Europe, Day 7

Our last morning in Brussels went smoothly. We got up, checked out of the hotel, left our bags there, and took a last walk around the area. We stopped by Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, then had some breakfast, and walked to the Bier Temple to find some rare Belgians to ship home. And we did! The selection in there was just too much -- I could have spent a fortune. Instead, I grabbed two bottles each of Westvleteren 8 and 12, and we made our way to the post office. Now about 4 kilos of chocolate and 4 beer are making their way to the States. Hurrah! We then caught the subway to the train station, and had a relaxing 2.5 hours (with a couple of train changes) for the ride to Haarlem. What a delightful little town. Our hotel is right on the Grote Markt, a short half mile walk from the train station. Our room overlooks the square -- what a great view! We took it easy the rest of the day, sipping a beer, taking in the Netherlands charms, having dinner in a cafe on the square, and retiring to the room on the early side. Tomorrow is looking like rain, but we'll make the most of our one full day in this cool little town. Pics here.