After months of preparation, we are finally on our way. A friend dropped us at the airport, we checked a bunch of bags, then through security (third time in three days for Lizzie and me), and a short hop to Seattle. We wanted to say goodbye to Allison and Laura so we rented a car at the airport (no time for public transportation) and drove up to meet them for brunch at Portage Bay Cafe in the University District. Yum! It was great to see them, and although I was sad to say goodbye for now, I hope to see them in Venlo this summer.
Tim arrived the same day from Washington DC where he was getting his visa. He waited for us in the airport (see Schiphol) so we could go through passport control together, just in case. That was easy, as was finding our driver. We piled our gear and ourselves into the van and slept most of the way to Venlo.
Since we arrived in Venlo at about noon local time we decided to have a look around to try to stay awake. We walked downtown for lunch, got passport photos for our resident visas, stopped at Hema for some basic necessities, and did some grocery shopping at 2 Bruder. We dropped Tim at work for a meeting and went home to get started on dinner.
One of our neighbors stopped by with a big bouquet of flowers delivered earlier in the day. The florist had dropped a card in our letterbox but I hadn't had time to translate it. The neighbor, whose name is Jan, is an older gentleman, and very pleasant and friendly. The flowers were from Tim's colleagues and quite lovely. We also met our next door neighbors, a family from Taiwan with two kids in primary school. They were also very friendly and welcoming.
After being awake for most of the last 24 hours, we decided to call it a day. A goede dag.
So glad you are blogging about your trip! Many of us will be enjoying your travels vicariously through you!! Have fun!!!
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