We went to Belgium for five days to visit Lawrence's family. They were all wonderful, and by the time we left, Jennifer was feeling like a part of the family too.

Sunday, we drove to Bruges, an adorable little city in Belgium sometimes called the "Venice of the north" because of its canals. The whole town is filled with great architecture (more great architecture).

Lawrence's aunt Annette and uncle Jacques have recently bought a little plot of land in the south of Belgium near Luxembourg. They are planning to start building a house there next year. It's in a small peaceful village, with beautiful views and a little river where Jacques can go fishing.

Jennifer spent some time in Belgium as a nanny in the early 90s. As it turned out, Lawrence's relatives lived about 15 minutes away from the house where Jennifer had lived (it really is a small world!). We went back to visit the family and found that the little children had all grown up - and a new one has joined the family! It was really nice to see them and to know that everyone in the family is doing well.

For 30 years, Lawrence's aunt, father and grandmother lived in a house in Brussels designed by the celebrated art nouveau architect Victor Horta. They sold the house to the Belgian government in 1960 and it is now a museum dedicated to the works of Horta. The house is really a marvel. Every single detail, from the carpets to the furniture to the doorknobs, was designed by Horta especially for this house. Since Lawrence's grandmother still maintains connections with the museum, we were able to roam through all of the rooms at will. It was wonderful to hear Lawrence's dad talk about the secret hiding places in the house, and to see the corner where he used to have to stand when he was being punished. Some pictures of the dining room, living room and stairwell.