A few months back, I told you all about Harriet’s 30th birthday. To celebrate the occasion, a big group of us rented a beautiful Belgian château, equipped with a roaring fireplace, acres of forest, and a spacious living area where we toasted the lovely Harriet and danced the night away. This past weekend, Harriet’s partner in crime, Dan, also turned the big three-ooh . . . the perfect excuse for round two of Belgium birthday celebrations. Enter: Villa Mosa.Or as I like to drunkenly call it, Villa Mimosa. But let’s rewind for a second. Because before there was Villa Mimosa, there was Pimm’s Party Bus.
As we are (somewhat) responsible adults, we rented a coach to take us from Amsterdam to Southern Belgium. This meant that none of us had to drive. It also meant that the festivities could begin in the parking lot at Schiphol. A classy start to an epic weekend.
After a good 3 hours of playing musical coach chairs, don’t spill the Pimm’s on your neighbor, and who smoked the joint in the bus bathroom, we arrived at our villa. A few of Dan’s good friends had flown in from London earlier that day, and thoughtfully decorated the villa walkway with big strawberry hearts. They also constructed a complex game of crystal-glass Jenga, which eagerly awaited us in the kitchen.
I did not capture any photos of our antics that evening, but to point your imagination in the right direction, think heated pool, hot weather, trampoline, sauna, and flowing prosecco. . . plus thirty wild friends. It was like a marathon of the best The Real World episodes, all rolled into one – but bigger and better, much much better!
After approximately three and a half hours sleep, my eyes popped open bright and early, eager to explore the grounds by daylight.
The view from my window was stunning. Large barges floated by in the river, and behind, the horizon was curved with steep, round hills.
The piano was my absolute favorite, but unfortunately was a tad too big to smuggle into my suitcase.
The inside of the villa was modern and lovely, but the grounds were even more serene.
I stopped by the pool-house for an early morning dip, and found none other than my favorite, Shawn, already splashing in the pool, having arrived at the same brilliant idea.
After a few hours of floating, our fingers started to wrinkle into little raisins and it was time to shower & dress up in accordance with the first theme of the weekend – tennis whites.
I think the only thing missing from this picture is a racket in my hand! Everyone else was also dressed amazingly on-theme, and B managed to capture some awesome photos of our preppy afternoon.
We played silly lawn games, sipped prosecco & Pimm’s, and monkeyed around in our tennis whites, as you do.
After a day of playing in the sun, it was time for a bit of rest & relaxation before another crazy party evening commenced. I strolled around the grounds, looking for a peaceful spot to relax.
While poking around on the pool-house balcony, I spotted a few ladies off in the distance, who seemed to have had the same idea as me.
I wound my way up the villa stairs, and at the top of the house, I found a hidden window.
Which Rachel, Ashly, and Shawn had already brilliantly discovered!
How they got two mattresses through this small window is beyond me, but I am not complaining in the least.
The rooftop was breezy . . .
. . . and serene. A perfect spot to relax, enjoy the view, and soak up the sun.
As the sun started to set, it was time for yet another costume change. So we made one final rooftop toast, to the beautiful day, the memories made, and those yet to come.
Sadly, this is where the photo tales end, as the next two days dissolved into a blur of sunshine and bliss. If friends post photos, I promise to gather a few and do a part-two, as the weekend was packed with lots more dress-up, prosecco, and Belgian birthday madness! I have to say, I’m still smiling from this outstanding weekend and the funtimes had. I’m so lucky to have such amazing friends. xx
Thanks for the like on my recent blog post… Your site, quickly scrolling past girly bits (sorry;-)), is a wonderful snapshot of life that brings back great memories of my own. I remember similar times, before kids and unwanted grey hairs, when my now wife and I would spend weekends away with friends in a similar “blur of sunshine and bliss”. Your obvious love of life is infectious and the photography great. Enjoy those moments…
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Oh looks like so much fun! Now you’re making me want to go to Belgium. =D
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Wonderful :)
I adore the way you guys come around for such amazing weekends! So much better than going to clubs and discotheques. You really do have an amazing set of friends, who think alike.
I like the idea of sun bathing, with a drink to go as well :) Of course, the other favourite would be the chess chair :D
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