Where Globe-Trotting meets Beach-Combing
We arrived in Rome as the storm broke—lightning flashing, fat drops plopping, water rising in the street. We hopped on the bus to the city center and the storm passed by the time we arrived. We decided to walk the 16 minutes to our hotel, which was a mistake. It was 9 p.m. when we…
Shortly after Memorial Day but before restaurants and cafes had reopened in Brussels, we met up with our O’Bryant buddies to run around the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken all together. It was a cool summer day with raindrops clinging to flower petals and misty fog hanging over the palace grounds. Stuff like this is my…
Uber to airport—check! COVID tests—check! Check a bag like a sucker—check! Long line in security—check! Plenty of time for the Amex Priority Pass Diamond Lounge (this is why we got this credit card—thought we’d use lounges more often)—check! “This is how I should live my life: in the lounge,” said Isaac, helping himself to a…
The drive through the Valley of the Seven Chateaux was a delight. Green rolling hills, hardly anyone on the road, long snaking tree tunnels, and vistas of far-off castles and ruins on distant hillside. Some of the castles are privately owned, one was transformed into a community building at the town center, and one was…
Now that school is out I can post about our trip to Luxembourg! WE LEFT THE COUNTRY! WAHOO!! Less than a three-hour drive from Brussels, Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg the country–not to be confused with the bordering Belgian province of Luxembourg–is a great weekend trip. Memorial Day weekend was the first warm, sunny…
Chris’ dad sent him some family history recently (thanks!). We were surprised and delighted to learn one of Chris’ ancestors was born here in Belgium! The town of Toernich is about a dozen kilometers from the border with Luxembourg, so we stopped to see if we could find any ancestral traces. We poked our heads…
Orval Abbey is home to one of Belgium’s famous Trappists beers made by monks. It’s over two hours from Brussels, but only slightly out of our way home from Luxembourg! It is similar to the ruins of Viller’s Abbey, except the monastery was partially rebuilt and is currently active. The Mathilde Fountain, a circular pool…
