Chocolate Heaven

The next morning we headed to Brussels for the day. Our flight to Rome left that night out of Brussels, so we figured we would do some chocolate shopping before. When I went to church in Brussels back in October with my sister and friend, the Bishop of the ward gave us the best advice ever- to visit the Neuhaus Chocolate Outlet, where you can sample as much free chocolate as you want! He said if you leave without feeling sick, you haven't done your job. I must admit, I was a bit skeptical. How could there really be a chocolate outlet that gives unlimited free samples? Sadly it was closed that day because it was Sunday, but I now knew where I would go next time I was in Brussels.

Well the Bishop wasn't kidding! We arrived to the Neuhaus Outlet not sure what to expect. I was hoping it wouldn't be a disappointment since I had told everyone we needed to go. We walked in and it looked like any other chocolate shop, except in front of almost every display, was a tray of samples. A row of about 30 open chocolate boxes lined one of the walls. It was a dream come true. I went around quickly trying everything to find my favorite, Big Russ was so excited he couldn't stop giggling, Susie was trying to find gifts to take home, and Rusty was just doin his thing, sticking by his favorites. 

If you are ever in Brussels, and like chocolate, this place is a must! It is about 30 minutes outside the city, but depending on how much you can eat, it'll save you at least 20 euro :) 

Our Spur of the Moment Trip to Brussels

November 5th. It was just our average Sunday. We woke up at 7:30 am to get ready for our 8 o'clock ride to church (so grateful for the family that gives us rides each week- they keep us active haha). It's been hard for me to stay motivated to go to church here...the early morning wake up and Rusty's 8pm Saturday night games are not a good combination, and I miss being able to understand what people are saying, especially since we arrive 15 minutes early and everyone is chatting. And then there's the bisous. Every single person in the ward has to give everyone else kisses on the cheek. I used to think if I snuck into Relief Society (which we have the first hour), I could avoid some of the kisses, but they will find anyone and everyone they haven't kissed, even if it's the last hour of church. It's actually kind of funny. 

I don't mind the kisses...well they're not even actual kisses, [usually] it's just touching cheeks and making kissing sounds. They do it to say hello and goodbye, so we adjusted pretty quickly...When I first met Rusty's teammates they would go in for the cheek kisses as I would stick my hand out for a handshake lol. It made me feel so formal. They did the kisses in Greece too, I had just forgotten about it. But even with the early Sunday mornings, the language barriers, and all the kisses, I am so grateful for our ward out here, and every member is so kind! We definitely owe our translator, Irene, who translates all three hours for us!

So anyways, we made it through the first hour of church. During the second hour, I saw that Charles- our friend from BYU who is playing basketball in a nearby city, had his girlfriend, Ester, in town from Utah. I was so happy to have a girlfriend to speak English with. They invited us to go up to Brussels after church. Woohoo! Going to church paid off ;) We went home, changed, they picked us up, and off we went. 

We got our waffles, frites, and chocolate (as you can see in the pics, we were usually eating haha), strolled the streets, and ate dinner at a Thai place. It was such a fun, last minute trip to Brussels! Thanks for letting us crash your trip Ester and Charles!