It was a year ago when we were here — and then were back again.

The Lindeboom Brasserie in Texel’s biggest town, Den Burg, was the most obvious choice for lunch, it seemed like the better of only two places that appeared open on King’s Day. The adjacent square was packed with families and kids selling household junk, as is the tradition for the day, and being inside the busy but relatively calm restaurant was a welcome reprieve. Remembering that I still had my company’s Christmas gift card at my disposal, I felt overly confident and looked imperiously at the menu thinking I could order anything I wanted. But uninvited as it was, Murphy’s Law apparently accompanied us to our meal and my card ended up unused. Spending that much for lunch was unexpected, but at least the steak was good.