Greenhouses and Grapes

This morning, we went to our landlord's house to see his greenhouses.  He has told us about them in the past, and yesterday we received an invitation.  We felt very honored to be asked to his home and certainly wouldn't miss the opportunity to see how grapes have been grown in Hoeilaart for so many years.

At one time, the town of Hoeilaart had 35,000 greenhouses for growing grapes.  Today, there are less than 500.

None of us were really sure what to expect.  I must admit I had a conversation with the kids before we left.  I didn't care if it was the most boring thing they had ever seen...they were not to ask if it was time to go, and they were to keep a smile on their faces because we were guests in their home.  Well, none of that was necessary.  They were in awe!  

I didn't know grapes could be so pretty!  I'm used to the choices in Walmart...red or green...all in plastic bags.  I like this option much better!

These are the grapes our landlord had picked for us to take home.

We were picking the grapes and eating straight from the vine.  They grow nine varieties in their greenhouse.

Kiwi, grapes, and very happy kids!

These are the remaining foundations of other greenhouses on the property.

They also grow pumpkins!  This one belongs to their grandson Tom.  Our Thomas thought this was REALLY cool. 

The horses belong to the neighbor, but we were thrilled to get to pet them. 

Walking back down to the main house.
We enjoyed champagne and looking at pictures from their latest trip to Africa.  The kids enjoyed orange juice, olives, cheese, and chips.  Everyone was quite happy.

Then, it was off to two soccer games.

I don't have a good action shot of Allison because I took terrible pictures at the games.  Ugh!  So frustrating!  But, I do have this cute one of her posing for me. :)

Then, Allison was off to a birthday party, and we had a terrific dinner with the Michael family in Brussels.  AND, my sister and two dear friends have booked tickets to come visit next summer!  This day definitely gets two thumbs up!!

Until next time,
Wendy

Mallorca...The Final Hours :(

We've come to the final hours of the fantastic beach vacation.  I ALWAYS hate to see a beach vacation end.  I'm the type that takes one last look at the water in case I'm never blessed to see it again.....sigh.  But all good things must come to an end, right?  So on Sunday, we headed to Es Trenc.  This beach is in fact classified as an official nude beach, and I certainly have the pictures to prove it, but we are going to continue to keep this blog G rated.  I did have to laugh when Mackenzie and Canon were off for a walk and quickly headed back from the direction they set out.  Mackenzie said, "Abort, Abort!"  That end of the beach was turning out to be the really naked end.  And, I'm not talking VS super models.  I'm talking the 70+ crowd...both men and women!  It's like that episode of friends where Phoebe covers her face and screams, "My eyes, my eyes!" It just adds to the fun of the European vacations. :)

Here are a few shots from our beautiful final day.

This is the only picture I have of these two together, and I don't have any of the three of us.  What was I thinking?   Oh right...I was too busy stalking my children with the camera.  They were about done with me.  That's for sure!

They were very proud of their sand castles and worked very hard on them!

It's a beach vacation tradition. 

After a few hours, it was back to the house to clean up, finish packing, and head to the airport.

And, that's a wrap!  It was a terrific weekend, and we look forward to one day returning to this beautiful place.  Perhaps if you come for a visit, we can take you there. ;)

Until next time,

Wendy

Beach Hopping in Mallorca

We set out on Saturday in search of paradise.  The vacation rental owner had given us a list of his favorite beaches, so we put the coordinates (not address) in the GPS and off we went.  We arrived at the first beach fairly certain we were not at the owners favorite beach, but we thought we would give it a shot anyway.  What a sweet surprise we found....

It was a beautiful beach with terrific waves.  But, it was a hard sell for the kids.  They had such a fantastic time the day before that this beach wasn't up to their standards. ;)  The common complaints were, "This beach isn't as much fun...or the water has seaweed...the beach has trash on it!"  Really???  I believe I actually uttered the words, "You are spoiled rotten American children!"  Gosh, this beach in Mallorca, Spain just won't work for us....PLEASE PEOPLE!

I will say that I have pinned some pictures of Mallorca on Pinterest, and we really hadn't found that sort of paradise I had seen in pictures.  So, off we went to the next destination.  With a little tweak of the coordinates in the GPS, we were no longer headed straight into the sea, and we found Calo Des Moro!  The favorite beach that was recommended to us! Yay!!!!

And, this is what we found.  How about this for a first view of the area!!  

Wow!  God's creation...truly AMAZING!

Family photo shoots were an obvious MUST!

The Wheatleys!

The Michaels!
Someone doesn't look happy...but the important thing is she is looking. :)

With a bit of hiking, this is what we found.  As I approached, I could see the blue water in the distance and just kept saying, "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!!!!"  It was breathtaking!  It was going to exceed my expectations!

Then there was actually getting down to the beach.  It was tricky!  The beach itself was very small with large rocks, but we had a rockstar spot right on the water!

Enjoying paradise!

After that location, we walked to another swimming spot very close by.  The boys enjoyed the climbing while.... 

my preteen enjoyed the sunning.

Windmills can be found all over Mallorca.  They were used by farmers to grind grain and pump water.   There are 3,000 windmills on the island with some dating back to the seventeenth century.  Thank you to the Internet for this bit of information.

After our beautiful day at the beach, we returned to the house to go out to dinner.  This lovely area was just outside our back door.  What a great spot for more pictures. ;)

Sweet friends!  You would never know they are three years apart...except that Allison is a head taller! 

Beautiful sights on our walk to dinner. 

We had a terrific dinner and returned to the house with seven tired kids.  Rest was needed as we had one more half day to enjoy the beach.  More on that beach tomorrow!

Until next time,
Wendy