A Night at Le Dillens

I wasn't going to plan a going away party but then Kate Annis suggested we do something together at a local bar and so we decided why not.  We picked a little neighborhood spot in Saint Gilles called Le Dillens because of its outdoor sidewalk lined with lights.  

In good weather the location is so perfectly Brussels, we lucked out tremendously that late June evening.

Unfortunately, Kate had a family emergency sending her home to the U.S. that week, preventing her and Craig and their friends from joining the party but we had a small group of our favorite Americans and Europeans turn out to have some beers and enjoy the late summer night in the city under the lights. I'm really going to miss them and this place.

Father's Day

This Father's Day we finally made it out to Flanders to explore the WWI sites around Ypres.  On the way we also made sure to taste the "Best beer in the world" - Westveleteren from the Saint Sixtus Abbey.

The Abbey is not open to visitors and we didn't bother to go through the phone line game to secure a pick up of two cases of the precious beverage, but instead, casually entered the Welcome Center and had two glasses along with a few grilled cheese sandwiches.  Very Belgian.

Ypres itself is a beautiful old town, along the lines of Ghent & Bruges.  What made it even more special was realizing that most of it had been destroyed and rebuilt following the war.  

Walking down one of the city streets we also simply ran into Menin Gate, built as a memorial to Europeans who lost their lives in the Great War.

Afterwards we headed out of town a few kilometers to find the preserved trenches.

We even found a few wild poppies to remember it all.

Saying Au Revoir to L'Ecole Tenbosch

I loved this school.  Since the kids have not yet been to elementary school at home, I don't know if I loved it more or less than any other but it was a special place. All the nationalities, all the languages, the loving teachers, the involved parents, the garderie staff, even Pascal the doorman, all made up this school.

There was a level of trust in the teachers, a focus on learning in a simple environment and happy kids.  Lauren grew out of her she'll so forcefully as she played in the hallway outside her classroom or on the courtyard with her troop of friends.  Caroline was potty-trained, napped and learned to make friends, speak French and be a big girl like her sister and brother.  Cole learned to read and write in French, had religion classes and an introduction to Dutch.  

The older two performed on stage at the Spring Fancy Fair and even Caroline went on field trips with her class to a local castle.

It felt like school when I was a kid.  Serious, simple and fun.  It felt like we belonged there.  We were connected to Brussels through this school community.

Paris for the Day

We went because we could.  Paris, an hour and a half away, accessible by 11am after dropping kids at school, a quick bus ride to Gare Midi and a Thalys ride to Gare du Nord.  We were in the Place des Vosges for brunch.  

We walked and shopped the streets of the Marais and metroed to the Arch de Triomphe. 

Then down the Champs Elysee to the left bank to install ourselves at La Palette for a well-rounded meal of charcuterie, cheese, bread, butter and wine in the sunshine.

After a few Parisian friends joined the group, we made our way to another bar closer to Nord to await the train that would whisk us back to regular life, via the bar car.  Even Kate Boles speaks French after a ride in the bar car.

Corsican Weekend - my Kates & Me

On June 13th, I flew to Corsica with Kate Smalkin, Kate Annis and Kate Boles for a glorious, beach-hopping girls' weekend.

We piled in our Citroen C4 and headed straight to Bonifacio to see the city on the cliffs.  The cruise did not disappoint.

We climbed the hill (via the white tourist train) and reserved a table with a view.

Then walked around town a bit.

Then headed to the hotel for a second bottle of champagne.

Then out in Porto Vecchio.

The next day we saw the beaches.

We rated the bar tenders at each, from Ronaldo to Guillaume.  Then finished the night with sushi and crepes (and they do go well together).  A perfectly lovely weekend with the ladies that made Brussels the amazing place it turned out to be.

La Champenoise

Kate Annis organized a group to run the annual Champenoise, an 18K run through the Champagne region around Epernay, France.  With our team of "rock stars", Jesse & I sported our rockwear and took off up a very long hill through the most beautiful countryside I've ever run.  

It was very hot, but we managed to keep going and avoid all but the last champagne stop - because who can really run after multiple glasses of the bubbly but then again, who would run the Champenoise without stopping for any bubbly?  With the last downhill stretch back into town, we finished together and began imbibing with our friends.  

After making pit stops at the hotel to freshen up, we all enjoyed a long, multi-course French meal in downtown Epernay and vowed to do it again if we ever had the chance!