The Social Media Syndicate team at the Grand Place in Brussels
We sped off from the Festival of Slow and drove a long day through 3 countries – UK, France, and Belgium. We were invited to stay with my friends Alison and Andrew from the Expat blog Cheeseweb in Brussels that night. Boy of boy did they put on a big welcome for us!
First of all they sponsored our crossing under the Straights of Dover and into France. A really cool ride on a train under the English Channel. A highlight for a train buff like me. You simply drive your car onto the train car and it takes you under the water. I expected to see fish swimming by…but it doesn’t quite work like that! Deb spent the day driving and handled the lane/driving switch from UK to the rest of Europe with ease.
People admiring our car in the Euro Tunnel train
We arrived in Brussels around 10PM and met Andrew outside of the city in order to park our car securely. He met us with cold Belgian beers in hand…bottoms up! He shuttled us back to their flat in the city center where Alison met us with champagne, and a spread of food that you can’t even believe. Meats, cheeses, olives, salads, and plenty to drink. We invaded their home like starving Mongols!
The Spread...
Champagne celebration!
We spent the next day doing laundry, eating Belgian waffles and frites, and walking around the Grand Place since it was Rick’s first time in Belgium. It was hard to remind myself that we had to go…this was only our first stop after all and we have a long ways to go!
Our yummy waffles with a side of cherries
Our wonderful, generous hosts Alison and Andrew
Thanks to Alison and Andrew for sponsoring our Euro Tunnel crossing, putting up with our Mongol invasion (a great post that Alison wrote), and just setting the bar so high that we are now spoiled! How will we ever go from champagne, beer, cheese, and cured meats to camping and eating rice? Time will tell…
View all Brussels photography from my housesitting stay there last summer.
How to donate to our charity - the Christina Nobel Foundation – we are still collecting donations along the way!
- It’s Real Now
- Pimpin’ Our Ride
- Festival of Slow – Mongol Rally Kickoff
- First Stop – Brussels
- Stopped by the Police – Mongol Rally
- Mongol Rally – Working on the Road
- Learning to Drive on the Autobahn
- CzechOut our Camping – Mongol Rally
- Racing Through Prague – Mongol Rally
- Driving in Romania
- Twilight in Brasov – Mongol Rally
- Four People One Key – Mongol Rally
- Crossing Borders with Natasha- Mongol Rally
- What I see out my window – Mongol Rally
- Ukraine Highway Culture – Mongol Rally
- Ukraine Hardships – Mongol Rally
- Hotel Nissan – Mongol Rally
- Kiev Paperwork Forgery – Mongol Rally
- Teaming up in Volgograd – Mongol Rally
- Russia Sterotypes- Mongol Rally
- SMAC Has Taken Over Ottsworld!
- Good Luck at the Kazakhstan Border – Mongol Rally
- The Hardest, Longest, Slowest, Dirtiest Road Yet – Mongol Rally
- The End of The Road – Mongol Rally
- Camping on the Mongol Rally
- Locals to the Rescue – Mongol Rally
- Setting Up Camp – Mongol Rally
- Bad Things do Happen on the Mongol Rally
- The Birth of Kazakhstan Tourism – Mongol Rally
- Kazakhstan’s Secret City – Astana
- The Best Laid Plans – Mongol Rally
- Our Car’s Health – Mongol Rally
- Playing the odds – Mongol Rally
- My ride in a Kazakhstan Police Car – Mongol Rally
- The Real Adventure Begins – Mongol Rally
- Minor Repairs – Mongol Rally
- How To Wait at a Border – Mongol Rally
- Border Bonding – Mongol Rally
- Mongolia Freedom – Mongol Rally
- Lost in the Mongol Rally
- Slowing Down – Mongol Rally
- The Mongol Rally Diet
- Muffler Mayhem – Mongol Rally
- Sink or Float – Mongol Rally
- Mongolian Hospitality – Mongol Rally
- Driving in Mongolia
- Tire Trouble – Mongol Rally
- Desert Illusions – Mongol Rally
- Mongolian Malls and Mechanics
- Shocking Tarmac – Mongol Rally
- Mongolian Cloudscapes – Photography
- Ulaanbaatar in our Sights
- The Finish Line – Mongol Rally
- Hurray for our Mongol Rally Sponsors!
- What’s it all for?
- What Happens to the Car?
Great post!
I missed to take a photo of The rally car and me.
Perhaps you’ll give it a second thought and will drive back again… You know where to stopover close to Cologne.
Sure! We are backing up right now – will be there shortly!
Awww! Was so great to be able to be a small part of this epic journey! It was wonderful to meet the team and show Rick around some of our favorite places in Brussels. Good luck with the rest of the trip… you’re already quite a way along the road it seems!
Hi, Found you from watching your Video posted on Married with Luggage. I’m now following you on twitter as I’m hooked! I may be miles away in So Cal, but I’m cheering for your every mile!
Thanks for following along Karen! We need all the help we can get! Cheer loudly!