Beer Festival Weekend

Morgan got to play with her friends Sunday while Scott and I snuck off to the Zythos Beer Festival in Sint-Niklaas. It was nice to have a bit of time to ourselves and get out to explore a bit. We had a nice lunch in the center of town, enjoyed a few tasty beers and headed back home. Most of the brewers at the festival were smaller ones that aren't as readily available so it was nice to try some we hadn't tasted yet. One of Scott's was even an "experimental" brew just for the festival.

Just some cool building I liked


The train station "parking lot"


The beer festival


Us being weirdos in front of the wind turbines.

Signs of Spring

Days are getting longer, temperatures are warmer, and what a nice surprise to find in our garden...the first sign of spring. I know I've only had to deal with Belgian winters a few months and for the most part its really not that bad, but it hasn't taken me long to grow tired of winter and excited for spring. Today was an especially warm day and we were able to head outside with light jackets for a nice bike ride. I think I even got a glimpse of the sun too. Ahhh.

Carnaval Parade

These are some pictures from the pre-Lent Carnaval parade we went to last weekend in a neighboring village. I was surprised at how big of a celebration this is here with parades and festivities going on all over the country. Kids dressed up in costumes at school and had the whole week off this week. Ryan, Brenna, and Morgan had great fun picking up candy from the floats as they passed.

Bicycle exploration

One of the main things we absolutely love here is being able to get around on our bicycles. We love going out at least one day of the weekend for a longer bike ride. Some days just to explore town others with a purpose, but this day we decided to just hop on our bikes and head out of town in one direction to see where it took us. We got lucky and came across this neat park 3-4 km north of us. We were able to get off our bikes and walk around, take a few pictures (more on Scott's blog if you haven't seen them), and head back home. We're excited to come back here this spring and summer when it will probably be much prettier.

On the way back home we stopped at a local frituur which is Belgian-style fast food. Belgium is famous for their fries (originate here, not France) which is the frituur staple, but they also fry up all kinds of other meats and tasty snacks. Most of the restaurants here (the frituur included) have little kid areas with toys or blocks to entertain the little ones. Morgan of course made friends sharing her blocks with a little boy about her age as well as an older couple there. Needless to say she was very upset when it was time to go.








"You guys coming or what?"

Turnhout Castle

These are a bit old too, but while we were staying in the apartment we rode our bikes over to this castle not too far away. That day there was some sort of market/yard "castle" sale going on so we didn't get the best pictures. Not to mention it was really really cold and Scott didn't have his gloves yet.

Random Thoughts

We have spent almost a month and a half here in Belgium and so far couldn’t be happier with the decision. We really love the country and are having fun finding our way through a new culture (albeit frustrating at times). Already we are feeling pretty settled although there are still some things we need to get arranged. In general we know where we need to go for the essentials (much thanks to Brett and Terrie who have helped out here a ton). Our house is still a bit of a mess, but who ever completely unpacks after a move, seriously? A few more boxes and tidying and I’ll be much more relaxed. I thought I would do a bit of rambling about some of our experiences so far. (beware)

I haven’t looked back for a second at selling my car. From the day it was towed away I never had any weird feelings and was quite excited to trade it for a new bike. It was something I always had wanted, but could never justify for myself. In exchange for the car payment, insurance, gas, etc. it didn’t seem too bad anymore. I knew I didn’t want to buy a car in Belgium right away and didn’t think we would really need one until Scott starts working here. We may end up changing our minds, but for the time being we are pretty happy on two wheels. Work is only 3.5 km away and only takes 10 minutes or so to get there. We can make it to Turnhout, the next biggest town, in about 30. Scott does hitch a ride to the big grocery store with Terrie when she goes, but really if we couldn’t get there by car the little stores nearby have everything you need.

Already I’m completely addicted to quite a few of the Belgian delicacies. The bread is absolutely delicious. It is always fresh and only lasts a few days so you really do have to go to the store often in you want it every day. If the bakeries or groceries are closed before you get your bread though the leftover loaves are sliced and put into a bread vending machine - the brood automat. It is a nice hearty bread with a crunchy crust. Oh, and when you buy it at the grocery the loaves are all in a big bin and you slice it yourself in the bread slicer. That took a few tries to get the hang of, but is quite fun. Produce is fresh and delicious and much to my delight Scott discovered we have a veggie man! Growing up we used to have a truck that would come by once a week and we would go out with my mom and pick out our fruits and veggies and we would call him the veggie man. Beer and chocolate, need I elaborate? Coffee here I think is much better. After you get used to the idea of a smaller serving (no shortage of caffeine though) it is delicious. In a restaurant it always comes with some chocolate and a cookie or biscuit. Really, it doesn’t take much to please me.

We have all three been pretty happy with the food although determining what to order in a restaurant isn’t always easy. Usually there is an English menu or the waiter/waitress speaks English and can help, but sometimes it is just guessing. I have been fortunate enough to try great food at work. The “company restaurant” is delicious and cheap and you can see what it is you are eating as well as the English and Dutch version of the dish. For the most part at work I have liked almost everything I’ve eaten (and I can be picky). In general the food here is more fresh, less preservatives, less sugar, and less fat. Scott and I are already down a loop on our belts and we have added a daily beer and chocolate to our diets!

There is a bit of a taste for you of some of my random thoughts for today. More to come later I’m sure.

We're Home

We are officially in our new home now. The movers came and delivered our things today and it is starting to feel like home. That apartment got squeezed in a hurry and we were ready to be out of there. We still have lots of boxes to unpack and put away, but we're getting there. We might be a bit hard to reach for a few weeks until they are able to hook up our internet.

After a month here in Belgium we are still loving it. I'll tell you more about it in another blog post not too far off. We are looking forward to the coming spring and summer with hopefully lots of visitors.

Miss you all back home!