Adventure To Belgium

photo courtesy of geographicguide.net

After the first part of my Netherlands trip, I was able to make a short side trip down to Belgium to visit some family friends, Lori and Brad and their incredible kiddos. On the way down, I took a lunch break in Brussels and had a couple hours to wander and see what all the fuss is about. I only saw a tiny portion of the massive city, which carries the title of the de-facto capital Belgium and the European Union. All of the pictures below were taken within walking distance of the Central Station.

Belgian Flag and EU Flag flanking a building

I arrived in Mons in the evening and quickly got to playing in the backyard! It was really great to be part of a family setting again, and there is nothing quite like a good ol' backyard baseball game with charming littles!

Train station mural in Mons

Saturday's schedule was packed, and we wasted no time. First stop was a visit to the North Sea (read: the beach)!

Despite the wind, we all had a blast sticking our toes in the surf, discovering neat shells and romping around in the warm sand. The consensus on the beach trip: Next time, sand shovels and swim suits will be included.
Following the beach visit, we headed in to Bruges, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Isn't it remarkable that I keep finding myself in these beautiful, historic, preserved, admired places? We enjoyed a delectable lunch of mussels and frites, finished up with gelato, and topped it all off later in the day with an authentic waffle. When in Belgium, right? Let's not forget the The Chocolate Line, a specialty chocolate shop that offers both traditional Belgian chocolates and "exotic" versions, like wasabi, earl grey, or my (surprising) favorite, fried onion. I know, it doesn't sound good, you just have to trust me.

On my final day, the whole fam packed up for the Sunday flower market in downtown Mons. The town is quite close to the border with France, and French is the main language spoken this far south in Belgium. Dutch is the predominant language further north, and there is considerable cultural tensions between the two regions. And don't forget the German speakers either! It appears that things are not all butterflies and flowers in terms of national politics or cultural relations in Belgium, but for that Sunday morning, everyone was focused on the flowers, and the mood was light. 

 For my upcoming travels, I managed to give a lucky head-rub to the little monkey of Mons.

We spent the rest of the afternoon touring the Chievres Air Base and school campus where my hosts work. A big thanks goes out to Lori and Brad for opening up their family and home to me! I really appreciate it!