Host Family Day: Tielt

We didn't really have a plan going into our host family day on Sunday. We knew 2 things: 1) we were going to sleep in and be lazy and 2) we would have to pack and be back at the Europahal by 9pm that night for our cast sleepover! But, the rest remained a mystery!

We stuck to having a lazy morning. I slept in, worked out, uploaded pictures, and showered before having a yummy breakfast with freshly baked Sunday pastries. Fun fact: Sundays in Europe are a BIG deal for bakeries. No other place is open, but you wake up super early and go get all the fresh treats at the bakery before they close. Apparently showing up at 9am is considered "late," according to An. Such a different culture than America!

Then Bettina and I spent time cleaning, organizing, and packing. We had to have our suitcases International travel ready and at the correct weight, so we were very meticulous in our packing! It was a very successful morning and Bettina and I did a fantastic job making everything work! Hooray!

We kept trying to get a hold of An's boyfriend, Robrecht, so he could join us for the day's activities, but he wouldn't pick up his phone! We took off for an adventure to the highest point in Tielt...aka this tiny little hill - I burst out laughing when we saw it! So diminutive in comparison to the mountains in Denver! We ran into Maddie and her family and we enjoyed a nice time in the old Catholic schoolhouse turned into a restaurant. I ordered the best hot chocolate ever and had my last Belgian waffle!

 Robrecht showed up eventually and brought handpicked flowers from his garden for An to celebrate Mother's Day - sweet!

 After we finished eating, we went out to explore the fields, the sights, and the windmill!

Aren't they cute?

Climbing up the steep stairs to see the inside of the windmill

We met a doggie on the road!

And a cow

 Then we played in a park!

Later, we went out to La Vita e Bella for some yummy Italian food! We had some SLOW service and some interesting (rude) reactions from our server, but we still enjoyed our night out for one last supper together! That was always something I really loved about staying at An's house - we had fantastic meal conversations that kept us at the table for quite some time! =)

After dinner, we went home, said goodbye to An because she was headed to Antwerp to spend time with her son and his family, and then finished packing up our things and headed to the Europahal with Robrecht to be dropped off for our 1st cast sleepover!!!