Update!

Woooooooooooooooooo!



Final Four here we come!

Go Blue!

Trey Burke....

Happy Easter!
I have been waiting for the right time to continue my summary of our European vacation. Next stop: La Trappe and our last night in Eindhoven.  Then, I thought why not post a nice, little blog about Easter. But, we've got a game to play today people!

Thanks in large part to Trey Burke and his supporting case, Michigan has reached the Elite Eight for the first time in nearly twenty years with today's match up against Florida looming large.  Friday night's game against Kansas was excellent on many levels.  For large stretches of the game KU dominated us inside.  They got to the rim with ease, and converted more than their fair share of fastbreaks.  Down 14 points, the game looked over.  However, we have Trey Burke.  The best player in the country willed  his team to victory.  He hit step back threes and a 28 footer to tie the game with 4 seconds left.  It was a shot that will go down in Michigan basketball history.  In overtime, Trey took control. He hit jumpshots and forced his way into the paint with ease.  It was the best performance by a Michigan basketball player since I have been watching (twenty years.)  Ultimately, it led to a two point win over last season's national runner-up.

It would be a shame to forget Mitch McGary.  He was our only force in the paint.  He kept us in the game for long stretches when the offense got stagnant.  Since the tournament started, Mitch has been on a mission. He looks like a freshman just starting to realize how good he can be.  We need Mitch if we want to keep advancing.

Friday night's game leads us to today against Florida.  Florida will be a big challenge.  They are probably more athletic than us.  They shoot plenty of threes, which should allow Trey, GR3, and Tim to push the tempo.  But, if they are making their shots at a decent rate, we need to keep up.  On paper, it looks like a tough matchup for us.  Friday night was a tough matchup as well.  However, we have the best player on the floor, and the best player in the country.  He should be able to drive the lane at will.  I expect him to get lots of open shots for the rest of the team.  We need the supporting cast to step up.  Tim, Nik and GR3 have to be able to capitalize when Florida inevitably helps out on Trey.

The stakes keep getting bigger with each game.  We have an opportunity to write the next great chapter in Michigan basketball history.  I feel like C and I have earned plenty of good karma from our time having to endure Tommy Amaker's teams.  We watched more than our fair share of bad basketball from 2003-2007. But this team is everything those teams weren't: smart, gritty and mentally tough.  All the credit goes to Coach Beilein for putting this squad together and placing them in positions to succeed.

Well, with only thirty minutes to tip-off, the blog is going to come to an end here.  Pictures of our visit to La Trappe will be posted soon.

Keep the faith.  This team can win, and win, and win. We On. Go Blue!

Bruges! Part 2

When we left off on our European Christmas recap, we had just got done eating a late lunch in Bruges after finish a tour of De Halve Maan brewery.  Figuring we needed a bit more culture in our lives, and a brief beer break, we decided to head to the historical town center of the city, the Markt.  The main attraction on the Markt is the belfry, which dates back to the 12th Century.  As I noted earlier, the belfry is prominently featured in the film "In Bruges."  The line to climb the 366 steps to the top was relatively long, but we braved the cold and rain with the rest of the tourists.  The staircase is very narrow and winding.  It reminded C and I of the climb to the top of Il Duomo in Florence.  C was obviously a trooper and carried our future little girl up the stairs with us, taking only a few breaks along the way.  The carillon bell is pretty impressive from inside.  There are currently 47 bells in use.  But, the view is really the main attraction.  From the top, we could see well beyond Bruges' city limits in all directions.  Unfortunately, it was a bit overcast like much of our trip, but we did get a few pictures.

After descending the belfry, we decided to head inside the Basilica of the Holy Blood located on the Markt as well.  As the name implies, this chapel claims to have a cloth with the blood of Jesus on it.  The chapel was built in the 12th century, and around that time, the story says that the cloth was brought there.  The chapel itself is small, but impressive.  Unfortunately, the blood had been packed up and put to bed for the day, so we didn't actually get to see it. Who knew that a piece of cloth could only be out for view during certain times of the day?  C and I lit a candle for some of the people in our lives that we knew would have enjoyed the adventure we were on.  Anyway, here are a few photos of the Basilica below.

By this time, everyone was cold, hungry and thirsty.  So we left the Markt  and made a short walk down a little aisle to one of the absolute must-sees in Bruges, De Garre.  De Garre is an old-world bar that serves delicious beer and provides a glimpse of true belgian beer culture.  If you blink, you might miss the alley.  But, the four of us were able to find it, and Megan was even able to work on her budding modeling career before we entered...

For good reason, the place was nearly full.  Luckily, there was a nice pair of Americans who gave up their corner four top table to us and moved to a small table; so we basically sat right away.  Any visit to De Garre requires a order of the house tripel, which we received almost immediately.  As you can see in the picture below, the De Garre tripel is served in this amazing glass that really enhances the flavor and appearance of the beer.  The head slowly subsided as I drank the beer, but it clings to the glass in a unique way.  At 11.5%, this tripel means business.  However, the alcohol is not overpowering.  The three of us that were drinking all enjoyed it immensely.  Without a doubt, one of the best tripels I have ever had.  A truly world-class experience.  To make it even better, an order of the tripel comes with a plate of cheese, which compliments the beer in every way.
Once we finished the the house tripel, we decided to stay a bit longer.  Being the end of December, the bar had plenty of Christmas beers available.  At the recommendation of the server, I ordered the Bush de Noel, and I could not have been happier.  This beer was super rich and creamy with a hint of holiday spice in the finish.  If I ever have the occasion to drink this beer again, I will definitely do so.  Below are a few pictures of our night at De Garre.

After leaving the bar, we wandered around the city and took in the lights.  We quickly found out that nearly every restaurant in the city requires reservations.  Eventually, we made our way to De Hobbit for all you can eat spare ribs and pasta; the spare ribs were not exactly the best, but to be honest, I wasn't all that picky at that point.  One last picture from Bruges at night is posted below.  Like I said, Bruges was one of my favorites stops during the trip.  I could probably use another three or four days there in order to really appreciate the people and culture.  But, we had more places to visit and only so much time.  Early the next morning we headed back to Eindhoven for our last day with Megan and Todd.