On the road again

Both Judy's and my parents took the same tack when it came to travel.  Sure there were the occasional short weekend trips or the occasional visits to relatives elsewhere in the country. But it wasn't until "the kids" (i.e., us) were grown and out of the house that they put on their traveling shoes and started booking international flights.

The problem with this strategy, of course, is the clock is always ticking, and the race is on. How much seeing the world can you do before the rigors of age take their toll? How many hills can you hike before the joints and muscles cry, "No mas!" My in-laws would liked to have done more, but it wasn't long before my father-in-law's health deteriorated, making anything more than a short car trip out of the question. 

With all of that in mind, Judy and I aren't wasting any time. The kids are elsewhere, and it's time to hit the road as often as possible. Sure, we were in Europe last year. But we loved London, and there's so much more to see. So, Monday morning, we're getting aboard the big metal mailing tube and flinging ourselves across the Atlantic again. Time flies. So do we. 

First, we'll head back to London, which should feel almost like a homecoming by now. (We REALLY enjoyed ourselves last year and loved the city.) But aside from a few walking tours, a visit to St. Paul's, a stop at the new Globe Theater, a show or two in the West End, a ride on the London Eye and, of course, the pubs, the city will mainly be a jumping off point for us. Later in the week, we'll head west to Bath, and we'll be spending a long weekend north of London, in York. 

From there, it will be back to London's Kings Cross Station, where we'll look for Platform 9 3/4, grab a train to "The Continent" and make our way to Brussels. I've been to Brussels three times on business, so am fairly familiar with it, but it's new turf for Judy. Besides, I'm looking forward to spending time with my "evil twin brother" Pol Van den Ende. Pol and I both worked in marketing communications for Honeywell a lifetime or two ago. We managed to work things out so that he got over to Arizona regularly, where he could rent Ford Mustangs and take in the desert landscape, and I got over to Belgium, home of the world's best beer. So this promises to be quite the suds-drenched reunion.

Finally, it's off to Amsterdam, where we'll spend four days or so taking in the sights, visiting some museums and perhaps dropping by a coffeehouse or two to sample the -- ahem -- coffee.

More to follow. Stay tuned.