Brainstorming with the team - Ardennes (1)

Yesterday after work we drove direction Ardennes (Redu) for our first brainstorm weekend. One of the goals of this weekend was to meet the whole crew again, and get to know the new people interested to join our group. Until now the team existed of Joost, initiator of this adventure and father of my husbands godchild, Jo who we met already during our first prep in the Alps, Raf, friend of Joost and chocolatier which made him from the first start very popular to me as I love chocolats (on top he deliveres his chocolat to my favorite delicatesse shop in my home town), Wim, a mutual friend that joined the wine trips Joost and my husband use to organize and an experienced mountaineer, Koen, friend of Joost and Ruud, my husband. The weekend was organized by Boudewijn, a friend of Koen, not able to join the Switserland prep.
Boudewijn hired a magificant house in Redu, plenty of space, a cosy living room where the brainstorm session would take place. We all have received our tasks upfront. Some in charge for cooking, others for supplying groceries, again others for inviting externals to feed us with additional information.
When we arrived in the house, we made acquintance with Patrick and Pieterjan, new potential expeditioners. The spaghetti, prepared by Raf and Joost, was stuck in the traffic jam, together with the guys transporting the most important thing at that moment. After a long day at work, plus a drive at rush hour, this was what I was waiting for...
One after the other popped in, the spaghetti - prepared by Raf's wife (thank you, Kristel!!) - was delicious and after a couple of bootles red wine, the atmosphere was going to the right direction. During our the evening we enjoyed a movie from Dixie "In the trail of de Gerlache", a boat trip to the Antartics where Pieterjan was one of the crew members. Seeing all the beauty made us all very excited about the adventure that soonly would take place and we would be part of.