We had a great time this weekend with my cousin David and his friend George. David just graduated from UGA and George is about to be a junior there. They are backpacking through Europe for 6 weeks and Brussels was their first stop.
Friday night we had a laid back dinner since they didn't get in from Paris until about 7pm. Saturday we ventured to Mini-Europe. This is a theme park that has the best known site of each EU country in miniature (ie--a mini Eiffel Tower, etc.) We basically laughed our way through it because some of the stuff was so silly, but it was also educational. We each learned a lot about the different countries and what they are known for. From there we went to the King and Queen's house. The king's botanical gardens are open to the public for two weeks every year. Lucky for us, we were able to make it there and see some beautiful flowers, along with the outside of where they live.
After the gardens we headed down to the Grand Place to do the touristy stuff--lace, chocolate, speculoos cookies, Manneken Pis, a pub from the . Our final stop of the tour was our new favorite place--Beer Mania. This is a store/pub that sells 400 different types of beers and tries to always get you one for your specific tastes. It is always an experience!
Sunday we went to Ghent. It was incredible weather and we had a great time outside the whole day. We had lunch overlooking a canal and then took a canal boat trip. From there we saw some of the old churches and walked the cobblestone neighborhoods of Ghent. The highlight of the day was happening upon the Belgium Beach Volleyball National Championships. Belgium is not really known for its beaches and Ghent is inland, so it was pretty funny to see all of these man made sand pits and people playing beach volleyball. We spent a few great hours watching the tournament and seeing some great plays. We had dinner in Ghent and then headed back to Brussels for the boys to pack up.
This morning they headed for Amsterdam for a few days. From there they will go to Prague to visit another friend and then who knows where the train will take them!
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