Belgium!

All it took to get from Paris to Brussels was a quick hour and a half plane ride on the Thalys train! Upon arriving in Brussels I was surprised by the mixed demographic of the people there.. And by how different it looked from Paris. There is no uniformity in the buildings, each building having it's own uniqiue facade and roof top. Giving it a feet German/Dutch feel. I love the buildings there! We dropped our bags at the Marriott and headed to explore a little bit. First stop: The Grand Place. It is stunning! I love how each building is unique. 

From there we wandered over to see the famous "Pis" statue. It is hilariously random haha.

Then we just had to get a Belgium waffle. Delicious!

The next morning we woke up bright and early to head to Bruge. We loved Bruges! It is an old Dutch town, with a gorgeous big bell tower. There are many canals that run through the city, making it extra adorable :)

Our first stop in Bruge was to see Michangelo's Madonna and Child. We watched The Monuments Men right before coming on this trip, so that made it extra special to see it in real life. 

Then we went on a boat tour. It was a perfect way to experience Bruges!

After that we went into the square for lunch, and then went to hike the bell tower. It was 366 steps to the top! Gorgeous views from up there, that's for sure!

We loved Bruges! It was a great day. The next morning we slept in, worked out, and then met at the train station at noon. We headed to the Neuhause chocolate factory. Best decision ever! It is free to get into, which is unreal. Basically it is Willy Wonkas chocolate shop. Every package is open and you can eat anything you want! Incredible!

Seriously this is a must do if you are ever in Brussels. From there we went back to the Grand Place for some pictures and to see Pis dressed up for the 4th of July! We were all rockin' our red, white, and blue!! It was strange to be away from the USA on the 4th. 

We grabbed another waffle again, of course! Our favorite kind: speculoos, cream, and strawberries. Delicious! 

Then we wandered to the King's Palace. 

After watching the changing of the guards, we headed back to Kellen and Sarah's to get Kellen (who had been working) and then went to an amazing park! 

We are going to miss our nieces so much!! 

A big thanks to my mom and dad who completely made this whole trip possible! They are the greatest. 

After the park we went back to Kellen and Sarah's apartment and made dinner! It is called racklet. It's amazing! It's just potatoes, racklet cheese, and lunch meat. Then we just relaxed and enjoyed being together before it was time to head our separate ways. You better believe I cried my eyes out when we had to say bye to Maddie. It was her bedtime and I didn't want to say bye! She is the sweetest, spunkiest, little thing ever. And then I cried again when we said goodbye to everyone else. I am such a baby!! I just wish we lived closer!

It really was the most perfect trip! Aside from our little hiccup in the beginning, things went perfectly. We saw amazing places, and experienced amazing things. We loved every minute spent traveling with our family. We will cherish these memories forever! It was definitely the trip of a lifetime. 

Until next time! 

Ps. My belly is really starting to pop out! By the end of the day I feel like I have a full blown baby bump. It's so fun! Baby boy is getting big, and I love it. I can't wait to start feeling him move.. Hopefully it's not too much longer!