Our First Visitors!!!

This past weekend, Tonico and I were SO happy to be able to meet up with my Aunt Linda (my Dad's sister) and Uncle Bill. About a year or so ago, they planned a month long cruise up the Danube and Rhine/Rhone rivers throughout Europe. At the end of the trip, they elected to spend a few extra days in Brugge and Brussels - again, LONG before we knew we were moving here. Once we announced we were moving, they immediately insisted we join them while they were "in town"! 

Friday morning Tonico and I took the train to Brugge, Belgium. This is our first time taking the train outside of Brussels so we were excited to learn about a new mode of transportation! It was so easy! For 27 euro, you get a round trip ticket to Brugge, which is almost exactly 1 hour from Brussels. It was a smooth ride and quite comfortable, aside from the family with 5 small children next to us who did not seem to care about their children running up and down the isles and being quite loud. Oh well, we were on our way to see family! 

We met up with Linda & Bill for lunch and gosh, I cannot even begin to explain how wonderful it was to see them! For them as well, after being away from family for 30 days, they said it was equally refreshing! The weather was ABSOLUTELY gorgeous on Friday so we found a restaurant with outside seating and settled in to do some much needed catching up! They had so much to share with us about their travels and the trip sounded just amazing! Unfortunately, because of the bad rains that Europe has been getting, more specifically in Germany and below, they had to get off of the water and  take the rest of the trip by motor coach. As you can imagine, some people were very unhappy about not being on the water anymore, but we just really admired their positive outlook on the situation!

After lunch we walked around Brugge taking in all of it's beauty. The entire city center of Brugge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to Wikipedia, A UNESCO World Heritage site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance. It is just breath-taking at every turn! 

We visited the Church of Our Lady which is currently under heavy construction. Even through all the dust, we were able to catch a glimpse of the "Madonna and Child", which I believe it one of the only Michelangelo statues outside of Italy.

This picture is so far away and blurry and does not due the statue justice, it was beautiful!

We stopped before dinner at a great little bar that showcases hundreds of Belgian beers with their corresponding glass on their "Beer Wall". We grabbed some drinks and found a table overlooking one of the canals. Bill was sporting his Wisconsin Badger's polo and of course, we met some people from Wisconsin! So, we all bonded over, naturally, beer and cheese!

At the bar that looks out on to the canal

Bill showcasing his favorite beer, Zot! (we're still deciding how to pronounce it!)

We took a carriage ride around Brugge, but forgot to get a picture inside the carriage, so we got this one, post carriage ride. Right in the center of Brugge. 

On Saturday morning, we made our way to Brussels! Tonico and I were so excited to share our city with Linda & Bill - show them our apartment, our favorite restaurants and all the sites in between. This would be our last full day with them, and we would head back to Brugge with them Saturday night. They would leave early Sunday morning for the airport and we would spend Sunday touring around Brugge some more. Unfortunately, Tonico and I were so excited about the day, we forgot our apartment keys back at the hotel in Brugge! We were so bummed that we were not able to show them our new home, but I guess that's life! We continued to show them around our neighborhood and then took them down to the main city center of Brussels where all of the historical and beautiful buildings are. We went to the Chocolate Museum, showed them the Manneken Pis, and walked around to several different churches. It seems Tonico and I did not take any pictures of our day in Brussels, but I know Linda has some!

Two days just with them was just not enough! We could have spent 10 more days with them catching up, learning about their travels, and just bonding. Coming from large families, Tonico and I really miss sharing strong connections with our Aunt's and Uncle's. It was so nice to learn so much about Linda and Bill - their adventurous and positive spirits have really inspired us and we are hopeful that when we return to the US, we can join them on some of their wonderful trips! Thanks for a great visit, we miss you already! 

Now we look forward to a visit from my very best friend and her fiancée in August!!!