We Made It!

Bonjour friends and family!

We had a direct 8.5 hour flight to Paris with Maddie our "service dog" in tow.  It was a relatively uneventful first flight for her although the doggie Xanax didn't seem to kick in until halfway through. She was a bit ADD and out of sorts in the cabin until that point. We tried to keep it in perspective; she was still far better than any baby, toddler, or drunk adult that you'd meet at 30,000 feet.

Our 3 hour, 275km drive to Brussels was a bit more eventful. After no sleep during the flight, Ben's manual driving skills took a hit. Literally. All of which occurred when our car rolled out of its parking spot while we were getting the much needed coffee. Fortunately, it was a minor dent (primarily our car) and all passengers were left unscathed.

Lesson #1: Never forget that parking brake!

We are slowly getting settled into our new place in Brussels. Our apartment location couldn’t be better as we are steps away from adorable shops and restaurants. Ben likens it being in Manhattan between 8th Avenue in Chelsea (mixed quality and crowded, but lively) and Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side (quiet, upscale, classy, expensive). Not to mention, the area is filled with plenty of cafes and chocolatiers. I would have no problem living off of coffee and chocolate for the next 6 months.

Maddie has adjusted well to her new home especially given the vast number of parks that exist in the city. We were pleasantly surprised to find a gem of a park (Parc du Bois) on Sunday which has quickly become our new favorite walking and soon-to-be running spot. Maddie saw a few Belgian squirrels (and one Chihuahua that she mistook for a squirrel) and is still unsuccessful at catching one.

 The weather has consistently been between 45-55 degrees, mostly cloudy with some periodic rays of sunshine. All in all, it was a great first weekend. We are very excited to explore our new city and the rest of Europe.

More photos and stories to come!