Made the trip back to Rusty in IJmuiden for the first time. The train to Haarlem is an hour shorter than Hoorn, which makes a bigger difference than you'd think. We'd have lost the advantage again in buses, but we indulged ourselves and got a taxi.

But before the taxi we wanted something to eat. The two Chinese restaurants were closed, so we paused for a drink at the Wachtlokaal, and discovered they also served food. We had an excellent meal of garlic mushrooms, fondue and Dame Blanch. To judge by the happy noises coming from the other crowded tables, everyone else was impressed too.

Arrived back in Amsterdam, tired and crumpled, then another 4 hours on the train to Leuven.

Going past Brussels Airport, a memento mori of our trip. A plane was sitting, broken backed, on top of the railway embankment.



We found out later that it was an American cargo plane, and all 5 crew had escaped uninjured. It had left the runway during take-off, and no-one knew why. Rumours are abundant.

Sadly, time to leave. Some frantic packing and a last cup of coffee and chai latte ...



... and in that last hour, the first rain we've seen.



As a parting gift, a final glimpse of the Blue Mountains as we flew over them.

Our last sightseeing day, so we did something completely different - a train trip into the Blue Mountains.



Sydney train station is a sight in itself, with stained glass, marble carvings and inlaid floors.



The first hour on the train we were travelling through Sydney suburbs, which gradually thinned out.







But once we got into the mountains there was almost complete tree cover.














We had occasional glimpses of slopes plummeting down to a narrow valley, which zig-zagged off into a blue haze.







Arrived at Katoomba after a 2 hour trip.

It's very much a tourist town, so we did the tourist things - a cable car ride across the rift, and down to the rain forest floor.

Work finished just in time. All packed up, ready to post back. Time for one last ferry ride, and sunset over the harbour.










Then a farewell meal with Chandan at Cafe Pacifico.

Our first introduction to Mexican food was at Cafe Pacifico in London. They had a cool advertising logo that said "London Amsterdam Sydney".

When we first went to Amsterdam we tried out their branch. Sadly it wasn't very good, and has since closed, but we joked about trying the Sydney branch. That was all many years ago, and we'd forgotten, but I came across it accidentally on the internet. Irresistible.

It was excellent - noisy, exuberant, good food and a lot of booze. They serve a wide range of cocktails, and 3 pages of different tequilas. We had a great time.

And the best bit is that the Sydney logo says "London Amsterdam Paris", so the quest is continues!