It didn't take long for Maren to warm up to Auntie B!
Blythe arrived on the Sunday of Carnival. Since we couldn't really go anywhere on Mardi Gras itself (Troy uses our one car to go to work, and Brussels doesn't have much of a Mardi Gras celebration), I had the brilliant idea to go to Binche the afternoon she got in. Binche's Carnival festivities have been recognized by UNESCO, so expectations were high. But alas, it was cold and crowded and really not that great. Maybe we caught it at the wrong time.
Attempt at a shot of the three girls
Maren, Troy, & Blythe in Binche
Carnival parade in Binche
At least some of the costumes were cool
After our Carnival misadventure, we mostly just bummed around during the week, doing my new "normal" activities of playing with, feeding, and bathing Miss Maren.
Maren playing on her activity mat
Eating lunch with Auntie B
Tired baby in the bath
Awwww.....
We did go out to lunch one day, went for a short walk in the Bois de la Cambre, and paid a visit to one of the lovely neighborhood pastry shops. We even got to celebrate Maren's 7 Month Birthday together.
Maren hanging out in her stroller at the café
At the Pâtisserie Debailleul
Celebrating her 7 Month Birthday!
Despite the quotidien nature of these activities, before we knew it it was Friday. Troy took the day off, and we decided to have a day out in Brussels. Our day started with a nice lunch at a seafood restaurant in our neighborhood. We then went downtown to buy some glasses at the Bier Tempel, walk through the Grand Place and the Galleries, and get chocolates at the original Neuhaus.
Maren and Daddy at Toucan Sur Mer
Les huîtres creuses (oysters)
The three girls at lunch!
Choosing glasses from among the hundreds at the Bier Tempel
The three girls in the Grand Place
Blythe took this cool panoramic shot of the Grand Place
In front of Neuhaus, in Les Galleries Royales
The next day, we bundled ourselves into the car at a relatively early hour and set off for the Brasserie à Vapeur. Located in the tiny village of Pipaix (about an hour west of Brussels), it is the last steam-powered brewery in the country. On the last Saturday of the month they hold an open brewing day and offer a multi-course beer-themed lunch where most of the food is produced or grown locally and organically. When Troy's sister was visiting last year, we all went to Vapeur with a big group of friends and loved it, so we thought it might be a fun and uniquely Belgian way to wind up my sister's trip. (Side note, I see that somehow mysteriously I failed to blog about Tami's visit last year, so expect a flashback post sometime soonish!)
Outside the Brasserie à Vapeur -- Troy trying out our baby sling
Rather disappointingly, we discovered that the tour wasn't scheduled to take place until after lunch, so instead we just sort of wandered about on our own before we moved across the street to the cense (farmstead) for lunch.
The century-old steam engine that powers the brewing process
A huge brewing vat
Blythe and I tasting the wort, an intermediary, sweet-tea-like product.
Maren surveying the scene with Daddy
Now, the tour might have been limited, but the food was not. There was beer-and-vegetable soup, beer bread, smoked salmon and duck, cured pork, pâté, slow roasted ham, potatoes, and a cheese course to die for. All this was accompanied by Vapeur's light and dark brews, and they even produced a strong pousse-café (after dinner drink) made from beer.
Maren had her lunch first
Jean-Louis, le patron, explaining the buffet
Cheese!
Our friends Jeff, Erin, and baby James met us there
We had a lovely day and got back to Brussels in time for one last visit to a pastry shop before dinner. The week simply flew by, but we had such a wonderful time getting to hang out with Blythe. It was super cute seeing Maren bond with her, and we can't wait until May when we get to see Auntie B again!
Blythe's February Visit Photo Album - Click Here
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