A Walk in Bruges

Walking is my very favorite thing to do in any new city (or known city!) We walked from Markt to the northeast end of town in search of a big grassy area boasting 4 windmills and great hills for rolling down. The girls usually need a bit of coaxing through a long walk. I'm always so pleased when they find a way to make the walk enjoyable for themselves. Eva entertained herself by making a daisy chain, the longest one ever. She just needed a bit of help splitting the stems which she found from my cousin's long nails (longer than mommy's, anyway.) The youngest prefers to entertain herself atop of her Daddy's shoulders. Smart kid.

Bits of Bruges

Not surprisingly our visit to Bruges was very Belgian. Due to it's northern location, our visit was also quite Dutch. A delightful combination, I must say! I'll leave it to you to classify these pictures yourself.

{{FRITES}}

{{WINDMILLS}}

{{CANALS}}

{{BEER}}

{{CHOCOLATE}}

{{STEPPED GABLES}}

Are you curious about that chocolate with a cigar printed on it? It is from a chocolate shop called The Chocolate Line. It is marinated in rum, cognac and Cuban tobacco leaves (technically, making it illegal in the US.) I read the description of this chocolate in my Best of Europe book by Rick Steves' and *had* to try it. It was delicious - lots of flavor, no tobacco yuckiness.

Reflections of Bruges

My cousin and her significant other met us in Bruges last weekend. Ahh, what a lovely city! So wonderful to see family and what a wonderful venue to do so!

Friends in Brussels

Sunday was an extremely exciting day! We drove up to Brussels to meet up with friends who were on their way to Rwanda. You heard me right. Rwanda. And not just for a visit; to stay. For 2 years. The visit was special for so many reasons: 1) We hadn't seen each other in years.2) We'd never met their son 3) They are embarking on this incredible adventure in Africa!

It was perfect that they had a stop in Brussels. We had 2 great days with them. We didn't really *do* anything. Oh sure, we laughed at Mannekin Pis, drank lots of Belgian Beer (mostly the Trappist variety,) a few of us had mussels. The visit was not about Brussels. It was about being together. And that we did. And then we sent them off with love and good wishes.

This is the Atomium. It was built for the 1958 World's Fair. We didn't go in it, but did enjoy seeing it.

Free face painting in the park at the base of the Atomium. My girls will never say no to that!

You can follow the Rwanda adventure here (ahem, as soon as they have connectivity.)

Picking Raspberries

My favorite berry. On Sunday we were so fortunate to stumble upon a U-pick in Redu, Belgium. We filled our baskets and our mouths. Hooray for berries. Hooray for summer!

A different Bouillon

We had such a fun weekend! Sunny skies, warm temperatures and friends visiting from the Pacific NW. On Sunday we took them to Bouillon, Belgium to see the chateau and raptor show. It was a completely different town than when Christina and I visited. It was swarming with people and energy, definitely not the sleepy little town I remembered.

The highlight of our visit to Bouillon was, without question was our paddle boat ride. We chose a boat with a pink dolphin as it's mascot. There were other animals to choose from - swans, flamingos, ducks, and even a dragon! The boat had exactly 6 seats and a fabric awning, perfect for us! It was such a fun activity for a hot, sticky afternoon. After our ride we indulged in some refreshingly cool, sweet gelato. As delicious as our trip to Bouillon.

Redu, Belgium

Last Thursday my friend Christina and I were able to sneak away for another day trip. This time we went to Redu, Belgium just 100 km away from Luxembourg City. Redu is a small, sleepy town nestled in the Ardennes forest. In 1984 Redu decided to position itself as a Book Town. Book Towns originated in Wales, UK. They are small rural towns where many used and specialty bookshops are located.

Redu has more than 20 book stores. Sellers have books in various languages - French, Dutch, and English being the most common. There are book stores that specialize in comics, science & nature, and even detective novels. There is a small antique printing press inside one of the book shops. Another business makes and sells artisan paper. For a nominal fee you can tour their paper making area. There are lots of charming little cafes and a chocolate shop.

Unfortunately for us the town only really wakes up on weekends and during the summer. Since it's business is built on tourism many of the shops can only afford to be open when there are lots of tourists. We did find a few book stores to poke around in. We spent most of our time in the shop of a cheerful, quirky man who sold vintage prints and paintings. He introduced us to French artist, Raymond Peynet who did charming drawings and also made dolls. The shop keeper shared his personal collection of books and prints of Peynet's with us. He radiated passion for art and for life. Before we left he insisted we try his organ grinder. He entertained us with a tune as well.

If you make it to Redu remember to go on a weekend, preferably in the summer. Bring cash, there isn't a bank in Redu and many of the sellers only accept cash. Oh, and make sure your car is full of gas as there isn't a gas station close by. Learned that one the hard way.

Rainy Saturday

My mom arrived on a Thursday. By Saturday we figured she'd be recovered enough from jet-lag for an outing. Saturday came, she was ready, but the weather was crummy! What to do on a rainy Saturday in Luxembourg? Drive to a museum in Brussels, Belgium of course!

I remembered a post Catherine did about a science & nature museum in Brussels that had dinosaur skeletons. Saturday seemed like the day to check it out for ourselves. A 2 hour drive to a museum? Why not!

The museum was worth every minute of the drive. The skeletons were amazing! We all learned a bit about dinosaurs - did you know their closest living relatives are birds?? And thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We ate lunch in The Grand Place, took a peek at Manniken Pis and headed home.