Our First Month Back in Belgium – Dog Walks, Family Time, and Research (And Our May 2026 Expenses)

To say Mark, Maya, and I were exhausted after three months of high-intensity sightseeing and traveling in Southwestern Europe is an understatement. When living in our past campers and sailboats, we’d usually do something “interesting” once a week, but during our time in Southwestern Europe this winter, our pace was much higher and we visited sites and attractions about every other day.

We arrived in Belgium on April 26th, but couldn’t rest yet. My generous cousin lent us her car for a week and after one day of settling into “the little house” of my parents, our trio set off for Germany. The idea had been to check out two empty 4×4 Vario vans, hopefully commit to one, and visit with a van builder. We’d been planning and anticipating this trip for weeks.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

I’ll provide more details in the future, but suffice it to say that this effort was a disappointment. The first van (white) was too rusty and in poor shape, the owner of the second van (yellow) was abroad and couldn’t see us, and our chat with the builder was brief because he was super busy after a long weekend. Eventually, someone else beat us to the yellow Vario and bought it on the spot. We found out on our anniversary, which ruined the special evening I had planned.

When we returned to Belgium, it rained for two weeks straight and it felt like winter had come back. We even had to turn the heat on! We do have plenty of computer, admin, and research work to keep us busy, though. And the occasional translation job for me. Plus, as you might have noticed, I’m determined to catch up on all my blog writing.

A nice perk about living in this little house by the lake is our daily walks. Mark’s ankle has been sore and swollen, so I took Maya by myself every morning. We try to go for a steady, one-hour walk before breakfast, which is great exercise.

There are many routes to choose from and I mix it up every day. My favorites are the ones where we don’t see any cars – or bikes – and ideally not many other dogs. The dog culture here seems to be different than in the US. Walking a pet off leash is often frowned upon, most owners pull their dogs to the side and don’t let them socialize, many pups bark and intimidate, and almost every dog we meet has been bitten before. I guess they all lack training.

That being said, when a dog behaves upon our approach, I always ask the owner if their dog is friendly and, when the answer is affirmative, Maya gets to sniff, say hi, and wag her tail. After the brief interaction, we all go our own way again.

A grocery store is in walking distance as well, so I/we often take Maya there and tie her up outside when I don’t use the bike to go shopping.

Being back in my home country is always special, since most of my family and friends live close by and they are always super happy to see and host us. Since this visit to Belgium is very different for us than other times, because of its perceived open-endedness and because we have been quite Vario-consumed, upset, and stressed, we’ve been taking it easy and slow meeting others.

I managed to see my uncle and one of my two aunts early on. When Mark, Maya, and I walked to my aunt’s house to get a ride back to Berlare after returning my cousin’s car, our mouths dropped when we spotted a well-maintained Vario in front of her door! It was the older 2WD version from the neighbors’ daughter, but what’s the chance of that? It was a cool – and ironic – coincidence.

We had a lovely visit with my friends Rosy and Peter and their daughter Yanou, resulting in a fun neighborhood walk (they took their neighbor’s dog), the exchange of travel stories, and a wonderful meal and drinks.

On a beautiful day, we swung by my uncle before heading to my cousin Katrien and her family’s place. There, she, her husband, and their children spoiled us rotten with their generosity and kindness. They served us a super tasty mocktail and table grill dinner while we caught up on everyone’s life. Their children are incredible adults now. I can’t believe how fast time flies.

On that topic, it’s always great to see my niece and nephew as well. They are growing up fast! Between seeing the kids at my parents’ and going over there for an errand or two a week, I’m happy to catch up with Ma and Pa often. Since we don’t have a vehicle, I take the bike (20 minutes each way) or walk with Maya (50 minutes each way). My brother and his wife have made their appearances too.

After checking out another Vario in Holland – which is a story in itself – Mark, Maya, and I stopped in the town of Hulst near the border with Belgium. We spent a relaxing hour exploring this pretty town on the drive home with my mom’s car. 

For three weeks, we took finicky showers because there was an issue with the hot water heater (boiler). One technician came by but didn’t fix it. Eventually, my parents had to replace the entire boiler and accessories. Reliable hot showers sure are nice!

After a month in Belgium, we are getting itchy feet already again and the weight of not finding our next home on wheels is burdening. We don’t like to plan, but not having any plan whatsoever is daunting. Time is pressing, since Mark can only be in Belgium for 90 days out of 180. We keep searching and researching, are starting to consider Plans B and C, remain busy, and try to recharge our batteries while enjoying a stable environment for now.

Expenses for May 2026

Last month, we did really well with keeping our expenses under control. We had to, since the first part of the year had been excessive. Our grocery bill was high at over $400, despite us being careful and trying a few “Too Good To Go” boxes. When these work out, it’s great, but we received the wrong box a few times and that made us eat less healthily than usual. So we took a break from them.

As always, we cooked pretty much all our meals at home.

Mark and I bought a few “accessories” for ourselves and the house we are staying in ($169). We invested in a good toolbox and purchased an electric kettle (water cooker as I call them), big bowls for cereal, a meat thermometer, and mosquito netting. These items have increased our comfort.

We bought gifts for Mother’s Day and to say thank you to Griet for lending us her car in April ($100). Our fuel expense was low at $87. I think we topped up my mom’s car only once. It was also time for our annual Quicken subscription ($80), our bookkeeping program.

The alcohol expense was average at $70. We’ve only been buying beer and wine and have managed to pass on the rum, our favorite hard liquor. We don’t have the means to make ice cubes anyway. Maya required a few accessories as well ($55), like her next Seresto collar, treats and bones, a new tag (she lost her old one on a walk), and poop bags.

I urgently needed a pair of jeans ($47), which were also more expensive in Europe than ever in the States. I invested in a bus card ($25) for when we wouldn’t be able to borrow my parents’ car, and Mark’s sore and swollen ankle required some meds and a sports wrap ($11).

Can you believe we only spent $21 on dining out in May? All this went to French fries and a meal at the fry shop. Utility costs were low as well: just $5 for a month of internet on a Portuguese plan. We have WiFi at home.

I do laundry at my parents’ place. But since they only have a washing machine, I use the dryer in the laundromat downstairs, which costs €2 a load. Whenever the sun appears, I air-dry my clothes.

Our grand total for May 2026 came in at under $1,100, which is not bad at all for living in Europe. We are grateful for our free lodging at the moment.

Here is the breakdown:

– Groceries: $413

– Household supplies (tools, kitchen gear, mosquito netting): $169

– Gifts (Mother’s Day & car use): $100

– Car (fuel): $87

– Computer software (Quicken): $80

– Alcohol: $70

– Pet Supplies (Seresto collar, treats, poop bags, tag): $55

– Clothing (jeans Liesbet): $47

– Transportation (bus card): $25

– Dining out: $21 

– Medical (ankle issues Mark): $11

– Utilities (internet): $5

– Laundry: $5

TOTAL: $1,088

Next up: What’s going on with our 4×4 Mercedes Vario search?

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