Adventure Day sans "Adventure"

Our adventure day was a bit different this week.  After all, we are moms and things like doctor appointments and vet appointments must take precedence over fun.  But, our adventure day yesterday was exactly what I love about this group.  We really don't have to do anything!  It's just about being together and laughing, sharing, relating, empathizing, supporting, etc.  You see...life here in itself is an adventure and sharing it with others in the same boat is therapeutic.  How lucky am I that I have already met so many terrific, life-long friends here in Belgium.  I feel very blessed!

We decided to have lunch at The American Women's Club of Brussels.  This is where we all met in our "Hints" class.  Gretchen and I will actually be running the Hints class in the fall.  We are nervous about it, but we know we have the support of so many awesome ladies at the Club who are always willing to assist where needed.  The café at the Club is a nice place to meet and enjoy some delicious food!  And, everything is in English!  We hogged one of the tables for about two hours sharing stories of mice in blankets, snakes in mini blinds, owls in fireplaces ;), strep throat, doctor visits, and the list goes on.  There were a number of times I laughed so hard I was in tears.  And, that's the best kind of laugh.  Then there was some Sweet Baby Rays for Ericka (because I know she loves it) and delicious Belgian chocolates for everyone to enjoy (thank you Ericka.)  There weren't too many left when we were done with them...except for the alcohol ones...since they actually had a shot of alcohol inside the chocolate.  LOL!

The Club regularly has artwork of local artists on display.  I really loved these paintings of storefronts around the Brussels area.  But, the cheap side of me came out, and I had to pass.  You watch, this artist will be hanging in the Louvre some day, and my family will be cursing my name for not buying one!

Thank you iPhone for the lovely shot of the American Women's Club.  I had to wait until we were leaving to get this shot because it was raining and hailing when I arrived....ahhhhh Beligum in June.  Thanks to all of my friends from Morton who have lived in Belgium and recommended I find this place right away.  

There just happened to be an extra Polish pottery open house, so we HAD to go!  I found this cute mug, complete with spoon, for my sister.  She is the coffee addict in the family, and I thought it would look darling on her desk next school year.  We stopped at our favorite decor place that I mentioned a few weeks back.  There were a couple smaller treasures that were purchased, but I still have my eye on a sofa table.  We'll have to see about that.

And finally, and completely unrelated to the Adventure Club is this.....these are the slugs in Belgium.  They are all over the sidewalk when it's wet, so they are pretty much there all the time.  And, they are huge!  Yuck!!!  Of course, Thomas thinks they are pretty cool!

Until next time,
Wendy

Adventure Day in Brussels...Take 2

To start, I was finished with this post.  It was posted, and then I went back to it to change something and accidentally deleted it.  Not.a.happy.camper!  So, let's try this one again because this adventure day is one worth sharing with all of you!

In the Adventure Club, we try to choose an activity that is new to at least one of us.  Today's adventure was to take the train into Brussels!

Mom and Mike were very excited to take the train since I was cheap and didn't book the train to Paris.  This train is nothing like the high speed train to Paris, but it does run on a track....close enough! :)

Brussels is so much prettier than it was five months ago.  I can't get enough of the sunshine and flowers!

I never get tired of photographing the buildings in the Grand Place...as you can tell from the number of blog posts dedicated to this location.

Buying some Belgian lace.

Thanks for the pictures of the Adventure Club, Mom!  It's so nice to have pictures of all four of us!

Mike was checking out the huge beer selection.  Belgium has no shortage of beers.  He was very thoughtful and bought Chris a new beer glass.  It is a no-no to serve beer in the wrong glass, so if you are serving Leffe, then it should be in a Leffe glass.  Needless to say, we will be coming home with more beer glasses than I care to count.  

I might have to frame this one.  It's my favorite spot on the Grand Place, and I love the blue skies!

Rubbing the gold lady for good luck!

We had to get our picture with "Charlie Chaplin".

Charlie scared the wits out of my mom when she shook his hand.  He made this weird squeaking sound, and you could probably hear her scream three blocks away. It was hilarious!

Vivian and Ericka's first look at Manneken Pis.

She cracks me up!

We stopped for waffles and then chocolate and macaroons at Pierre Marcolini...so much yumminess!

At stop in front of Our-Lady of the Sablon Church.

It was our first visit to the Petit Sablon Square.  

The church from the Sablon.

Mike and all his girls! :)

We passed so many lovely sites on the way to lunch.  Brussels is really a beautiful city.

We decided to have lunch at the MIM (Musical Instruments Museum) because it boasts the best view of Brussels from the top floor.  It most certainly does have a great view, and the food was good too.  I had the quiche, and it was delicious.

You can never get a view in Belgium without a crane in it.

Our walk back to the train station was all downhill...Nice!

That is quite a pot!

I think this ad is so funny!  Nevermind the distraught man blocking part of it.


When catching the train into Brussels,  it was a few minutes early.  When a train arrived a few minutes early for our departure, I thought it was the right one as it had stops along our route posted,  so I hopped on.  Wrong-O!  Not the right train.  When it went flying by our stop, I panicked.  Luckily, Gretchen was thinking and got us off at the next stop, found the train going back, and we were on track again in just a few minutes...no pun intended.  The only issue was that we were out of rides, and of course the lady came around checking tickets.  This is, in fact, the first time I have seen anyone actually check tickets, and it is quite a fine if you are riding the train without a valid ticket.  She was very understanding about the mistake and didn't make us count an extra trip on the train.  Phew!  Silly Americans!


One more thing, Erika told us she has a friend planning to visit in the fall, and her friend is making sure she is here on a Tuesday, so she can go with the Adventure Club.  That made my day!!!


Love my Tuesday Adventure Club...my new favorite day of the week!


Until next time,
Wendy

Adventure Day #2

Here's my co-pilot today.  If dogs could talk, he would be saying, "What the heck is with all this traffic?"  One hour and seventeen minutes after departure, the kids arrived at their school this morning....which is only 5 km away!!!  Not sure what happened somewhere over in Brussels, but it trickled over to my neck of the woods.  The kids were late, and so were the dozens of other kids on the buses behind us.  

I found this adorable keychain at the American Women's Club today.  Just perfect for my friend Banu.  She just bought one of these to cruise around Morton.  Sounds like they are all the rage these days. 

Now on to Adventure Day #2.  Polish pottery is very popular here.  I first discovered it at the Poland booth at the International Festival at ISB.  I immediately fell in love with the different patterns and picked up a small tray I have used quite often.  Gretchen suggested we visit the seller's open house today.  These open houses are held only three times per year, so we just had to go. ;)  I found out this pottery is microwave, dishwasher, and oven safe.  I've decided this is what I am collecting while I'm here....well okay, I seem to be collecting a lot of things, but this is my priority.  I have my heart set on a vase that I am hoping she will be able to get for me.  I'll keep you posted.  I know you're dying to hear!  Ha!

I mean, really!  How does one decide what to buy?  I purchased a round platter with those great handles (you can see in the top picture) and a two part dish that will be perfect for olives and cheese.

On to lunch (always an important part of the day.)  We decided on Thai food.  It was a first for me, and it was delicious!  I'll definitely be going back.  This restaurant is in Rhode St. Genese, and this just happens to be where all of my lovely Adventure Club friends live.  In the top left picture, I am holding the awesome coffee mug Ericka gave me.  It is a camera lens mug complete with the cap.  It is the "replacement lens" for the one that was stolen.  I laughed until I almost cried.  So thoughtful!  Love these girls!

Next, was a stop at an outlet furniture/decor shop just down the street from the restaurant.  It's not much to look at on the outside...not on the inside either...but thanks to the low overhead, there are awesome prices.  This place had the coolest furniture and decor.  I think I'll have to check in each week to see what they have.  We'll just call this my TJ Maxx in Belgium...only a little dustier.  Clearly, we are going to have to either sell a ton of stuff we brought with us or have two containers to take us home.  Or, maybe I need to go back to work to end the shopping.....

I'm continuing to make this house a home.  I picked up some flowers to brighten up the gate area.  I'll eventually get them in some nice pots, but the containers they came in will do for now.

And finally, we bought an extra fridge.  Due to my decorating in the kitchen with the cart and wall hanging, this will have to go in the basement (not a happy husband.)  But hey, it's basically a beer fridge, so Chris can get the exercise walking up and down the steps for refills.

And that is quite a day.  Getting ready for my mom and Mike to arrive on Monday.  I better get cleaning...right after I catch up on The Bachelorette!

Until next time,
Wendy