Happy Birthday, Drake!

When Lucinda asked Drake what he wanted to do for his birthday, he replied, "Eat at Hard Rock with the Vastines." (We have the video to prove it.)  How can you say no to that? So, we spent a lovely Tuesday night celebrating Drake in the hottest room (on the planet) at Hard Rock Cafe.  It was so hot the chocolate Chris brought to share melted!  Words of advise...Don't eat in the room with the big blue couch.  Apparently, they failed to install any sort of circulation/heating/air conditioning unit in that section of the restaurant.  Misery!

Birthday Boy!  He's 5!!!

The crew of kids

I have now discovered my new favorite time to photograph at the Grand Place.  It's like a great big box with too much light above, but 8:20 at night seemed to be the perfect time.  Like they always say....one hour after sunrise or one hour before sunset. 

Normally, his face is covered in chocolate, but tonight it was sauce from the wings. :)

 As part of my Alphabet Project I am working on, I had to photograph something that day for the letter "E."  Perfect timing because I had Emerson to shoot!  She is so easy to take pictures of.

Winner winner chicken dinner! This shot was my choice for the project.  I just love everything about it...especially the subject!

Happy Birthday, Drake!  We were honored to share your special day with you.

Until next time,

Wendy

Dinant, Belgium

Before I get to Dinant, I have to tell you about an exciting development.  My friend Ericka and I are expanding our photography skills by taking classes, participating in projects, and putting ourselves out there to take pictures for others.  I've been photographing friends for a while now, but this step makes it more official.  You can follow us at wephotography.be.  And, you can also find us on Facebook at WE Photography.  We would love to hear from you!

Now, on to Dinant!

The last day of spring break was just gorgeous, so we headed to Dinant, Belgium.  This city, along the banks of the River Meuse, is home to Adolphe Sax.  Born here in 1814, Sax was the inventor of (you guessed it) the saxophone.  

You'll see a lot of saxophone's in this post!

We visited the citadel overlooking the beautiful city.  I love this shot, but I would really like it with a wide angle lens...hint, hint Chris.

We spent the day with the Keown family.  Allison loves spending time with Preslee.

The Belgium flag proudly displayed at the top of the Citadel.

There was a great play area at the top along with a café for refreshments.  Belgium is really good about making sure the parents are kept happy at playgrounds as well.  

Sweet E was enjoying the day, but she wasn't feeling well by the end of the day.  Poor thing!

We had to get some photos at the top.

Just a little bit windy!

Moms need a picture too...and it's still windy. :)

He cracks.me.up! 

As you walk through the citadel, they have rooms set up to look as they did back in the day.  This was the area where they were baking bread.  And, this mouse on the "flour" was not part of the original plan.  Looks like the flour didn't agree with him...GAG! 

Who is this guy???  Who knows???  What the heck?

Disneyland Paris had a sand sculpture display set up in the citadel.  That was a nice surprise.  

They were really impressive!

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum

The Keown Family

This was the first day of my photography project.  I had to photograph something that started with the letter A.  Easy enough. 

While taking the cable car, Allison talked the whole way up and the whole way down about how it could fall, break, and crash to the ground.  Shut it girl!

My boy and the glorious sunshine.

Taking the bridge to the other side to get a shot of the church and citadel.

More saxophones

A really beautiful city!

The whole crew!  Thank you Keown family for joining us for a great day!

Until next time,
Wendy

Budapest and My Trusty iPhone

 I can't finish Budapest without including pictures from my iPhone.  After all, some of my best shots are with that thing.  Here is a rundown of the magnificent city through a different lens.

Hero's Square

Our apartment was huge.  Originally two apartments made into one, we could have taken another family with us and shared the space. And, for 390 euros for FOUR nights, you can't pass it up!

The Hungarian State Opera House

Thomas's future car. ;)

Iquana...a Mexican restaurant recommended by a couple we met at the airport.  We'll just say that Belgium has no clue how to make Mexican food, so when we find a good spot, we eat there...even if it is in Budapest, Hungary.  These crazy Americans miss their Mexican food.  What can I say?

Shoes on the Danube Promenade

Mom needs to get in some pictures once in a while.

This gorgeous buffet was in our apartment.  Too bad it exceeded the size limit for a Ryan Air carry-on. :)

We were thinking of you Douglas family.

Herend Porcelain is made in Budapest.  I had never heard of it until I chatted with another American at the car wash just a few days before our trip.  I think God made sure we met.  What do you think? :) I was able to take a piece home, and I LOVE it.  But, I purchased my plate from a second hand shop for a much more reasonable price.

KFC stop....similar to Mexican food stop.

Smooches...he asked me not to put in on Facebook.  He didn't mention the blog. ;)

A-MAZ-ING!

Pretty much what every restaurant advertises.

Ready to start a long morning walk.

The Cave Church

Instagramming (is that a verb now?)

A shot of our hike....start on the far left, cross the bridge, up the hill, down the hill, and over the white bridge.

Hard Rock Cafe....of course (similar to KFC and Mexican food.)  I swear we ate local food too.

Cute Beatles dolls for my mom to see.

Enjoying the Széchenyi Thermal Baths

A little archery practice

Would have been a beautiful view without cloud cover and fog.

Dinner at Spoon.  Loved the view of the Chain Bridge.  

The bridge is beautiful at night.

Doing the fish spa.  They have wanted to do it for months.  It was cheap, so we finally said yes.

One beer, three Cokes, four sausages, and some potatoes....40 euros.  Biggest rip off meal to date in Europe.

The next Vanna White.

Dessert at Cafe New York...pretty sure we couldn't afford to eat a whole meal there.

Breathtaking view

Blinded by the light.

5:00 A.M. at the airport.  Eating KFC.  Doesn't every family do this?

And, that concludes our visit to Budapest.  Thanks for reading!

Until next time,
Wendy