In August, my parents, Stephanie and Matt, and their 15 month old son, Campbell came to Belgium for a week visit. What a great time we all had! Campbell was a trooper on the flights and dealing with jet lag. Steph and Matt are obviously doing something right! :) He’s so much fun and interacted with the kids so well, it was cute to watch them play. As soon as Nicholas figured out that Campbell could hold a light saber, they were best buds.
Everyone arrived Sunday and with spotty weather and people napping throughout the day, we stayed at home and played. Campbell had a rough first night (to be expected) and so the Yenn family slept in while our kids enjoyed lots of Nana and Poppi time. That afternoon the Morrisons and the Yenns (minus Campbell) visited the Atomium in Brussels. It was created in 1958 for the World’s Fair and continues to attract visitors.
Tuesday the Yenns slept in while I took Nicholas, Lindsey, Nana and Poppi to Chateau la Hulpe for a bike ride/walk around the grounds and a picnic lunch. We met friends there and the kids loved being able to ride their bikes everywhere. Nicholas has upgraded to a bike with gears and is quite proud of himself! :) We also toured the Folon Foundation, a museum dedicated to Jean-Michel Folon, a Belgian artist that Nicholas learned about in Kindergarten.
Wednesday it was no rest for the weary! Poppi stayed home, Paul was at work, and the rest of the crew went into Brussels to the Royal History and Natural Science Museum. It’s a gorgeous building on the inside and houses huge dinosaurs. Nicholas and Lindsey even went to a class in the paleo lab where they dug for fossils, made origami dinosaurs, put together puzzles, and colored pictures. We saw lots of different animals and a video on evolution.
Thursday while Paul worked, everyone else took a train ride into Ghent. The town was much bigger than I expected and we had to take a cab to and from the city center. The weather was also cooler and threatening to rain, so we spent more time than I wanted looking for a sweatshirt to buy for Nicholas. We did a little sightseeing and visited Gravensteen Castle, also known as Castle of the Counts. We’ll save a boat ride through the canals for next time. We ended the trip with delicious hot, Belgian waffles drizzled with chocolate. Even Campbell couldn’t get enough and kept doing the sign for more! :)
Friday Paul took the morning off and the adults, plus Campbell took the train into Brussels to see the carpet of flowers at the Grand Place. This is an event that occurs every two years and draws quite a crowd. We had a delicious lunch at a local Belgian restaurant and then headed back to Waterloo in time for Paul to make his 3:00 pm business call. Nicholas and Lindsey were excited to see us as they had exhausted the babysitter and were ready for fresh meat.
Saturday morning was full of playing and the afternoon was spent at the Waterloo swimming pool and walking around the main street for a little retail therapy. That evening we braved a local restaurant to eat Zeeland mussels and celebrate Nana and Poppi’s 39th wedding anniversary. Between the typical Belgian service and 3 hungry and tired kids, it was an interesting 2 hour adventure to say the least!
Sunday it was time for everyone to head back to the states and it’s been raining ever since. The kids are convinced both God and Mother Nature are crying, and want everyone to come back soon!
