Took my first trip to Belgium May 21-26. Spent first two nights in Antwerp where Jesse was working. Although I had better expectations of the town, I wasn't too thrilled. Maybe it was because I was tired from traveling. Maybe it was because everyone except me spoke Flemish. Maybe it was because I was freezing. So cold that I ended up buying a new jacket just to be able to wander around. Welcome to Belgium in summertime!
Then on May 23 I went to Brussels. I arrived at Central Station, it was raining and I had to find the hotel to drop my bags before my first appointment. I had the hotel name, but no address other than instructions that it was right by the station. My phone GPS did not work so I was looking for a hotel near the station without a clue in which direction to go. Thankfully a kind student pointed me in the right direction, I left my bags and hailed a cab.
Throughout May 23-24 I met with the kids' new school director, a friendly parent inviting me to her home for coffee, and multiple realtors and owners of potential rental properties. We settled on a very modern, open-concept, luxury loft in a newly renovated piano factory. It'll be urban living for sure, but the neighborhood was trendy and interesting, it is close to the center, the kids' school and parks. And it had a pool in the building - big factor considering the 45 degree, rainy spring weather.
I met several members of Jesse's team, had some heavy meals and some good ones too. Drank some very good beer and ate delicious bread. I remembered I know how to speak French and need a lot of practice to gain confidence in doing so. Most of all I grew very excited for our pending adventure. It was great to see Brussels in person, visit our new home and envision our new life. I thank Jesse very much for giving our family this opportunity.
Oh, we took a vacation day too on Saturday and went to visit Brugge. It could've been that the town lived up to its hype as a "Northern Venice" or that it was sunny for the first time on my trip, but I think it was Jesse's day off that made it the most enjoyable.
