Kristen and Seb called us to tell us that they were attending a family wedding in Belgium, so we seized the opportunity and met them in Brussels. Seb is originally from Belgium, so it was a real treat to visit an area with someone who not only spoke French but could also share some history about the beautiful region.

Traveling within Europe is usually easy, and this time did not disappoint. We flew out of Faro Airport, which is only 30 minutes from our home. We parked our car at the airport for just €48 for the 4 days. We flew Brussels Air, which featured a small airplane (ugh), but it was a very smooth and efficient experience. We then took a 12-minute train ride to our hotel. You couldn’t ask for a much easier experience.

Kristen and Seb flew in a few days earlier so they could attend Seb’s aunt’s wedding. They said the wedding was beautiful, and they had so much fun being surrounded by Seb’s family members. Kristen really had to step up her game with her French.

On our first night in Brussels, we went to an amazing Italian restaurant where I had the best gluten-free pasta dish ever. The sauce was made with gorgonzola cheese, pears, and pistachios. Sadly, since I ate EVERYTHING on my plate, I didn’t have any room for dessert. Seb stopped at a local Belgian waffle bar for a little treat. I was so stuffed, but it smelled so good. Before the trip was over, I made a goal to find a gluten-free Belgian waffle, gluten-free Belgian fries, and enjoy a gluten-free Belgian beer.

The weather was turning ominous, as it often does in this area, but that did not stop us from heading to a rooftop bar. Gluten-free Belgian beer – Check Mark. The view from the bar was amazing. It was so lovely catching up with the kids and having this one-on-one time together.

The next day, we walked around the square, and Seb gave us a history lesson about the area. It was such a treat having a local with us. After a coffee break in the local park, we headed off to see the Musical Instrument History Museum. OMG, I cannot even begin to tell you how fascinating this museum turned out to be. There were four floors of every instrument you could think of, and they had an excellent audio system that came with the tickets. We were able to hear how the instruments were played and see videos of people playing them. To be honest, it was a tad overwhelming. By the end of it, I was dragging, and my brain was tapped out, but it was an experience I will never forget.

Traveling with someone who has a gluten allergy can be a pain, and I am the queen of inconvenience. It’s not that I was being picky, but parts of Europe are still a bit confused about what a gluten allergy really means. I cannot tell you how many times they think it means vegan. At the Doubletree where we were staying, they served me a vegan croissant. This was after confirming with two people that they had gluten-free croissants. Thankfully, I did not take a bite. LOL, I knew it looked too good to be gluten-free, so for the third time, I asked, and he finally said, “Oops.” I take a little responsibility for this because by now I should have learned from my experiences. I even printed out a French card that explains that I cannot have gluten, but I always freaking forget to bring it.

Kristen and Seb were more than accommodating about eating wherever we needed to because of my allergy, and for that, I am so thankful. I still hate being that pain. For lunch, we visited a great café that served organic food, and almost everything was gluten-free. SCORE. I had a focaccia sandwich, Mike and Seb had some Belgian waffle dish, and Kristen had a sausage that came with some crazy cutting tool. The video shows it all.

After lunch, we enjoyed a dessert of Belgian fries. Two things checked off so far. Technically, I did not have a Belgian waffle, but I did have a bite of Mike’s lunch, so I considered all the requirements complete. :-) Next, as if our tummies were not full enough, we visited Seb’s favorite Belgian chocolate store, Leonidas. There are chocolate stores EVERYWHERE in Brussels. Listening to Seb speak French is such a delight. We just sat back and watched them fill boxes of chocolate and anxiously waited until we could dig in. Seb treated us to the cutest collection of chocolates. I am sad to admit, not many of them made it back to Portugal. OMG YUMMY.

By this time, I was ready for a nap, so we headed back to the hotel for some rest before we set out to eat again. LOL Eat, Drink, Walk, Talk—pretty much sums up our trip. What a great combination. Thankfully, Brussels is pretty flat, so the walking was enjoyable.

Dinner was at the most delightful little Moroccan place. From the moment we walked in, we could feel a cozy and fun vibe. Mike and I have traveled to Morocco before, so we were really excited about this meal. I had veggie and meat skewers, salad, and a baked potato; the rest of the crew had the famous tajine dish (it had couscous, which is gluten, so I could not have it). All of the dishes were AMAZING. The staff was so enjoyable and engaging. They even brought Kristen a birthday surprise, even though it was not her birthday, lol. The video shows it best. Her smile literally lights up my world. Another perfect day spent with family in a gorgeous part of the world.

During our last full day in Brussels, we took it a little easier on our feet, lol. Mike, of course, wanted to walk all day. Lunch was at a little cafe just outside the square. It was a burger joint, and I had a fabulous gluten-free burger with, of course, Belgian fries. It was so awesome people-watching. The people in Brussels are very nice. It is a very diverse area, and it seems all the cultures were represented.

The next activity was a tour of the Belgian Chocolate Museum. We learned about the history of the cacao bean and how it eventually became Belgian chocolate. It was a cute little tour with free samples thrown in ;-) SCORE.

And of course, when you are in Brussels, you need to eat Greek food, right? :-) Seb was craving Greek food, which is normally gluten-free, minus the bread, so why not? The food turned out to be really good. I had lamb, which I rarely eat and probably won’t eat again for a long time, but it was yummy. The best part of the night, though, was when a customer heard a song he liked and broke out in dance. One of the waiters joined in while another threw plates. It was hysterical and so much fun.

The evening ended with the kids taking us to a bar called Le Cercueil (The Coffin). It was not actually in a cemetery, but rather in a dungeon with a dark, skull-based theme. It was a lot of fun. Getting a glass of wine was not going to happen, though. I think I finally settled on something called E Sprooit De Satan; don’t ask me what was in it.

Saying goodbye to the kids was hard. We had such a great time with them and created some wonderful memories. They were leaving the next day to head over to France to continue visiting family while Mike and I boarded a plane to return to Portugal. If Brussels has been on your list to visit, I would encourage you to make it happen. I would say three nights is plenty of time to see it all. The train is very accessible and can take you anywhere (except when your husband loves to walk, lol).

Our next adventure is at the end of October, when we will be taking our first-ever Viking River Cruise on the Danube River.