The Kiss Family in Brussels

Just two days after arriving back in Brussels, we were thrilled to welcome Chris' cousin Christine, her husband Tibor, and their two great kids to Belgium.  Tibor is from Budapest, so they were visiting his family this summer and added "seeing the Vastines" to their travel plans.  We love being added to travel plans!

Cousins getting reacquainted! 

Christine and Chris

The first stop on our "How many places in Belgium can we squeeze into 2.5 days" tour had begun. The Grand Place was stop #1 of course!

Some cities have monuments like the Eiffel Tower, Tower Bridge, or the Leaning Tower….we have the Pis…..Manneken Pis that is.

Yummy waffles!

Yummy beer at the Delirium!

And, there was Westvleteren served at home.  Never mind that Chimay glass.  So tacky of me.

Tibor LOVES the beers from Belgium.  To say he was in heaven would be an understatement!

The next day, it was necessary for Chris to work.  I mean, that is why we are here.  So, the group set out to see a few things while we waited for him.

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

It's really impressive from the outside.  The kids think it looks like a smaller version of Notre Dame.

Next stop was the Royal Palace of Brussels.  It is open for a little over a month in the summer time, so the timing of their visit was perfect!

Once Chris finished his day, we were off to Ghent.  This is one of our favorite cities in Belgium.  With the canals, cathedrals, and a legit castle right in the middle of the city, it's a great place to take visitors.

Stormin' the castle

Grabbing a snack along the canal.  I'm a sucker for the architecture in Flanders.  Love those rooflines.

St. Bavo Cathedral ~ home to The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb
Have you seen The Monuments Men?  The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (Ghent Altarpiece) is the artwork by the Van Eyke brothers (painted in 1432) that was stolen by the Nazis and the storyline of this movie.  The other piece of art they highlight in the movie is the Madonna and Child by Michelangelo.  It's in a cathedral in Brugge.  So, I admit before seeing the movie I have passed up these great works of art.  Pardon the ignorance.  I now see the error of my ways…..

St. Bavo is under some serious restoration.  We were just seriously soaked from the rain.

Dinner at Pakhuis.  Delicious food and a gorgeous atmosphere!

On Saturday, the sun was shining, and we were off to Maredsous Abbey!

The lunch and the beer were delicious.

Visiting the cathedral

Love the tile!

We just had to….

We had hoped to do the rail bikes outside of Dinant, but they were booked, so we headed over to the ruins of the Castle of Montaigle.  Maybe you watched the Bachelorette and saw their dates in Belgium? Well, they visited here. :)

Allison found a friend.  Cheese!!!

The ruins were impressive, as were the grounds around it.  The kids (and adults too) had a great time climbing and exploring.

Love self timers!

We stopped in Dinant just to admire it on our way home.

….because selfies are important.

Dinant is the home of Adolphe Sax the inventor of the saxophone.

Yes, this is Belgium.

Just to pack one more thing into the trip, we stopped in Leuven for dinner.  

White wine mussels for this guy.  All the kids had a try.

The kids with the gorgeous town hall.

Thank you Kiss family for including us in your summer travels in Europe.  We loved sharing our home with you, and we look forward to visiting you in Colorado when we return to the US.  Much love to you all!!

Until next time,

Wendy