Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année 2010

I can't believe it is December 23rd! Rich and his parents took Elisabeth and Kate to Technopolis today in Mechelen. The girls love the museum and the interactive science experiments.

I spent the morning cleaning the apartment (five bathrooms, three bedrooms, etc.). A nice clean house for Christmas despite the pine needles from our two Christmas trees!

I just finished baking pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins. Delicious! Thanks to Erin Peer for the recipe! Gretchen will bake gingerbread cookies this afternoon with the girls - her mother's recipe.

I am planning to make my Mother's cranberries tonight: both Elisabeth and Kate love them! Rich is picking up a leg of lamb from the Irish Butcher in Brussels tomorrow morning for Christmas Eve dinner (a Snyder tradition from Bosnia). I will make mashed potatoes, peas and onions tomorrow.

Menu for Christmas Eve Dinner:

Leg of Lamb

Mashed Potatoes (lots of cream!)

Peas

Onions with Cream Sauce (thanks Nana for the recipe! They are so delicious!)

Pumpkin Bread

Apple Pie for dessert

Hot Apple Cider

I need to run to the grocery store for last minute ingredients and items. Am I missing anything? So busy!

I wrapped the final presents last night. A few remaining last minute gifts. Perhaps Rich and I will go to the Christmas Market in Brussels tonight for some last minute shopping! Perhaps fine Belgian chocolates: Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate!

Aachen, Germany: Christmas Market

On Saturday we braved the snow and drove two hours to Aachen, Germany to visit the Christmas Market. The girls enjoyed a visit with Santa Claus and decorated a picture frame for their photo with Santa. Elisabeth and Kate also enjoyed riding the Merry-Go-Round several times. It was a very cold day so we drank lots of hot chocolate and malt wine. We ate roasted nuts dipped in chocolate and sugar. What a treat! We enjoyed listening to a brass quintet play Christmas carols in the market.

In Aachen there is an impressive cathedral. Elisabeth and Kate loved the stained glass windows and the mosaics in the cathedral. They also enjoyed visiting the thrown of Charlemagne on the second floor. Apparently, Aachen was once the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.

Aachen, Germany

http://www.aachen.de/En/ts/Current_information/index.html

Sleds in Brussels

We're having difficulty finding sleds in Brussels this morning. Rich took the girls to Carrefour, the French version of Walmart, as well as BRICO, the Dutch version of Home Depot. No luck. Rich is taking them to a toy store in Boisfort. Let's hope they sell sleds. An early Christmas present for Elisabeth and Kate.

We're driving to Aachen later this morning to visit the cathedral and Christmas Market. Our first trip to Germany with the girls.

Our First Snow in Brussels

We enjoyed our first snow in Brussels on Thursday and Friday this week. The girls loved playing in the snow. Absolutely perfect winter weather here: blue skies and fresh snow on the ground. No rain. My favorite season thus far!

Both girls did not have school today. They enjoyed their first snow day. I enjoyed it too. Today the girls:

slept in later than usual,

played in the snow in the morning (and the afternoon!),

tried to make an igloo, but the snow wouldn't stick,

made 20 snowballs and had a snowball fight,

played board games (dominoes, cards, Chutes & Ladders),

baked Christmas cookies (and decorated them!),

drank hot chocolate and ate popcorn, and

walked in the winter snow to Pizza Hut for dinner.

A busy day! Rich's parents are visiting from Virginia so extra special for the girls to play with the grandparents. Special thanks for bringing the great weather! Let's hope it stays.

Rich and I are planning to buy sleds tomorrow morning. Some great hills behind us in Parc de Woluwe (not sure if they are as good as the hills I grew up on in Dayton, Ohio!). Can't wait to try sledding here with the girls.

Paul: Mason de Qualite

My new favorite pastry and coffee shop! For the first time in three months I enjoyed a quiet morning at a French pastry shop. I ordered an herbal tea and a rhubarb pastry on Thursday morning at Paul at Parc Leopold. Delicious! I read a book. What a peaceful morning!

I noticed another Paul at Port Stephanie yesterday. It is near Kate's school. I'm planning to take the 94 tram from Ixelles to Port Stephanie very often in 2010!!!

Here is a link to Paul's web site. Somewhat like a corner bakery, but a little more upscale.

http://www.paul-uk.com/

Health Care In Brussels, Part II: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

I had a very humbling experience on Tuesday morning. I went to the Parc Leopold clinic for my nerve test. Unfortunately, I was late for my appointment due to a traffic jam. I pulled into the nearest parking space and walked the rest of the way to the clinic (I brought my GPS with me so that I wouldn't get lost). A nice walk past antique galleries. I would have liked to stop and look around, but I was late.

The nerve specialist actually called me on my cell phone while I was stuck in traffic. He asked where I was and mentioned that I should ride my bike next time to avoid traffic. A good idea. I wish I had brought my bike to Brussels!

I spent 9:30am - 11:00am on Tuesday with the doctor as he poked and prodded my arm with needles and electric shocks in different places so he could measure my response. A very humbling experience. Had I known I wouldn't have gone!

The good news is that he thinks I have carpal tunnel in my right wrist and a pinched ulnar nerve. I have an appointment tomorrow morning with the rheumatologist to follow-up on my cat scan and nerve test. Perhaps a cortisone shot in my wrist or physical therapy? A relief to know it was something so simple. He said it would go away once my children have grown - something about stress on my muscular skeleton. He said not to use my arm - not so easy to do, but trying to favor my left arm.

Interesting observations:

1) There was no receptionist (I sat outside his office in the waiting room and he opened the door when I could come in).

2) Doctors use their laptops readily and type in my contact information themselves, as well as medical notes, etc.

3) Handle their billing themselves (I pay them cash or with my credit card while in their office and they hand write a receipt for me to file with my insurance).

4) They use email to communicate with patients.

Overall, a positive experience and I feel that I'm getting good care. Difficult to go to the grocery store today and not be able to lift anything with my right arm. A new experience. I left the groceries in the car and Rich brought them up when he came home today.

Reception at the US Ambassador's Residence

Elisabeth's Daisy Girl Scout Troop at ISB organized the craft on Monday for Toys for Tots. The reception was held at the residence of the US Ambassador to Brussels on Monday evening. Ambassador Gutman hosted the event with guest appearances from Santa Claus.

Rich met us at the residence. Unfortunately, I was late arriving with the girls. One of the tunnels we were to take closed. Finally, we arrived with thanks to the GPS. Couldn't have made it without it!

Elisabeth and her friends sang Christmas carols in front of the fire place to welcome Santa. Elisabeth hopped right upon Santa's lap and was very forthcoming with what she wanted for Christmas (littlest pet shop computer game!). Kate was more cautious. She sat and waited her turn to sit with Santa, but when the time came she ran away. She did go back to collect her candy cane from Santa but stayed away an arm's length.

Christmas in Brussels - The Grand Place & The Christmas Market

Last Monday I was on my weekly walk with my friend Karen when we stumbled upon St. Catherine's Square and St. Catherine's Church in the center of Brussels. It was the furthest we had walked from BEPS on a Monday. I was exhausted when I picked Kate up at noon, but I was also excited to take Rich, Elisabeth & Kate there.

So on Saturday we took the metro to St. Catherine Square to visit the the Christmas Market and the Grand Place of Brussels. We exited the metro and were in the center of St. Catherine's square and the market. St. Catherine's Church anchored the square to the east, the Ferris Wheel to the west. In Brussels, the Christmas Market stalls were lined on either side of the square: a mixture of local crafts, food and beverages. First, we bought something warm to drink. Then we took the girls to the merry-go-round. They rode it three times. First, they rode the airplane together on the merry-go-round (similar to the Wright Brother's plane). Then, Elisabeth rode the cello and Kate rode the dinosaur. On their last and final ride they both rode in the rockets together! (I need to learn how to upload photos - the most incredible merry-go-round I have ever seen).

Next we walked to the end of the square and rode the Ferris Wheel. This Ferris Wheel was smaller than the one at Lille, France last weekend. However, it was enclosed. Both Rich and I were scared and didn't like it when the girls moved. But, a great view of Brussels. We looked for chimney sweeps (aka Dick Van Dyke from the film Mary Poppins), but we didn't see any. We did see the Atomium and Rich's office building though.

After riding the Ferris Wheel Elisabeth and Kate went on three toboggan rides on an ice slide at the end of the square. Elisabeth had more control of her sled than Kate. A winter wonderland!

Finally, for our last adventure, we went ice skating in the outdoor rink in the center of St. Catherine's Square. Incredible to ice skate in the evening with the Christmas lights. There was a separate children's section with "walkers" for the girls so that they wouldn't fall down on the ice. The best was the "chair" - Kate sat in it while Elisabeth pushed her around the rink while ice skating. Rich and I were not far behind... Elisabeth was so proud of herself.

For dinner we ate at a local Brasserie. Lots of antiques in the restaurant: cash registers, scales, stoves, etc. About 80 Euros for dinner for four. A lot compared with the 30 Euros we spent at Pizza Hut last week for dinner. Next time we'll eat at the local McDonald's on the Grand Place (although it was nice to sit next to the old-fashioned stove and warm ourselves after skating).

To top off the evening we walked to the Grand Place for the light show. We stopped at a local chocolate shop, Elisabeth, to savor some of Belgium's finest chocolate.

Our outing lasted five hours (2pm - 7pm). It wasn't too crowded in the afternoon and early evening, but I would not advise going after 6pm because it was difficult for little ones to see the creche on the Grand Place with the crowds.

Kate and the Natural Sciences Museum - Brussels

Kate and Elisabeth attend different international schools in Brussels. Each school is perfect for each. The challenge for me is that the schools have different vacation schedules.

Last Friday Kate did not have school. She likes to growl a lot and pretend she is an animal so I decided to take her to the Natural Sciences Museum in Brussels. A fun morning outing and special time with Kate. We dropped off Elisabeth at school and then typed in the museum's address into the GPS and off we went.

Not too difficult to find. We took Chaussee de Wavre north towards Brussels. The Museum backs up to Parc Leopold, as well as the Solvay Library and EU Parliament buildings.

It was a drizzly morning. We spent the morning inside the museum. Exciting for Kate to see the dinosaurs. The best part was when Kate took off her shoes and climbed into a sand box to "dig for dinosaurs" - an incredible on-site paleontology and geology laboratory for children.

The new gallery is the largest dinosaur gallery in Europe. It contains the famous iguanodons of Bernissart as well as other dinosaur fossils. She was also quite interested in the dinosaur egg fossils too.

I was fascinated by the architecture of the new dinosaur wing of the museum: incredible circular staircases, vaulted ceilings and just the vastness of the new wing. It appeared to me that the new wing could have been an old department store similar to those in Chicago. I will need to research...

Natural Sciences Museum - Brussels

http://www.naturalsciences.be/museum

Sunday Afternoon at the Boisfort Market

Around Brussels there are lots of neighborhoods. Each has a distinct personality and many have their own Farmer's Market. One of our favorite Farmer's Market is in Boisfort.

Every Sunday after church we drive to the Boisfort Farmer's Market, rain or shine. We buy lunch at the market. Our favorites are the ribs or Thai food. The girls play outside on the playground: a nice play structure in the shape of a train. And, we buy Sunday dinner: usually chicken, potatoes and green beans (although sometimes we buy the ribs). We miss DC barbecue!

There is an incredible array of flower stands. I like the tulips. Elisabeth has her favorite t0o - sometimes we buy flowers and take to church for the altar. The girls love it!

The Boisfort Farmer's Market is about a 30 minute walk home to our apartment along Sovereign. One day Rich dropped me off and took the girls to a birthday party. I enjoyed strolling through the Farmer's Market and walked home. It was a beautiful autumn day.

This weekend we met friends at the Farmer's Market for lunch. A cloudy day, but the rain held off and the kids enjoyed playing on the playground. They pretended to be archaeologists digging in the ground for artifacts. They claimed to find a dinosaur and invited us over to look. They had traced the skeleton with a stick - very clever paleontologists! Overall a lovely Sunday afternoon outside.

A Visit to Lille, France

A friend of Elisabeth's told us about the Christmas Market in Lille, France. An incredibly rainy morning on Saturday so we hopped in the car and drove an hour southwest to the border of Belgium and France. It was a crisp and cool day for late November, but we enjoyed the blue skies!

Lille is the fourth largest city in France and has a fabulous Grand Place. We parked near the Grand Place in a large underground parking garage. We walked to the Grand Place and turned the corner to see an incredibly tall ferris wheel! The girls were amazed! The ferris wheel was in the middle of the Grand Place and a North Pole village. We rode the ferris wheel. Rich and I were a little scared! Incredible views of the city though. Fortunately, we noticed what looked like Lille's Christmas Market a few blocks away. After riding the ferris wheel we ate lunch at a small modern cafe on a corner of the Grand Place in Lille.

After lunch we bought roasted chestnuts on the street and walked to the Christmas Market. So much fun to see the local crafts from different regions around France. Rich took the girls to buy some food while I walked around the market. They enjoyed drinking hot chocolate and eating treats!

Lille, France

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lille_OSC

Chalet Robinson & the Bois de la Cambre

We met friends of Kate's from BEPS for brunch last Saturday at the Chalet Robinson in the Bois de la Cambre. It was an absolutely beautiful day with blue skies, green grass, and rolling hills The temperature was in the mid-sixties - very warm for Brussels in November. Brussels is known as one of the greenest cities in Europe with extensive woods and green space. For me, the hidden gem is the Bois de la Cambre.

We arrived early at 11am to play. The Chalet Robinson is located in the center of the Bois de la Cambre and opens at noon. At noon we took the ferry over the lake to the island. The boat ride is one Euro for adults, free for kids. Since it was early November we ate lunch inside (make sure you make a reservation!). I ordered the sole which was excellent and Rich ordered a steak. Kate and Elisabeth ordered hamburgers and fries (with a side order of broccoli per Mom and Dad).

After lunch we looked at the bunny rabbits in their cages on the island. The kids enjoyed playing tag on the nice green lawn. Then we rented a row boat on the lake. Elisabeth took us for a ride in the row boat on the lake around the Chalet Robinson. She had a little help from her Dad: It was a windy day!

An incredibly beautiful and ideal Saturday in Brussels. So nice to spend it with family and friends. Definitely on our "To Do" list for visitors to Brussels!

Chalet Robinson

http://www.chaletrobinson.be/

The Tooth Fairy

Elisabeth lost her first tooth today while brushing her teeth before bed. Such an exciting evening! According to Elisabeth's friends in Brussels, the tooth fairy is a mouse who brings money and toys.

Unfortunately, we couldn't find Elisabeth's tooth fairy pillow tonight. We wrapped the tooth in tissue paper and put it under her pillow.

I think the tooth fairy mouse will bring her a 50 cent piece (as well as other treats!). I packed them in August - let's hope I can find them!

Zebra Crossings: Parc Leopold and The European Quarter of Brussels

Kate attends BEPS, the Brussels English Primary School, in Brussels. The last few weeks Kate's class focused on transportation. They went on a field trip to look at different types of automobiles, rescue vehicles and stop lights. They practiced crossing the street at "zebra crossings" too. Kate refers to crosswalks as "zebra crossings" now. Several of her teacher's have British accents so when Kate says "zebra crossings" she uses a British accent too.

It has been difficult to cross the "zebra crossings" recently with Elisabeth and Kate. Usually, I hold one hand of each. However, I've been experiencing a lot of pain in my right hand, arm and shoulder so it is hard for me to hold their hand in my right hand. Several times I've lost feeling and strength in my right hand (for example, I couldn't pull on the sleeve of my sweater one morning, hold my hairbrush or hold the telephone in my right hand without experiencing pain). I think what I miss the most is holding hands with both the girls when we use the zebra crossing.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow with a rheumatologist to check my hand, shoulder and arm. The office is near Parc Leopold, a public park in the European Quarter of Brussels, as well as the seat of the European Union Parliament. It is the former site of the Royal Zoological Garden (Jardin Royal de Zoologie) in Brussels. Many rare trees and birds still in the area. I'm looking forward to a nice walk after my apartment.

With the current health care debate in the United States I am interested to see how the European health care system differs. Part of me hopes for a short appointment so that I can explore the gardens. The other part of me doesn't care how long the appointment takes - I would just like to have feeling back in my arm and be able to hold hands with Kate and Elisabeth when we cross the zebra crossings.

Elisabeth's First Article

We gave each of the girls a diary before our move to Brussels. Unfortunately, they lost the key to their journals a few weeks ago. We found the keys today. We tied a ribbon to each key, a blue ribbon for Elisabeth's and a yellow ribbon for Kate's.

Elisabeth (age 6) wrote her first article today:

"Nov. the 22 2009: To Daddy, Ardikl of the Day

Go up the Ipha Taur. It's so coll! You can sta for diner. Here is the Iphel Taur (arrow to her drawing of the Eiffel Tour - a pretty good/accurate drawing). Go up Dsember 26 Th. Evrey awr it lithes up. New ardickl! Sine up now! Sine your name (arrow to line to sign your name).

From Elisabeth."

Elisabeth said she is planning to write an article every day in her journal. She was glad she found the key. She put her journal on the table next to her Dad's seat so that he could read it in the morning.

Her Own Horse & Carriage

Travel with two young children is not easy. We did not bring a stroller to Brussels. We take every opportunity to have the girls walk (our key to a good night sleep). We keep the girls up from 7am until 7pm. We look for boat rides, carriage rides, bus rides, etc. while travelling - anything to give them a rest, but somehow keep going (and not spend the whole afternoon in a hotel room while napping).

Our first carriage ride was in Antwerp in August. We rode a double-decker trolley pulled by four incredibly strong horses. Our next carriage ride was more traditional: a small carriage in Ghent. Our driver was a woman and wore a beautiful hat with a ribbon. Our last carriage ride was in Brugges where we ate chocolates from Dumon, a local chocolatier, in the carriage. In each instance it was just what we all needed: a break from the walking, an English speaking tour guide and a chance to have a light snack. The girls always give an apple to the driver for the horse after our ride (I wish we could give them more). Likewise, they are concerned about the horse's well being, especially when the horse is out in the rain.

Elisabeth and Kate love horses, especially Elisabeth. She said that she wants to have her own horse and carriage when she grows up. She is asking to take riding lessons (do we say yes?). We read Black Beauty together this past summer. Elisabeth is currently reading Meghan's Mischief. As a first step, we're considering visiting a stable with her in Hoeilaart, a Flemish suburb of Brussels.

Villers Abbey and the Abbey of Maredsous

In mid-November we drove south to Wallonia, the southern region of Belgium which is predominantly a French speaking region. Wallonia is rich in iron and coal. Prior to WWII, Wallonia was the more prosperous half of Belgium. Wallonia was the first fully industrialized area in continental Europe and second only to the United Kingdom in the 19th century.

The Abbey of Maredsous

First, we visited The Abbey of Maredsous near Nemur. We heard that the bakery and cheese factory at Maredsous were quite good. Plus, it had a terrific playground with a zip line and extensive grounds to hike.

We were disappointed in Maredsous. Visitors were not allowed to tour the Abbey (except for the cafeteria, gift shop and church). The church was built recently in the 1800s (we wanted to see ruins and history!). Also, Maredsous seemed very commercial (it specialized in selling cheese and beer). There was a one hour tour of the Maredsous grounds, but the tour didn't start for another hour and was not in English.

The Villers Abbey

After lunch at Maredsous, we drove North towards Brussels. The highlight of our afternoon was visiting The Villers Abbey. According to its history, in 1146 twelve Cistercian monks and three lay brothers from Clairvaux came to Villers in order to establish the abbey on land granted them by Gauthier de Marbais. After establishing several preliminary sites (Villers I and Villers II), work was finally undertaken in the 13th century to build the current site. The choir was constructed by 1217, the crypt by 1240 and the refectory by 1267. The church itself took seventy years to build and was completed by the end of the century.

History of the Villers Abbey ruins

During this period, the abbey reached the height of its fame and importance. Contemporary accounts suggest that roughly 100 monks and 300 lay brothers resided within its walls. The lands attached to the abbey also expanded considerably, reaching some 100 km² of woods, fields and pasturage.

Decline set in during the 16th century, tied to the larger troubles of the Low Countries. Spanish "tercios", during the campaign of 1544, did considerable damage to the church and cloister, both of which were partially restored in 1587.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the abbey's fortunes continued to diminish. The number of monks and the abbey's wealth dwindled and it was finally abandoned in 1796 in the wake of the French Revolution.

Further degradation to the site occurred in 1855 when the railway line between Leuven and Charleroi passed through the old abbatial grounds.

In 1893, the Belgian state purchased the site and launched a conservation effort. Classed as an official historic site in 1973, the abbey has subsequently enjoyed considerable restoration, and the remains of the abbey along with numerous outbuildings can still be seen, including the cloister, refectory, kitchens, dormitories, and brewing house.

The church, although in ruins, is an outstanding example of Cistercian architecture, with imposing vaulting, arches and rose windows. It was sad for the girls to see the church in such a state - especially the rose windows. It is rare to see such craftsmanship and artistry and it should have been protected and preserved earlier.

All in all we will definitely return in the Spring or Summer. The abbey hosts an annual choir festival "Nuit Des Choeurs" in which a number of choirs sing a variety of music - classical through to gospel, jazz and pop arrangements - from different parts of the grounds over successive nights culminating in a firework display and centre stage concert.

Who Will Kate Marry When She Grows Up?

At dinner last week we discussed where we wanted to go next on vacation. Both girls mentioned London. Kate asked if we would meet the Queen of England and have tea. Kate said that she is going to marry a King when she grows up (perhaps Prince William or Prince Harry?). No. Kate said she is going to marry her Daddy.

The Princess and the Pea: No Beading in Bed

Rich and I enjoyed a nice quiet morning sleeping in today for Armistice Day. The girls were very quiet and were playing nicely in their room. An ideal morning - very rare. What was up?

Elisabeth and Kate had snuck into the playroom and taken the beading kit into their room. When Kate finished beading a necklace, she ran down the hall to our room to ask Rich to tie a knot in her necklace and ran back. When he walked into the girls' room he noticed the whole bucket of beads from a beading kit dumped on Elisabeth's bed - in the sheets, pillows, blankets - everywhere. We cleaned up the beads together. Let's hope they sleep through the night!

November 11, 2009: Armistice Day, Atomium and Mini-Europe

In Belgium and France they celebrate Armistice Day on November 11th to commemorate the end of WWI. World War I was formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. Officially it is a vacation day, businesses and schools are closed. Unofficially, Rich had to work in the office today. Rich took the girls on a bike ride this morning to their favorite pastry shop on Chausee de Wavre. When they returned we dropped him off at the Hermann-Debroux metro stop.

The Atomium

Elisabeth, Kate and I drove North of Brussels to Heysel to see The Atomium and Mini-Europe. It was our first big outing of just the Snyder girls. We arrived around 10:30am and found a terrific free parking space on the street. An impressive walk up a green lawn to the Atomium and incredible view of the city of Brussels. The Atomium was built for the World Fair in Brussels (Expo 1958) and is a very unique creation in the history of architecture. It symbolizes an iron crystal, magnified 165 billion times, referring to the power of nuclear energy in full development at that time and which was intended for peaceful use. We ate lunch in the cafe in one of the crystals. It felt like we were in space during lunch and while riding the escalators. Riding the escalator down we noticed a children's exhibit of sleeping "pods" - Elisabeth is anxious to have an overnight!

Mini-Europe

The girls were excited to walk over to Mini-Europe from the Atomium (at the Atomium the girls noticed a carousel out one of the windows - they love carousels). They were real troopers and didn't ask to be carried or shoulder rides. First, we rode the carousel. Second, we entered Mini-Europe. They noticed immediately the cities they had visited: The Grand Plaza in Brussels, the canals in Ghent and Brugges, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, etc.

Mini-Europe allows guests to learn more about the European Union (EU): to find out what these different people and countries have in common and what makes each one special (the models are built down to the finest detail to a scale of 1:25). I think the girls were very intrigued by London. Perhaps our next destination over Thanskgiving weekend. However, I enjoyed the models of the Northern European countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, etc. Not sure how we will fit it all before August - a Baltic cruise next summer looks appealing.

Rain, Rain Go Away Elisabeth and Kate Want to Play

While driving to Brugges last Saturday it started to rain. It began as a light rain. Then about thirty minutes into our drive we experienced a downpour. The rain did not let up. We pulled into Brugges and contemplated changing our plans. But, where would we go? We checked "nearby attractions" on the GPS and the only indoor option was to visit the Boudewign Seapark Aquarium (and to spend the whole afternoon indoors). We put on our rain boots, rain pants, raincoats and opened our umbrellas: we decided to brave the rain.

We didn't get far. We exited the parking garage at Koning Albert I Laan to a torrential downpour. Luckily, it was time for lunch. We snuck into a fabulous Belgian restaurant across the square for a two hour lunch and stayed warm and toasty. Elisabeth ordered tomato soup, Kate ordered spaghetti, I ordered the fish soup and Rich ordered the beef stew. Delicious! The girls especially enjoyed the rye bread! Two baskets!

The Belfry

After lunch we walked along Steenstr to the Grand Plaza. We climbed the Belfry which dominates the city's main square, the Market. A narrow, steep staircase of 366 steps leads to the top of the 83-meter-high building. There was no charge for children under three, but Kate climbed all 366 steps herself, up and down! We listened to a carillon concert while climbing and watched the carilloneur play the carillon on the hand keyboard (although Elisabeth complained that it was too loud).

Belgian Chocolates and a Carriage Ride

Fortunately for us it stopped raining when we left the Belfry. The square surrounding the Belfry is ringed with Gothic and ne0-gothic buildings. Elisabeth's favorite was the pink building, Kate's the yellow (not surprising to us!). Several small shops in Brugges make their own chocolate. While Elisabeth, Kate and I waited in line for the carriage ride, Rich walked to Dumon, one of the best chocolate stores and factories in Brugges. Fortunately, an American in line in front of us told Rich where it was located just off the Grand Plaza. Rich returned just in time for us to savor some chocolates during our 35 minute carriage ride through historic Brugges. Delicious! After the carriage ride Elisabeth said that she wants to have a carriage and drive it when she grows up!

Begijnhof

The carriage ride took us through historic Brugges. We stopped for 10 minutes at the Begijnhof to give the horse some water and oats. We strolled around the Begijnhof, one of the most picturesque squares in Brugges. The Begijnhof was originally a haven for women whose husband's died in the Crusades. The widows pledged obedience to God and spent their time praying and making lace for a living. Today, Begijnhof is home to the Benedictine nuns.

The Church of Our Lady: Michelangelo's Madonna and Child

After the carriage ride we walked to The Church of Our Lady to see Michelangelo's Madonna and Child, his only sculpture outside of Italy. Upon entering the Church Elisabeth was in awe of the sculpture. She just wanted to sit and look at it. She asked questions about the other sculptures, but the Madonna and Child captured her attention most (although I wonder if she was just tired from walking all day?).

Canal Ride

We exited the Church of Our Lady around 4:00pm. We had just enough time for a quick boat ride on the canal before dinner. Brugges is often called the "Venice of the North" and its canals are impressive and beautiful. Taking the boat tour provided one of the best ways to see Brugges and understand it (especially with two young children in tow!).

Quicko's (= McDonald's)

The girls were exhausted, as were we. So we walked back to the Grand Plaza and found a Quicko's. A quick 30 minute meal. We enjoyed chicken nuggets, fries, hamburgers and coca-cola (the girls had milk) while looking out over the Grand Plaza. Just what we needed before walking back to the parking garage and driving home to Brussels.

All in all a great decision to brave the rain: we enjoyed a fabulous lunch at a gourmet restaurant and had a terrific afternoon discovering Brugges with the girls. Nice for us that the blue sky appeared after the Belfry! We fell in love with Brugges. There was so much to see that we will have to return to visit the Chocolate Museum, the Groeninge Museum, the Gruuthuse Museum, the St. Janshospitaal, the windmills and the Memling Museum. We found ourselves fascinated with Brugges, the people, the history and the art.

H1N1 In Brussels

We've been on "fall break" for two weeks in Brussels. On the last day of Kate's school, I received a memo stating that H1N1 was going through her class. Just what we needed. A stomach virus is also going around. The good news is that after two weeks of being sick (and out of school!) we are finally healthy (although exhausted!). We are heading to Brugges today. Will report back on our travels.

October: Weekend in Paris

Our Itinerary for Paris

Friday Morning

7:15 Leave the House via Taxi Bleu

7:45 Arrive Train Station

8:16 Train Leaves

9:40 Train Arrives in Paris

10 :00 Arrive Hotel Metrole Residence Opera, Leave Bags at Hotel

10:30 Leave Hotel

11:00 Go to Jardin Des Tuileries

12:00 Eat Lunch at the Louvre

1:00 Go to Louvre

2:00 Walk along the Seine; Boat Tour 2:30pm

4:00. Walk to Eiffel Tower. Go up tower and then have dinner at snack bar part way up Eiffel tower. Ride Carousel, etc.

5:45 Descend Eiffel Tower. Go back to Louvre . Either re-enter for exhibits or just walk around and have an ice cream or something.

Saturday

8:30 Notre Dame Cathedral

10:00 Walking Tour of old Paris (Rick Steve’s Guide)

12:00 Lunch near Luxembourg Gardens. Play at Luxembourg gardens. Sail boats.

1:30-4. Musee de Orsay

4pm Walk through Jardin Des Tuileries

5pm Dinner at a Cafe

6:00 Train Home

Elisabeth & Kate in Paris

Last week Elisabeth had a four-day weekend at school for parent-teacher conferences. Her conference was the first of the day so we decided to take the train to Paris for the weekend.

FRIDAY

On Friday morning we took a taxi to the train station in Brussels, Gare du Midi. Our Thalys train left at 8:15am and arrived in Paris at 9:40 am at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris. We took a cab to our hotel, the Hotel Metrole Residence Opera, on the left bank. We left our bags and car seats at the hotel and then headed off on foot to explore the city.

Tulieres Garden

We did not bring a stroller to Europe so we walked with the girls on our shoulders to the Jardin de Tulieres. We enjoyed a pastry in the park and sat in the sculpture garden. At one end of the garden they were installing a new sculpture. The girls found it interesting to watch the forklift. We walked from one end of the garden to the Champs Elysees. Elisabeth noticed that the obelisk at the Place de la Concorde was smaller than the Washington Monument. They enjoyed seeing the Eiffel Tower from a distance.

Louvre

Next we visited the Louvre. First, we ate lunch. We had planned to eat lunch at the tea room, but opted for the cafeteria instead. After lunch we sought out Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. We spent a lot of time resting on the couches in the gallery. Rich and I took turns staying with the girls as the other walked through the galleries. We tried to find our favorite in each gallery or something funny in a painting.

The Seine

After the Louvre, we walked south along the Seine toward the Eiffel Tower. Our boat tour left at 2:30pm. It was just what we all needed after walking all morning. Elisabeth and Kate enjoyed taking pictures with my camera. Elisabeth also enjoyed having her picture taken with the Asian tourists on the boat. They were all in awe of Elisabeth (Kate did not want to have her picture taken!).

Eiffel Tower

After the boat tour we walked along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. A bit of a drizzle during the walk. We ducked into a covered bus stop to avoid the rain. Luckily for us the line for the Eiffel Tower was relatively short after the rain. I quickly jumped in line while Rich took Elisabeth and Kate across the street to the carousel. The girls enjoyed a ride or two before joining me in line for the Eiffel Tower. We took the elevator to the second level and walked around and then proceeded to the top. What a breathtaking view of Paris! We opted not to spend 200 Euro each on dinner at the restaurant. We ate at the second floor cafeteria and the girls enjoyed Orangina soda, pizza and hot dogs.

SATURDAY

The girls woke up early Saturday morning (despite our best efforts to tire them out on Friday!). We checked out of our hotel and stored our bags in the lower level. Then we ventured out for breakfast. We were craving bacon and eggs (or at least I was!). Not many cafes open that early on a Saturday.

We found a lovely little café that was open and ate a big breakfast. The bacon and eggs were delicious – they were cooked together in a skillet and served on a plate intermingled with the bacon fried in the egg.

Notre Dame Cathedral

After breakfast we walked with the girls on our shoulders from our hotel to the Notre Dame Cathedral. We walked past the Louvre and the Jardin de Tulieres and along the Seine. Once at the cathedral the girls enjoyed the rose window, but what they most wanted to do was light candles for family and friends.

Once outside we enjoyed walking along the Seine outside of the church and played in the playground. The girls did not want to leave, but we were hungry for a snack and there were no cafes nearby.

Farmers Market in the Historic Neighborhood

We walked along the Seine and then crossed a bridge to the historic core of Paris on the right bank. We bought some pastries and fruit at a farmer’s market there. We had planned to do the Walking tour of Old Paris (Rick Steve’s Guide), but were tired.

Shakespeare & Company Bookstore

I am volunteering at the library at Elisabeth's school once a week. Regine at the library suggested that we visit the Shakespeare & Company Bookstore on the Right Bank. We stumbled upon it. Rich and Elisabeth enjoyed looking at books while I took Kate to the WC at the café next door. Elisabeth picked out a book about Matisse. Kate picked a book about Cezanne. We climbed the narrow staircase of the bookstore to see the alcoves where writers typed in the early 20^th century: a cozy little children’s section in the bookstore on the second floor.

Luxembourg Gardens

We walked from the Seine inland to the Luxembourg Gardens. The girls enjoyed sailing miniature sailboats there. Kate’s was yellow with a clownfish on it. Elisabeth’s was pink. There was a café at the gardens, however the girls saw a McDonald’s so we went to McDonald’s for lunch.

After McDonald’s we bought some delicious chocolates from a local shop and munched on those while we walked to the Musee d’Orsay.

Musee d'Orsay

Elisabeth was very interested in Matisse and found several paintings in her new book that she wanted to find. Her favorite was Study of a Pine Tree (1904). We picked up a map of the museum and found the rooms where Matisse paintings were located. Kate wanted to see the Little Dancer by Degas so we found the Degas rooms as well and charted our course through the museum. I think they appreciated the paintings and sculptures, but again we took turns sitting with them on the couches while the other toured each gallery. Afterwards the girls enjoyed playing in the sculpture gallery in the Musee d’Orsay. Luckily, nothing broke.

We ate a snack at the café in the Musee d’Orsay. We sat and rested before the walk back to our hotel on the other side of the Seine…shoulder rides....what a great way to travel!

Technopolis & Planckendael (Mechelen & Leuven)

We planned a trip to Planckendael, a breeding ground for the Antwerp Zoo, in Leuven, Belgium last Saturday. However, as we jumped into the car at 9:30am it started to rain in Brussels (and continued to rain....). We were not prepared: we had rain coats and rain pants, but we forgot our rain boots and umbrellas. We checked our GPS for "Nearby Attractions" and decided upon Technopolis.

Technopolis

http://www.technopolis.be/nl/index.php

Technopolis is a science museum for children with hundreds of interactive experiments. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more: Elisabeth, Kate or Rich. Rich enjoyed the combination of science and technology and watching Elisabeth and Kate explore - he wants to return every weekend! There is a great room at the entrance with water play with damns and locks, fake plumbing, etc. For the younger kids there was a grocery store, pizza parlor, etc. Kate enjoyed making me pizza and bringing it to my table in a pizza to-go box. Technopolis is huge - we could have spent the whole day there and not experienced all of the exhibits.

Mechelen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechelen

Rather than eat at the cafe at Technopolis, we ventured into Mechelen and ate lunch at a local restaurant. Nice to explore historic Mechelen and the architecture.

Planckendael

http://www.planckendael.be/

After lunch the sky opened up and the sun peeked through the clouds. Rather than drive home to Brussels, we headed back to Planckendael in Leuven. Elisabeth brought along her sketch book and colored pencils to sketch the animals. First, she sketched a pelican. Next she sketched a peacock topiary in a garden, and finally a rhinoceros. We enjoyed resting on a bench while she sketched the animals. She tried to sketch Kate, but Kate wouldn't sit still long enough.

Planckendael is a family-friendly zoo. It is very flat terrain and very easy to navigate. There are playgrounds (with cafes for parents!) interspersed throughout the zoo. The playgrounds include trampolines, ponds with rafts and a pull line, traditional Native American tepees, petting zoos, tree houses, etc. Elisabeth enjoyed the pond and the raft. She pulled herself across it with the pull line a dozen times. Kate loves Pocahontas so she enjoyed the Native American village and the tepees. I think their favorite was having snack with the giraffes. We climbed to the second story of the giraffes "barn" and ate with the giraffes - they were so close!

One thing we did not do was take the boat from Mechelen to Planckendael. Apparently, if you park in Mechelen there is a boat that goes to Planckendael. We'll save it for next time....

October in Ghent

Our first weekend in October we visited Flemish city of Ghent with its ancient cobbled streets and winding canals. It was our first rainy, windy and cold Saturday in Belgium. We packed raincoats, rain pants, and umbrellas so we were prepared!

Belfort

First, we visited the Belfort, an ancient medieval tower in the heart of the historic center of Ghent. The girls enjoyed walking up the turret and learning about how bells are made. A magnificent view of the historic city of Ghent from the tower. There were also some torture exhibits that we quickly bypassed.

Chocolates

The Belfort is situated in between the cathedral and the town hall. We enjoyed some chocolates from a local chocolatier while we waited for the carriage ride. In the basement of the chocolate store was a chocolate factory and the girls enjoyed watching the chocolate machines. Perhaps we should start reading Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...

http://www.roalddahl.com/

Carriage Ride

After visiting the Belfort we were ready for a rest. Several horse-drawn carriages were available just outside the Belfort. We enjoyed a 45 minute carriage ride through Ghent. The tour guide provided information about Ghent in English. It was the perfect way to discover Ghent and provide an overview of the city.

Het Gravensteen Castle

Next we walked through the historic center of Ghent to the Het Gravensteen Castle. Elisabeth and Kate enjoyed exploring the castle and pretending to be princesses. Again there were torture exhibits which we quickly bypassed. How do you explain a guillotine to a three and six year old? Outside of the castle walls was a giant iron spider web. Elisabeth and Kate enjoyed climbing the spider web.

Architectural Boat Tour

The sun opened in the sky around 4:00pm so we decided to join an architectural boat tour of Ghent along the canal and the rivers Scheldt and Lys. The girls were tired too so a boat ride provided a nice rest before dinner and a 45 minute drive home to Brussels.

Overall a wonderful medieval city to visit. I would highly recommend the newly renovated Marriott hotel on the canal. Quite picturesque and easy walking distance to everything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent

The Water in Brussels

After our first week of living in Brussels, a chalky substance accumulated on the faucets, the sinks and the bathtubs. What was it? Had the girls drawn with chalk in the bathrooms? Apparently, the water in Brussels is very hard and has a high concentration of calcium. I asked a new friend about it and they had the same problem (unfortunately, her husband had been living here for a year before she arrived so she really has her work cut out for her).

White Vinegar & Lemon Juice

I recently took the Hints Class to Living in Brussels at the American Women's Club of Brussels (AWCB). A class that I couldn't live here without - one session provided lots of great information about housecleaning in Brussels! After the AWCB presentation, I went to Carrefour, our local Walmart, and bought cleaning supplies. Not exactly how I imagined my days abroad, but we're making it a family project. The girls are having fun cleaning their sinks!

Using white vinegar is also a great solution. My friend Tania recommended that I mix white vinegar, water and lemon juice. It gets rid of the calcium build-up in a flash. Thanks Tania!

Kidney Stones

In addition to posing cleaning challenges, the calcium in the water causes health problems, namely kidney stones. We are now buying mineral water at our local grocery for drinking and cooking. We're only here for one year, but I don't want to risk an emergency room visit to one of the local French hospitals. Medical care here is excellent, but my french is very poor!

Laundry

Another result of high calcium content in the water is that clothes wear out faster. We bought new clothes for the girls for school over the summer. I have washed them just a few times, but I can see they have faded. I bought two drying racks at the local Carrefour and dry everything on the clothes rack now. I've also bought a product that supposedly cuts down on the calcium in the washer. I put in a tablet for each wash. Lots of time spent doing laundry....

Dishwasher

Another problem with high calcium deposits is that the dishes and glasses have spots. We need to add rock salt to the dishwasher (similar to the salt that we put out on the sidewalks in the States). Haven't done it yet, but will have Rich help me this weekend.

Ironing

Before leaving for Belgium a grandmother of Elisabeth's classmates told me I would need to iron. We've started ironing once a week in Brussels (usually while we watch TV in the evening). Lots of fun to iron together.

When we first started ironing our clothes, we noticed white chalky substance on the shirts when we used the steam setting. The calcium was everywhere! We need to use distilled water in the iron. Fortunately, we are able to get the distilled water from the washing machine compartment so we don't have to buy it.

Drycleaning in the States is very inexpensive. In contrast, one dress shirt in Brussels costs 6 or 7 euro (=$10). Happy to do the ironing ourselves and save money for travel in Europe.

Playgrounds in Brussels: Tournay Solvay and Rouge Cloiter

Our first week in Brussels we wondered what we would do with Elisabeth and Kate: were there parks for kids, play grounds, etc.? Everything we had read said that Belgium was not kid-friendly, especially restaurants. We had heard that dogs were treated better - often sitting at a table in a restaurant with a plate of food.

Fortunately, Elisabeth's school, International School of Brussels (ISB), sent a list of play grounds in Brussels. This list was especially helpful as school did not begin for another few weeks. Here are two of our favorites.

Tournay Solvay, Boitsfort

One of the first parks we visited was Tournay Solvay park in Boitsfort. We parked at the Boitsfort parking lot and entered the imposing iron gates to the park. In French, "bois" means wood and "fort" means strong. The park itself is heavily wooded with a huge tree canopy. Kate calls it the "tree tunnel" because she can't see the sky through the trees.

The girls picked a path and we proceeded to cross an old bridge, meandering towards the haunted house, the Tournay Solvay mansion. The mansion is in ruins and somewhat overwhelming for the girls. Incredible architecture. We quickly passed the mansion and walked down the hill. At the bottom of the hill we discovered three or four ponds with weeping willow trees and, in some places, covered by fog (very spooky - a great place to visit for Halloween). We passed the lakes and then headed up a steep hill (a "mud mountain" according to Kate). At the top of the hill is an apple orchard and just past the orchard a walled garden with a maze. The girls enjoyed running through the labyrinth. Exiting the walled garden on the other side we turned right and walked through a short tunnel. At the exit of the tunnel we could see a clearing in the woods and a terrific park with an airplane, a slide and forts. We enjoyed our time at the park and the walk back to the car. What an adventurous morning!

http://www.opt.be/informations/tourist_attractions_watermael_boitsfort__park_tournay_solvay/en/V/17547.html

Rouge Cloitre, Auderghem

During our first week we also enjoyed an outing to Rouge Cloiter park in Auderghem. We parked on the street next to a soccer stadium and walked along a tree-lined path that meandered through a field. There is an impressive stone wall in the distance. As we turned a corner we looked down a slight hill and saw the most delightful park with a pirate theme. The girls especially enjoyed the zip line and pirate ship. The park is enclosed by a fence and very well manicured hedge. Down the hill is another playground, but we haven't been there yet...a long hike back up.

http://www.opt.be/informations/tourist_attractions_auderghem__rouge_cloitre_park/en/V/39694.html

Antwerp and the Zoo

Each Saturday we select a new city to visit in Belgium. A few weeks ago we visited Antwerp. The girls had heard about a new baby elephant, Kai, at the Antwerp Zoo. The zoo is very kid- friendly. It is flat, has a few play grounds scattered about and you can see all the animals in two hours or so.

Car or Train?

We considered taking the train to Antwerp. The trains in Belgium are very clean and efficient. Plus, the train station in Antwerp is incredibly beautiful. In the end, we decided to drive (too much to drive to the train station, park the car and buy the train tickets with two kids).

http://www.antwerpen.be/eCache/BEN/52.html

Antwerp Zoo

The zoo is one of the oldest and most famous zoos in the world. The zoo was very easy to navigate. The girls held the map and directed us. The girls especially enjoyed the penguins (Elisabeth is currently reading Mr. Popper's Penguins). Elisabeth and Kate also liked the monkeys: two were playing with a stick of bamboo and the girls enjoyed observing their sisterly skirmish.

We especially enjoyed the elephants and the newest addition, Kai. Next to the elephant area was a tree house. The girls climbed the rope ladder to the tree house. They could watch the elephants from the tree house and then slide down the slide. We stayed for about 45 minutes watching the elephants and playing on the slide and rope ladder.

http://www.zooantwerpen.be/

Antwerp Central Railway Station

Adjacent to the zoo is the Antwerp Central Railway Station. Rich and I enjoyed showing the girls the trains. Beautiful architecture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antwerpen-Centraal_railway_station

The Grote Market

We drove from the Antwerp Central Railway Station to the Grote Market in Antwerp. It was difficult to find parking. Next time we'll take the street car. The girls enjoyed the medieval feel of the city and the Grote Market. We enjoyed a horse drawn carriage ride around the old city of Antwerp.

The day we visited Antwerp, the citizens were celebrating the anniversary of Antwerp's liberation from the Nazi's in WWII by the Allied forces. We enjoyed watching the reenactment of the Allied forces entering the city. Lots of Brits, antique tanks, jeeps, and people in military dress. The girls enjoyed the Scottish bagpipes and the marching bands.

Note: Some incredible shopping in Antwerp. Very chic...saving it for our next visit!

De Haan & The Beach

Everyone told us to pack winter clothes for Brussels. However, we are enjoying some incredibly warm and sunny weather here. We've visited the beach three times since August.

We took advantage of the weather and drove to de Haan, on the northwest coast of Belgium. De Haan is a quaint little beach town, hundreds of years old, with beautiful architecture. Most of the buildings are white stucco with orange tile roofs. There are no high rises or modern buildings.

We headed straight to the beach and enjoyed swimming in the North Sea. The beach was 300 meters wide at low tide and stretched along the coast. Lots of sand dunes. We all went in at first. Rich and Elisabeth braved the cold for a long swim and Kate and I hid on the beach under the beach towels. Kate was overwhelmed. The girls enjoyed collecting sea shells, watching kite surfers, and strolling on the beach.

At de Haan, the local children make flowers out of colored tissue paper and sell them for sea shells. Elisabeth and Kate enjoyed collecting sea shells to buy the flowers. Perhaps they can sell their own flowers next summer...

After the beach we walked to the town center to play on the extensive play ground. We enjoyed putt putt golf, moonbounces, go carts and face painting before pizza for dinner and a relaxing drive back to Brussels.

We're thinking about returning next summer and renting a house at de Haan next the beach and the town center....

The Netherlands & A Visit to De Hoge Veluwe National Park

We enjoyed a trek to the Netherlands and loaded the girls new very pink bicycles on the bike rack Saturday morning. Surprisingly, the bike rack and bikes fit on our little silver Citroen.

Herberg Rijzenburg

A little tricky navigating out of Brussels - our two hour drive turned into a three hour drive. However, we arrived in time for lunch at a quaint little restaurant, Herberg Rijzenburg, in the Netherlands just outside of the park near the Schaarsbergen entrance. Elisabeth and Kate enjoyed playing hide and seek in the trees adjacent to the patio. They collected chestnuts while we waited for our food. The roof of the buildings in the Netherlands were made of moss.

De Hoge Veluwe National Park

We then drove the 12 km into the de Hoge Veluwe park. There are boar and moose inside the park. We looked carefully, but didn't see any wild animals during the drive. The girls noticed the landscape - there were lots of sand dunes (but no ocean). It reminded us of a desert.

Bike Trails

There are 1600 bikes available to visitors, free of charge, at the De Hoge Veluwe National Park. When we first arrived, we unloaded the bikes and hopped on the bike trail. Incredibly beautiful day in the Netherlands. Kate and Elisabeth were confident bike riders. However, it was challenging biking on narrow trails when a whole Dutch extended family on bicycles would approach. Unlike DC trails, bikers bike side-by-side and in some cases four or five across. They do not ride single file or say "passing on the left" to notify other people on bicycles. A few near misses.

Kroller Muller Collection

After our bike ride we visited the cafe at the museum for some bubble juice (aka Sprite) and some cookies. I love that drinks come with cookies on the side in Belgium and the Netherlands. So yummy! The Kroller Muller Collection is housed in the museum. Helene Kroller Muller collected works of art during her lifetime. In the 1920's and 1930's her company was severely hit by the depression and she donated her collection to the Dutch State. The collection includes many paintings by Van Gogh, Seurat, Renoir and Picasso. There is also an extensive sculpture garden. Quite impressive. (Today, Elisabeth and Kate were playing with beads and wire. During clean up time, I picked up some wire to throw away, but Elisabeth said it was her "sculpture" and that I shouldn't throw it away.) Kate's favorite painting was a clown with a violin by Auguste Renoir. Elisabeth's favorite was Van Gogh's Bridge of Arles (Pont de Langlois, 1888).

De Koperen Kop and Play Ground

After the museum we drove to the De Koperen Kop restaurant and play ground for an afternoon of fun. The playground was rustic with tree houses, zip lines, basket swings, logs, horses, etc. Elisabeth and Kate enjoyed it. Elisabeth's favorite was the basket swing and tree house: To climb to the tree house she had to cross a log 15 feet in the air and to get down she had to use a rope. Some good pictures of Rich spotting her! Kate's favorite was her swing: for the first time Kate was able to sit on her swing and then stand on the swing herself. Quite strong.

We enjoyed a nice dinner on the patio adjacent to the park. Surprisingly, the weather was beautiful, warm and sunny in September. The girls fell asleep in the car on the drive home. A three hour drive for us, but Rich and I enjoyed talking and catching up on the week.

No Car Day in Belgium

Sunday, September 20, 2009 was "no car" day in Belgium. All public transportation was free: streetcars, trams, buses, metro, etc. The streets were opened to the public and full of people biking, roller skating, walking, etc. to promote alternative transportation and environmental awareness.

In the morning we walked to the tram station and took the 94 tram to Avenue Louise in the city center. We attended mass at the Anglican church, Holy Trinity, and enjoyed a lovely "English" breakfast downtown. The sermon was incredibly thoughtful and worth the long trek. Holy Trinity

http://www.htbrussels.com/news.html

We took the tram home, but Kate was tired on the return journey so I took her home for a nap. Rich and Elisabeth continued on to the Boisfort market. They bought a delicious plum pastry and bouquet of flowers for me.

Boisfort

http://www.watermael-boitsfort.be/

In the afternoon we biked on Avenue de Sovereign. Exciting to see everyone on their bikes in the streets. Elisabeth and Kate rode their new bikes and Rich and I tried to keep up with them! Both were pretty in pink on their pink bicycles!

No Car Day in Brussels

http://english.cctv.com/20090921/102226.shtml

Bouillon & Dinant

We enjoyed a fun weekend exploring Belgium. Earlier in the week we bought the girls new bicycles. Both are very pink with baskets, streamers on the handle bars and lots of flowers. Elisabeth has a 20 inch bike (without training wheels) and Kate has a 16 inch bike (with training wheels). Early on Saturday morning we bicycled to our local pastry shop for a tart de citron. Delicious! We biked along the bike path along the Parc de Woluwe - a former railroad line that has since been converted to a lovely shaded bike path. The highlight was when Kate had a little tumble and Rich's pastry fell down "a mud mountain" (according to Kate). Glad Kate didn't go down the mud mountain with her bike! There is a great park for kids along the trail. The girls enjoyed eating their pastry and playing at the park.

Parc de Woluwe

http://www.opt.be/informations/attractions_touristiques_woluwe_saint_pierre__parc_de_woluwe/fr/V/17557.html

Bouillon

Mid-morning we piled into our little Citroen and drove to Bouillon in the Ardennes. Bouillon is southeast of Brussels so it was easy to take the E411. About an hour and a half drive. Bouillon is situated on the Semois river and the Castle of Bouillon looks over the river valley. We enjoyed a picnic lunch along the river and then hiked up the hill to the "princess" castle. Our first. Very well maintained and fun to explore. Especially enjoyed a Birds of Prey exhibition with hawks, eagles, condors, vultures, owls, etc. Truly incredible. The girls thought the Condor was a turkey!

Bouillon

http://www.trabel.com/bouillon/bouillon.htm

Castle of Boullion

http://www.trabel.com/bouillon/bouillon-castle.htm

Dinant

After touring the castle, we enjoyed an ice cream along the river. We jumped in the car and enjoyed a scenic drive through the Belgian countryside. The Ardennes are especially beautiful in autumn. We drove to Dinant known for William Sax, the inventor of the saxophone. We took a cable car up a steep cliff to a fortress on top of the mountain. Truly incredible! There is a wonderful children's park at the top. It had a zip line and the girls enjoyed swinging on the line and playing "pirates" at the park. We toured the fortress later in the afternoon. The elderly tour guide led the tour and spoke four languages (French, English, Dutch and German) for the audience. I think the girls were impressed. Today Kate said in the car, "I speak English, German and French."

http://www.trabel.com/dinant/dinant.htm

At 5pm we started to look for a restaurant for dinner. Unfortunately, all the restaurants were closed until 6pm. We decided to try a restaurant that was open on the waterfront and enjoyed a lovely meal on the balcony looking out over the river, Meuse. Rich enjoyed a steak, I enjoyed lamb and the girls had an incredibly delicious chicken with fries and applesauce! Rich and I agreed that the chicken was the most delicious.