23andMe

It's fascinating to see what 23andMe comes back with.  Yes, we know - don't use it as a medical guide.  Yes, we know, it's not hard and fast as daily more information comes out - new markers are found, new genes are untangled.

It's no surprise that we're both over 99% European descent. Ian is 85% northwestern European and 46% of that comes from Britain/Ireland, which makes sense - his Ancestry.com research has pegged his first American ancestor as a boy on a boat from England in the 1600s. I am 47% from northwestern Europe  (minus the boy on the boat, that side came over with the French to Canada, my paternal grandfather crossed the river into Madawaska, Maine and stayed there), but no surprise that I'm also 32% Eastern European. My maternal grandmother came over from Poland and my maternal grandfather was from the former Czechoslovakia.

Ian and I shared our data and we have no identical DNA segments. Woohoo!

Bruges is beautiful

One morning we Segway-ed our way around town. A highlight of our tour was a stop at the oldest still working pub, the Vlissinghe. It's 502 years old, and little in it has changed. Tucked away down a narrow pedestrian alley with no signage other than what's over the door, our guide asked if we wanted to stop in. It was the best decision (though it took backtracking to get there, sorry Ian!). Chocolate was originally only offered as a drink (we learned a lot at the Choco-Story museum) so I partook of a fantastic hot chocolate while thawing my toes at the ancient heater, and Ian had - wait for it - a Hoegaarden Rosee.  We drank a lot of beer.

But of course most of the time we walked and walked and walked, because the old town of Bruges is lovely with tons of little alleys, hidden nooks, photogenic canals, and inspiring architecture.

Couple all this with fruit and lambic beers that match beautifully with rich, dark chocolate, and Bruges is really a heavenly place to visit.

Bruges - surprise!

If you didn't know, Ian and I have never had the opportunity to just be the two of us. From before we were married, we've had kids. Yeah, we're THOSE people.  But the older we get, and the more we watch the kids take off, and the better sorted we are overall, the more we look forward to seeing our youngest bird fly (June 2019!).

We take these trips and it gives us a glimpse into what's around the bend for us. This past weekend he took me to Bruges via train.

The Medieval Suite

Red roof view.

Just the two of us...