We left Finland, ultimately for Greece, but we made a weekend stop in Brussels and Bruges for the 20th anniversary of D.’s graduate program at the College d’Europe. Going back to Bruges also allowed us to get in another visit with our friends and their two sons (one of whom had been at university in the US when we first visited in March).
And, in yet another amazing opportunity to visit friends from North America in Europe, A. was able to meet her former teaching partner, S., while in Bruges. The amazing part is that S. lives in PEI, on the far east coast of Canada. While it is on our list of places to visit, it costs twice as much to get there from Vancouver than our trip to Iceland. It was great to reconnect with S., even if it was just for an evening. This required some serious travel juggling involving planes, trains and taxis. Fortunately, the arrival into Brussels was smooth despite the power outage at Zaventem (the airport) that morning. We made a quick train connection to Bruges and a short taxi ride later to the hostel. A. left D. and the kids there while she joined S. for some glasses of wine and catching up.
The next day we met up with our friends and their two sons for laundry and a healthy Belgian lunch of “fritjes met mayonaise”. We really appreciated the chance to relax in their wonderful home after the hostel, as well as catching up with their family. We hope our paths cross again, hopefully without a 20 year gap this time!
Then, it was off to the Airbnb we had rented with the U. family, with whom we stayed in the UK back in February. Our kids were breathlessly awaiting their arrival as they had been starved for peer interaction. We spent the following day wandering through Bruges, visiting old haunts, College d’Europe buildings and eating waffles, chocolate, moules and frites. We may have even enjoyed some Belgian beer.
That evening, D. and S. went to their reunion. It was fantastic fun catching up with old friends and seeing where their lives have taken them over the past 20 years. There were hundreds of people from several different “promotions” (cohorts) and it was great that we could plan this portion of our European adventure to include this weekend in Bruges.
The following morning (with no headaches whatsoever), we packed up, said our farewells to the U. family and boarded the train to Brussels to catch the plane to Greece.
Next stop: Samos, Greece!