World Belgium Brussels

Paul & Steph's Odyssey

Brussels Nov 1, 2006

Days 1-4, Brussels: One of our primary drivers for visiting Belgium was to get to know members of the van Walleghem family. The name van Walleghem is from the Flemish speaking region of Belgium known as Flanders. Flanders roughly comprises the northern half of the country. Our first stop on the "back to my roots" tour of Belgium was Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union. In Brussels we had the pleasure of meeting several members (both young and old) of the prestigious van Walleghem clan. We bounced around from family-led tours of the city to family dinners. Stephanie didn't know what hit her! All in all, it was awesome to get to know some of my distant relatives. Everyone was extremely hospitable. We now have some great family connections in Belgium for our next visit and, more importantly, for when our kids decide to visit. Another goal of ours on the "back to my roots" tour of Belgium was to taste as many Belgian beers as possible (after all, Belgium is considered by many to brew the best beers in the world). Mission accomplished. However, this mission was not without its complications - keep in mind that several of the Belgium beers have upwards of 10% alcohol!

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