Brussels

After spending half the day in Ghent, we boarded a train for the 30 minute ride to Brussels, the capital of the EU and headquarters of NATO. As you walk around the city, a lot of the architecture, food, and language (French is predominantly spoken in the city) all lead you to think: Paris. We stayed in a great hotel above a boutique chocolate shop. Our balcony overlooked a busy square, lined with cafes, frite (french fry) stands, chocolate shops, and bars. On Sunday, Dan convinced Allison to hit the town while Ethan took his afternoon nap. They went to the Grand Place (pic below) and sat together while Dan tried some local beer and Allison ate a warm waffle. Unfortunately Monday rolled around all too quickly, marking the end of our trip. By early afternoon we were driving back from the Rome airport to Napoli!

Interestingly enough, after graduating from college we (Margaret and I) backpacked through Europe for several weeks. Among the places we visited was both Brussels and Bruges. Those visits were exactly 10 years ago. It's crazy to think what has happened since that summer in 1999... a wedding, two dogs, two incredible kids, 6 moves, and a gazillion wonderful memories!

Grand Place, the main square of Brussels

The view from our hotel balcony. On the other side of those trees is a 1 block walk to the Grand Place!