I'm not going to lie. June and July were a blur! We loved having a ton of visitors, but school was still in session until the end of the month. We had concerts, celebrated birthdays, and dealt with loads of homework. So, we are going to take posts a couple weeks at a time. Trips, cities, and specific visitors would take me months to blog. And, as many of you know, I don't have months in Belgium...only weeks. So, I'm going to try and get this blog as close to finished as possible. :( Pass the tissues please.....
Our farewells were said at the airport with Diane and Kathie. And then, Julia and I spent the rest of the day in Leuven. We stopped for Starbucks because that is what we do. :)
I had a photo shoot at Villers Abbey the following day, so I grabbed some shots of Julia as well. Oh she was so worried about having no makeup on and wasn't dressed for it. Seriously? Look at her! Oh to be young again!
Thomas had a video to make for school. He was a renaissance painter, and this was the beautiful woman he was in love with. They are going to KILL me for posting this. But, when this blog is made into a book, and I read it years later, I will laugh and laugh. They are so hilarious, and I always want to remember how silly they are and how much they help each other out.
During Julia's visit, our friends Anne and Steve came for a visit! This was Anne's first time in Belgium, but Steve is a veteran with his work travels.
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| We spent the day touring Brussels! |
On day two, we took the train up to Brugge!
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| Thanks for stopping in you two! Great having you here! |
This handsome devil had his final elementary school band concert!
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| This is Belle the Baritone. He would really love for his parents to buy her. He really needs a part time job. |
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| That look.... |
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| They did a fifth/sixth grade orchestra/band number. Look at all of those kiddos! It was awesome. ISB has a terrific music program. So happy my kids are a part of it! |
The ladies of The Gift Boutique had our final lunch together for the year. They loved Julia!
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| How nice that we were so color coordinated! |
A stop at the Atomium!
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| Somehow, we managed to get four crazy, busy couples together for dinner to celebrate Dwight and Ericka's move from Belgium. Ericka will be going home to a new coffee maker and her beloved Starbucks caramel sauce. More on their move later. |
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| Shopping at their favorite store! |
June 13th was the big night! One Direction was back in Brussels. The evening started with dinner at Hard Rock Cafe and dessert at Starbucks.
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| Metro ride to King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. |
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| The sun was almost blinding until 9:40 pm. Thank goodness it wasn't raining! |
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| Niall...Allison's favorite! |
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| Singing along with tears in her eyes, and then she looked at me and said, "Thank you!" with a great big hug. Makes it all worth it. |
On Sunday, June 14th, we joined a colleague of Chris' on a Flander's Field tour.
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| The trench of death! |
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| A stop at the Canadian memorial. Canada suffered great losses in WWI. |
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Thomas's message in the visitor book at Tyne Cot Cemetery.
It was such an emotional day. After reading this, I kind of lost it.
We just wish Allison could have joined us. She was completely inundated with exams. Luckily, she did these sites on a field trip with school. |
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| Thousands of names on the wall of missing soldiers. |
I told Dieter about my Belgian family history. We talked about my traditions and the game of Rolle Bolle (a Belgian game my family has played for years.) He was pretty certain he knew of some courts and called his mom for some recommendations of local courts. Much later in the day, I thought we were stopping for a bite to eat when we walked to a building behind the restaurant. As I stood at the door, I was confronted was that familiar smell of my childhood spent on the rolle bolle courts. He didn't even have to open the door. I knew where we were. So exciting! My life just came full circle. Wow!
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| The bolles and court were a little different, but the concept was still the same. |
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| I definitely would NOT have worn a skirt had I known this! |
The rest of the day was spent in Ypres to see the Last Post. This memorial is conducted EVERY NIGHT at 8:00 pm. I can't say it any better than the Internet, so here it goes....
The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown.
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| We arrived in Ypres a couple hours early for dinner. It has a beautiful square! I can't believe I've never been here before. |
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| Under the Menin Gate |
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It's important to get there early.
How awesome! People come from all over the world to remember the men lost 100 years ago! What a tribute. It's really very moving! |
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| A really terrific tour! |
Julia's adventures continued with frites and beer in Place Jourdan, Cinquantenaire Park, and a road trip to Namur.
There is much more to come in June!
Until next time,
Wendy
