Rainy Day in Bruges

Here's Olivia outside one of the many chocolate stores in Bruges. Leonidas is a really popular chocolatier, and they're best known for their Manon Cafe and Blanc candies.

We went to Bruges on a Wednesday, in part because I wanted to go to the outdoor market. It ended up being more of a farmer's market, and we didn't get there until right at the end, but Becky got us some yummy grilled chicken there. I would definitely recommend it if you're visiting and don't want to spend a lot or money at a sit down type place.

Bruges is such a beautiful city. I think it's interesting that the reason it still has so many original buildings is because the river silted up a long time ago and they couldn't trade anymore, losing their main source of income and the town was too poor to upgrade to modern buildings.


They call it the Venice of the North.


Before we went on our trip Olivia told everyone she was going to get a chocolate waffle in Belgium. We finally got them! The Belgians don't really eat waffles for breakfast and they definitely don't put maple syrup on them. I think they're on to something.


That was a seriously good waffle.
Unfortunately for Alexander he slept right through the waffles, but he woke up in time for us to get some fries from a street vendor. They were definitely the best fries we had on the trip. Normally I wouldn't be a fan of mayo on fries, but it wasn't like our mayo at all. It had a different consistency and was very rich and tangy - fantastic.


I was really glad we had the chance to spend a few hours in this beautiful town. We were able to see a beautiful statue by Michaelangelo in one of the churches, and were able to enjoy the city without dealing with crowds of people.

I should also give a special thanks to Mike for being patient while Becky and I browsed through so many tapestry and lace shops.


Click HERE to hear about our visit to London, in which we went to more outdoor markets, saw more amazing architecture and historical stuff, and ate more street food. Sensing a theme yet? :)

Shopping in Belgium

Long before I went to Belgium or even thought I might go someday, I fell in love with a Dutch children's clothing designer. You can buy the clothes online, but I don't think they carry them in stores here.

As soon as I knew we were going, I looked up where their stores are in Belgium and there was one just 20 minutes from my brother's house! My sister-in-law Becky took Olivia and I one morning and we had so much fun.








Here's the dress we got. It was exactly what I was hoping to find and she loves it, so it was worth the splurge.


That day Becky also took us to the grocery store and to a chocolate store. Yum! That evening we celebrated my nephew Austin's 5th birthday. It was so great to be there on his special day. Becky made him a colorful Diego cake, and he loved his presents. He even picked my favorite meal for his birthday dinner - chicken and broccoli. Happy birthday, buddy!

Click HERE for my next post about our final full day in Belgium, when we went to Brugge.

Belgian Beach

We arrived in Belgium on Thursday afternoon. Friday morning we took it easy (we slept in), and at 3pm when the cousins got out of school we went to the beach. First we tried to go to a little town called De Haan but we didn't find the beach access so we tried another place someone had recommended to my brother called Nieuwport.

We got to the beach in time to watch the sunset.


It was very cold there! But it was fun watching the kids playing, totally oblivious to the weather, just enjoying the beach.


After the sun went down we looked around the town for a place to eat. I wanted to go to a type of place called a "frituur," which is a traditional "fry shop" type place that serves french fries and fried meats.

We went in and there was a glass case filled with different kinds of meats prepared for the fryer. I got this photo from google, but it looked almost just like this.


We got some chicken things that looked like the chicken fries at Burger King. Xander loved those. We got a shrimp kabob and another kabob with alternating pork and bacon. My brother got an egg roll type thing and my nephew got a hot dog, and of course we all got fries.

It was more interesting than good, but I'm glad we got a chance to try their traditional fast food.

(First two photos taken by my brother. Keep checking back for more of his awesome work!)
Click HERE to read about our next stop: A weekend in Germany.

Belgium

We flew from DC to London, and then took the Eurostar (Liv called it the "bullet train") to Lille, France, which is about 30 minutes from my brother's house.

Our best train story was that we had non-transferable tickets for the train, but we got to the station 4 hours early. I had Mike wait out in the lobby with the luggage while I took the (extremely tired by that time) kids to the ticket counter and asked if we could transfer to the earlier train. The very nice lady took one look at us and put us on the next train for no extra fee.

Here's a picture of the kids on the train:


Once we got to Lille, we picked up our rental car. It was a blue Toyota that could actually seat 7 and had a manual transmission.


I was pretty nervous about driving in Europe, but it worked out great! I think I like driving there better than driving here. Trucks have a slower speed limit than cars and have to stay in the right lane except to pass. Passing is only allowed on the left, and the traffic had a really efficient flow. By the way - turning right at a red light is illegal. Oops. Oh well.

Also, in case you're ever lost in a parking garage in France (not that I'd know anything about that), here's the word for Exit:


We got a little bit lost on our way to my brother's house, but once we made it (thanks to Mike's brilliant navigation) the kids started playing right away in the amazing back yard, and my sister-in-law prepared the most delicious stir fry I've ever eaten. Our guest room was so beautiful too!


Click HERE to read about our first full day in Belgium. We went to the beach. It was chilly, but fun.