Belgium and the Mosel
Last year for Labor Day we had a weekend in Belgium planned, but Addy broke her leg that Thursday. This year we made it! Belgium Beer Weekend was great and we were able to squeeze in a couple other Germany cities as well. Getting nostalgic as our time here gets shorter and shorter. So sad!
I can’t believe we fit it all in, but here are some pics.
Super early day 1 we stopped at the Cologne Cathedral, or Kölner Dom, the tallest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe.
kids in front of the Kölner Dom
After Cologne, we drove into Belgium and stopped at one of the 7 Trappist breweries in Belgium. Achel was a great stop. We stocked up on Belgium beer glasses. Each brewery makes their own goblet that is supposed to make it more flavorful. It was a small place with a friendly staff. We ate lunch, stocked up on supplies, and even sat through a service with singing monks. Fantastic!
Trappist Achel Brewery, Hamont-Achel, Belgium
Small store that had all of our favorite Trappist glasses!
That evening we hit an antique store, then drove to Brussels. The Belgian Beer Festival started Friday evening and went through Sunday. Our great friends, the Bright’s also were there. We tried to contain the kids for some adult fun. But decided that Saturday was The day to get our Fest on.
Belgian Beer Festival
Brussels
me and Jill
Addy and Jeb dancing to the parade music. Nice moves Jebby!
One of my favs, Kwak, had several carriages in the parade.
Cheers to good friends!
Brussels
The other famous Belgian delicacy... Chocolate. Oh yeah.
After saying bye to Brussels and the fest, we drove early to the antique market in Tongeren. We found a couple of good finds, said hello to some friends, and moved on to the Mosel. The Mosel River Valley is my favorite place so far in Germany. Each town is placed carefully and well preserved on the River, surrounded by vineyards. Great atmosphere and super friendly people.
Beilstein
view of Cochem from the river boat
Cochem
Cochem, Germany
On the way home we stopped in Trier, the oldest city in Germany. The Porta Nigra is the largest Roman gate north of the Alps and quite a site.
Porta Nigra, Trier
ballet dancer
Trier, Germany
Belgium
We had a packed 4 day weekend in Belgium in the Fall. Brugge, then Cuijk antique market, Tongeren, and finally Brussels. We loved Brugge, it is the cutest city. Plenty of places to grab a picnic lunch and eat it on a bench by the lake. We took a boat ride, a must for our kids! And my favorite part, sampling the chocolatier shops. Seriously, the chocolate is incredible there. Chocolate, beer, friendly people, and good food. What is not to love about Belgium?
In Brussels we went to Mini-Europe, an amusement park similar to Mini-Land at Legoland. It was very educational and a day enjoyed by both adults and kids. And after Mini-Europe we managed to squeeze in Godiva and Neuhaus chocolate stores downtown before heading back to Germany. We will definitely be coming back!
2 words... Belgium Chocolate
Brugge