Life on the Move: Belgium - Long Distance Champs 2014

While we are trying to visit new places each time we travel, when it comes to swimming, we go where the pool brings us. Of course, none of us were complaining about going back to Belgium for long distance champs. I mean who can complain about visiting the land of waffles and chocolate! Our trip looked pretty much like last year's trip.

To get to Belgium, we flew in and out of a small airport in Germany, and spent the night we arrived and the night before we left in that area.

Tommy outside our first hotel in Germany. He is looking so thrilled to have his picture taken!

We spent some time in Antwerp, mostly at the pool. It is an indoor pool, so I decided not to try and get photos. But we did visit our favorite restaurant, Beer Central, at least twice while we were there. They literally have an encyclopedia of beers for you to read and pick from. The first night Mike let our server randomly select a beer and the second night Mike did some reading and made his own choice. Both were really good, this from the former non-beer drinker who is now just a discriminating beer drinker. If you would like details on the beers, you'd have to ask Mike, or let me know and I can ask Mike.

Waffles in Antwerp from the waffle food truck

Beer Central with the teammates. We had to share our love of this place!
Mike and Tommy were our token males.

Then we hit Bruges for a couple of days. Since we only had a day there last year, we didn't do a whole lot. This time we did a little more exploring.

Brewery in Bruges

So the first thing we did in Bruges was go on a brewery tour. It was in a beautiful old building and we toured from top to bottom, literally, we even climbed out on the roof. At the end we got a glass of one of their beers. Not one of my favorites, but not horrible.

from the roof of the brewery looking into town

French fries are a must in Belgium!

I love the square in Bruges, so quaint and colorful!

We also spent some time in Brussels, but I have no idea where the pictures are of that! In addition, we drove around and hit the American cemeteries in the area. By the end of this trip, Tommy decided he didn't need to see any more cemeteries, castles, or churches! Poor kid, there are lots more in his future!

As I said, we finished this trip back in Germany. The hotel we stayed in was a family run hotel, where the family lived on the second floor (or first floor if you are counting the way they do in Europe). It really felt like I was in my Granny's house, had that kind of decor and even scent.

Our cute little bed. 2 mattresses and 2 comforters, no sheets. Not uncommon in Europe.

I know it is blurry, but I tried to capture the miniature doors to our rooms.
Tommy barely fit through without ducking.

This hotel did have breakfast in the morning, and anyone who knows Tommy, knows my kid loves his breakfast. Well, this one did not satisfy! Most of the hotels we have stayed in have offered an English or American style breakfast, which essentially means they have eggs and bacon in addition to the cold cuts and cheese they put out. Not this place! Needless to say, Tommy was less than thrilled. We all ate a little before we left, but no one was really satisfied. Fortunately, this town was known for it's shopping, and it had a huge pedestrian mall which included a nice bakery.