Our Belgian Adventure

New Blog

Ok.  New blog is starting, but for me to use this website, I have to keep basically the same address.  I just added something to the end of it.  It is very rough right now, but give me some time and I will get it changed and working well.

Here is the new site

http://belgianadventure.typepad.com/part2/

Let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas and add the new site to your bookmarks.

The Things I will Miss

As I am reminiscing about Belgium, I wanted to make a quick list of some of the things I will miss. Of course, I am going to miss traveling, but that is a given.  Here is everything else...

1.  The small roads, small cars, yield to the right, driving really fast...always.

2.  Tractors protesting once a year and causing traffic jams.

3.  The delicious smell of waffles in the city areas.  Our favorite was close to the Mannekin Pis.

4.  Seeing SVP on things, which is short for "please."  Seeing French everywhere for me is going to be an adjustment.  It made my brain work constantly.  I will miss speaking it too because it is shame that I learned so much, and I am sure I will just forget it all. 

5.  The wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables

6.  Not feeling foreign in a foreign country, but instead feeling like you are home.

7.  Speculoos...even though I rarely ate it.

8.  The yummy, fresh-baked breads and pastries - even though I rarely ate those as well.

9.  The closeness of the community with the school and the school itself.  I really loved the girls' school, and going to a new public school is going to be an adjustment.

10.  The weather (other than the one hot month in the summer without air conditioning) - I know I am crazy, but I prefer colder temps, even if it does come with rain.

11.  Our wonderful friends

12.  All the extra time off Lee got from work because he had the European holidays.  Now it is going to feel like he is never home...another adjustment.

13. Learning something new every day or witnessing something strange happen that could only happen in Belgium.  Whether good, bad, frustrating, or crazy, you always have to just laugh about it. 

14.  Knowing my way around a small piece of Europe...that is pretty good right there.

15.  Being able to drive 1-2 hours and be in a different country - All you had to do was take your pick as to which one

16.  The different cultures that we all were exposed to on a daily basis

...I know there is a whole lot more, but this is what I can come up with right now.

You Might Be in Belgium #2

I have kind of had a running list of things going, and I figured I should finally post it all since we are not in Belgium anymore.

You might be in Belgium..

...if original flavor for gum is the same as cough drops, and cherry mint flavor tastes exactly like Cherry Halls Cough drops.

...if people are so trustworthy that you can actually go to a doctor, get treated and come back later with money to pay them.  (This would NEVER happen in the states.)  I love the overall generosity and friendliness of everyone around here.  It is definitely contagious.

...if a simple roll of aluminum foil costs atleast 10 euros or more. 

...if batteries are so expensive because a recycling fee is added into the actual price.

...if you have to douse yourself not once, but twice with betadine before a surgery.  (I know I already mentioned this one, but it is too funny.)  Oh, and don't forget the clean clothes.

...if you bite into a sandwich and find butter on it instead of mayonnaise or mustard.  It is the most common condiment (if you can call it that) used here on sandwiches.

...if you have to designate if you want gas or no gas when ordering water.

...if it is a general occurence to see people pulled off on the side of the road going to the bathroom, and...this is considered NORMAL.

...if your garbage man knocks on your door around the holiday season and personally wishes you a Merry Christmas.  Of course, the whole reason they do this is so that you then give them money as a "thank you for picking up my trash all year long,"

...if all the eggs are brown and it is not unusual to find a chicken feather or two in the carton.  Same goes with the whole chickens...there are always a few extra feathers for you to pull out when you clean it off.

...if it is a common thing to hear that you bought some food item at the gas station.  You always hear something like, "Yeah.  I bought those refried beans at the Total" or those special Fruit Roll Ups or some other prized food.  I know that sounds silly, but it is very common to go to the gas station to buy all those little food items you can't find at the grocery store.  This is of course because this one gas station here sells a selection of American products that you can't find anywhere else.  They also sell it for pretty hefty price, but maybe those 10 euro Cheerios taste better???  It would be equivalent to asking someone where did you get those "fill-in the blank for some high-commodity food item that you have to have," and hearing them say that they got it at the Texaco or the Fina.  There is just something really wrong with that.

...if you get your blood drawn or a shot, and the nurse doesn't wear gloves.

What Should I Do Now?

Now that our Belgian Adventure has come to an end, I am pondering what should come of my blog.  The sole purpose of it was to keep our family and friends updated with everything we were experiencing as a way to make us feel like we weren't so far away.  It was also a great way to share our experiences there, but now that we are in the US, I am wondering if having a blog will be more boring because what am I going to write about now? 

So, I need your input...

First, should I continue with the blog?  I am guessing your answer is going to be yes, because why not, right?  But I will let you know in advance that I may slack off alot now that we are in the states, and my life is boring, and if this happens, then I guess this will be the true test.

And Second, should I keep the name, change the name (and therefore, change the web address)? 

Whatever should I do?  Please leave me a comment to let me know your thoughts.

Goodbyes are never easy

It has taken me awhile to get up to writing this, because first, I needed to stay awake past the kids, which is hard when you are jet-lagged, and second, I needed to actually have time to do it, and third, I needed to be a little less stressed out and emotional, which is hard to do when your life completely changes within 3 weeks.  While I haven't exactly reached any of these places yet, I am thinking that now is about as good a time as any to try to bring some closure to these wonderful past 2 years of our lives that we spent in Belgium.

Honestly, I can't believe it is over.  It seems like only yesterday that we were thinking of moving abroad, and had no idea where Belgium was, much less Brussels, and now that we can pinpoint all the little towns and fun areas of Belgium, and know all the great places to shop and eat, and can drive around the city without getting lost and actually know where we are(most of the time), it is time for us to leave.  Where did the past 2 years go?  And what happened to our last year, our 3rd year that we were supposed to have? 

One thing that I have learned from this experience is that things don't always go as you plan it, and actually most of the time, they never do.  We never dreamed of living in Europe, and we got a chance to know it as our home.  And even though we didn't plan on moving back to the states this summer, I am sure this is just another event that we will look back upon and cherish. It is the unplanned events that really enrich your lives with new adventures and crazy experiences.  The planned events are good too, but the unplanned ones add that extra spice. 

And the unplanned event that took us to Belgium really led to several crazy experiences, and lots of memories to laugh about, and it was definitely the hardest move I have ever done, but it was so worth it.  We all grew so much during our time here.  We were able to really learn to appreciate other cultures and to open our eyes to the world around us.  Life does not revolve around the U.S., and actually there is so much more life going on outside of it that most people (in the U.S.) don't realize.  But like everything else, life must go on.  We don't have time to sit and be upset about leaving, but instead we must embrace the newness of being back in the states and all the things that we have missed (can anyone say TARGET?). 

So, what can I say about our last 2 years in Belgium?  They were wonderful, filled with lots of things out of our comfort zone, but boy did we learn so much about ourselves and what we can put up with and handle.  That constant state of being challenged almost daily makes for excitement and frustration too at times, but we have always done our best to chalk it up to "it is what it is" and laugh about it. We all learned alot and loved having friends from all over the world, especially the kids, and I know that I will miss them having that extra exposure to other cultures.   

It's really hard to be sad for us when you see the list below.  We definitely were not deprived of seeing the world while we lived in Belgium.  In fact, it was quite the opposite since we really took advantage of our time there and traveled to lots of cool places.  Not only did we get to know the city of Brussels very well, and even more, the city of Waterloo, we also ventured to more far and away places.  While we had made a tentative list of our must-sees for the next year, which we are unfortunaetly not going to get to do, and this made us sad to not get to see some things, we sat down and made of list of all the places we have had the pleasure of experiencing in these past 2 years, and it is really amazing!  I am very happy to say that we did see alot of places.

Here is the list:

Belgium-Waterloo, Brussels (and surrounding areas), Mechelen, Gent, Brugge, Knokke, Dinant, Mons, Antwerp, Ath, Nieuwpoort (Jordan)

Netherlands - Amsterdam, Nijkerk, Zooland, Maastricht

Germany - Frankfurt, Cologne, Aachen, Nuremburg, Potzbach, Kaiserslautern, Fussen, Dusseldorf, Warnemunde, Lubeck, Berlin (Lee), Mannheim (Lee)

France - Paris, Lille, Giverny, Vaujany, Lyon, Calais

Luxemburg- Luxemburg City (driving though only)

England - London, Windsor, Bath, Stonehenge, Dover

Ireland and Northern Ireland - Dublin, Newgrange, Belfast, Bushmill, North Antrim Coast 

Denmark - Copenhagen

Sweden - Stockholm

Russia - St. Petersburg

Estonia - Tallin

Finland - Helsinki

Turkey - Istanbul

Greece - Athens

Switzerland - Geneva, Zurich (for Lee)

Italy - Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Murano, Burano, Torcello, Genoa

Austria - Innsbruck

Spain - Barcelona

And when you add this to the US and Jamaica, that means that the girls have been in 20 different countries.  They have gotten to experience firsthand all of those amazing places at such a young age.  They truly are lucky, but more importantly, I hope that they remember our time abroad and I can definitely say that I feel that it has impacted them tremendously for the better.  I smile every time I hear Jordan speak with a British accent or Camille says something like, "carry on."  I even like hearing them say their little "Excuse-moi,s'il vous plait, get your big butt out of the way" thing.  They definitely did not get that from the U.S., and I hope that they never lose it.  I really wish that there was some way to keep them exposed to all the different cultures that they meshed with on a daily basis in Belgium.  That is one big thing that makes me sad.

The other thing that really bothers me is that the girls didn't get to say goodbye to anyone.  Everyone was gone on holiday basically all summer, and other than getting to see a couple people, everyone else they missed.  I will say that they did each get to have one last playdate with their best friend though.  Also, they missed out on all the activities at school for the kids that were leaving, such as leaving their painted handprint on the wall with their name, getting to say goodbye to Mrs. Bambridge (their principal) and getting a big hug in return from her, and also having her give them a goodbye Lion to always remember the school (since this is the mascot).  Lee was able to get them their Lions, but it won't be the same as having had done it the other way.  There were several people that I also didn't get to say goodbye to, and sadly, may never see again....

So, all I can say is that this all happened way too fast.  The move was inevitable though, and we are just doing it one year earlier than planned.  I do think I personally am in for a good case of emotional whiplash soon once all the stress dies down.  I will recover though and move on.  Already, I see or hear something that brings back a Belgian memory, which makes me smile, but also makes me sad, because I know that that part of our lives is over with. 

I will miss the quirkiness of Belgium, and I will always cherish our 2 years there. 

Goodbye to the land of chocolates, beer, moules (mussels), frites, and waffles.

I hope we all get to return one day....

Fussen, Germany

From Innsbruck, we ventured across the border of Germany, into Bavaria, and it is just beautiful.  I LOVE this area.  Just the temperature drop alone is enough to make me drool.  I think that this is my heaven, and I am sad that we are only going to get to experience it for 2 days.  We are all so tired of traveling and ready to get home, but if we could do it over again, we would make this area one of the first stops on our trip rather than our last. 

Fussen is a little town close to the town of Schwangau, which is where the king of Bavaria once resided, and in particular, in the 1800's, King Ludwig II.  He commisioned the building of the Neuschwanstein castle as his personal home, but mysteriously died before completing it.  Now an unfinished masterpiece, Neuschwanstein (which means New Swan Stone) is the most photographed and visited castle in Germany.  It is the castle that inspired Walt Disney to create the Magic Kingdom, and thus, Cinderella's castle inside.

I have been wanting to go see this castle since I heard about it, but it is a good distance from Brussels, and thus, we had never gone, until now, since we are already close by, and it was kind of on our way back home.  The bad thing is that on the one day that we went to go see the Neuschwanstein and also the other neighboring castle, the Hohenschwangau, which was first the castle of Ludwig II's father and where Ludwig grew up and subsequent rulers lived, it was raining and cold.  Ok.  I am ok with the cold, and actually, I loved it being cold.  There is nothing better than it being 60 degrees and me freezing my butt off in August, and I was wearing pants.  I love it!  But the rain accompanied with the fog made it for a very poor day for pictures. 

This is what we should have seen.

This is what we actually saw.

 

 

I know.  Those pictures weren't great, and actually, they were quite bad, but I will show our pictures anyways, because I have nothing else to say that we were there, except for my cool t-shirt and sweatshirt, which I wore all day and LOVED it since it was deliciously cold.  By the way, the castle is really there in that last picture.

We did enjoy the tour of the parts of the castle that were completed, and while we did have plans to also go see the Hohenschwangau, with the horrible weather, all we wanted to do was come back to the hotel and get dry. 

Once it stopped raining, we went out for a little while to explore the cute town that is Fussen, and we tried some good German food. 

 

 

 

 

 

We tried the Germknedel (pictures above) because I kept on seeing it and had to taste it.  It was ok, but I didn't like it that much and neither did anyone else.  We were finished tasting it when Lee figured out that the middle had a tart jelly of some sort.  Still, it was nothing we really enjoyed.  It was fun tasting it though, and this was the first German food that we didn't like. 

 

 

 

At the center of town, there was this fun water thing.  Watch the video to take a look.

 

Overall, we really enjoyed our time here and it was a fantastic ending to our wonderful trip.

German Toilets

I know that it is silly to post something about toilets and definitely kind of weird to not only post a picture of a toilet, but an actual video, but I had to get this on tape. 

For the record, I think Germany is a wonderful country, and one reason why I like it so much is that it is very, very clean, and you all know that I like things clean.  The buildings are clean, the roads are clean, and most importantly, the gas station bathrooms are very clean.  Out of all the gas stations we have stopped at during all of our travels through this great country, they all have these electric toilets that sanitize themeselves with every flush.  How cool is that!  Check out the video.

Innsbruck

 

I cannot tell you how ready we were to leave Italy and go north, to colder temperatures.  I think we are all definitely cold-weather people, and it is not fun for anyone to sight-see in hot weather.  I mean who enjoys walking on streets looking around all day when it is 95 degrees?  Therefore, Austria was so welcoming to us because it was so much cooler and we needed that.  Plus, it is beautiful!  Just the drive itself was so wonderful and gorgeous.  I took a ton of pictures just from the car.

We drove into Innsbruck on our way to Germany, and just stopped for a few hours to go see a few sights.  This city is breathtaking.  You are surrounded by the Alps (or as Lee told me the Dolomites, which are part of the Alps), and there are part green mountains and part snowy mountains in the distance.  And the town is beautiful with its regular-european style, but with lots of colored buildings.  We just drove through the city and by some of the sights, such as the big ski jump and the olympic stadium. 

 

We also stopped at the Swarovski crystal museum/factories where the crystals are made.  The one thing I can say about this museum is that it was very unique and very clean.  The outside had a fountain of a face with crystal eyes that glow at night and water coming out of its mouth.  It was really a sight.  There were also playgrounds for the kids and a huge zip line, and Jordan and Camille had a blast on this. 

 

 

 

 

Inside the museum, it was quite odd because it had several rooms with just weird things going on in them.  There was a huge crystal wall, and lots of other crystal things, but there was also lots of rooms with music and lights, and somehow this has something to do with crystals.  I liked the tour alot basically because the girls loved it and it was entertaining for them.  Plus, the whole place was just fun to go see and it was a nice break from the car, the heat, ...everything.  We really enjoyed it.  Here are some more pictures from inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a sign that I felt was particularly just for me.  I need all the luck I can get it seems.

Murano, Torcello, and Burano

While in Venice, we took a tour of Murano, Torcello, and Burano.  It was a nice tour because it was first thing in the morning and atleast for half of the tour, it wasn't too hot.  Plus, there were only 10 other people on the tour with us, which made it not very crowded. 

 

We stopped in Murano first, which as I am sure many of you know, is famous for the glass-blowing.  We got to go into one of the shops and watch a demontration of both the glass-blowing and glass-pulling.  Both are used to make different shapes in the glass.  You can watch the videos below to get an idea.  With the first video, he blew into the glass to make it expand and the final creation is a vase, and with the second video, he pulled on the glass in different places and shaped it to create a horse.  It was really neat to watch them make the glass creations because it gives you a little idea of how they are done, and it was great for the girls to see too because they are full of questions.  Jordan could have watched them do that all day, but then they hurried us on to the store, where the girls each picked out a something.  Jordan got a cuttlefish, and Camille got a puppy dog.

The second island we stopped at was the island of Torcello.  This island honestly was a little boring, because all there is to see is the landscape, which was ok, but nothing spectacular.  There was also an old church, but there was a wedding in progress, so we couldn't go in and the outside was crowded, and again, it wasn't anything compared to some of the great churches we have seen.  What we did find was someone's own personal vineyard, and they let us go in and take some pictures.  That was pretty cool!  It started to get really hot after that, and we were ready to get on the boat and get moving because atleast that gave you a cool breeze.

 

The last island we visited was Burano, which is known for their lace and their colorful houses.  The lace was pretty, but we preferred the scenery a whole lot more.  There were lots of colors to feast your eyes on.  We walked around, stopping for gelato and a cold drink on the way, and did our best to stay in some shady areas. 

 

 

This was it for the tour.  It was nice, but we were so hot by the end of it.  We got some good pictures though and it was fun to see.

Venezia

  

Venice is truly a magical place with its narrow streets, gondolas, and canals throughout the island.  It really is beautiful, and Lee and I appreciated and enjoyed it a whole lot more the second time around.  I think that now we are more accustomed to European cities than we were before.

We were in the city for 1 1/2 days, which honestly was plenty of time for us, because it was so HOT that it became unbearable at times.  Plus, we walked from the train station all the way to Piazza San Marco 4 times, and then around more places from there, which gives you plenty of opportunity to explore the island. 

We stayed right off the island of Venice in Venezia Mestre, and it was a fantastic location because we were directly across from the train station and trains to take you to the island (a 10 minute ride), and we were able to leave all the chaos and crowds for a little bit of peace.  Plus, we didn't have to deal with dragging all our bags around the little streets and stairs, which would have been a huge pain.  We also had fun on the trains.  Don't you love Jordan's socks????

I think Jordan and Camille thought the island was pretty neat.  From the moment, Jordan heared about all the glass-blowing factories and saw the amazing creations firsthand, she had to go in every single store to look at them all.  She thought they were so pretty with all the colors and various designs and couldn't imagine them making them, until she saw a glass-blowing demonstration (more details to come). And both the girls loved feeding the pigeons in Piazza San Marco.  They were a little nervous at first about them eating out of their hands, but quickly got accustomed to it as the pigeons were swarming them.  They wanted to feed them over and over and over again.  We fed them for about 30 minutes on the first day, and they still didn't feed them enough. 

 

 

 

We of course also went to the Rialto bridge to take some pictures.  The one thing that we didn't do was go on a gondola ride.  I know that it is pretty bad to go all the way to Venice and NOT go on a gondola, and it was something that we had planned on doing, but when they want to charge you 80 euros/ride of 20 minutes, it made us really think about it.  Honestly, if it was cooler, I probably would have considered doing it more, but with the hot temperatures and us literally melting in the city, all we could think about was getting some place cold, and not being out on a boat in the sun.  The girls were ok with this because we went on a boat ride for half of the morning to the other islands.  We saw plenty of gondolas and gondoliers.

We had a really nice visit, but again, it would have been more enjoyable if it were a little cooler.  The mornings were really nice.  It was just the afternoons that were bad.  We actually spent our last afternoon cooling off at the hotel and getting ready to go some place cooler.