Westende, Belgium

Our high speed train out of England came with a three hour delay in London, which made it a bit less speedy. We took the opportunity to pop around the city and tried more of the local cuisine. The kids showed great patience! We had a full day of travel that totaled nine hours.

We were on our way to the coast of Belgium. As we raced UNDER the English Channel through the train tunnel, I felt a little nervous as I realized English would no longer be the primary language from here on out. The three primary languages in Belgium are Dutch, French, and German. This feels a bit intimidating for sure!

We are further north than Maine, which means we have super long daylight hours and cooler weather than Texas by far. The sun doesn't go down until after 10pm and rises before 6am. We have been layering clothes since we packed for a mild summer. I will be glad when we things heat up.

Here we have tried to establish a rhythm to our days. This spot has a nice view of green spaces and unique, historic houses. We have been cooking in our apartment, drinking coffee on our balcony, working out, playing outdoors, hitting the local markets, buying fresh baked bread, starting summer school, and playground hopping. The girls have been excited about this place because they sleep in a triple bunk bed. The toilet here flushes like a tsunami, so watch out! On average, I walk around 12,000 steps a day. People ride bikes everywhere here rain or shine, cold or warm. Oh! And we found a laundromat nearby. Woo hoo!

We celebrated Seth's birthday by visiting the local butcher for his choice of steak. He and Mabel cooked them to perfection. He prefers his birthday cake to be steak flavored.

We have discovered at least four playgrounds nearby and explored the beach. Demi and Seth surprised me with a lovely Belgium chocolate that was dark with the perfect amount of sweet. Yummy! We also realized you need half euro coins handy if you need to use a public restrooms while you are out. I had considered going behind a tree, but luckily Seth was able to exchange our bills for some coins.

The beach here is lovely with some pier like formations covered in moss with rocks at the end. Demi feels they are shaped into mermaid tails. Mabel dug so deep into the sand that she found water. She was amazed at herself.

Today, we will venture out for fresh bread, groceries and maybe more chocolate! Hoping to not be scolded in Dutch again today. Ha ha!Read more