I don't even know where to begin. Andy and I had zero expectations going into our trip to Belgium. To be fair, no one really ever talks about Belgium. We knew we wanted to experience a different country as we keep going back to our favorite little cities. Jaimi and Jeff came to visit for the second time within a year. I feel so very blessed to have great friends that come so often. We all wanted somewhere where we hadn't gone before. So Belgium it was. We landed in Brussels on Thursday, April 11th. The flight was only a mere 50 minutes. Of course I love not flying for extended periods of time. I was 32 weeks pregnant and let's get serious I don't love flying. I know when I get to Heaven God is going to say, Wow Kenzie you prayed more prayers on a flight then any other time in your life. True story. Andy and I couldn't get enough of Brussels. It's a big city with a gazillion cafes, shops and restaurants. Our type of city. We love trying new places. Basel is getting a little small for us. I originally wanted to move to a small city because I didn't want to get swallowed by a foreign country. Now I feel ready for a new bigger adventure....
We checked into our Ibis hotel right in the heart of the city. It was late so we didn't care where we ate. We all did see a Chi Chi's and I could NOT get over it. Remember Chi Chi's growing up people?!?!? best queso dip EVER! I love Mexican because you can't get it in Basel. I crave it every single day. I kept bringing up the idea to go there. Everyone thought I was joking, I wasn't. I would have enjoyed every single drop of that queso. Did I mention their cheese is great? We found a restaurant named Cheesecake Cafe. Not to be confused with Cheesecake Factory. We got burgers and barf, the meat was disgusting. I ate a piece and then stuck to my fries.
Our friends J.P. and Nas, from London, met us the next day. We ventured over to a cool, very small Belgium brewery. It was self guided, which I liked because we could go at our own pace. Very neat to see, as all the workers were working as usual. We got to see them bottling up the beer on a conveyer belt. I just love experiencing unique things like this. Even though Jaimi and I couldn't drink we still appreciated it. We might have sipped on a beer or two....
Jaimi and I were a little frustrated as we were pregnant and couldn't drink the amazing Belgium beer. For most people that is the single reason they visit the country. We were happy we had each other though so we could vent about our frustrations. We just watched our husbands gulp down beer after beer while we sipped on water. I have such bad heartburn right now that I can't really enjoy any other drink but water. Although don't feel too bad for us as the food was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Talk about a Mackenzie country. Haha. Andy kept saying Kenzie, go get your waffle. Kenzie, I see you eyeing those fries go get some. I did realize how lucky I am to have a husband that could care less how much weight I gain during pregnancy. All Andy wants is for me to be happy. I feel very blessed.
On every street corner my favorite foods appeared. I mean they have an endless supplies of FRIES. It was my heaven. My waffle consisted of nutella and strawberries. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I was a little worried, being 32 weeks pregnant and keeping up with the group all weekend. It ended up being fine because all the men wanted to do was stop in cafes and try the different beers. I even at one point had to put my foot down saying we needed to experience things other than food and drink. I know, crazy right?
Brugge is a cool city too. Very small and quaint. I do love it but Brussels stole my heart. Brugge is very picturesque. Canals, cobblestone streets, a beautiful square. Gorgeous place! Our hotel was Hotel Academie and it was also right in the heart of everything. Very nice spacious room with a balcony :) Andy and I love hotels. It is so refreshing to be able to throw stuff everyone and not care. Well Andy does this at home or away but it is nice for ME :) Belgium is also known for its Mussels. We received an amazing
recommendation from a hilarious bartender for a restaurant with to die
for mussels. So, of course we went. I got the mussels with cream sauce
and Andy got the mussels with wine sauce. Mine were so much better,
haha. We took a boat tour of the city. It was nice to see all the different landmarks. Belgium doesn't have a lot of tourist attractions so it doesn't have the feel that you need to constantly be going from one place to the next. I liked this as most cities we go to we feel the need to see everything. It was very relaxed the whole trip. Great friends, great food and great drink. Nothing else more we could have asked for.
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