Week 63 June 16-23

We had a few weeks to recover from our fun-filled May, and then June got exciting as well.  Mom and Dad Wilkerson came for a week-long visit to Belgium!  Their experience was an authentic one from the start.  Just as their trans-Atlantic flight landed, the baggage handlers decided to go on strike.  We began to consider leaving the airport to return sometime later for the bags, but the strike finally ended and the bags were released after about a three hour delay. The rest of the trip went a bit more smoothly.  We toured many of the Antwerp hot-spots together, some of which we had never visited before!  One such site was The Cathedral of Our Lady.  This central cathedral of Antwerp is a massive structure and an iconic symbol of the city.  We walk past this church nearly every week, but we had never made the trip inside.  From the Rubens masterpieces to the uniquely decorated alters for each guild, it was worth the visit.

The Wilkersons are here!

The Cathedral

The artwork was amazing

  We also took a nice day-trip to Bruges and a quick tour of the city where we work, Turnhout.  Unfortunately, we also experienced a lot of classic Belgian weather (rain).  There were several times when we got pretty wet, but we enjoyed our time nonetheless.

Robin & Tyler in Bruge 

Tyler & Tim braving the rain

Aside from the weather, it was overall a very exciting time to visit Belgium.  Every 4 years, Europe hosts a month-long soccer tournament with most of the national European teams competing.  The buzz around the tournament this year was very high, as the Belgian team had come in with the number one ranking.  The action had kicked off just days before the Wilkerson clan arrived, so while they were in town, we got to watch several important matches together.  The atmosphere in Antwerp was great, with many "fan-zones" for watching the matches setup in public squares and with Belgium flags and colors flying all over town.  Even when watching a match from our apartment, we could hear the roar of the crowds every time Belgium put one in the back of the net.  The final outcome of the tournament was a bit of a disappointment (Belgium didn't win), but it was a fun to be a part of such an exciting national experience.

The Belgian colors on display

Molly cheering on Belgium with her free swag

A short week later, and we were saying goodbye to our visitors.  It is always great to have friends and family come to visit to remind us of all the great people in our life and to bring us a little taste of home.