Another Day, Another Family

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We had an early morning, 6:30 am. 1. We wanted to see the kids before they left for school and 2. Tobias had early morning meetings and Biggie had to work, and 3. We had a long train ride (3 trains) to Brussels. Tobias took us to the station and helped us with our bags, got us pointed in the right direction and we were off.

As written in an earlier blog, we were headed to Brussels to visit our foreign exchange family. I must digress here. Pascaline came in the summer of 1979, Clayton was about to turn 2. Pascaline was probably 18 or so. We enjoyed Pascaline and invited she and any family members to visit and they invited us to Belgium. In 1981 we were heading for the middle east and were able to stop in Belgium to visit the family. We invited the family to visit.

The next year (I believe) Therese (Pascaline’s mom) came to visit with Pascaline, then Therese came by herself every year for any vacation we would take. She went with us to a reunion in Oklahoma, went to San Francisco, Grand Canyon, New Mexico, you name it she was there. We went back to Belgium and visited when the kids were young.

One year, Therese told us that she was not to go back to Belgium until we would give a date when each of our kids would go to visit them. This is when we came up with sending each boy for his 8^th grade graduation.

For awhile we lost track of the family but then we all found each other again. Charlotte, Pascaline’s daughter has been to visit and our granddaughter has been there. We also took 2 other grandkids to visit a few years ago. And after a couple of years of corresponding via Facebook, we were on our way to see them once again.

Ghislan, Pascaline’s husband was to pick us up at the train station. We got off the train in Brussels and found the lift. I heard someone call out Chris, looked up and there was Ghislan. We were so happy to see his face as we did not know where he’d be.

We had some time to kill as Ghislan had to pick up pizzas for dinner so we walked around the Christmas Market then went and had a glass of wine. The market in the square had a light show which was amazing.

We got to Pascaline’s house and got to see all of the kids and actually talk with them. This time they were grown up so we had adult conversations. It was great to catch up with what they were doing.

On Saturday we slept in and then after a breakfast of crepes with lemon and sugar (this is what Therese would make us at our house) we were off to visit the Abbey de Maredsous, where they are famous for their cheese and beer. We really didn’t get to see the place where the cheeses were made or the beer but it was interesting anyway. After a tour of the Abbey, we visited the Christmas Market, drinking spiked coffee, mulled wine and eating potatoes with melted cheese and escargot. Pascaline and Ghislan wouldn’t try the escargot, but it was good!

This again was a short visit. On Sunday morning, Charlotte had made reservations for a restaurant in Brussels. It featured Mexican food, which neither Dale nor I tried. We did have some wonderful smoked salmon, mine in a taco shell and Dales on an English Muffin. Dale thought that mine was better and we will try it at home. What was really great, is that Charlotte treated us to brunch! She is all grown up and working. What a woman! However, we all agreed that she will visit us again and we will treat!

All of our friends are just waiting for us to get to Canada where they will descend on us!

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