Our Anniversary

For our anniversary, J and I spent the night in Mechelen at Martin's Patershof, a church-cum-hotel.  The neo-gothic church was built in the 18th century by the Friar Minors, a Franciscan order.  The church was requisitioned by the Germans during WWII, and the Friar Minors conducted repairs following the war's end.  In the 1990s, the Friar Minors decided to sell their church and its buildings for reasons not made entirely clear.  After the church was deconsecrated, it was refashioned as a luxury hotel.  

The hotel's entrance

We walked to a nearby Italian restaurant for the most amazing, homemade dinner.

Cute street signs

There was a musical festival happening in town during our stay, and I made a point to show J these urinals.  When I ran the half-marathon in Paris, these were the urinals placed at the starting line.  At the race, women used these, too!  They climbed into them, placed a leg on either side of the urinal, held onto the top of the dividers and suspended themselves as they peed...through their shorts.

Valet bike parking :)

Our room was several stories above the altar and at level with a lot of the stained glass features.  This was the view from our bed.

It's easy to give thanks to God when you eat breakfast in front of an altar!

We stink at selfies, but we are good at uplifting and supporting each other!  I couldn't imagine life with anyone else.