This weekend it was sunny and warm so to enjoy the beautiful weather we headed to Belgium. This was the first time for all of us to be in Belgium. We traveled through the Netherlands to get to Belgium. Crossing the borders is nothing like it used to be. You cross into the different countries of the European Union like we cross to different states. There's just a sign posted on the side of the road that you'll be crossing a border in 1 km and then you pass the sign that says Welcome to the country (in the native language). So simple - which is convenient, but no stamps in your passport. It's also super convenient that everywhere we've been so far has used the Euro...no need to exchange money and be left with extra Liras, Francs, etc. afterwards.
We made our way from home for 2.5 hours to Ghent, Belgium and checked into our Holiday Inn. This is one of the few hotel chains that allow children to stay for free and allow more than 2 people in a room. With our "large" family it works well, especially since Greg earns hotel honor points when he travels around...makes for a good option:)
After stretching and checking out the room we continued on about 30 minutes more to Bruges, Belgium. Finding a parking spot was surprisingly simple. We first headed to the canals and beautiful old buildings that fill Bruges. Around every corner there's a cool building, church, canal bridge, and more.
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| Bruges, Belgium |
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| Canals ran throughout the city. |
There were also LOTS of people! We had heard that many Germans would be headed to the coast to enjoy the long weekend and sunshine. Well, it was a bit too busy to really enjoy the city. Checking to make sure all three walking boys were still with us, not running into someone or something, and staying clear of the horse drawn carriages made for less than a relaxing stroll!
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| Some of the many people who were also enjoying the beautiful day! |
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As we crossed over the busy highway and away from the canals I began to wonder if we would really find this place...and if it would still be open when we got there. Not wanting to snack too much while walking as the objective was to eat when we arrived at the cafe the boys did REALLY well.
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| A t-shirt for sale:) |
As it got later into the evening and the streets got quieter with many apartments around us I started to prepare the boys that we might not be able to actually see what I had wanted to show them. We eventually found the address...it was someone's home. The boys assured me that it still was the cafe and that maybe we should check it out further:). They really wanted to see the trains. I assured them that there would've been signs and pictures of trains on the windows if it was. So, now to make the trek back to the van and still without dinner.
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| The residential area where we ended up. |
Greg decided to give Liam a ride as he was walking slower and slower as the trek carried on. Alex and Carter just kept walking with surprisingly minimal complaining. We crossed back over to walk along a canal which made for a nicer setting than the busy road.
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| Greg and Liam, Alex and Kaleb |
The boys and I started singing and counting our steps in English, German, and Spanish to get their minds off their tired legs and feet. We stopped counting after 1,000 steps and that was not counting the trek to the residential area. We finally made it back to our original starting point and it was 2 hours later...and we still had a good 15 minute walk back to the van. We walked for about 2.5 hours without taking a break. Those boys were quite the troopers...and slept good that night!
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| Kaleb discovered he could prop his feet:) |
