The origin of this trip was not my list of places to see before I die. I was invited to meet my very good friend/travel companion/training supporter, Lisa, and her husband Rob midway through their trip. I quickly snapped it up to give safaris another chance, to experience Botswana and &Beyond in Africa.
7/12/2024: per the itinerary- get to Amsterdam where I overnight at the Schiphol Renaissance Hotel.
Weather report: cool and rainy - in England and Amsterdam.
Got lift from Jan (my neighbor) to Haslemere train station which simplified matters greatly. All the transport worked (train and bus) which was amazing and cheap- less than $20. This meant I got to the airport really early-11:20- and my flight wasn’t until 3..
I put my 2.5 hours in the lounge to good use - I got lunch and several glasses of champagne
That was the point I had my first panic attack: I forgot Buni!! Rats…I forgot my second favorite travel companion. Boo.
BA kindly upgraded me to first on new a320 to Amsterdam. It partially made up for forgetting Buni.
I always wonder about the success rate travelers who have severe nut allergies. I guess this was so bad they had to make an announcement on board. That said, they served afternoon tea with nuts. (Just kidding, I don’t know if there were nuts:).
Chris warned me about some big surprise that was going to include a dinner, but I never expected to see him when I came off the plane.
There he was and what a really welcome surprise. He arranged for a romantic dinner at de Belhamel where we first went 20 years ago. It hadn't changed.
We had the chef’s 5 course meal: Here is the menu.
And mandatory food photos
It ended with a sparkly bang
We both agreed that the food was never top tier, but it was the ambiance and the memories that keep us coming back.
It rained but we didn’t care
We did get a room upgrade based on Chris’ status.
The room still wasn’t glamorous, but it was enough for us just to be together.
Maybe the upgrade included the bunnies in the room which was a nice touch….
Love the photos of you and Chris together!