Chased the sun all over Europe this summer. I knew our time stationed overseas would go by fast, but it really is flying by. We’re doing our best to check things off our “must see/do” list and we’ve made a good dent. Although it’s challenging to plan all the trips, pack, find places to eat, come up with fun things to do, and, of course, the cost, it is 100% worth the effort and the priceless memories being made with the ones I love the most.
Dinner Date in Brussels
Since I was going to out of town for our actual anniversary, Ty and I celebrated 22 years of marriage with a tasty dinner in the the city.
Milan, Italy
Kalen had a work conference in Milan, so it was a perfect excuse to plan a European vacation for the family. I pulled Ana out of school for a few days and we met Aprille and the rest of the family in Italy.
Day 1 – Our first day started with checking into the hotel and immediately grabbing an açaí bowl from our favorite spot, Oak Berry. We’re just girls!
Walked around the city after Jojo arrived. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II was breathtaking and what made it better is because we did very little research before flying out to Milan and just stumbled on this shopping arcade by accident.
First dinner was a huge hit. This visit really made me fall in love with Italian food. It’s never been my go-to, but will certainly add it to the repertoire.
Day 2 – More walking around the city center. Poor Juliette and Aprille were sick, so it was nice to have a free day with no plans for the family except to rest up and get over their jet lag.
Day 3 – Checked out a different district called Navigli and had one the most memorable lunches in Italy. Everyone was quite ‘hangry’ and we didn’t have a clue where to stop and eat. A quick Google search led us between buildings and to a wonderful restaurant with the most perfect garden patio. As you can see, the food was bellissimo! Later that night, we dined al fresco at a restaurant near the hotel.
Missed AJ’s birthday while we were in Milan, so we sang happy birthday over FaceTime (don’t worry, we made it up to him).
Day 4 – Booked a day tour to Lake Como. Our guide was great and it took the pressure off of me to plan our stops and manage all the transportation details.
After an early morning meet up with our guide, we walked to the train station for the first leg of the trip to Como City. Then we joined a boat cruise along the lake from Como to Bellagio where we had lunch and did some speed shopping before jumping onto a ferry to Varenna. Following our train ride back to Milan, we stopped for dinner at a food hall at the train satiation – best focaccia pizza ever!
Day 5 – Guided tour of the Duomo di Milan. Magnificent! After the tour, we had a quick lunch together to celebrate Juliette’s 1st birthday.
Second Half of the Family’s Visit
Aprille, Kalen, Juliette, Lolo and JoJo made their way to Belgium after the week in Milan. I created a jammed packed agenda to try and fit in as many sites while they were here. So many things to show them!
All the siblings reunited
Leuven, Belgium
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Kinderdijk, Netherlands
Hanging out at the house between excursions. Love hosting and having a full house again.
Dinant, Belgium
Paris Disney to celebrate Juliette’s and AJ’s birthdays and the official beginning of the kids’ summer break.
Funny story about the Ratatouille ride: we left the park to check into our hotel and have dinner with a plan to return for the fireworks show and ride more rides later. When we arrived, we learned the Disney Studio side of the park closes early and, unfortunately, the only ride the kids’ had their hearts on riding was Ratatouille…on the Disney Studio side. With just 15 min before closing, we ran to the ride and were able to get on just in time. Such a fun memory!
Paris, France
We had to drive two separate cars for these road trips to fit everyone and, I must say, driving in Paris has got to be the worst I’ve ever experienced. Not to brag but I’m a pro at navigating these European roads, but Paris was a whole different level. Aggressive drivers, unclear signs, intersections with no signs or lights, hundreds of motorcycles zipping in and out of traffic…just pure insanity! My car decided to activate a speed max limit and I found myself in a tunnel, unable to accelerate. And the icing on the cake is when I looked at the next set of instructions on Waze and it told me I needed to take the 8th exit from the upcoming roundabout. Which roundabout, you ask? You guessed it…I drove through the infamous Arc de Triomphe roundabout! 10 lanes with no lines and 12 avenues that lead in and out of the circle. I’m happy to report we made it out without issues other than my increased BP. All worth it to get Lolo his authentic Parisian meal.
Brussels, Belgium
Family pictures in the morning (wish Michael and Claire where there), next picked Claire up from the airport, then had dinner in Brussels.
Bruges, Belgium
Pool time at the crib – Happy Father’s Day!
Ghent, Belgium
Bye bye cousin and Jojo
Brussels, Belgium – brunch, fine art, and snacks in the park
Quick Work Trip to Colordo
Nothing to show for my week back in Colorado except for these food pics and Denver merch.
More Summer Things
Lauren found some roller blades at the consignment store, so we had to test them out.
Beach De Haan, Belgium
Our new hobby: painting with water colors
Visit from the bestie, Theresa & Taylor
We finally took our plans out from chat and into real life! She’s finishing off our batch on Hugo Sprits to move on to whisky, gangsta!
Exploring Bruges and Amsterdam
More Short Trips & Life in BE
Maastricht, Netherlands
Sablon Neighborhood in Brussels
Ostend Beach, Belgium
Babysitting
Overnight trip to The Hague, Netherlands
Lunch at Ikea – they have mussels on the menu!
Visit from Swaantje & Mika
Antwerp, Belgium
Villers Abbey, Belgium
The abbey was established in 1146 by monks and was abandoned in 1796. So surprised to find this gem just 30 min from the house.
Water babies
Villers Abbey – Part II
During our first trip to the Abbey, we saw posters about a Beauty and the Beast play they put on with the ruins as the backdrop, so we got tickets and came back the following week. The entire play was in French and the story line was very different from the Disney rendition. Halfway through the show, they ushered the entire crowd to another part of the Abbey for part 2 of the play (Belle’s family home) then quickly turned the area into several bars for intermission. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
First day of School
Senior, fifth and fourth grade
Quick Visit from Jojo
London, England
Big Ben
Westminster Abbey
Boroughs Market
Family
Last min shopping before leaving London
Complete
Antwerp, Belgium
Family walk to get gelato
Vintage market in Brussels, Belgium
Happy 5th birthday to this GOAT
The family calendar has been jammed packed since the beginning of the school year. Tennis and flag football practice, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, art club, Minecraft club, violin lessons, away games, homecoming, med and dental appointments…we’re now officially into the fall season and I’m here for it.
This is entire senior class
I’m going to end this post here and get started on the next one. See you soon!