Doesn't Mallorca Sound Wonderful About Now?

Towards the end of May, we booked a spur of the moment (stupid cheap) Ryan Air flight to Mallorca, Spain. I told Chris that it would be a delayed present for his 28th birthday; but let's be honest, it was more of an excuse to escape a miserably long Belgian cold spell. Spain had also claimed a special place in our hearts and a prominent spot on our travel calendar after a trip to Barcelona (If you're interested, find some of our Barcelona info here, and here). 

I think there was still snow on the ground as we boarded a flight bound for Spain's largest island. I had heard about the neighboring party island (Ibiza), but the only reason we chose Mallorca was because there was a direct flight from Brussels to Mallorca for less than an Italian dinner for two (Italian is about the cheapest sit down dinner option you'll find in Europe). My type A-must-research-every-detail-of-a-trip-to-a-new-city-personality sort of took a vacation, and I threw planning out the window! I mean, how hard could it be for us to get down to a beach, lay out our towels, and relax on the warm sand?!

I learned my lesson (again), because what we wanted and what we walked into were so completely far off from each other!

 At the airport, we caught the local bus #21, and within ten minutes we were walking into the lobby of Java Hotel. Our accommodation was right in the middle of Playa de Palma, and while the hotel itself was newly remodeled and reasonably priced, the long stretch of beach outside of the hotel was less than relaxing! What we had wanted was a slow couple of days sprawled out on the sand followed by seafood dinners at beach front restaurants. What we actually got was this:

Antwerp(en), Belgium

Antwerpen has the prettiest train station that I think I have seen in Europe!

We always get asked what our favorite cities are in Belgium, and the answer always starts out the same. First and foremost, we are in love with Bruges. The preserved medieval city seems almost too beautiful to be real life; it feels more like a movie set than a place people actually call "home." As soon as I saw Her, I knew that I wanted to live close to Bruges (check out Bruges here, here, and here). So, yeah, Bruges would be our #1 place to visit in Belgium, but then of course there are other fantastic cities like Ghent and Antwerp that cannot be missed when visiting the land of strong beer and rich chocolate. 

Antwerp (English) - Antwerpen (Dutch) - Anvers (French)

When visiting Antwerp, it's not uncommon to see the city spelled all three different ways, but the most often used version is the Dutch one. According to legend, Antwerpen got Her name after the mighty giant who used to demand a toll for passage into the port city. Those who refused to cough up the money would pay by having their hand cut off and thrown into the river. Eventually the money-hungry giant was killed and his own giant hand cut off and thrown into the river, thus giving the city the name "hand-werpen" ("to throw" in Old English). Eventually that evolved into the modern day name of Antwerpen. You'll see hand statues and hand illustrations all around the city if you keep your eyes open for them.

Chris and I enjoyed a lovely weekend in Antwerpen checking out a few local restaurants, meandering through annual fall festivals, sipping sangria at the city "beach," and getting acquainted with Belgium's second largest city. While Antwerpen is not as visually stunning as Bruges and Ghent, it does have an artistic vibe that invites one to stop, relax, and stay a while. 

Planning a trip to Antwerpen? Here are some of our city notes:

Westvleteren Trappist Brewery Belgium

Pic found here.

Summer 2013 has come and gone, and I find myself with an ever growing list of adventures and experiences to blog/journal about. I have been so caught up in the moments that I've forgotten to properly documented the memories. The end of summer also marked another milestone in this grand little adventure that was supposed to take the McCoy family from Kentucky to Serbia and back again in three years time. Isn't it funny how life never really seems to go as planned?! Our international journey has not followed anyone's predictions, but we sort of like it that way. Chris and I have been living and working overseas for two years and four months; and in that time we moved from Kentucky to Subotica, Serbia (as planned), and then from Serbia to Roeselare, Belgium (not planned, but welcomed), and now we find ourselves in Regensburg, Germany. . . . absolutely not planned, but we figured we had moved before, and we could do it again!

What's one more move to shake things up a bit? 

Chris and I have been officially living in Regensburg, Germany for about three weeks, and everything is still so new. Once we feel a little more settled and 'normal,' I plan to document the process of our most recent move. In the meantime though, there are so many other things that I need to catch up on! 

First things first - Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren Brewery in Belgium

While living in Belgium, Chris and I were lucky to live 40 minutes away from one of the most famous breweries in the world. For beer enthusiasts, the mere mention of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren makes you salivate. For everyone else, don't worry, I'll fill ya in on some of the basic details. 

The Belgian BBQ

There is so much to love about Belgium! 

After a year in the land of chocolate, waffles and exceptional beer, we've come to realize that there's so much more to this country than one reads about in travel publications. Chris and I are so happy with our decision to live in Roeselare, because we were quickly embraced in this small, not-at-all-touristy, city. We are happy here, and we've met amazing people who have included us and made us feel at home. Aside from the obvious Belgian delicacies, here are a few things that we have come to appreciate about our second European home: 

{The work/life balance}

If you work on a Belgian contract, it is actually illegal to work more than 38.5 hours a week. Illegal! For all of our friends working 60+ hour weeks in America, this must seem like a vacation every day of the week! Of course there are people in Belgium who do work overtime, but in general, people value their time away from the office. On work evenings, young professionals meet up for a drink on a terrace, families stroll through the park, and in the summer there are fairs on the Market Square and events to fill every evening. It just seems that Belgian families spend more quality time together than in America. That's just my observation.  

{The bike culture}

Of course there are European cities (like Amsterdam) that have a more vibrant biking culture, but in Belgium, it's also acceptable for young and old people to scoot around on bikes. There are no school busses in Roeselare, so kids ride to school on bikes. I remember being jealous when high school friends received Mercedes or Hummers (seriously?!) for their 16th birthday. I think I am going to send our kids to a school where everyone rides bikes. Even the mail man delivers the mail on a bike! It just seems healthy to get to where you're going on a bike. 

The Grand Canal Party in Roeselare

The Grand Canal beach party in Roeselare, Belgium. Photo credits here. 

Several weekends ago, Chris and I experienced The Grand Canal beach party in our land-locked, Belgian home of Roeselare. It initially sounded suspect, but naturally, the McCoy's are always up for new adventures. Niekie (my first Belgian friend), rallied her posse to come out, enjoy the sand, dance the night away and support a great local DJ who just happened to be her hubby, Tim. It didn't take that much convincing to get Chris and I there. 

On the other side of the tracks, in the tired, industrial area of Roeselare, we walked through an arch built entirely out of wooden pallets and we completely forgot where we were. The set up was brilliant! Belgians are really great at capitalizing on their summers, and The Grand Canal beach party was a perfect example of just that. A wall of several thousand wooden pallets encompassed the make shift beach, restaurant, bar and DJ area. For two months in the summer, parties and events take place here when the weather is favorable. 

I love those moments when you blindly walk into a new place and feel immediately at ease. It didn't hurt that we were enjoying the balmy, Belgian evening with a big group of friends. What a difference a year can make! I remember walking through Roeselare as a complete stranger; watching people greet each other on the street, and stop at sidewalk cafes to kiss each other on the cheek. I wanted so badly to walk past someone familiar, to be recognized, to feel valued, to be known. A year later, I am being greeted everywhere I go, I am being kissed on the cheek and I am no longer a stranger. 

Tyne Cot Cemetery Belgium

Pops at the Tyne Cot Memorial Cemetery in Passendale, Belgium

They made it! 

Finally, Chris' grandparents, his aunties, Elizabeth and Christy, and Christy's son, Jake, made it to Europe after two days of dodging tornados in Atlanta. They missed London, but thankfully they didn't miss out on their entire vacation. "The stranded five" arrived into Brussels several hours before we were scheduled to arrive in Belgium.  It was impossible to switch our tickets, and I felt a little anxious about them arriving into Belgium without Chris or I there to welcome them. I called our friend, Bert, and without hesitation, he offered to do whatever I needed to help make "the stranded five" feel a little bit more comfortable. What a blessing it was to have Bert there! Our family made their way from Brussels to Roeselare, and in our little city, they found Bert with a box of Belgian chocolates in hand ready to welcome five weary, stinky, American travelers.

After such an ordeal, naturally, their luggage didn't arrive with them. It was promised that the luggage would arrive the following day, but in the meantime we had plans! We washed the clothes that "the stranded five" had been wearing for two days straight, ordered pizza and just enjoyed being with family for the evening. Everyone was relieved to finally be together as planned, and at the end of the evening, the weary travelers were more than happy to retire to comfortable accommodation at R&Breakfast. 

In the morning, we were accompanied by five of our Belgian friends to the Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Passendale, Belgium. The cemetery is built on the important western front of the First World War and is the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world. It's quite humbling to walk through the museum and the graves themselves and try to grasp the complete devastation of the landscape and such overwelming loss of life. 

London With the McCoys

Mom and Dad McCoy in London, England

For almost a year, Chris and I had been planning a grand European adventure with his entire family. After countless Skype-planning-sessions, and way too many hours scanning Trip Advisor reviews, the European ininerary was set, hotels were booked, vans secured, restaurant reservations (for 11) made, and train tickets were booked for nine of Chris' family members. Everything seemed to be perfectly planned for their first trip to Europe. . . 

Well, everything that is except for the TORNADO! No one really planned on that happening! When the day finally came for the family to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, Chris' parents, brother and Claire (Chris' brother's girlfriend) made their way to London to meet up with us. The other half of the family had purchased Delta flights out of Atlanta, and that's where the little problem of the tornado happened to be. Weather is a funny thing that no one can predict or control, but she sure does have a way of completely derailing well planned trips in no time. 

There was nothing that anyone could do. It was just one of those major travel mishaps; the sort of mishap that Chris and I have never experienced in our two years of galavanting through Europe. I so wish that it had not happened to Chris' dear grandparents, his two aunts and his cousin . . .  but it did. "The stranded five" waited around for two days in the Atlanta airport without luggage and without very much sympathy from Delta. One Delta member even suggested they purchase new tickets to London or just give up and go home. Finally, a sweet ticket agent took pity on them and rerouted them through to Belgium. Once "the stranded five" finally got to Europe, they had missed their whole trip to London.