Day 7 - Europe 2011

Day 7 - Tuesday, May 31, 2011 - Brussels
Had a very rough night due to a sore throat and runny nose. Decided to postpone my departure for Bonn until tomorrow. First of all I had to see a doctor to see if I could get something to kill my throat infection. Vivien was able to get the name of a nearby doctor from her friend that she met on the NATO shuttle bus on her way to work and sent me a text. I called the doctor's office at 8:30 and was able to get an appointment for 3:00 PM. It was a long time to wait to see the doctor but much better than going to the hospital clinic and waiting in line for who knows how long. I got to the doctor's office 20 minutes early (it was a lot closer than I thought) and was given shit by the receptionist for not ringing the bell before entering the doctor's clinic. I told her I had an appointment to see Dr. Catherine Liétaer. I noticed several more people came into the clinic without ringing the bell and they didn't get in trouble. What's up with that, heh! Eventually the doctor came to get me. She turned out to be much more pleasant than her receptionist who had disappeared. After a very thorough examination of my breathing, ears, throat, blood pressure, etc. the doctor prescribed a course of Amoxicilline and Paracetamol. She then wanted me to pay her 28 € for my visit. I assumed she wanted me to pay at the reception on the way out but she insisted on collecting the fee herself. I guess she didn't trust her receptionist. I was able to get my Rx filled at the pharmacy next door for a mere 13 € and returned to the apartment to start taking my medicine. I was starting to get antsy about getting on with my tour and not overstaying my welcome at the Kaye's. Vivien also gave me some Rhini-San, a nasal decongestant, and that really helped me get a good night's sleep.
Since I had used up all my credits on my new Mobistar mobile trying to contact Medoc who told me I first of all had to call Mondial Assistance to open a case file I decided to install Skype on my daughter's NoteBook which I did but then I couldn't remember my account name. It had been a while since I'd used Skype. By this time Vivien had arrived home and since she had Skype installed on her laptop she was able to track me down and give me my username "rdmailloux". Once I got logged in to Skype I was able to purchase 10 € worth of credits and made the call to Mondial to let them know that I had been to see a doctor and had gotten an Rx for medication. Well what an ordeal that was. The guy on the other side of the pond didn't have a clue about what he was doing. I guess he was having trouble hearing me. But he wouldn't shut up long enough to let me finish what I was saying. In the end we finally managed to get all the information that he needed. I must have been on the "phone" with him for almost an hour and it only cost me .50 €. I love Skype.
Cheers, Roly