A Sibling Tour

After spending time in Nebraska with Brandon's brother and his family we went to visit my siblings in Minnesota and the U.P. Our time with my sister was short, but we were glad to spend a Thursday evening with her at Roca, the rock climbing gym in Rochester, Minnesota. We've climbed there several times now and have grown to thoroughly appreciate it. 

Friday morning came quickly, especially as we had a nearly 7 hour drive ahead of us to my brother in Houghton, Michigan. And, we had already done a 6.5 hour drive from Nebraska the day before. But, all travels went smoothly. We sure were happy to see my brother on Friday evening and stretch our legs by walking from his apartment to downtown Houghton for dinner. We were also looking forward to spending the whole 4th of July weekend with him, so we wouldn't have to do a long road trip again until we returned to the Lower Peninsula on the 5th. 

On Saturday, we had a great day exploring some of the Keweenaw Peninsula. We started with hiking a trail loop to Bare Bluff on Lake Superior somewhere near Lac La Belle. One side of the loop was super easy, and the other part involved some more adventurous hiking through a steep seasonal stream bed. The views from Bare Bluff were absolutely gorgeous. 

Of course this picture doesn't do the view of the Lake Superior shoreline justice

Me and Tim taking in the views

Brandon on the edge

After the hike we made our way towards Devil's Washtub to cool off with a jump into Lake Superior. On the way, we stopped at a scenic pull off on Brockway Mountain Drive. There we got a great view of Copper Harbor and more of the Keweenaw. 

View of Copper Harbor from Brockway Mountain Drive

Brandon and I had gone to Devil's Washtub last year during our time at Gitche Gumee, and we really wanted Tim to experience it. It's an area where the shoreline that has been carved into a rocky bridge structure that you can jump off, swim underneath through a tunnel, and climb back up the other side to do it again. We only did it two times each because Lake Superior was much colder than last year. Our bodies numbed up pretty quickly in the lake water, but the warmer air temperature heated us up again. 

I was the first to jump into the icy waters

Brandon went next

We must not have looked too cold, because Tim braved the jump and lake water as well. Look at that jumping form! 

After that freezing/refreshing experience we headed back to Houghton and Tim's apartment to make dinner. We did a lot of delicious cooking throughout the weekend, including chicken bagel melts, sweet potato black bean tacos, and southwest turkey burgers. Tim shared his tortilla recipe, and having delicious, hot, homemade tortilla shells took the tacos up another notch. 

We got in quite a few board games we well, such as Acquire, Pandemic, and Risk. Brandon was quite the hotel tycoon and dominated in Acquire. I was scarred by the cutthroat nature of Risk, and despite winning, I don't think I can play again for several years when I've forgotten all the rules again. 

We went to Tim's church on Sunday morning and then relaxed and took naps before doing more activity. This time we headed to Lower, Middle, and Upper Hungarian Falls. The hike to and between the sections of the falls was easy and shaded. We made it more interesting by slowly making our way down a very steep ravine to the base of the large, lower falls. Brandon and Tim stood under the powerful fall for a good, cooling soaking. Climbing up the ravine was much easier than going down, and we continued on to the middle falls. 

The ravine was a steep descent

View of the falls on the way down

The falls in their full glory with Brandon for perspective

Me and Brandon posing for a picture at the falls

Tim, our excellent U.P. tour guide

The three adventurers 

More perspective shots with me up on the cliffside and Tim at the base of the falls

Tim braving the rushing water

Brandon had to go in too

Brandon found a cove to go all the way under and behind the falls

The base of the middle falls was much easier to access. There was also a nice pool of water that formed under the falls that would be fun to jump into if it was deeper. I stood under the middle falls to get just as soaked as Brandon and Tim. 

The middle falls

Me cooling off in the middle falls

The upper falls were the smallest and more like a naturally formed dam than a waterfall. We didn't even bother to take a picture of them. But, now we can say we've seen all three sections. 

When it finally got dark around 10:30 pm we were able to see the fireworks display in Lake Linden. I have never seen so many cars in the U.P. at once. It seemed like the entire Keweenaw Peninsula had turned out for the fireworks show. The show had a lot of neat fireworks, but the spacing was strange. Sometimes multiple fireworks would go off at once and other times we waited for what seemed like a couple minutes for the next firework. There were a lot of false endings which made the finale rather anti-climactic. The whole thing was rather amusing. 

Happy Birthday, America! (almost...not quite the 4th yet)

On the 4th of July the three of us played some soccer together in the morning. It was fun to get out and kick the ball around on the Michigan Tech fields. Unfortunately, Brandon and I also managed to get multiple, incredibly itchy mosquito and fly bites while playing soccer. Apparently that field was more filled with pests than the wooded areas we had hiked in. A week later, we still have some of the bites. 

We then partook in the small town 4th of July festivities of South Range, just south of Houghton. Keweenaw Brewing Company's brewing facility is located in South Range, and to add to the celebration they were giving free brewery tours and beer between 12 and 2 pm. Yes, all was FREE. They passed out free cans at the entrance, and then gave out free cans fresh from the canning line that the lid hadn't even been pressed onto yet. It was awesome. Between the three of us we tried at least six different beers. 

Keweenaw Brewing Company (KBC) facility 

Cans ready to be filled with beer

The cans entering the filling station

Workers on the canning line who offered us beer fresh from the line stating that Brandon must be over 21 in order to have such an impressive beard 

Putting plastic rings around the cans to form six packs

The can straight from the line didn't have its top attached yet

Brandon tempted by the switchboard of brewing controls

Enjoying our beer among the mash tons

A collection of stickers from various breweries at KBC 

The cold storage room which felt great as the day heated up

Enjoying our brews with hundreds of empty cans behind us waiting to be filled

Cheers! 

After the tour and free beer we checked out the South Range 4th of July Parade. It was definitely a small town parade where the local marching band played, obscene amounts of candy was still allowed to be thrown at children, and some of the floats circled around twice. Amusing times for sure. 

We had seen fireworks the night before and Tim had to get up early for work the next day, so we skipped out on fireworks the night of the 4th. But, we felt we had done the day justice with the parade and KBC. 

Tuesday morning Tim left for work in Escanaba, and eventually we packed up and headed for Grand Rapids. There were a couple construction projects turning two lanes into one lane roads, but other than that the 8.5 hour drive went well. At one of the construction stops we felt fortunate to at least be able to enjoy some great views of Lake Michigan from the car while we waited. We were happy to reach the Mackinac Bridge and know that over half of the drive was over. And, we were oh so happy to reach Grand Rapids, which we kind of consider our home despite not having a real home currently. 

The Mighty Mac

We're looking forward to spending some time with our friends the Horos' who have kindly taken us in for about two weeks. And, at some point this month we'll have to finish our sibling tour and get out to see Brandon's sister and her family. 

Sweden In the Evening, Denmark In the Morning

We flew from Brussels, Belgium to Copenhagen, Denmark the evening of Thursday the 28th. The reason for going to yet another city was that we had found a super cheap flight back to the States from Copenhagen on WOW Air. WOW is a very budget airline, and all of their flights have a layover in Reykjavik, Iceland. The layover is probably to encourage Icelandic tourism, but ours was scheduled to be just an hour, so we weren't going to be able to leave the airport. 

Reaching the Brussels south airport went much more smoothly and quickly than leaving it did a few days prior. We discovered and pre-paid for an airport shuttle bus from Brussels city center. Security was definitely heightened with an airport checkpoint, heightened military presence, several passport checks, a few questions, and even a sniffer dog brought on the shuttle. But, the whole process was more streamlined than we expected. 

Though we flew into the Copenhagen Airport, we stayed the night in an Airbnb in Malmo, Sweden. Malmo, Sweden is no further from the airport than Copenhagen city center, and Malmo accommodation is cheaper. Plus, to reach Malmo, there's the excitement of riding a train thru the 2.5 mile Drogden Tunnel and over the 5 mile long Oresund Bridge across a strait that connects the Baltic and Atlantic Seas. The only annoyance is that Denmark and Sweden have separate currencies; we had gotten used to the simplicity of the shared Euro currency. 

We found our accommodation easily and decided to check out Malmo Brygghus (Brewing Company) to get a taste of Sweden on our short visit. The online menu suggested that tacos were available there as well, so Brandon was sold. Unfortunately, we discovered when we arrived that the brewery did not make and sell tacos anymore despite many pleas for their return. We were told the tacos were too labor intensive to put together (???) for the kitchen. We did get to have a nice chat with one of the bartenders as well as try a Honey Buzz IPA and Bøsk Saison. 

Enjoying the brews in Malmo

We rose earlier than usual in the morning to have some time to explore Copenhagen before our flight back to the States. We crossed back over the bridge and tunnel to Denmark. Sadly the train was quite full, so we couldn't snag window seats for some pictures. But, we were able to glimpse the sea and Denmark's really cool wind turbine park stationed in the sea. 

Once in Copenhagen, we had an hour to explore. Nate had spent a couple days in Copenhagen on his way to meeting us in Hamburg, so he was able to give us a great mini tour. Before hopping on the metro to return to the airport we ended our tour with breakfast at a bustling, little cafe. The hot, melty ham and cheese sandwich and hot chocolate with real chocolate chunks were delightful. 

Pretty Copenhagen flowers

Hans Christian Andersen statue with the Tivoli Amusement Park beyond 

Copenhagen town hall

Fancy hotel

Another view of the town hall with the clock tower

Horse and rider statue

Christiansborg Palace

Copenhagen stock exchange  

Copenhagen river scenery

Copenhagen streets with wide bicycle lanes and Danish flag

At the airport we discovered that the first leg of our flight to Iceland was delayed by 1.5 hours. With only an hour layover this meant we would miss the second leg of our flight from Iceland to Baltimore. We checked in and hoped for a delay on our second flight as well. Upon our arrival in Iceland we learned that our second flight had been delayed as well, which meant that it hadn't left without us. Yay! 

Aerial view of the Icelandic coast

The 6 hour flight from Iceland to Baltimore felt much longer than 6 hours. Probably because it was a budget flight and entertainment wasn't included. Also, Brandon and I are too cheap to pay to pick seats, so we didn't get to sit next to each other. And on top of it all, the seats were super uncomfortable. But, we survived and were very happy to stand up and exit the airplane onto American soil. We didn't envy Nate having to catch another flight that night from Baltimore to Detroit. Instead, Brandon and I were using public transit to meet up with our friends Jon and Erica for the weekend in Washington DC. 

Tired, but happy to be back to the US

As we worked our way to Jon and Erica's place we were surprised and delighted by all the nice people we met. We took a bus from the airport to the metro line and had a nice chat with a man in the back seat. A very friendly metro worker helped us navigate the metro system and buy the correct passes. On the metro a woman had overheard our conversation with the metro worker and we chatted with her awhile about Michigan and our recent travels. It was a great welcome back to the United States, which was made even greater by Jon greeting us with a hug at the metro station. We pushed aside our jet lag and started our weekend off right by catching up on life with Jon and Erica over take-away Chipotle at their dinner table. 

Bruges is Beautiful Even in the Rain

We made it to Belgium on Sunday, and we made it to our Airbnb in Ghent though it took us longer than expected. Our flight was diverted from the BRU airport to the CRL airport south of Brussels due to the terrorist attacks at BRU a month ago. Thus we had an extra leg of travel added to our journey. As the bus from the airport to the train station ran only every hour and security was high, we waited nearly an hour for its arrival. From there we caught a variety of trains and then walked about a mile to our Airbnb. We were happy that any rain or hail fell only when we were on public transit, not while we were waiting for it. Our hosts greeted us and helped us settle in before returning to their studying marathon. They're dental students and exams are this week. 

That evening we wandered a bit around Ghent (or Gent) and our neighborhood. We found a grocery store and a place to eat some delicious kebabs overflowing with ingredients. When we returned to our Airbnb we enjoyed watching TV in English again. In Belgium, all the American programs are still in English and there are Dutch or French subtitles. 

The next morning we easily found a train and rode to Bruges (or Brugge), north of Ghent. Bruges is a touristy, but idyllic town full of picturesque buildings and canals. Despite on and off rain all day long Bruges proved to be beautiful. 

Nate on the train to Bruges

One of our first sights upon entering Bruges center

Canal with swans

There were a lot of horse and carriage rides around town

Another lovely view of the canal from a bridge 

Flowered grounds of a monastery

Town Hall building on the canal filled with tour boats

Church of Our Lady. We were able to enter the foyer for free which had some historical displays

There was no way to get the church all in one photo

Bruges is also known for beer. At one time there were over 60 breweries in the town, but now, due to increasingly tight laws and restrictions, there is just one remaining that actually makes its beer in the Bruges town proper. So, of course we had to visit that one, called De Halve Maan (or The Half Moon), and do their brew tour. We followed the smell of hops and grains to the brewery. Our tour guide was an Alaskan who had been living in Bruges for 2.5 years, and she was an excellent source of information. The tour not only highlighted modern brewing techniques, but also those used centuries ago at the brewery. The brewery has been in the same building in the Henri Maes family for five generations. 

Bruges is known for beer. Apparently they have a sense of humor as well. 

A batch of beer in process at De Halve Maan

The shiny mash tons. The pub area is beyond those windows. 

They use a high pressure system to add hop pellets to the beer

The grains are moved in and out of these containers with air vacuums

Old beer crates original to the brewery

Old bottling line original to the brewery

More old brewing equipment collected by De Halve Maan from breweries that closed to keep a historical record and representation

Giant, but inefficient furnace where grains used to be roasted on the floor. Now the brewery buys its grain pre-roasted from a company who delivers them by tanker. 

Two beer fermenters with glycol jackets to keep temperatures consistent are stored on the roof. We got to go up several steep staircases to the roof to see the fermenters. 

We also got a great view of Bruges from the roof

A view of the canal which we walked past previously. The canal allowed the brewery access to materials and distribution of beer in the past. Now only tourist boats are permitted on the canal. 

On the way back down from the roof we got to see the original fermenters. They are still functional, but not used today because of the open tops. The brewery wants to make beer with a consistent taste bottle to bottle and open tops allow yeast in the environment to enter and change the beer. 

The beer was drained from the tanks shown in the previous container to these storage containers. The spout was used to collect the beer. The open hatch you can see near Nate's knees was for men to crawl through to clean the tanks. It looks like you'd have to stay pretty fit and trim to fit in. There had to be a "lifeguard" standing outside while the men cleaned just in case they had to be dragged out due to high CO2 levels. 

The admission to the brew tour also included a glass of their Brugse Zot Blond beer. Fun fact: Apparently, Brugse Zot essentially means idiot/crazy person of Bruge. After the tour we sipped the tasty brew by a fireplace in the pub area. It was one of those quintessentially relaxing moments, surrounded by good friends and the ambient bustle of the brew pub, while watching rain fall into the canal outside. 

Nate and I with the Brugse Zot Blond  

Brandon enjoyed the Brugse Zot Blonde

Beer in front of a warm fire. Ahhh. 

Next was finding the Bruges Cathedral and then lunch which we determined would be easy to find around the Markt Square. The restaurants on the square looked expensive, but just off the square we found a promising looking restaurant called Soup. It was run by one friendly woman who was hand-making amazing smelling soups. The lunch special was just 8.50 euros and included a huge bowl of soup with cheese and croutons, bread and butter, a half panini, and fruit. I had the carrot soup, which was spectacular. 

Bruges Sint-Salvatorskathedraal

Fancy stained glass windows

Sanctuary and organ which someone was playing

Highly decorated organ pipe area

After lunch we wandered the square taking in the architecture of the buildings. Off the square we located a shop famous for hand-made chocolates. We made some purchases and were treated to a free sample. 

Fancy buildings and horse-drawn carriages in the sqaure

Clock tower with a model of the clock tower in the foreground

View of the clock tower from within a walled courtyard

Brandon in front of Chocolatier Dumon with a bag of chocolate-covered raisins. When you entered you were engulfed in chocolate smell. 

There were plenty more chocolate places around Bruges with window displays like this

There was plenty more to explore in Bruges. Around every corner it seemed there was something picture worthy. Eventually when the rain picked up and we were ready for a seat we located a bar called 't Brugs Beertje. 

Bird themed sculpture in front of the theater

Hardcore tourists taking a boat tour even in the rain

More lovely canal views even in the drizzle

Basilica of the Holy Blood

Fancy entrance to the basilica

Brickwork inside the basilica

Intricately painted meditative area 

We were particularly interested in 't Brugs Beertje because of its connection with New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. There's plenty of lore associated with the origins of New Belgium, and rumor has it that 't Brugs Beertje is one of the places that inspired the owner. Apparently, he arrived at the bar on a day when it normally isn't open and was able to spend a lot of time with the barkeep learning the secrets of Belgian beer and sampling to his heart's content. 

't Brugs Beertje where we had a couple drinks

We can attest that there is a lot to sample at the bar. The beer menu is enormous and is sorted by Belgian province, brewery name, and beer type. It was hard to know where to start, but we stumbled upon some great beers. Our top two favorites were Galbert van Brugge brewed by De Proefbrouwerij and Rochefort 8 brewed by Trappist Abbey Notre Dame de Saint-Remy. 
The Galbert was an oak-aged amber with a delicious smell and some sour notes. The Rochefort was a Belgian beer of red-ish color and unlike anything we had tried before with a little sweetness and a just overall delicious taste. We also enjoyed meeting and swapping stories with a couple in the bar who had recently moved from Seattle to San Diego and were enjoying a trip to Belgium and France. 

Monk's Stout, Trappist Rochefort, and Orval Trappist

Galbert van Brugge

We finished our time in Bruges by returning to the Markt Square for some Belgian frites. Essentially frites are fancy french fries with a sauce of your choice poured over them. Brandon and Nate split a huge serving of frites covered with a meat sauce. It was steaming in the cold, drizzly air. 

Frites from a little stand in the square

We returned to Ghent on the train, and Brandon still had an appetite so we located a burrito bar that he had been dying to go to since seeing a delivery motorbike for the place. Wrap Up Burrito Bar was nearly literally a hole in the wall place owned and run by one man. He made Brandon's tacos while giving us his spirited opinion on the Belgian government, recent terrorist attacks, and anything else on his mind. We also met his dog, the inspiration for his restaurant logo. It was quite an adventure. 

The inspirational dog and motorbike

Brandon couldn't wait to try his tacos and had to sample some on street corner on the way back

Spicy taco mash

The rain picked up yet again, as we made our way back to our Airbnb. But, we returned pleased with our visit to Bruges and looking forward to exploring Ghent more the next day.