Brussels With My Boys

We took a lovely three day trip to Belgium this past weekend and spent time with our friends Mallory  and Sy who live in Brussels. We loved it!

It was Colin's first train ride. He didn't sleep the whole way even though i timed it with his nap. What are ya gonna do? Well, we spent most of the almost 3 hour trip, walking up and down the aisles and charming people. Colin loves making eye contact with people and engaging them. He would stop a lot and if people looked at him he would try to interact and always gave them a smile. He always breaks down any barriers and I like that he creates this way of inviting people into our lives by engaging them. Many times people strike up a conversation with me. We got to know a Tunisian/Belgian family. Colin started rummaging in their bag and grabbing snacks. They shared them with him as we all conversed in French.

The ticket controllers let Colin play with their official hats.

We got there and these 2 kids had a lot of fun palin' around.

Andrew was so excited to spend time with their beautiful dog Dash.

Mallory and Nick have a cute little home in the suburbs of Brussels.

We took a walk around her neighborhood and checked out the Belgian homes.

The boys did a lot of playing while Mal and I did some cooking. I showed her how to make my favorite quiche and ratatouille recipes so she could blend in with the surrounding culture better. ;)

Colin did a ton of cute-ing

When it was time for Colin's nap we actually closed the shutters for some darkness.

I was not aware of how much Dutch was actually in Brussels. I thought there was a French part and a Dutch/Flemish part but everything catered to people in both languages everywhere. There are parts that are more dominant in one language though. Many places have to greet you by saying both "Bonjour" and "Goedemorgen". It was like my two worlds of living in the Netherlands and speaking French collided. 

We drove to Brugges one day and saw so many beautiful, old buildings.

 

We found a gorgeous, hidden park.

Brugges is pretty close to the coast so we drove on to a beach and the boys played in the sand

...and the water. Colin sat in it.

 Colin was so excited the whole time. He just ran around making the happiest noises. I love watching him discover new things.

At night, we ate ice cream and talked and watched a movie.

Mallory took us to the market where she says one can find the best waffles in town. She was not kidding!

 

Here are pics of our train ride home. We had to keep Colin entertained for quite some time. Colin would drag me all over the train and I got to see all of the couples cuddling and watching a movie or playing cards and thought, "Those were the good ol' days." 

Our last day there, we went to the nearby woods and took family pictures which will be another post. I am so grateful for Mallory's friendship. She is so much fun and I love talking to her. She is such a genuine person. I heart her!