Coasting Along

I just returned from a week in Oostende, a beach town on the Belgian coast.  I thought the coast would be a fun getaway for my mom and niece since they were visiting me.  And, I thought since it was summer that a beach week would be fun in the sun.  I was totally wrong!  As much as I loved spending time with my family, it was tough to keep everyone entertained since the weather was absolute crap.  It rained the entire week.  And, it was freezing!  Every morning my daughter asked me if she could go swimming in the ocean, and every morning I had to say, “Not today honey, it’s too cold outside.”  It was like her heart was a balloon filled with anticipation, and I managed to deflate it on the spot.  We did get the chance to play at the beach a few of the afternoons, make some “sandcastles”, and put our feet in the water…but we were never able to take full advantage of the beautiful beaches.  It was such a pity, but I guess that gives us the excuse to come back.

I think my dog was the one who enjoyed himself the most.  I mean how great is it to bring your best friend on vacation with you?  I love that Belgians love their pets as much as they do.  He LOVED walking on the beach every morning.  It was like heaven for him to run freely on the beach (even though it’s technically illegal, but no dog owner abides by the law) and chase the seagulls from their morning gatherings.  He’d try to catch them, but he’d come up short every time since he’d be slowed by sinking into the wet sand.  I’m thinking one of the highlights of his week was sleeping in bed with me.  The beds in the rental house were very low, so he could easily hop up without issue…He doesn’t sleep with us at home since the bed is too high for him to get into.  He managed to hog the entire bed all week, but me being a sucker for his droopy eyes and lazy tongue…I gave in, and clung to a small slice of the bed for the entire week.

I always enjoy making memories with my family, and watching my mom and niece with my girls is one of my favorite things to take in.  I can tell my girls have really gotten used to having them around, as the littlest one has started to call for them instead of me when she wants out of bed.  I think we managed to make a totally unforgettable memory while shopping one afternoon.  We had walked out of the café where we had lunch, and I was buying the girls a waffle.  As we were getting situated, a pigeon took flight and dropped a bomb on us.  Not only did it hit one of us, it hit all of us.  It was in our hair; on our clothes…it was everywhere.  It was the most disgusting and hilarious situation.  I honestly didn’t believe it happened at first.  People were staring at us, as we were hysterically laughing in the middle of the street, cleaning bird shit from each other’s hair.  Too funny, and we’ve been laughing about it ever since. 

Overall, it was a good trip.  I’m hoping everyone enjoyed themselves, and was able to enjoy each other’s company.  We laughed, watched endless episodes of Go! Diego, Go!, played at the playgrounds, went out for ice cream, ate mussels, got shit on, and made footprints in the sand.  I guess you can’t ask for much more than that…oh, and my mom and niece got to see a guy peeing on the side of the highway!  Classic.