Days of Beer and Chocolate

We're approaching the last days of our time in Belgium and are continuing to have a marvelous time. So many beers and chocolates, and little plats of cheese and sausages everywhere we go. France will be healthier, right? Why are you laughing? Yesterday we spent the day away in Brugges, a lovely medieval town with a big belfry and tons of great chocolates and beer bars. We took the tour of De Halve Maan Brewery and it was tons of fun. This was, of course, recommended on Rick Steve's "Belgium: Bruges and Brussels" episode, and guess what? We got the SAME lady as our tour guide that good ole Rick got! Like a celebrity to us (or just Emily). I was so geeked out that we actually took a photo with her at the end. Hilarious!

Today we got to see a great friend, Colleen Mitchell, and her twin baby boys, Luke and Cole (1o mos.). We met up in Rochefort, a quaint Belgian town in the Walloon region (where they speak French, not Dutch--confusing Belgians!). We had so much fun having lunch with Colleen and the babies, and are in awe of how she can juggle 2 toddlers. Holding both boys at the same time was nervewracking, but they were the sweetest boys. After lunch, we headed to the LaChouffe Brewery in the tiny village of A'Chouffe (bless you!). We got in on another tour led in Dutch (yay!) but the guide was gracious enough to translate for us on the side. Tour ended with a couple of their beers at a cute little tavern, and we got to have a great chat with our guide, who happens to also operate a "Bed, Breakfast, and Beer" in the town. (If anyone's heading to eastern Belgium, let us know!) It's after midnight, and we must rest our weary feet and gear up for our last day of indulging in Belgium and all of its delicious sites. I think I've figured out how to post a PicasaWeb album, so hopefully you can see some of our photos!