Day 12

9:46 AM |

It is our last morning with the Weydts family. We have a silent breakfast. Sadness has dawned upon us. We bid goodbye to Justien and Bart who have early appointments. Bart hugs us tightly. Justien smiles sadly and assures me that it's not goodbye. I could not keep a straight face. I am not the type of person who is good at good byes. I don't know how to show the Weydts how sad I am at our departure.

Margaux's mother, picks us up. J.Lo and I say goodbye to Katrien and to Jos, who just shies away. He must be sad, too that we are leaving. I will surely miss Jos, the Shelty I have grown fond of in the couple of days I've been with the Weydts. Jos sits by my feet every breakfast morning and licks my hand when I extend it to him for a high five. Bart says he's not usually that friendly to strangers or visitors. But Jos recognizes me and sits by me like a human being every breakfast morning. He cuddles my leg as I massage him. I must've meant to him, too as he did to me.

Jos is not the Weydts family pet. He is a part of the family. The Weydts always include him in their plans. He was even with us when we went to Brugge.

We drop by our luggage at the city hall where a mysterious suitcase leaves a long trail of black curvy lines from the entrance to the conference room on the white floor of the city hall. We suspect it's Russel.

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Who could the culprit be?

An animated tour guide takes us around the never-been visited places in Kortrijk and fills us in with the history of the place.

The Free Mason HQ /Masonic Lodge

The Gothic architecture is evident in this church. The church is beautiful inside, but it is empty.

We visit some place that J.Lo and I have already been to because our host family took us there. We pass by the Bruel Towers and the Golden River. I listen attentively to the tour guide. J.Lo and I already know of some of the facts of the Lease River because our host father Bart have already discussed them.

Due to this river Leie, the flourishing flax preparation of the region was the greatest and the best in the whole world.

We have our last Belgian lunch at a restaurant on a boat. They serve us delicious pasta.

We are welcomed warmly in the restaurant.

The city's gift to us. Delicious chocolates. I ate them in the plane going home. They're very Lekker.

We board the bus with our luggage that we left at the city hall. And we found out that the culprit of the long black stain on the city hall floor is Danica! We're sorry Russel for jumping into conclusions and accusing you. Hahaha.

"I stained Stijn's floor" Danica on us finding out her crime. Stijn had to carry her bag for her so it won't create further black lines on the floor. Danica literally left her mark on Kotrijk. Literally!

The trip from Belgium to Netherlands is a three-hour drive. For the first few hours, everyone is knocked off by exhaustion. But as soon as everyone is recharged and while we are stuck in a heavy traffic, we crack a lot of jokes and share a lot of funny stories while at Belgium.

Here are the top stories shared in that long bus ride to Holland:

- Danica and her bag staining the white floor of the city hall.
- J.Lo's funny and loud grumbling tummy one night. Her grumbling tummy was so loud, I was awoken from my slumber.
- Russel and his love life. "It's better to love and commit mistakes than never to have loved at all." Sir Gil tells him.
- A lot of YMX name-games.

It is almost or past five when we arrive in Holland. The Dutch were excited to have us back again. We have dinner and our host family picks us up.

We're missing the Weydts family, but J.Lo and I know that we're going to have a good time with the Kols as well. We pick up Leonike from her ballet lessons and the Kols show us around the cultural center and show us the city hall and new movie house.