Gaufres, frites, palaces, torture museums and the peeing boy!

We had a fabulous Memorial weekend with our good friends Lee, Laurel, Jordan and Camille. Laurel and I are scrapbooking buddies from our time in Texas and we have kept in touch over the years. Now that we are both living in Europe; me in Germany and Laurel in Belgium, we have been able to share each others new homes. Laurel came for a visit during Christmas and now we head to Belgium this weekend. We couldn't have asked for better hosts and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we took in the sites of Brussels and Ghent.

Our first stop was to the heart of Brussels to see the Grand Palace. If you go to Laurel's blog, she explains the sites better than I can, especially as this is now "home" for her. And I must say how impressed I am with Laurel, she is really living the Belgian way of life and can even speak French! I'm not talking about how to ask if a Frenchman can speak English in French. She can carry on a conversation in French and it sounds so wonderful and easy from her. So impressed!

The Mannequin Pis is one of the popular things "to see" in Brussels and we were lucky enough to catch the little boy on dress up day! The statue receives clothes to wear as gifts to the city from important foreigners who come to visit. He even has an Elvis suit!


You just can't go out and about in Europe without tasting the local fair. Gaufres is to Belgian's what waffles are to us, but these aren't like any waffle you have eaten outside the borders of Belgium. They are warm and crispy when you bite them because they have a layer of sugar baked in. You can pick from a variety of toppings such as whipped cream, chocolate, strawberries and others or all of the above!


Frites are like french fries but again, you have not tasted anything like it until you have the true "french fries". Belgian's like to eat theirs with mayonnaise but you can still request ketchup as well. These babies actually melt in your mouth and are just the right crispy and crunchy that my tongue finds pleasure in.



The next day we spent in the wonderful town of Ghent. Mark and I have both decided that Ghent is in our top 5 favorite European cities so far. It is small but full of personality and flair. It is home to a commanding castle complete with a prison, guillotine and torture museum. The city gives you a clue as to the type of cities you see as you continue onto the Netherlands as there are rivers through the middle of the city with boats rowing along. We finished our day with a grand cathedral that houses an exquisite painting panel of "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by Van Eyck. I could have studied it for at least an hour with all the detail and symbolism but alas, not with a 3 year old . . . another time maybe.

Lee and Laurel spoiled us with their hospitality, comfortable home, yummy food treasures and oh yes, we cannot forget the ongoing battle for "guitar hero". So here are a few random treasures as we bid our fabulous weekend goodbye.

Gervitz's . . . until next time!