Christmas and such

 So I guess we'll start off with the "such" part of the blog... :)

                              Here are some pictures from when Stef took the kids sledding.

Stef's awesome beard-hat Teia made!

               Jessica and Aenon with us at the Amberg Christmas Markt.

Me and Natalya putting on some makeup :)

 Random, but this was my typical German dinner during my hospital stay. No really. Yes, a whole tomato.

 On to Christmas!

 My kids are so awesome :)

 Like a boss.

 Present time!!

 Jack loves this book :)

Good one!

Zeke loves his new boots

                                                        Merry Christmas to everyone!!!!!!!!!!

Belgium

 We spent a week this month visiting our awesome friends, Cedric and Lieve, in Belgium. They are such great people and were so kind for letting us stay with them so long and showing us around the country. A big THANK YOU to Cedric and Lieve!!!

    Our first stop as tourists was Brussels. We went there two different days, and the first day we visited the Atomium, shown here, which is an exhibit in the 1958 World Expo. Very cool and very big! We went all the way to the top and got a great look at the whole city.

 

Here are a few photos of a church in the town near where our hosts live.

Here are Zeke and Natalya feeding a deer that was not far down the road from Cedric's house.

 Here is more of Brussels. Instead of a traditional Christmas tree, this year the city decided to set up a "modern" tree, built out of giant lit-up squares, in which you could walk up to the top. So these are from the top of the "tree".

Here is a Nativity scene, which they call a "crib" in Europe.

Here we are walking the streets and going to and through the Christmas Markt.

 Yes, yes sometimes, it is. :)

 Here is the Christmas Markt - they had a giant Ferris wheel, so much fun! There was also an ice skating rink and giant slides, but we just did the Ferris Wheel.

Natalya and Zeke :)

 So here are pics from on the Ferris Wheel.

 Then we ventured onto some playgrounds next to the Ferris Wheel.

 This was an AMAZING church in Brussels near the train station. We forgot to take pics of the inside, but there were dozens of Nativity scenes, each from a different country, that were on display inside.

 And here is our good friend, Cedric, who became a best friend of Mikey's during our stay. :)

Here's Stef and Cedric having a nice beer.

I think these are in the town of Ieper? Can't remember exactly, but the city was beautiful.

 There are 50,000+ names on these walls of soldiers who died in WWI.

A gravestone in a cemetery we checked out along the way.

 The second excursion to Brussels we were able to handle fairly well without the great help of our native hosts. We drove to the Sacred Heart Basilisk, which is supposed to be the 5th largest church in the world. It. Was. Big.

Waiting for Baby Jesus. Not Christmas just yet. :)

 There were several windows like this - huge and extremely clear and detailed - this takes up an entire wall.

 Here, Zeke and Natalya look at a statue of St. Therese of Lisieux, who is holding a crucifix in one hand and a rose in the other.

 Here is a Nativity scene in the Basilisk.

 The kids loved the big open grass area outside the church. :)

Playing tag.

 Cheesin it up.

Here is a view away from the Basilisk, as we are standing on the steps.

Here we are at Le Chalet, right across the street

from the Basilisk. A great Spanish tapas place, yummy yummy food. Stef is talking about olives to the kids and trying to convince them to eat the olives, which is what they served us while we waited for our meals.

 Here is Natalya in the Museum of Natural Sciences.

Being an elephant, of course.

Hammin it up.

 Now, on to Bruges. Beautiful, beautiful city. Here, there are swans on and near the river that goes through the city. Bruges is called the "Venice of the North" because of its canals.

 Here is the entrance to the Beguinage Convent. It is a monastery for Benedictine sisters.

The grounds of the monastery.

 Here, we are walking through the streets of Bruges.

 Here is the entrance to the Christmas Markt in Bruges. Not sure what the symbol on the Christmas decor is...

 The Christmas Markt has an ice-skating rink and lovely white, lit-up trees.

Poor Stef was so sick for most of the time we visited our friends. :( But he was a trooper and kept on going!

 This small building is the Basilica of the Holy Blood, which houses a venerated relic: the blood of Christ, collected by Joseph of Arimathea, which is in a rock-crystal vial placed inside a small glass cylinder. It is kept in the Upper Chapel. Our friend, Cedric, told us before we went inside that this place would be the highlight of our trip to Bruges. And indeed it was.

 This is a painting of the vial and cylinder in the chapel.

 Here is the area where the relic is kept. In the picture, it's kind of far away, but there are a few steps up to the relic, which was reverently guarded by an old woman seated behind the relic. The cylinder is presented in a glass casing, for those who wish to see it, and you are allowed to touch the glass also.
The fact of this place and of the relic is this: no matter what you think or believe, this was a powerful experience. The Real Presence of Christ was there, and when I touched even just the casing, I almost started crying. Stef was even more moved than I was, and was brought to tears the first moment he saw it and every time after when he simply looked toward the relic. There's really no other explanation than that the Presence of Christ is there.
A must-see if you ever are able to go to Belgium! :)

 Here we are waiting for the bus to take us back to the parking garage. Things are winding down. :)

 This is THE place where the #1 beer in the WORLD is made and sold - at the Abbey of St. Sixtus in Westvleteren. That's not just our opinion, it's been cited as such by several different sources. It's made by Trappist Monks.   

 A view near the Abbey.

And we'll end this ridiculously long picture-blog with our wonderful, gracious hosts, Cedric and Lieve. Thank you so much!!!!