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Day 1

 We made it to Belgium!

The trip began with a lot of last second packing and chores around the house to make sure we were all set to leave on our 2-week trip to Europe. Additionally, we had been monitoring for any travel restrictions as the Coronavirus rates have been spiking across Europe as of late. Nevertheless, we decided to continue with the trip! As of right now, there aren't too many restrictions for vaccinated travelers (+ Luke since he is under 12 years of age). We are loaded up with all sorts of vaccine cards, apps, and QR codes that will hopefully allow us access into the various restaurants, museums, and activities that we have planned for this trip. 

We were thankful to have a ride to LAX (thanks Mom!) as even getting to the airport is no easy feat. Check-in for the flight was smooth, although the trek to the gate was difficult considering we had a stroller, car seat, and 6 carry on bags in tow. For this trip we are flying Air France (a nice change from the budget airlines of years past). The plane boarded and departed right on time and we were on our way!

We had hoped Luke would be able to sleep most of the way since it was an overnight flight. We also brought all sorts of toys and activities to keep him busy. For dinner, chicken and pasta was on the menu - along with some red wine. Shortly after dinner we could tell that Luke was getting tired, and sure enough, upon laying him down with his blanket, he fell right to sleep. As for Jessica and I, we were not able to fall asleep as easily. Eventually, I think we were able to get a couple of hours of sleep. Luke woke up with about 4 hours left of the flight. We were able to keep him entertained until the lights came on and breakfast was served.

Soon enough we had landed at Paris CDG airport. We waited for everyone else to leave the plane before attempting to disembark (with Luke and all of our bags). As we were walking out of the plane, Luke was sprinting through the aisles and laying down in the middle of the floor. Sadly, Jessica and I had no hands to spare, but the flight attendants helped to usher him towards the jetway. After another long hike to the customs check, we were whisked away into a much shorter line (likely thanks to having a small child who was getting increasingly upset). The customs agent quickly stamped our passports and let us through. At the baggage claim area we got our checked bag along with Luke's car seat and stroller. However, we noticed that his cupholder attachments for his car seat were missing - a problem for another day!

We were able to find the car rental station easily and after a short wait for them to get the car ready, we loaded up and hit the road. The car we got is a Peugeot 3800 which is kind of like a crossover - plenty of space for all of our stuff and Luke. Our first stop of the trip, we wanted to take Luke to one of Jessica and my favorite places - Bruges, Belgium. The drive north from Paris took just under 3 hours after a little bit of traffic at the border. Once we arrive in town, we quickly found a parking spot and were able to get checked into our canal-side B&B easily. 

The location of our B&B is amazing. It is a small 2 story attached house in the center of town that overlooks one of the many canals in town and has access to a nice courtyard. I'll be sure to post some pics. Soon after checking in, we hit the town because we were all very hungry. We had reservations tonight at Barsserie Cambrinus - a traditional spot. Upon entry, we were greeted by the hostess with her vaccine QR code scanner at the ready. We had some issues getting ours to scan through correctly though. Apparently to get the QR code, they require a signature on the vaccine card by a physician for each dose. Because our CDC cards in the US do not have signatures, this was causing issues with the scanner. However, she told us that we could just use our CDC cards in the end, so thankfully we were allowed in. 

For dinner, Jessica was really craving a burger and I had some mussels and fries along with some local brews. Everything was delicious and even Luke enjoyed some food (although he did not like the mussels). After dinner we went on a quick walk around the town. We were getting quite cold as temps were in the mid-30s, so we went back to the B&B and called it a night! Fingers crossed that we all get some good sleep......












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