Bruges was about an hour and a half drive from Brussels. Jackson and Seth climbed to the top of the bell tower while Owen and I attempted to hop into a few shops. Owen wasn’t thrilled with the arrangements! After their climb we met up for a lunch of Flemish stew for Seth and fish and chips for the boys and I. After lunch we walked around some of the churches in the city. It was neat to be in the churches on Good Friday and to see some very realistic images that gave us a fresh reminder of  what our Savior did for us when he died on the cross.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

view from the top

 

 

 

 

 

 

366 steps!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

this statue of Jesus appeared to be carved from wood. It was in the basilica that supposedly houses a vile of Jesus’s blood. It was a beautiful little stone church. Even our rowdy boys began to understand the need to be quiet in churches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After Bruges we drove a little ways to the coast so the boys could see the beach. It was fuh-reezing! but they loved it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

happy dance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

this was Owen’s first time to see waves, he enjoyed running from the incoming tide!

 

I think by the end of this series of picture travel blogs I will need to do a blog on how to travel cheaply in Europe with kids and how the heck we afford to do the day trips we do.  In all honesty a week of hopping around other parts of Europe was cheaper (excluding gas) than living a normal, everyday kind of week in Bern!! I wish the Swiss would realize the rest of the world just doesn’t operate on insanely expensive living.

Up next we drove to Maastricht in the Netherlands and back to Brussels for a tulip garden. The next day we drove back to Ramstein to again break up the ride home. I may try to squeeze all of this into the next post so as not to bore you all for days on end!