Belgium: Beautiful, Miniature, Delicious, Tiring

I feel like this post just might cheer up your Monday :]

You guys are getting a RIDICULOUS amount of photos today.  I thought about making them last through the entire week and only putting up a few at a time, but that's not my style.  If I were you, I'd want to see them all at once.  So prepare for your minds to get blown by photos galore.  

(And by the way, sometimes I'll have words in the blog linked to another website; so if some words look different colored, they might be a link for you to click on.)

First, a recap of the past few days...

Thursday we went to eat dinner at Jean and Annie's house (donors for the team).  They are such nice people.  Tyrel and I went with Maxime De Zeeuw and his girlfriend, Stephanie, Bingo Merriex, Mike Singletary, and Jason Love.  Jean and Annie prepared a delicious meal for us.  We had this pureed vegetable soup to start it out (I'm not really sure what kind) and it was amazing!  They also served salad and fresh bread with it.  For the main meal we had something called vol au vent.  I really would like to make it sometime.  It's a pastry puff filled with chicken, mushrooms, and a creamy sauce.  Fantastic.  And then we had ice cream.  Always a winner.  

Saturday I went with Ty to his morning practice and hung out in the offices and finished The Night Circus.  If anyone likes fiction/fantasy books (Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, etc.) you will LOVE this book.  It's not creepy or anything, but it's really good.  Anyways, I went to practice because we were going to coach's house (along with Bingo) to eat lunch with his family.  We are getting spoiled by all the great meals people have prepared for us this week.  We had stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon (I know, yum), creamy pasta, bread, and salad with Lizzy's (the youngest daughter) secret salad dressing haha They also have a really cute dog named Jack who I wanted to take with us.  

On Saturday, after we came back from lunch and I took a ridiculously long nap, we went for a walk and finally explored some new places around town we've been eyeing.  Well, to start out, we went to the store because Ty thought he might need some snacks for his road trip Sunday (game in France).  He didn't end up getting anything...but check out this coke can comparison:

 

That's a normal sized can compared to one commonly sold in stores and in restaurants here in Belgium.  I think it's a 5 ounce can.  Itty bitty!! It's almost comical how tiny it is.  My hypothesis is that people here are satisfied with a small amount of a treat and don't need it super-sized like everything we get in America.  

After the store, we walked random roads and found our way up some stairs to a high point in Verviers that we can see right outside our apartment window.  We have walked a TON of stairs this weekend...just wait and see....

Walking up....I let Ty walk in front of me because he's always all over the place :D

Green.  I guess that's one reason to appreciate all the rain here

Tiny doors!  There are a TON of doors that are extremely narrow and small here.  Tyrel thinks it's a way to make sure people stay healthy here haha 

Walking up, up, up...

Hello, Verviers!

I think we got up there at a nice time :]  Unfortunately, after the next few photos I took, my batteries died in my camera! :( I have now learned my lesson to carry many extra just in case.

Gorgeous.  You can actually see our apartment in this picture (don't be peeking in our windows!) 

Same shot, different color.

Yesterday (Sunday), Ty had another game in France.  The trip actually ended up being about 5 hours one-way! They had to be at the gym by 8:45 and leave by 9, so I really didn't see him in the morning (I like to sleep).  They won! YAY!  Ty said he had about 13 points, so that sounds good to me!  It was a really nice day so I went out into the shopping center for a little bit in the afternoon.  I was sitting on a bench and had random people come up to me and ask for cigarettes.  They probably thought I was extremely slow because I've gotten good at tuning out French and didn't even realize they were talking to me.  Too bad for them I don't partake in that.  Anyways, Ty didn't get home until about 12:30 (later than I was expecting), but he came home to a nice surprise:

Nutella Rolls 2.0  They are SO much better than the ones I made last time.  I used my normal sweet roll recipe, amped up the filling, and added a frosting glaze.  These. Are. Dangerous.  (If anyone wants the recipe let me know!) But for real, I should NOT keep these in the house.  Yes, I ate one before I could take a picture (again).  I have a sweet tooth almost as bad as my husband but with 1/5 of his patience.  Thanks, Mom, for the sweet tooth, and thanks, Dad, for the patience :D

And here's a picture of our sketchy outlet.  Most of ours look like this.  Good thing we don't have small kids running around here!

Ty found this at a convenience store.  He said they're not very good, though.  Gotta love that mature cheddar and chive!

And today, we went to Liege!  It's a bigger city (Ty said about 200,000) not far from here.  It is really pretty and nice.  We walked around the city a little bit and went to see one of their famous sites, the Montagne de Bueren.  It's a ridiculously long stair case (something like 374 steps) and is pretty well known.  We decided we'd conquer it.  I have one amazing husband who puts up with climbing crazy stairs on his off days just for me.

Getting ready to start our climb.  There was the cutest group of little elementary kids getting ready to go up!  This must be how they get them ready for nap time.

Making some ground.  As I was watching the group, I decided which kid I'd be like and which kid Ty would be like.  Ty was definitely one of the kids racing to the top of the 5 million stairs while I was one of the kids taking her sweet time and falling down on steps.  Luckily, Ty now appreciates walking slow and we stayed together the whole time (and I didn't fall) 

Random door. haha I'm also the kid that stops to take pictures of random things.

Stillllll climbing.

They have benches set up along the way to take breaks or to enjoy the view.

• These guys were kind of jogging up.  I'm glad I didn't have to do that!  It was was an extremely nice day here, too.  Sunny and 75.  That's pretty warm for Belgium.

At the top of the stairs this sign was posted.  It was built in 1875 in memory of Vincent de Bueren.

This was a little ways up the street after we climbed the Montagne de Bueren.  More stairs!

Overlooking Liege.

People practicing in a nearby park

Yes, I look a little sweaty and gross.  I just walked 400 stairs!

On our descend down the long stairs, Ty spotted someone's tree house :]

We walked around the city a little bit more, but I didn't want to do TOO much on Tyrel's off day.  I had already made him climb over 400 stairs, so we didn't stay too long.

Random sign on a building in the street.  Not sure what it's really about...but how lovely to have guns and people.

I saw this little opening and peered inside.  I wasn't sure if we could go in so I didn't stay long.

Just long enough to snap a few photos :]

One of the public V.C.'s (water closets....bathrooms) that you have to pay to use.  No children under 10 allowed and you have a maximum of 20 minutes to use it. haha

Sorry this is kind of blurry, but I was being really creepy taking a picture and these people kept looking at me.  BUT, if you look on the roof, those people are tending to their GARDEN.  Very cool.

Another health-meter.  The smallest alleyways and walkways.

The Meuse River. Gorgeous.

Not really sure what this is, but I thought it was beautiful!

Belgium is really growing on me.  I'm curious as to what the winter is going to be like, though.  Hopefully, it's not extreme like Kansas and will maintain some of its beauty.

I hope you all have enjoyed this blog and crazy amount of photos!  It took sooo long to download them all today.  I went and made homemade pasta while I was waiting.  I'm going to try out a new recipe from my favorite blog (How Sweet It Is); I'll let you all know how it goes.  Since I gave you so much to look at today, don't hate me if I don't have much to talk about the rest of the week!  

Lots of love.