Euro Day 10 - Eye of the Tiger

There are some predictable consequences of packing for a long trip in under 10 minutes.  Packing only one pair of socks, forgetting to pack migraine medicine, etc.  Another genius move was packing my glasses in my checked luggage.  This forced me to wear my contact lenses for 30 hours straight during the journey to Maastricht.  Although I can't prove causation - this is a likely contributor to a burgeoning eye infection that was causing some pain in my left eyeball.  I have had this condition (Uveitis) twice before so I knew that it generally does not get better without some steroid drops and can get pretty painful.  However during the week it did not seem to be getting any worse and was merely a minor irritant.  During the weekend it started to trend downward - so decided I needed to take some action.

As luck would have it there is a eye doctor in the building next to the Abiomed office.  So I had a colleague take me over to provide some translation help.  So with all the debate back home over the Affordable Care Act, I can provide some first hand experience from socialized Europe. Overall it was a nearly identical experience.  You sit with a bunch of people in a depressing waiting room and fill out forms asking for information that has zero relevance to your condition.  They shuttle you into another room to take your vitals and then you see the doctor for 5 minutes who tells you what you already knew and he scribbles on a piece of paper.  The visit was 87 euro and the prescription was 18 euro - which is not significantly more expensive than what I think I would pay in the US.

Directly across from our apartment in Maastricht is a cafe/bar that I have been wanting to check out but the cast of characters going in/out have not put it on top of Karen's list of things to do in Europe.  On our last night in Maastricht I finally convinced her to visit for a cocktail before we went out to dinner.  Turns it out it has a similar vibe to the dive bars in the US.  Pool table, gambling and lots of 'regulars' that gave us the stink eye.  All it was missing was a jar filled with  pickled eggs. It did have a bizzare old school Applebees sign hanging in the corner. 

Today was Jake's 20th birthday and it is a bit of a tradition to go out for steak on his birthday. However the boys could not resist the "all you can eat" ribs on the menu.  It was a great last meal in Maastricht (topped off, of course, by a trip to one of the many gelato stores). 

Tomorrow is a transition day as we leave our home base of Maastricht.