Ted. We have met a lot of new and interesting people this year. We really enjoyed getting to know our VRBO hosts in Brussels - Yolanda, who is Dutch and her husband Simon, who is Lebanese. The four of us enjoyed a fabulous meal together at their favorite Lebanese restaurant.
Judy & Yolanda at Al Barmaki
But it has also been nice to reconnect with long time friends.
Back in the 70's, I worked on an American Army base in Germany with another young American named Don. He eventually married a French woman named Catherine and they settled down in a small French town on the border with Belgium. We have visited them every few years for decades now.
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| Don & Catherine at Château Beloeil |
We love eating great food and catching up in their beautiful old home but Catherine also arranges for us to take interesting excursions in the area.
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| Roman Ruins at Bavay, France |
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| Bell tower at Mons, Belgium |
A visit to Europe just isn't complete without a visit with our American nephew, Chris. He has a somewhat similar story to Don. Chris's company transferred him to Germany over 10 years ago and that insisted that he learn German. Darned if he didn't end up marrying his German teacher, a beautiful young woman named Dilyana. After postings in Italy and Hungary they are now settled back in Germany. We like visiting Chris and his family at their home but this year, Chris announced that he, Dilyana, and their sons Nicky and Mike would drive to Brussels to hang out with us.
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| Frederic Blondeel Chocolate Factory |
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| Nicky's hot chocolate moustache |
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| Mike works out in the park |
After spending so much time traveling on our own and getting to know new folks, it has also been wonderful to be embraced by people that we already know and love.
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