joelle

Thanksgiving 2022

My parents left Monday after visiting us for a few weeks, so on Sunday, November 20th we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with them before they returned to Wisconsin. We learned that making a traditional Thanksgiving meal in a European country is no joke! They don’t sell turkeys in stores, so we had to speciallyContinue reading “Thanksgiving 2022“

Belgian Beers

Beer in Belgium dates back to the Roman era, but it wasn’t until 1885 when a change in legislation made it possible for the large-scale production of beers to take off. Fifteen years later there were 3,223 breweries in the country! Some Belgian beers are very recognizable, like Stella Artois, which was created in 1926Continue reading “Belgian Beers“

Belgian Chocolate Series: Jean de Bruges🍫

We’re back again with another chocolate review! But first, let’s set the scene. While we were on our way to visit Bruges, there was a medical emergency on our train that caused our trip to take an additional 45 minutes. At this point we were starving. When we finally got to Bruges, we decided weContinue reading “Belgian Chocolate Series: Jean de Bruges🍫”

Daytrip to Bruges (Brugge)

In Belgium they speak French and Flemish, so they have a language sharing arrangement where both languages are typically on every sign, in the train stations, etc. That is why you may have heard Bruges be referred to one of two ways, Bruges (French/English) or Brugge (Flemish/Dutch). Regardless, we went to Bruges on one ofContinue reading “Daytrip to Bruges (Brugge)“

Leuven Botanical Garden

Fall in Belgium is beautiful, it has been almost 70 degrees all week and we have been trying to spend as much time outside as possible. So, this week we visited the Leuven Botanical Garden. We were surprised to learn that the Leuven Botanical Garden is the oldest one in all of Belgium, founded inContinue reading “Leuven Botanical Garden“

Bad News in Belgium

Brev’s season with the Leuven Bears was off to a great start this year, he scored 31 points in both preseason games and had 39 points and 16 rebounds in their Cup Game. He was so excited to show how he could perform at this higher level of basketball. Last week (on 10/1) was theContinue reading “Bad News in Belgium“

Manneken Pis

To our surprise – a popular tourist attraction in Brussels is the Manneken Pis (the peeing boy) statue. The statue’s origins are unclear and there are a lot of legends surrounding how it came to be. We do know that in the 15th century, the Manneken Pis was a fountain that played an essential roleContinue reading “Manneken Pis“

Belgian Chocolate Series: Neuhaus🍫

We’ve all heard of “Belgian Chocolates,” but did you know there are over 2,000 chocolate shops in Belgium? And every Belgian we’ve talked to has a different favorite chocolate shop, so Brev and I are on a quest to find the best one. Our first stop was NEUHAUS. Neuhaus is known for being the creatorContinue reading “Belgian Chocolate Series: Neuhaus🍫”

The Belgian Waffle Myth

In Belgium there are actually TWO types of popular waffles: Either waffle can then be topped with whipped cream, jam, fruit, melted chocolate or melted caramel. Unlike in the U.S., syrup or butter are not popular toppings here and it isn’t uncommon to eat the waffles cold. You can get a waffle almost anywhere inContinue reading “The Belgian Waffle Myth”

We’re in Belgium!

This season Brev is playing for the Leuven Bears in the BNXT League, which is the top professional basketball league in Belgium and the Netherlands. While the Bears have had multiple preseason games already, the regular season begins on 10/1. All their games should be livestreamed for free on the BNXT.TV app this year. Note:Continue reading “We’re in Belgium!”