May 28 - time to say goodbye to our wonderful time in the Netherlands. Travelling via train to Breda and then courtesy of Mathieu by car through Cadzand-bad, we arrived in Duinbergen (Knokke Heist) to meet our friend Phillipe, for a tour of our temporary Belgian home, and of the neighbourhood.
Once settled we took a long walk on the excellent sand beach, and enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the wind turbines and gantry shipping cranes of nearby Zeebrugge. After a beach jog, the kids felt the need to have a swim, so had an introductory jump in the waves. The sea at this time of year has an active crowd of windsurfers, kite surfers and sand sailors - taking advantage of steady winds and flat flat beaches, with few people - at least on some parts of the beach.
We have spent many hours enjoying the sand and the surf, and even took in some beach polo (who knew) that was part of a holiday weekend and ongoing seaside patio scene in Knokke.
We have had many bikes trips around the area, to the north to the Zwin natural park, up and down the busy boardwalk, and to visit the recreational and fishing port in Zeebrugge.
Sunday we took the short train ride to visit Brugges, one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Europe. A beautiful day of architecture, history, and several terasses to take a break and to take it all in. We also took a boat tour on the canals around this fortified city, and enjoyed wonderful Belgian chocolates and beer, of course.
This is a picture of a boat cruise within the city of Brugges.
A visit to Brussels on June 2 was an opportunity to spend some time with Phillipe, Pascal and family. Phillipe showed us many beautiful highlights of this incredible European capital, including the Stad Huis (city hall), many cafes, and the King's residence on the Grand Place. The built environment and the statuary are testaments to the long and storied history of this wealthy and important centre of commerce and international diplomacy. We had an overview of Belgian history at the Belvue museum (which is within a former princess' home next to the Royal Palace), and attended the opening of an exhibit of surrealism by Magritte.
Our home exchange host and 'tour guide' du jour, Phillipe, in front of the Royal Palace, used for official royal business and to host guests of the royal family.
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