extra stuff.  

10. There are scammers everywhere. There's a video of a guy at the train station toilet taking money for the use of the facilities by grabbing the door of the last user and accepting money from the next person.

11. Eurostar trains within Europe (Schengen Zone) only need 20 minute lead time. Going to the UK, get to the station at least an hour because it is going to a country outside of the EU.

12. If you are a PC person, use OneDrive - it works great to share your files on a laptop to your home PC (okay, I have 3 PCs and a mac). Use iCloud on your PC if you have an iPhone. Let me know if you want info about this.  



That's it! I'm back. Next trip is Feb/March to the U.K.