For our first international trip of the summer we joined up with our friends Dan and Jess in Belgium. We lost a couple hours the first day before we figured out that we each had arrived at different airports but everything else went smoothly after Shannon and I picked them up in our rental car. Our first stop was at the famous Westvleteren brewery in Belgium. Westvleteren is a Trappist monastery that brews beers consistently ranked among the world’s best. The beers are only available for purchase at the site itself. 
From there we headed to the city of Bruges where we took in the city’s midieval architecture while on a boat tour on the canals. We also visited churches, museums and a brewery within the city limits. We ate the traditional Belgian fare such as mussels, cheese and chocolate. I ate many waffles which are apparently appropriate for any meal, or between meals. 
From Bruges we headed north into the Netherlands and to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam we visited the famous art museums, the Anne Frank house and explored the squares and parks that make Amsterdam such a nice city.
Our final stop was in the Belgian capital of Brussels. In Brussels we saw the famous architecture and statues and did some more beer tourism. Our trip to Belgium and the Netherlands was great, it was an escape from the intense August heat of Sicily and an opportunity to spend some time with friends we hadn’t seen in too long. 
