Best of Worst of...

(note, two other new posts directly below)

And so, my last two nights I started a sort of "Best of, Worst of" list that I'll share.
Favorite Funny Moment
The boy in Antwerp who, while waiting to cross the street, had his yarmulke blown off by the wind. He tried to chase it but it blew in the street. A nice man ran to retrieve it, stopping traffic. It was one of those simple, everyday life moments, that made me smile.
FYI
When you order nachos in Amsterdam, don't expect cheese
Best Hotel
Bells Bed and Breakfast - Bruges
Best thing I packed
Bedsack purchased on Rick Steve's site. It made sleeping in some of those places more comfortable knowing my face and body were on my own clean sheets.
Most Informative Museum
Dutch Resistance Museum
Best Restaurant
Vegetarian Dinner in Amsterdam
One Item I Lost
My novel on the plane there.
Best Choice I Made
Going solo.
Best and Most Like Home Meal
Shabbos dinner.
Favorite Overall Scenery
Bruges, all of it.
Favorite Park
Antwerp's City Park.
Strangest Tasting
Black salty licorice drop candy shared with me by a nice Dutch couple on my flight back to the U.S.A....YUCK! I had to spit it out.
Best Beer
Leffe Blonde-subtle sweetness to it, YUM.
Most Appropriate Song on My MP3 Player on the Flight Home
"It's Good to be Back in L.A." by Neil Diamond. It was so perfect I played it a few times. Especially the line: "I travelled the streets of Amsterdam" :)

People to remember:
-Elam at the Hotel Aspen - great owner, warm, kind and friendly
-Guy at the deli across from Hotel Aspen who I taught how to make an egg white scramble... I was jonesin' for one.
-Martina from Bagels and Beans, the friendly woman from Germany, now living in Amsterdam who gave me her number in case of an emergency.
-The couple on the train from Mexico City who I talked with in Spanish for our whole trip.
-The workers and customers, including the dog "Bowie" at Johnny Coffeeshop
-The woman from Morrocco on the train who spoke Spanish and helped me with some directions since I was able to use my Spanish yet again.
-Bell, the owner of a wonderful B&B in Bruges. I also taught her to make an egg white scramble :)
-The German couple I talked with over dinner, who invited me to sit with them. They were my parent's age and we talked about life in Germany, about WWII, their parents. It was quite special.
-Rabbi Slavaticki and his family and guests at Shabbos. What a warm man and family. I am very grateful to them.
-In Brussels the people who worked the front desk of Hotel Queen Anne. Even the guy who was so fun and friendly and then said he wanted to take me for a drink. I had, however, noticed his wedding ring and so my response was, "Wait, aren't you married". He embarrasedly replied with a "yes". At which time I said, "thanks, but I don't go out with married men".
-The couple from India at that same hotel with whom we shared our disappointments in Brussels and who I gave my Bruges guidebook to so they could enjoy the town as a day trip.
-The loud family who, even after I went out of my hotel room in Antwerp, and asked them to keep the noise of their 3 or so kids running up and down the hall, screaming, in and out of rooms, who couldn't handle their kids or didn't really care. The next morning, BEFORE 8am, on a Sunday, they were at it again. I came out of my room and said, "look, it's before 8 on a Sunday, this is rude". They apologized to me after I woke up and they saw me in the elevator. I wasn't so nice back.