Despite the cancellation of racing the postponement of the Olympics, Carl and I greatly enjoyed the unexpected time at home.

After returning to Belgium, we decided to start a small container garden on our terrace. We purchased spinach and lettuce seeds in addition to strawberry, tomato, pot pepper, mint, cilantro, and thyme starter-plants.

Here is what our store-bought starter-plants looked like once potted and placed on our terrace.

For my birthday, Carl and I rode our bikes from our home in Leuven to Antwerp and back.

I managed to bring my sourdough starter(started in Portugal) home to Belgium in an empty water bottle. It survived the journey and has been producing exquisite bread.

Carl and I started making our own pizza in Portugal using store-bought crust. This slowly morphed into Carl making homemade(everything but the sauce) pizza once a week.

Quiche has become one of my weekly traditions, with this edition featuring spinach from our garden.

Our 3D printer came to the rescue again when our tomato plant started to need support.

As the gardening bug took off, Carl and I picked up some used planter boxes from the thrift store nearby. We fashioned a wooden frame to hang the planter boxes from our railing in order to save ground space. It worked perfectly for our spinach and lettuce speedlings.

In June, Carl and I managed to get a weekend away for Carl’s first trip to the Belgian coastline.

It was great to rediscover the Belgian coast in the city of Nieuwpoort with Carl.

Carl’s first official time eating moules frites at the Belgian coast.

Carl and I made sure to enjoy all of what Belgium has to offer during our short weekend away.

Nieuwpoort boasts a surprisingly beautiful coastline.

The biggest downside to making sourdough is that any store-bought bread just doesn’t quite taste as good, even in Europe.

These were the first kale seedlings we multi-sowed into an empty fruit tray. Despite sprouting very rapidly, they unfortunately didn’t survive the heatwave that occurred after transplanting.

One side benefit of spending 3 months in Belgium was discovering even more of the incredible cycling network. From bike paths, to small villages, rolling terrain and flat, Belgium has it all. Over the 3 months there, I’d be surprised if I repeated any ride.

Last minute decision to race the first race back after the lockdown. Thanks to Triathlon Vlaanderen for organizing a COVID friendly time trial. I finished 2cnd to the speedy Hanne Devet. It was the perfect wake-up call to get the body back into racing and I loved every second of it!

I’ve missed my parents and siblings throughout this time. Given the uncertainty of travel to the US and vice versa, i’m not sure when I’ll be able to see them next. That’s why i’m very grateful to be able to see my Belgian family more!

Arrived here end of July. This place has no shortage of rolling hills, forests, and wildlife. On one of our first rides here we spotted 5 storks, and 2 foxes!

I’ve never been more thankful to have a training partner! Luckily Claire and I managed to continue doing most of our swim and bike sessions together while in Belgium.

We’ve been hosted by our lovely Estonian training partner Kaidi. We came here to train for European Championships end of August, but as a side benefit we’ve been able to finally see her beautiful country! It changes the experience knowing a local Estonian.

Rather than trails, we’ve been running on dirt roads that seem to connect for hundreds of kilometers. The surface is perfect and reminds me of where I grew up in Michigan.

As you might guess - winter sports are popular here. This full size ski jump was impressive to climb up. Certainly doesn’t make me consider a career change though!

There’s a interesting mix of cultures in Estonia which is reflected in the architecture.

Claire, Gillian and I have been living together in Estonia. Along with Kaidi we make up a group of 4 out of our usual 11 ITU women. It’s not the full group but it’ll do!

Group picture in the forest where we spotted Estonian’s ex prime minister picking Chanterelle mushrooms. This was a rare excursion, and an awesome immersion in Estonian nature.

Upon arrival in Estonia, we were welcomed with home-made vegetables, smoked, fish, jam, and bread.