Belgian Weekend

“You’re my favorite relative” my 11yr old companion chirped. "I’m not related to you," I responded. Confusion flooded her face as she thought through how everyone in our large party was related biologically. Except me. Family isn’t blood I told her, firmly believing it with every fiber of my being. 

This weekend was spent with my grandparents, and it was glorious. They are not biologically related, but they have stood in the spot of grandparents since the day I was born. Emotionally, physically, spiritually: they've been there. From birthdays to graduations, boy troubles to heartbreak, cancer and more, they have loved and cared for us like their own. 

So, I was incredibly pleased when I found out they were coming on their first European adventure, and I was invited to join! I took the train after work to Belgium, where Grandpa and his nephew picked me up to go back to the Airbnb. It was a lovely large house, complete with alpacas in the backyard to feed! Plus the weather the entire weekend was absolutely stunning. Minus a very severe reaction to an insane amount of mosquito bites, I couldn't have been happier! 

Nephew and his wife were our Belgian tour guides, while their youngsters ended up the paparazzi and entertainment. Due to my grandparent’s mobility, most of our excursions were more limited in scope and duration. 

Thursday, we set off for Bruges. We parked at the city center and walked through the main marketplace. We stumbled upon a beautiful church that Grandma and I got to quickly explore before they closed. It was a beautiful old city. We had a delightful lunch of Belgian fries and samurai sauce (a spicy mayo esque sauce) and various grilled sausage and meats. We also went to Bequinage, a women's retreat area, which was incredibly peaceful and absolutely gorgeous. I found a handmade in Bruges store and got some lovely, embroidered earrings. We also tried chocolates from a few different shops!! As our snack for the day, we had a Belgian sausage role, fresh from the oven, with a fabulous flaky pastry and well-seasoned sausage.

From Bruges we drove to Knokke Host, a lovely seaside village. We all had drinks in the cabana area, before the women headed to the North Sea. The beach was clear of people and the water stretched for miles in both directions. The water was shockingly warm, and we happily waded in a good way. The warm sun and the crashing waves were simply magical and easily one of the Belgian highlights. 

Friday found us on the way to Ghent. It was a bustling city, and definitely felt more touristy. We parked near St. Michaels and crossed the St. Michael’s bridge to the main city. We took a lovely canal tour of the city. I always love taking boat tours and seeing cities from the perspective of the water. Ghent had a lot of grain merchants back in the day, and the tour guide did a nice job pointing out the historic sites of interest. The canals were lined with buildings in multiple colors and dimensions and construction. We also rode by a giant castle that imposingly stood at a canal intersection. After lunch, we walked through the churches and a bit more of the city before heading home. We stumbled across a delightful pastry shop, and purchased a strawberry, lemon, and chocolate tart pieces that were enjoyed at home with cups of Yorkshire tea.

In the evening, I was kindly invited to join the shopping excursion, and got shown around a proper Belgian grocery store. Bags of chips were a quarter of the price of Luxembourg!! I bought some milk for our coffee upon returning to Luxembourg, various sauces to try at home, and a giant bag of dishwasher detergent. Luxembourg can be expensive, especially on cleaning supplies, so I like to stock up when I’m out of the country. Additionally, I don’t always have the luxury of being able to buy sauces or chips or other “fun” foods that are heavy or bulky during my shopping trips, so this was a perfect time to do so.

Saturday found us on the way to Brussels, our furthest city away. We began at the Palace, and walked the park in front of it. Our excellent tour guide described the various judicial proceedings and departments. From there, we headed to the central marketplace. There was a giant Smurf statue outside the garage. The Smurfs were created by a Belgian and their paraphernalia was everywhere. Another favorite Belgian comic is Tintin, and his mark was evident in the city as well. 

The Grand Place central area was spectacular and included symbols from every EU country carved into the buildings. This was our waffle town. The girls had a delightful plain waffle in one shop, then another topped with strawberries and crème, and we had lunch at the Waffle Factory, where I had a waffle burger sandwich. They had a few savory waffle options. Each was a round waffle stuffed with protein and cheese. I absolutely adored mine. Another Brussels attraction was the pissing boy. It turned out to be a tiny statue of a boy, part of a fountain, but essentially peeing. Cooler than him was the building adjacent, featuring bikes on the walls, known as Poechenellekelder bar! After the city center, we headed to the Atomium, a giant atomic structure you can go inside. 

   The next morning, my grandparents, their cousin, and I headed to Luxembourg! We stopped on the way to eat at a Luxembourg restaurant across from the Grand Palace before we took the Old Town train through the Grund area. After our tour, we headed home to refresh for a bit. My grandma really wanted to ride a tram, so we rode one in Luxembourg! I got to take them one direction and show them where I grocery shop, before we headed back the other way to just see a bit more of the city. We got some delicious Greek takeout for dinner before bed. The next morning, we got some pastries from the bakery, along with a simply marvelous fresh baguette. After a hearty breakfast, they were on their way to their next adventure stop.

This trip was incredibly special to me because I got to share it with my grandparents. I saw them a good amount in Boston, way more than my own parents! And now to see them in Europe as well was simply a dream. I don’t know how much longer they’ll have the capacity to be able to travel and come see me, so it was nice to share my life with them now. I'm very grateful for their investment into my life, through my entire life, and incredibly thankful for this wonderful few days together.