Tiny Bubbles

We just got back from a weekend trip to Champagne with two other families. Together we unleashed 8 young children on the tasting rooms of the Champagne houses.

We visited the cellars at Mercier, where a "train" takes you through some of the 18km of tunnels. The cellars were designed to be a tourist attraction for sculpture decorates the walls.

Afterward it was off to a Champagne tasting. While the adults enjoyed a few "coupes", the kids occupied themselves with iPads, colouring books and friends. 

Dinner was done the easy way. back to the airBNB for pizza and a few bottles from the small producers we were staying with. 

The next day, we visited the grave of Dom Perignon and another champagne house before a picnic lunch in the park and back to reality. 

Changes

 

Ancient craft

Today we toured the Cantillon lambic brewery. This is the only lambic brewery still operating in brussels and one of five in Belgium. Lambic brewing uses the original 5,000 year old recipe and technique. 

 

Grains and dried hops (as preservative not flavour) are used to make the wort. But then the wort is left to cool in open air vats where wild yeast and lactobacteria infect it and begin the fermentation. 

 

The yeasts are "kept" in the wooden rafters of the brewery. That's the white you see. 

 

The beer is then fermented in wine barrels for a minimum of 14 months. Because dry hops and wild yeast are used the beer has a sour taste that takes some getting used to. But we have time for that. 

 

Auntie Heather!!!

We just wrapped up a wonderful visit with auntie Heather. We did SO much. From the grand place waffle-off, chocolate shopping en masse, and finding a Belgian beer to love we covered the brussels life. Add to that side trips to Disneyland, Brugges and Cologne to name a few and day trips to the kids favourite places, I'm sure she is now home for a rest. We loved having Heather here and hope she comes back soon! 

 

Connections

My sister just wrapped up a great visit with us. While she was here we took the chance to visit Lithuania ( or North-uania as Sam calls it) to see the country our grandparents came from. While the visit was short, it was worthwile and has given me a new curiosity about my grandparents experience. The weather was cold but the food was good. Here are a few pictures from the trip.