June 9, 2017 - Continued When we last wrote, we were preparing to begin our evening on a sunset cruise. By the time we got to the check-in station, it was raining cats and dogs... the six toed kind. It turned out our cruise had already been cancelled, but they called back to Lansing to let us know. So, it was time for plan B. We walked through some nearly flooded streets to a highly-recommended restaurant called "Two Friends." We had a great dinner including seafood and conch fritters and, because we were somewhat early, our drinks and appetizers were half price due to happy hour. So we took that as two for one. After dinner, we decided to check out Captain Tony's, the original site of Hemingway haunt Sloppy Joe's. The walls were covered with ... read more

We are safe and sound but are having technical difficulties. Hopefully this will be figured out soon.... read more

Geo: 46.2038, 6.13996This morning after breakfast, we boarded a tram to the Palais des Nations, currently the Geneva headquarters of the United Nations and formerly the headquarters of the League of Nations. This location houses the humanitarian side of the UN, including world poverty and disaster relief, disarmament, the environment, and human rights. We hadn't entered expecting to feel warm and fuzzy, but the aims of this place and the excitement of our guide about them was almost moving. We were able to enter the meeting chamber of the Human Rights Commission. The room was donated in 2008 by the King of Spain. Its ceiling was a work of art that took over 26 tons of paint and was supposed to look like a view of the ocean from the perspective of the sea floor. As ... read more

Geo: 46.2038, 6.13996We started today bright and early in order to make it to Brussels Midi/Zuid train station, which meant hopping into a cab at 7:30am. We were a bit disappointed upon showing up for breakfast at 7am to learn that the coffee wasn't ready because, “Only the girl knows how to do it.” When, at 7:15, “the girl” showed up, we were able to enjoy a fast cup of joe just as the cab arrived.Our train was a Thalys high speed electric bullet train that jetted us from Brussels to Paris-Nord in 1 hour 22 minutes. Even though we had already eaten breakfast at our hotel, they came along with another serving which we enjoyed, again, thinking, “Okay, this can be lunch.” Free WiFi on the train was a nice benefit as well.After arriving at ... read more

Geo: 51.2089, 3.22424After breakfast, we visited De Halve Mann Brouwery and signed up for their 11 o'clock tour. It was five o'clock somewhere. Our tour guide told us quite a bit about the brewing process and was quite entertaining. She could have had a career in stand-up comedy. We also encountered another Mets fan, probably the only one in Belgium, just like our good friend Fred is probably the only one in Lansing. We learned that here, glasses are specifically chosen for each individual brew and are designed to maximize the quality of pour and flavor. It's not just a marketing thing as we had previously thought. Every place we have visited has actually matched the glass to the brand inside.Once we were finished with the brewery tour, we popped into the Our Lady church which ... read more