Day 7 - Wednesday - Amsterdam-Seattle

With a flight at 12:40 p.m., we didn't do much on Wednesday morning besides breakfast, checking out, and hailing a cab. Since the trip from Seattle to Amsterdam was one of the most uneventful experiences ever (other than the fun Tesla ride), we weren't expecting anything out of the ordinary on the way back.

Boy were we wrong.

The recent terrorist attacks on Brussels and Paris didn't seem to have made much of an impact on Amsterdam's day-to-day life -- we didn't notice an in-ordinary police presence, people were still dining, socializing, and mingling in popular squares and restaurants, and all attractions were open normal hours. That changed a bit on the way back to the airport.

First, there was a military checkpoint about a mile from the departure gates, which caused a bit of a slow-down as all vehicles were flagged through individually. Our cab driver wryly remarked, "Don't worry, we're not Arab, so we won't get stopped."

Then, there were MULTIPLE checkpoints within the airport, including one special "gate" that we needed to complete an extra passport check after going through the main security line but before receiving our actual gate number. We figured we passed through around eight security checks in all -- and that was just for a direct flight to the US.

Moments like this make me realize how fortunate we are to have traveled safely. Initial plans for this trip had us flying out of Brussels, the same airport that had been recently attacked.

It also makes me determined to, in the words of Rick Steves, "Keep on travelin'." I'm not saying to go places that are truly 100% dangerous -- so a trip to Syria is out! -- but as long as traveling is MOSTLY safe and comparable to staying home, I think it's a risk worth taking. The benefits of travel, including European travel, far outweigh the risks.

In all, this trip was extra special to us. It was our first vacation after becoming parents, and it allowed us to reconnect and recharge. We missed Declan terribly, but that was good too since it helped us appreciate the little monkey even more than before (which we didn't think was possible.) It was also special because we know it might be a while before our next big cross-ocean trip --- and who knows, little Declan might even join the travel team for that one. :-)

Thanks for reading!