Flemish Tea Time

Early in the morning of our first full day in Brugge, Diana and I walked to the small bakery around the corner from our B and B, to grab a baguette for our breakfast. We ate like kings.
Then at 9:30 on the dot, Diana's grandmothers brother, Gilbert (pronounce ee-bear) came to collect us for a full day of site seeing and socializing. He was the cutest and most interesting man- he had been a tour guide for the city of Brugge for the past few years, so he knew his stuff!
Since it was raining, we were touring around in his car. Unfortunately, the tour started off with a little fender bender, (their fault, not ours!) so we were delayed for a bit. The fact though that Skip and I, who were sitting in the back, were more frightened and shook up than this 80-year-old man was shocking. He was as cool and collected as can be, making sure we were alright before settling things with the careless driver. Now this man is not like normal 80-year-olds. He has run a total of 45-50 marathons throughout Belgium, (his last one being when he was 65) rode his bike from Belgium to Portugal on a pilgrimage by himself, still now plays volleyball during the week and tries to run two to three times a week. Incredible. Europeans do it right, I'm telling you. His broken English throughout the day was easy enough to understand, especially when he through hand signals and gestures in to the mix.
We made a stop for lunch at his home, where his sweet wife made us a huge meal. We met his horse, and explored a church near his home town that had been built in 1240. Amazing.

Our next stop was at Diana's grandfathers brother's home. Arseen was a loud and enthusiastic Belgian, who loved to joke around and laugh with us. He took us to meet more of Diana's family, where we had coffee and cake learning more about the history and culture of Belgium. The stories they told (some in Flemish, some in English, some even in Dutch or German) were extremely entertaining, with some piano playing and a cross-eyed dog named Milo thrown in to the mix. Chocolates were passed around repeatedly (deadly!) When it was time for dinner, we were brought back to Gilbert's home, where his wife made us yet another meal!! The hospitality was never ending...
After a long day, we were deposited back at the B and B for a quiet night in, making yet more plans for the next full day in Brugge!
(We loved this place so much that we extended our stay until Thursday, where we would then travel to Brussels for a night with more of Diana's family.)