Lauren's 4th Birthday

Lauren turned 4 on May 6 and to celebrate we planned a ballerina birthday party at the Club with her fellow classmates.  Unfortunately, due to road closures for a ridiculously scheduled afternoon 10K and the terrible customer service by David Lloyd Uccle, we could not reach the club and had to redirect the party to our home.  Luckily, all her friends still made it and our ballerina danced away the afternoon with her friends.

Day Trips

Since my mom's been here for a while, we've been taking day trips with Caroline every now and then around the region.  

First up was a visit to the Greenhouses of the Royal Palace at Laeken.  They are only open to the public for three weeks every year so although horticulture doesn't necessarily enthrall me, the actual houses themselves were a sight to see.  Plus it was raining and it was mainly indoors.

Next up was Gasbeek Castle just outside Brussels.  Although the building was pretty cool on its own, it was a special visit due to a theater company acting the roles of its former inhabitants in a mysterious treasure map setting.  We went with Kate Annis and her kids, who along with our kids had a spooky time exploring and then a blast on the outdated playground at the pub across the street.

When the weekend rolled around Jesse joined us and we drove down to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.  While the countryside and city itself were beautiful, the country has a very sterile feel.  It's clearly wealthy and the playgrounds were fantastic, but one visit will be enough for us.

At Abbaye de Villers in Villers-la-Ville we walked around the empty ruins of an ancient Cistercian abbey.  Founded in 1146, the abbey was abandoned in 1796.  The place was spooky and magnificent - one of the most interesting things I've done in a while.

We drove out to Leuven one morning but I forgot my camera so I have no photos.  We walked around the serene Grand Beguinage.  It is a well preserved and completely restored historical quarter owned by the University of Leuven now used for student housing and academic guests.  It has the appearance of a small town in the city with a succession of streets, squares, gardens and parks, with tens of houses and convents in traditional brick and sandstone.  Originating in the early 13th century, the community was built for unmarried, semi-religious women and lasted until the invasion of the anti-religious French Revolutionists.

We left Belgium again to visit Lille, France for the day.  A mini-Paris without he Seine and a million other things that Paris has but Lille doesn't, it was a beautiful city with a pedestrian shopping district, lanterns hung between the buildings and delicious French food.  We toured the Musee de l'Hospice Comptesse, created in 1237 as a hospital where patients were cared for by religious women.  After 1789, it became a retirement house and then afterwards an orphanage in 1939.  Then we had crepes and rose for lunch and shopped the boutiques before heading back home.

En Champagne

Jesse & I were lucky enough to leave the kids with Mom and head down into France to explore the Champagne region.  We started by stopping at Notre-Dame de Reims to see the 800 year old cathedral. Although a typical old European cathedral, the Rose Windows were beautiful and it was worth the stop.

20 minutes later we arrived in Epernay, the capitol of Champagne.  I'd booked another Air B&B winner on a houseboat on the Marne River.  Although charming, I think my Air B&B days are limited…

Luckily, we took off for our first champagne tasting right away and started at the low end with the House of Mercier.  A very touristy tour into the caves aboard a little train and table champagne at the tasting, it was a great introduction to the focus of the region.  We bought a case of grand-cry at A. Bergere and then walked around until dinnertime.  

Sunday morning we had the best time exploring the hilltop village of Hautvillers, the home of Dom Perignon, the monk who studied and improved the art of champagne making.  The village was meticulously preserved, a note to the wealth of the region.  

Afterwards, we went back into Epernay to visit the House of Moet & Chandon, also the owners of the brand Dom Perignon.  This time the tour was extremely high end luxury focused, with bottles marked over $10,000 in their boutique.  It was beautiful and a perfect end of the touring weekend.

Easter in Brussels

Easter morning in Brussels was a bit overcast but the Easter Bunny filled our baskets here just like at home.  The kids got dolled up for the day and after a stop at Holy Trinity Church in Ixelles we headed to the Club for an Easter Egg Hunt and lunch.  The sun even made a bright appearance and warmed up the day. We dyed some eggs in the afternoon and enjoyed the pool.  A very nice Easter in Brussels.

Easter Monday Mom and I took the kids to Hallerbos to see the woods carpeted by bluebells.