Week 6 & Week 7 (May 18- May 31)

We skipped a week of blogging due to a trip to the beautiful city of San Francisco to attend the wedding of the century!  Our very close friends and life coaches, Chris and Andy, were getting hitched, and they extended us the immense honor of officiating their ceremony.  

Before leaving for the Bay on Wednesday, we spent our short week preparing for the trip and continuing to finalize details in our apartment.   We had an early start on Wednesday morning to make sure we arrived at Brussels Airport on time.  We gave ourselves 15 minutes to walk to the train station with luggage which turned out to be about 5 minutes too few.  You don’t realize how far apart track 21A and 21C are until you have to sprint between them. We made the train at the last possible second.  The airport process was fairly normal, but we did have one good laugh.  We were next in line for check-in at the airline, and they were performing a preliminary security check.  The security agent was going through the normal questions with the elderly couple in front of us: “Did you pack your own bags? Did your bags ever leave your possession? Where is your final destination?.....and Did you enjoy your stay in Belgium?” Normal politeness dictates a generic positive response to this question, especially in a country with as much national pride as Belgium, but this lady opted for honesty in her response: “I thought it was awful.  Just plain dreary and boring. The Netherlands were lovely though.”  (Note: We do not endorse this lady's view, Belgium IS lovely)  Aside from that and an hour delay caused by a missing seat belt in the cockpit of our plane, we made it safely to San Francisco by Wednesday night. 

Andy and Chris picked us up at the airport and asked us if we were hungry (of course!) and what we wanted most (MEXICAN!).  So we headed to the Mission District for some tacos. Naturally they were amazing, but we didn't get one thing we were hoping for: water.  Because California is in the midst of an extreme drought, they didn't bring you a tall glass of water, unless you begged for it.  It felt just like being home in Belgium (although their water serving policies are not dictated by drought, just cultural norms).   

Thursday started the wedding festivities.  We had a lovely brunch and then headed to City Hall for the Marriage License and to get Tyler sworn in as a Deputy Commissioner of Marriage for the State of California.  In California, you can be a Deputy for a day and marry one couple, which is what Tyler did (he can mark "be deputized" off his bucket list).  After a few mishaps with the paperwork, Tyler was on his way to swearing to uphold the US constitution and the California Constitution.  In less than an hour, we had a marriage license and a Deputy, and we were on our way!  Thursday also just so happened to be Chris' 30th birthday.  We celebrated with many friends and family at Kennedy's Irish Pub & Curry House.  Yes, you read that right: Guinness and Chicken Tikka Masala go surprisingly well together.  

Back in the USA!

Brunch at Mission Beach Cafe

SF City Hall

Applying for marriage

Air hockey at the birthday bash

Friday we visited the wedding venue and did some shopping in Union Square, including one of our three trips to Target in the week we were back in the States!  Friday night, the wedding weekend festivities started in earnest with a meet-and-greet of the grooms session at the hotel.  From that point on, it was wedding celebration mode straight through to the wee hours of Sunday night.  Chris and Andy did such a great job of not only organizing a wedding, but rather a whole weekend.  It allowed everyone to get to see the grooms for more than just a quick handshake, and it let the guests not just experience the wedding, but the whole city of San Francisco. The ceremony and reception on Sunday evening were of course the peak of the fun and excitement.  We were honored beyond words to be asked to officiate the ceremony, and the experience was truly unforgettable.  We had the best seat in the house for a ceremony that offered laughs, tears, and reverence.  Molly even worked in one of her impromptu one-liners, and Tyler held it together enough to make it through the ceremony without uncontrollably weeping. We have never seen a couple (and a large group of family and friends) be so happy and loud when Tyler announced "By the power vested in me by the State of California..."  Congratulations CrAndy!  We could not be happier for you guys.

After the wedding, we had two days to relax and take in the city.  We were fortunate to get to meet up with Aunt Vicky and Uncle Armen for a quick lunch.  It was great to see them (and for Molly to meet them!).  A couple more Target trips were in order, and then it was already time to return home.  We had so many great experiences on this trip (first Uber ride, first AirBNB stay, first wedding officiating..etc), it is hard to recount them all here.  Needless to say, no one has ever been as sad to go to Europe as we were when leaving.  We are glad to be home though, and we will see you next week!

The wedding venue (best food ever!)

Coit Tower

Anti GMO protest, SO SF

Lobby of the wedding hotel

The Grooms

The wedding party eating lunch

Wedding selfie

Family Time!

Sharing a Diet Coke with my better half 

China Beach (and the Golden Gate)

Week 5 May 11 - May 17

On Monday, Molly headed with Jared to Brussels to drop him off for his conference.  He didn't have anything scheduled until the evening, so we decided to explore and see the famous landmarks of Brussels, including:
The Grote Markt: basically the town square where markets and trading took place many years ago.
Manneken Pis: "Little Man Pee" in Dutch.  It is a bronze statue of a little boy peeing and it has been in place since 1619.  He can often be found wearing costumes as well.  He is the perfect expression of the Belgium sense of humor and tradition.
Brussels Park: A large urban park surrounded by the Royal Palace.  (There are royals here, I'm not sure why they aren't a big deal like William and Kate)
Delirium Cafe:  A bar that serves Delirium, sometimes referred to as the best beer in the world... the jury is still out since we haven't had EVERY beer...YET!

Grote Markt

Town Hall

They don't want you to miss the sight even though there is construction!

So MANY waffles!

Manneken Pis! He's tiny

A true Belgian, he loves waffles

Delirium Tremens

 There was yet another holiday in Belgium (Ascension Day), so Tyler had Thursday and Friday off.  Ascension day is actually Thursday but since Friday would be a wasted work day anyway, the Belgians consider it a holiday too!  On Thursday, we headed to Brussels so Tyler could see the capital as well.   We did a 90 minute self guided walking tour (that turned out to be a 180 minute walking tour....street signs listed in two languages are just more confusing than helpful) to visit some historical sites and just generally explore.  Tyler wanted to visit Delirium Cafe too, so we headed there for drinks before dinner.  Jared was still in town finishing up his conference, so we met him for dinner.  We went to Aux Armes de Bruxelles.  It was recommended to Jared by a local Belgian, and it lived up to the billing.  We would especially recommend the Lobster Waterzooi (or really anything prepared Waterzooi which is a Belgian specialty sauce of creamy broth with veggies).

Cool Street band

Smurfs!  They are from Belgium

Remnants from the first city wall

On Thursday he had a costume on!

That's how you feel after frites!

This guy had the hugest beer ever! It was the size of his
 head and he got a round of applause for finishing it.

Lobster Waterzooi, he's happy

 Every weekend in Antwerp, it seems there are numerous events going on.  We had heard of a festival called Antwerp Proeft (Antwerp Taste).  It was a food festival with various food trucks and restaurants from around the city, so we couldn't stop ourselves from going.  We had sushi, shrimp, a kimchi pork bun, and Belgium's take on the chili dog (blood sausage on a poppy seed bun topped with re-fried beans, Sriracha, and cilantro).  It was all delicious, and we have some new restaurants we need to try out for a full dinner!  As we were leaving, we passed the national Gin festival (apparently those are a thing) AND a triathlon just so happened to be taking place through the city center.  We are still constantly amazed at the amount of life and activity you stumble across here.  It is a testament to the condensed city design and a true passion for any day with good weather and any day not at the office.

Chili dog

The Antwerp convention center is a multipurpose space, international
shipping by day, food festival by night and weekend!

Triathlon

Week 4 May 4-May10

Our post is a bit late this week.  We have had a crazy busy week.  Monday and Tuesday we had culture training.  Basically, this was an overview of the Belgian culture versus culture in the US to make sure we don't act like complete idiots.  We really enjoyed the woman who taught the class, and she was helpful in telling us more practical things about living here like the best grocery stores, and best budget travel tips, which was Molly's main concern!  On Tuesday we finished early and took our second big trip to IKEA to finish furnishing our house.  If you haven't felt the near-death thrill of rolling a mattress on a dolly in 20 mile per hour wind gusts, don't seek it out  The thing quickly became an uncontrollable padded missile.  At any rate, we had to hire a taxi/moving van to bring everything back to the apartment.  The driver was a true gent and helped us carry all our new furnishings upstairs! Pause for a quick "it's different in Europe fact:" the ground floor (what we call the FIRST floor in America) is floor ZERO in Europe.  So we are never sure what floor we live on, and we constantly confuse the heck out of delivery men.  By Friday (and around 15 total hours in IKEA), we had our bedroom, a guest bed, and a couch setup, so we are officially living in Europe!

Our timing was perfect as this weekend, we got our first visitor, JARED!  He was in Belgium for a conference for work, and he came early to hang out with us.
Friday, Molly picked Jared up at the airport and promptly took him to a chocolate factory to eat our weight in various types of chocolates, a perfect way to fight off jet lag.  Then it was off for lunch in Antwerp and exploration.  Exploration led to our favorite new watering hole: Dogma.  Hand crafted cocktails in a rustic yet modern setting, but you can only have one (all your wallet will allow).

Antwerp Town hall at night

Jared's here!

Het Elfde Gebod (The Eleventh Commandment bar)

Jared wasn't sure he should be drinking with all the religious statues

On Saturday, we headed up to Bruges.  A quick 1.5 hour drive from Antwerp, Bruges is referred to as the Venice of the North.  It is a beautiful walled city, with many medieval buildings and canals.  Bruges was lucky enough to be fairly untouched during both World Wars, so the experience is one of stepping back in time.  Of course we had to visit the largest brewery in town: De Halve Maan.  It has been open in the same location since 1564.  There is something special about eating and drinking in a place where people  have done the same for over 450 years. We explored Bruges until it got a bit too rainy and cold, and we headed back to Antwerp.  We had waffles for dinner and went to a bar called the Kulminator.  They are revered for having every type of beer you want.  It was cool but also kind of like being in your hoarder grandmothers kitchen.

De Halve Maan brewery

Bruges

Jared's glamour shot

Bruges Town hall

A canal boat tour in the rain

Canals

Medieval doors are a little small

On Sunday, we walked to the north side of Antwerp headed for the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS).  Many of the streets look similar in the city center, even those containing the Red Light District, which we accidentally discovered on Sunday morning.  It was an educational 2 minute detour which one would not expect to experience at 11 AM on a Sunday.  Needless to say, we will probably navigate around that area next time.  We didn't actually go to the museum, we just went to the top of it (it is 10 floors, which is very high for Antwerp).  It gives great views of the city and its FREE!  After the museum we happened upon a food festival so we decided to have lunch.  Tyler got to have some BBQ which was a major win for him!  It was a little different, being on an Italian roll and with lettuce but BBQ all the same. It was a beautiful day so we headed to Westmalle Abbey to visit our first Trappist beer location.  There are only 11 Trappist beers in the world (meaning beer brewed in monasteries by Trappist Monks) and 6 are in Belgium.  We plan to eventually see them all.  Since the beer is brewed inside the monastery, you can't really visit the inner workings but they had a cafe and we were able to sit on the patio and try the beers and eat the cheese they make there as well!

MAS museum

Antwerp from the 10th floor

That's a swimming pool floating on the river

Westmalle Monastery 

Westmalle grounds, it was beautiful