While I have been posting the regular fun activities of Lincoln and Beau for the last week, Daddy has been on a super cool adventure! He and his boss flew to Belgium (by way of Paris) last Saturday afternoon, and that's when the boys and I headed to the Pumpkin Festival to begin Operation Stay Busy! They had a smooth 9 hour flight to Paris, although they didn't get the upgrade to first class. They took a bullet train on to Brussels, and by then it was early Sunday morning. We were all troubled that Daddy's phone wasn't working internationally. His company was supposed to enable them to have phone access, but something didn't work out about that. After a few frantic hours, Pops and I managed to connect to the Belgium hotel so we could Skype and talk on the phone some.
The hotel was on a really popular street and near the center of town. There were lots of great pictures of the "scene"! People sat outside at all the restaurants and took over the streets, so cars could barely pass. There were so many cool little chocolatiers and shops to check out, and Daddy loaded up on the chocolates to bring home!
The town hall was beautiful, as was the entire town square. It was busy with activity at all hours of the day/night. Daddy met an artist at the square with amazing drawings of the buildings and brought a few home to frame. Good job, Kev! (I don't know why I can't get this one to rotate!)
One of the other famous landmarks in Brussels is this statue of a little boy going pee! (It is even the logo of one of Daddy's beers - Blanche de Bruxelles.) There are many stories of the origin of this statue, but the most prevalent story is that the town was on fire and he was trying to help put the fire out!
On Monday morning, the party travelled north to the Malheur Brewery in Buggenhout, Belgium. Manu, the brewery owner, gave a lecture to the guys. They enjoyed learning the history of the brewery and beer-making, and they sampled several taps while learning the details of how each is made.
Tuesday morning was a visit to the Floreffe Abbey. The existing structure still stands, although a modern school and restaurant have been added.
The photos inside the Abbey were stunning. The architecture is amazing, and the pain-staking carvings are breathtaking. I can't share all of the pictures, but this one captures some of the beauty. They actually brewed beer for the monks here centuries ago. The monks are buried under what is now the school gym - ha!
After the Abbey visit, the guys stopped at the historic site of The Battle of Waterloo. They took in Napoleon's Last Stand with a viewing of the statue, and checking out the actual battlefield. (Again, why can't this one rotate???)
The Lefebvre Brewery in Quenast was next on Tuesday afternoon. Kevin's highest selling product comes from this brewery, and they were excited to taste Blanche de Bruxelles fresh from the tanks. This particular brewery was way more modern than most of those in Belgium.
One of the most important aspect of Kevin's traveling is what he gets to eat! When he is in San Antonio or Austin, he's always texting me a picture of the yummy Mexican dinner he's having . . . and I'm having my millionth grilled chicken salad! I'm always jealous of his meals when he's away! This was an adventurous eating trip. They had lots of regional fare, including shrimp and cheese croquettes, wild pheasant, Lebanese meat schwarmas, and chicken waterzooi. At last Daddy found some comfort food - fries! He sent me a picture of his frites and was so happy. Alas, he neglected to get a real Belgian Waffle . . . maybe next time!
On the schedule for Wednesday, was a trip to Itterbeek to visit the Timmermans Brewery. These are fruited beers, like strawberry and cherry.
This brewery has been in operation since 1781 and still uses the same equipment. This picture is of the centuries old filtration system. The next step is fermenting in a space with open windows to naturally cool the beer. What a difference from mass produced products in our country!
The Chairman of the Board of Timmermans invited the party to his nearby farmhouse for a personal tour of his cellar and a tasting. (He's on the left.) What a treat!
The guys split up at the Brussels airport on Thursday morning to head back home. Kevin and his boss flew to London to catch a direct flight back to Dallas and scored the first class upgrade!!!! I think someone might be spoiled and will never want to fly like the regular folks again! The long flight was so much better with more room and tons of attention. We were waiting anxiously for Daddy's arrival. Nana helped the boys make a few signs outside and inside to welcome him home.
Since Daddy got back on Thursday night, he has slept a ton and re acclimated himself to America: pizza from Palio's, Rico Salad at Mi Cocina, a sandwich from Jersey Mikes, and tacos and cheese enchiladas at Desperado's. The plan for Sunday is omelets and biscuits after church, and lasagna for dinner. We are all sooooooo glad that Daddy is back home. I think he surprised himself that he loved Belgium. I hear that a Germany trip is coming up soon. Who is this world traveler I married???
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