It came and went too quickly, but we are back from a wonderful trip to Belgium. We had a great time and did and saw a lot, but it still felt like we just scratched the surface.
We started our trip by spending just under a week at Center Parcs near Peer, in the northeastern part of Belgium, near the Netherlands and Germany. The kids loved the indoor playground and the pool, which is exactly what I had been hoping for. The weather was a bit on the cool side, but we didn’t get too much rain, so it all worked out well. We were also able to get bikes for the kids that first week, which they of course really liked. We didn’t just stay at the park that week. We spent Monday June 6 with my family, in memory of my mom’s passing. We had a good time & Granny Danny would have loved it. We had pistolets with all sorts of toppings at my cousin Tassos’ house. We also played toppekke (topeke? topekke?) and paardjespel (the game ‘Sorry!’), two classics in our family. Later in the afternoon, we went to my cousin Barbara’s house to have some wonderful crepes. We also made some delicious white-chocolate covered strawberries (freshly picked!). The kids were beat by the time we left and promptly fell asleep in the car.
On Wednesday June 8, we visited Mymi & Jose in Genk. The kids got to feed the chickens and the fish then we took a trip to the Carrefour (grocery store) to stock up on Belgian food such as chocolate, speculoos, binding for sauces, etc. We rounded up the day with a trip to the Cosmodrome, the Genk planetarium. Danny didn’t want to leave, crying out for more science!
Not to be outdone by our Monday & Wednesday outings, we decided to go to Brussels on Thursday June 9. But first, we spent some quality time at the pool! After a brief stop at a McDonalds with a playground (a surprise for the kids), we headed to Brussels where I showed them the building I grew up in and the high school I attended (they didn’t care). We then took the metro to the Central Station and walked towards the Grand-Place. We stopped for a gaufre de Liege (not the best I’ve had, but unfortunately the only one we had on this trip), briefly admired the buildings on the Grand-Place and then made a beeline for Manneken Pis. The kids loved it, especially Danny. We took the obligatory pictures and then had some ice cream at a cafe on the Grand-Place. We topped off the downtown Brussels trip with a few pralines from Leonidas then returned back to the car. We then got a call from Sophie and spent the evening with her in Schaerbeek. Danny & Mikey got to play with her daughters Margaux and Charlotte and immediately hit it off, exactly as it should be! We spent a wonderful evening there and returned very late to Center Parcs.
On Friday June 10, it was time to check out of Center Parcs, but not without another stop at the indoor playground. On our way to Knokke along the North Sea, we stopped in Ghent to visit the Gravensteen castle, one of my favorites. After a brief visit to downtown Ghent, we stopped by Det & Carlos’ house in Deinze where we did a bit of laundry and played another game of paardjespel! Around 8PM, we arrived in Knokke and quickly checked in and had dinner. We had promised the kids we’d go to the beach so they could see it. So away we went, and we caught the sunset! Probably the hardest thing to get used to was the fact that the sun rose so early (5:30AM) and set so late (10PM) in Belgium.
Saturday June 11 was another busy day. We started out the day by getting some groceries at the Carrefour and buying some electronics so we could charge up all of our stuff (we left our plug adapter at Center Parcs…). We then made our way back to Brussels to spend some quality time with Sophie and her daughters. We went to the “Funny Club“, an indoor playground, where the kids had a great time (Mikey kept asking to go back) and the adults got to talk. Well, Sophie & I got to talk. Mike got to listen to us speaking in French… He’s a good man! After our return to Knokke, we took the boys to the beach so they could play in the sand.
On Sunday June 12, we had a bunch of folks over: Sophie, Vincent, Margaux, Charlotte, Mymi, Jose, Barbara, Tom, Tassos, and Evelyne! We spent some time at the beach where the kids could play and the grownups could talk. Later that afternoon, we had pie at the hotel and then everyone went home. We finished the day by renting bikes for the kids. They loved them! So much so that we pretty much had to rent them again every day after that.
Monday June 13 was another family day: Det & Carlos came over. They had decided not to come on Sunday since we already had a lot of guests that day. We enjoyed a nice lunch at a restaurant (I had tomates crevettes and tasted some of Carlos’ mussels – yummy!), then we rented bikes again for the kids.
Tuesday June 14 was our big trip to Paris. We had gone back and forth on whether to go or not. We had first thought of going the Thursday before but train ticket prices had gone up significantly. Luckily, on Sunday, Barbara & Tom had suggested we drive to Lille (France) then take the TGV there to Paris. Our original plan had been to drive to Bruges, then take a train to Brussels to take the TGV from there to Paris. The Lille – Paris train was much cheaper and worked out very well. The kids loved it! We started the day relatively early and arrived in Paris around 11AM. Once in Paris, we headed straight for the Eiffel Tower. We took some initial pictures but then went to grab a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant. The kids really enjoyed the Eiffel Tower, and so did the adults! It never gets old 
. The view from the top is just great. After a small ice cream scoop and some running around in the park around the Eiffel Tower, we crossed the Seine towards the Trocadero and the nearby merry-go-round. The kids enjoyed a few trips around it and we got to relax a bit. After the merry-go-round, we took the RER to Notre-Dame de Paris. We briefly visited then returned to the Gare du Nord for our train back to Lille. It was a full and busy day, but a good one!
Wednesday June 15 was our last full day in Knokke. The kids got to ride a bike again in the morning and we took it easy until my family (Mymi, Jose, Detje, Carlos) arrived. We walked towards the beach and found a little cafe on the beach with some nice playground equipment where the kids could play and the adults could sit and chat. While it was a little chilly and windy at first, the sun eventually came out and it was wonderful! Later that afternoon, Monique and her children Timo & Vanessa arrived (extended family). We spent some quality time catching up!
On Thursday, it was time to pack up and check out of our hotel. On our way to Brussels and Sophie’s mom’s house where we were going to spend our last night in Belgium, we stopped by the Earth Explorer museum in Oostende (a bit of a bust), then at the Quick (Belgian McDonalds) in Sint-Denijs-Westrem where I used to go with my mom when we visited my grandma, and one last trip to the Carrefour grocery store. In Brussels, we made a quick stop by the Atomium (we didn’t go in), then went to a different grocery store to try to find some cooking books. We found a couple that looked good, but I didn’t quite find what I wanted. Maybe next time! We wrapped up our day with a great dinner at Sophie’s mom’s house and a late-night/early-morning chat with Sophie. Just like the old days!
On Friday, it was unfortunately time to leave Belgium. We eventually made it back to Carmel and crashed almost immediately.
Wow, I’m exhausted just recounting our trip! It’s no wonder I’m tired . I hope you enjoy the pictures!
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