Belquie-The FINAL Day

So what would you do on your final full day in Belgium. Us, we did what one would normally do on the first day, same as we did in Paris. We did a bike tour of course! Dad was on this "Let's do bike tours every where we go" kick so we found one to do in Brugges. It was GREAT! The guide was this kid getting his masters in art history so he knew ALL sorts of good stuff (naturally ;) ). It was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time!

You ever go to Brugges, go on this tour. It's worth it, I promise!

Here he is, explaining things in a court yard.

And we're off! I'm getting good at "bike-by" shots

"Lover's Lake"-who wouldn't want to be in love here??


Yup-we saw a windmill. It was awesome. And it still works!

The first shot looked like the windmill was coming out of my head-this one is better.


So dad lost his phone on the tour so we had to rewalk parts of the route we biked. It gave me the chance to take some more "artsy" photos.

Seriously, who doesn't love this?

Man has to earn a living somehow right? Why not stick a horn on a violin and try that out?

Now you all know how much I love churches. We went into this church that had a piece that Michael Angelo sculpted that actually got to leave Italy in his life time. It's Mary and Jesus, in case you couldn't tell. It's actually fairly small but it's pretty amazing.


Original fresco from the early part of the church. That angel looks a little mad, don't you think?

As seems the norm around this part of the world, the church was dedicated to Mary. And so she's in a lot of the art work.

These were all plaques thanking/dedicating Mary for something in all different languages. There were about 3 walls of these things. And they were pretty full to!


So have I told you about the swans around here? Like in the UK, swans are protected in Belgium. So they pretty much do what they want. And in case you didn't know, swans are kinda mean. Ok, they're really mean. There were these swans that hung out in the canal by our hotel window so we would watch them swim around all peaceful like, until a boat went by. Then they went into attack swan mode and chased the boats down the canal. It was really amusing to watch. I took a few shots of the swans doing this but this one is the funniest. It's like the swan is saying "yeah you better keep going! stay away from my turf!" Go to http://thecypruslife.shutterfly.com/ to see all the photos of the swans around Brugges.


Our last meal was at this restaurant that we found that used to be some kind of guild. It was right on the canal (of course) and was in this really cool old building. Mom and dad both ordered the ham hock, thinking it wouldn't be as big as their face. Well, it was. Dad took it like a champ and was ready to chow down.

Mom freaked out a bit. You can't really blame her can you?

The food was OH SO tasty so it was worth gorging ourselves. After eating we went back to the hotel for a good nights sleep before going back to Paris the next day. Mom and dad were going straight to the airport hotel since they had an early morning flight while Matt and I spent our final day exploring the sights in Paris we didn't get to see but wanted to. That will be on the next (and final, you lucky, lucky people!) post!

One Year Into It

So we've done it! We made it one year living abroad! Who would've thought that we could actually do it and not kill each other, ourselves, the dog, and various other people ;) Just kidding. It's been a trying year (but what year hasn't really?) but we've had TONS of fun and adventures in the process. I've decided to do a quick year in review, life on the island and adventures taken.

Where would we be without good friends made? Probably curled up in a ball on the couch a lot, crying to myself.

We had a Christmas away from family but at least we still had our lovely sweaters.

Matt got to be manly and see some cars zoom around real fast with some other manly men!

What would life be like without playing at the beach? Especially since we live only 10 minutes from it!

And I happily get to ride some ponies and work on my game while here-I may even prove to be a rider yet!

That's basically life for us on the island-eating, riding, good friends, and wearing ugly clothes. Happily as life continues on we are getting a busier social calender-that shows we're really adapting to life here right??? We've also become part of a great Baptist church and are getting to know the people slowly yet surely. The pastor (Mark) is American so he thinks we're the greatest things since sliced bread, especially Matt since they've started watching football games together.

And as all of you loyal readers know, we have done quite a bit of traveling this year. We've hit 5 countries this year, making my goal of a trip about every 3 months right on target. We have plans (or at least I do) for more to come this year, hopefully including a long jaunt in Australia/New Zealand (what?? It's cheaper and quicker to fly from here than the states. Don't judge us!) I am off to Portugal with mom next month for a week of riding fancy horses and a little sight seeing-I'm excited to spend the time with my mom one on one. And to ride fancy horses too. We're going to check out Lisbon for a few days as well so I'm starting off this second year with a bang!

Trip #1: Jolly ol' England. Everyone must visit the motherland right? Well, I don't think this was fully our motherland (oh Italy, we'll get there some day!!) but we had good friends there so we went the week of Christmas. It was great! Snow, cold, decorations, and sight seeing!

Trip #2: Greece-It's close. It's cheap. It's a must do on any European traveler's list. And it was FANTASTIC! The food was great! The sights were beautiful. We do plan to hit other parts we didn't see the first time around!

Trip #3: Israel. The Holy Land. The place of Mecca for all Christian in the world. We were fortunate enough to get to go with a fun family from church. Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazarene, Sea of Galilee, and the Jordan river was all we saw but it was more than enough for our weekend away! Now when we read certain Bible stories the landscape, buildings, and city plans make more sense and we can actually visualize what we're reading about! It's so awesome!

Trip #4-Paris. Oh how I love thee! We got to meet mom and dad there and explore the city some. We saw all the major sights despite crappy weather for the most part. I really do love Paris and I'm always happy to go back and explore (AND EAT!!!) more!

Trip #5-Belgium. OK, technically this is part B of trip 4 but we can class it alone since it is a different country. After leaving Paris we went to Belgium to eat lots of chocolate and waffles. Oh man; if we lived there we'd gain about 60 pounds in no time! But the landscape was lovely and the food divine!

So there you have it! Our first year abroad. Man, we've done a lot haven't we?! Here is to year two with more adventures, friends, food, and loving life despite being so far away from those we love.

Belquie Day 5: Canals, Boats, Dogs, and Violently Graphic Movies

So after our wild adventures in Brussels we got on the train and headed toward the coast to Brugges. Oh man, what a great decision that was!! In reality it was the ONLY place mom wanted to see during our 2 weeks away. We hadn't really heard of this town until we started to do the research but it is a cool little place. Basically it's really, really, really old and has lots of interesting history to it and is well known for the architecture and canals. All of which we saw! Also, there is a fairly recent movie that has come out called "In Bruges" that is kind of funny but way more violent than I anticipated. But we saw all the cool sights in that movie! We even went oooh, remember that and look there and blah, blah, blah while we watched. If you have the stomach for somewhat graphic violence and a lot of language, check the movie out. It actually gives you a good glimpse of the town.
Anyway, we stayed at this great little bed and breakfast/hotel that was right on the canal and we had rooms that faced the canal. They were very helpful and polite too which is always nice. We got to Brugges, checked in, than decided to go on a canal boat ride since we had the time and wanted to get cracking on seeing the sights.

Our hotel-if you go to Brugges, stay here!

Me on our window seat in our cute room! Yup-that's the canal below. Don't worry, I didn't fall in!

We walked through the main square on our way to the boat ride.


Horse drawn carriages are a VERY popular tourist attraction-1 hr ride around the historic parts of the city.

Just another commute to work right?

Dad and mom on the boat waiting to go! They're already having fun!


Churches, bridges, canals, swans, and trees-this one photo encompasses all of Brugges.


Oh to relax by the water.

After the boat ride we walked around some since we had plenty of day light and time. We came upon the "Bier Temple" where we perused all the different beers (mainly from Belgium) then we went to sit on the patio for some down time and of course the boys had a beer.

Mom had a cherry beer that was quite tasty.

This was the inspiration for one of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters. No, not really. This was part of a somewhat eclectic fountain that was quite popular.

After dinner and as it was getting later, mom and dad decided to go to bed so Matt and I wandered around some more and goof off. We didn't get lost but we did explore some of the side streets and came upon the oldest bridge in the town where we took some fun photos including this one....

Of course I'm going to smile a little while being kissed by such a handsome man!

This dog was in the movie "In Bruges" and he just hangs out of this window that overlooks the canal. There was another little dog that would steal his spot when big dog was away but this one was way cuter ;) And mind you, this was taken at 10PM-by the lighting you'd think it was 4Pm

So after we were done with our walk, we went back to the hotel around sunset (1030/11PM??), snapped some shots, then went to bed ready for the next day of adventures-a bike tour!!

10 Years Gone by so Quick

So anyone who is a breathing, thinking, and alive knows, today is 9/11. I can't believe that it's almost 1 year that Matt and I have lived abroad but what I can't believe even more is that it's been 10 years since the attacks on our beloved country. It's so crazy to think that a whole 10 years has flown by-and what has happened in that time. Everyone always shares their "what were you doing" story on days like today and as most of you know me I won't go there. All I can say is that I just think over and over again how different my life could have been had certain events happened to our family.
My dad was supposed to be in the Pentagon that morning, in the spot where the plane crashed. The exact spot. But thankfully the good Lord spared his life and pushed the meeting to the afternoon. So dad did not go up to DC that fateful day. But what if he had? What if he had been in the building. He would have died. And my life would have been so much more heartbreaking. Would I have still gone to my beloved college? Probably not? I would not have been able to leave my mom alone. That means I wouldn't have met most of my closet friends-I wouldn't know what I was missing out on but I know I wouldn't be who I am now. Would Matt and I still have gotten married? Possibly. But the dynamic of our relationship would be so different. I might not have gone to college and he would've still gone to Tech and I would have been bitter at his experiences. My relationship with Christ would have been terribly different than it is now-I believe with all my heart that I wouldn't have blamed Christ for losing my dad but I know the growth I would've had would be different. Instead of going to CO and going to my church and growing as I did, it might have been more reserved. I might have been a terribly broken person. I know for sure that my relationship with my dad wasn't where I wanted it when 9/11 hit. I would've never had the close friendship, love, and respect I have with dad now. Some joke that I'm even a "daddy's girl" which in times like this, I'm ok with. At least I still have him. I would've been so terribly heartbroken to have to walk down the aisle alone instead of having dad lead me which is something that I will cherish all my life. So many "what ifs", "would have beens" and "maybes."
But praise the Lord I haven't had to live the last 10 years without one of the most important men of my life. It really is by a miracle from Christ that dad didn't drive up to the Pentagon and die that day. I really think Jesus looks out for me and my happiness because he spared my dad that day. And he protected Matt during the VT shootings. I can't imagine my life without either of them-they continually challenge, shape, and love me into someone who I want to be, who I should be.

Dad and I in Hawaii July 2010.

Belquie Day 4: Welp, See Ya Later Brussels

So for our final day in Brussels we decided to do something you should do on your first day, a hop on/off bus tour. We were going to rent bikes to ride around and check out the buildings but our credit cards wouldn't work (stupid micro chip euro system crap!) so this was the next best thing. We only ended up stopping at one point too since we got a late start after trying to figure out the whole bike rental thing but it was a good stop!

Everyone on the bus looking like they're having fun...ok, maybe just dad is.

I told you about all the awesome parks in this city right?

This castle thingy was in a park-pretty cool huh? We couldn't go in it though.

So the boys went to a war museum and mom and I went to an art museum. They had this exhibit on hearts and how they are incorporated throughout time and they had these cool little Valentine cards. There were tons of them but this one made me giggle.

There was also a good bit of non-western art. I was somewhat surprised. And they had a couple shrunken heads so watch out! I know how make one now (I googled it!) so if you get me upset, you're going down! Or should I say you're shrunk!

He just looks happy doesn't he?? Good ol' pre-columbian art!

I just liked the contrast of the different greens of the leaves. So pretty huh?

Another nice park. You never get used to them!

I thought this was a nice building that we drove by on the bus.


This is the second largest church in the world (I think). It was quite large. You can see it from the Atomium (check the pics!). We didn't get to go into it, no time. I would like to go check it out at some point.


Someone was hot and grumpy by the end of the bus ride. Can you tell?

So it was a pretty relaxed day. It did get hot on that bus but it was a nice change to the rain and cold. That night we ate at the same restaurant we ate at the first night-sadly no pics because we were too focused on eating our AMAZING food!! The restaurant was called Blue du Trois. If you ever go to Brussels, go there!! And get the binjdt. Oh man. You may gain 25 pounds but it's totally worth it! Up next, Brugges.