We’ve had a busy few months here in Leuven! Amanda’s parents, sister and family came to visit (more on that in future posts), Paul has been teaching an online course for Villanova, and poor Maximilian continues to go from one illness to the next.
Here are some highlights we’ve been meaning to share:
Beer
In late April, we braved the crazy, drunk crowds and headed to the annual Zythos Bierfestival just outside of Leuven. With hundreds of unique beers to try, we spent the afternoon taste-testing and hanging out with good friends. Paul was excited to try many of the beers on his ‘must-have’ list.
Max loves to people-watch, so he was in heaven at the beer festival. His buddy Theo, whose dad Andrew went to Boston College with us (it’s a small world), was there as well, and the two boys were up to their usual shenangigans.
Our favorite beer was the Riporter from De Struise Brouwers, a bourbon-flavored porter unlike anything we’ve ever tasted.
Brussels
In early May, our dear friend from college, Veronica, spent an afternoon in Brussels on her way to Rome. Happily, she was able to meet us, Andrew, and Theo for lunch in the city.
We took the boys on the train to the airport to pick up Veronica, then headed into the city for a few hours.
Andrew gave us a quick tour of the center of town, we enjoyed a delicious French bistro-style lunch, and cherished the opporutunity to catch up with one another.
Bouts of Sickness
Since arriving in Beligum, Max has contracted or endured (in order of appearance):
- Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
- An Ear Infection
- Two Chipped Front Teeth (he fell on the coffee table the day after he started walking)
- Croup
- Another Ear Infection
- Chicken Pox
While he’s had some cranky moments to be sure, he continues to be his happy, energetic self. Despite it all, he seems to love Belgium as much as we do!
More to come soon…