Will and Kate in Luxembourg

A Perfect Snow

2012-02-01T12:37:00.001+01:00

I have a love-hate relationship with snow. I love to look at it, I love to watch the kids play in it, but I hate driving in it, I hate how cold it is, I hate when it turns the sidewalks into treacherous sheets of ice, I hate the inevitable brown slush, and most of all -- did I mention? -- I hate driving in it.

But this week we had what I'd call a perfect snow: just enough to cover everything with a light dusting, to let the kids fling snowballs at each other, but not enough for all the other unpleasant things that go along with snow.

Everything looks better with a light dusting of snow!

Perfect.

Two Years

2012-01-19T21:50:00.001+01:00

So today marks the second anniversary of our arrival in Luxembourg. Two years. Can you believe it?? Here are some highlights from our second year here:

January:

Indoor skiing in Amneville, France. Kate's first time on skis.

February:

Our trip to London

March:

Skiing in Austria

..and some hiking too

Springtime with friends in the park

April:

Someone got roller blades for his 7th birthday!

And Kate got her first bike.

May:

Making daisy chains in Echternach

And some trampolining

June:

Amsterdam!

National Day in Lux

July: Our trip back to the U.S.

Healthy American breakfast

Foggy beaches in San Francisco

August:

Schueberfouer here in Lux (after two years here I still can't spell that word!)

September:

Apple picking in Steinsel

The amazing castle, Burg Eltz, Germany

October:

Kate turned 5!

Will's arm ended up in a sling

Trick-or-treating! (At least the sling went well with his mummy costume.)

November: I was once again blown away by the fall foliage

And we went on a huge road trip through Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland:

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

A rare family photo in Venice

December:

Kate's Christmas play. She was a doll.

And we took another long road trip through France and Switzerland.

Somewhere in Switzerland

Snow angels in Chamonix, France

It snowed. A LOT!!

And the kids enjoyed some excellent regional food:

Kate enjoying Tartiflette in Chamonix

Belgian waffles at the Brussels Christmas market

Whew! What a year. In total, we visited ten countries in our second year here, but we have so many more we want to see. Don't worry, we have big plans for 2012...

Road Trip -- Part ?? IV I think

2012-01-16T21:14:00.001+01:00

Even though we finished this road trip nearly two months ago (and have since undertaken another one nearly as long), I do want to post about the last leg of our journey. It annoys me to leave things unfinished, so here it is.

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896 kilometers
9 hours 31 minutes

The last leg of our trip took us from Vicenza, Italy, to Lucerne, Switzerland, where we stayed one night, and finally, FINALLY, back home to Luxembourg.

It was a beautiful drive.

Though much of the mountains was hidden by fog,

we could see dozens of little waterfalls tumbling off the side of the hills.

We didn't have much time in Lucerne, but we still enjoyed walking around and looking at the sights. Unfortunately, it was nearly dark by the time we'd checked into our hotel and set off, so we don't have too many photos.

In front of one of Lucerne's covered bridges

The river running through the city was especially beautiful:

Silly girl.

The best part of the day for Kate, though, was her first taste of fondue. Bread and cheese.--her ideal dinner.

This was good practice for our next road trip (Chamonix, France) in which Kate probably ate her body weight in cheese, most of it the really stinky kind much to her brother's dismay.

Will, who has decided that all cheese is disgusting, was not happy with our choice of restaurant. Chocolate fondue for dessert cheered him right up, though...

Poor, neglected blog

2012-01-12T10:17:00.000+01:00

I'm sorry for the long absence. I've been writing entries in my head but they somehow haven't made it here yet. But they will soon, promise!

Road Trip - Part III, Venice

2011-11-21T19:32:00.000+01:00

We arrived in Vicenza Friday evening, where we'd remain until Monday morning. We stayed with a colleague of Roger's (and his family), and they turned out to be excellent hosts. We really enjoyed their fantastic hospitality (and outstanding cooking!) and they were also generous enough to play tour guide for us the next day when we visited Venice. Seeing Venice with Italians who know the city well? That's the way to do it!

We drove from Vicenza to Venice, parked on the outskirts and then took a boat into the city. Because you can't drive there. Obviously.

Will refused to be in this one.

We didn't really have an agenda or a list of "must-see" destinations. Rather, we just wandered around all day, exploring.

We stopped to admire the gondolas*...

...the narrow canals...

...the bridges...

...and the architecture:

Beautiful.

I tried to get a few good photos of the kids...

...but failed miserably. As usual.

We probably covered most of the city on foot, stumbling across scenic locations as we walked.
The kids particularly loved this winged lion statue:

After a while Kate got tired of walking. So Will helped her out:

I wish he could've given me a piggy-back ride. Someday!

But the highlight of the day for the kids?
Exquisite gondolas?
Fantastic pizza?
Beautiful art?
Amazing architecture?

Nope. Pigeons!

The kids spent a good 20 minutes feeding the pigeons (the last of their snacks, I might add, which they deeply regretted later).

They tried their best to coax the birds to land on their arms:

Will succeeded:

Kate was very impressed by this:

..but, unlike her brother, she didn't have much luck in convincing a pigeon to land on her. Just as well, in my opinion.

The highlight for me, strangely enough, was not the pigeons. I thoroughly enjoyed leisurely wandering through the city without the pressure of having to do and see everything. It was enough for me just to admire the beauty and soak up the atmosphere.

Such a lovely city!

Kate enjoying the view as we walked back to the water taxi.

* I have to admit we didn't spring for the super-expensive tour of Venice by Gondola. 34 Euros per person!!
Rather we crossed the canal on a gondola for practically nothing. Of course, we didn't have a singing gondolier in a striped shirt and funny hat. The kids were happy with our brief crossing and it was enough for me. But did we miss out? I don't know.

Road Trip, Day II -- Verona, Italy

2011-11-18T21:26:00.000+01:00

After a wonderful breakfast at our hotel in Schwangau, we left Germany and drove south through Austria towards Italy.

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I wish I hadn't been driving because the scenery was truly breathtaking: winding roads through the Alps, blue skies with perfect views of the snow-capped peaks. Incredible.

As we got further south, the sky darkened, the mist gathered and, by the time we reached Italy, it was pouring. By then we'd swapped drivers and I could snap a couple of photos of the Dolomites.

Beautiful, especially with the mist hanging about, but not nearly as impressive as the Austrian Alps.

Finally, we reached our destination, Verona, Italy, where we planned to spend a couple of hours before heading off to Vicenza to visit some friends.

Verona has some Roman ruins, like this impressive arena:

Guess who's hiding behind that umbrella?

That's right: Will! But I got him in this photo.

But it's most famous for being the setting of Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. Supposedly the Montague and Capulet families (or their real-life inspirations) lived here and you can even visit their homes.

This is Juliet's famous balcony, underneath which Romeo professed his eternal love:

And a statue of Juliet herself:

Supposedly, rubbing her right breast brings you good luck. Which explains why it's so shiny.

Though most of Verona was fairly quiet, Juliet's house was mobbed with tourists. Even stranger, as we entered the courtyard to her house, we noticed this wall stuck with thousands of globs of dried up chewing gum.

Apparently, you're supposed to write a love note and stick it to the wall somehow and most people seem to have resorted to gum. Ick. Kate stuck on a little note to her friend Ryan, with whom she's planning to marry and have 10 children. When she's much, much older, I hope.

There were also metal gates covered with padlocks left behind by couples to symbolize their eternal love.

A little nicer than chewing gum, right?

An explanation of the "locks of love" here.

Road Trip, Day 1: Neuschwanstein Castle

2011-11-12T19:09:00.001+01:00

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On our first day, we left Luxembourg and headed across Germany to the little town of Schwangau, home to the famous Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles. Because we were short on time, we chose only to visit one castle, Neuschwanstein, which was built by King Ludwig of Bavaria. Kate was extra excited to see this one since we'd told her that it was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland. That's all it took.

The castle is perched on the top of a hill, about a mile up, and we had the choice of taking a bus, a horse and carriage, or walking to reach the castle. Though the horse and carriage sounded like fun, we decided to walk up and then take the carriage down. (Unfortunately for us, our plan didn't work because we were too late to catch the carriage down and so we ended up walking both up and down the hill. My knees were not happy!).

But it was a beautiful walk.

There was even a little waterfall halfway up the hill.

We passed this beautiful restaurant right before reaching the castle.

As we reached the top, we were rewarded with incredible views of the castle from different angles.

The view from the top of the hill was gorgeous, especially with the fall foliage in its full glory. You can walk to this bridge directly across from the castle, which, I'm sure, would give a beautiful view of the castle. Unfortunately, we didn't have time. It gets dark so early these days!

But we did stop for a few pictures.

I even got a rare smiling one of Will!

The inside of the castle can only be seen on a guided tour, which we did, and it was worth the time. This was by far the most ornate castle we've visited so far. It's too bad they don't allow photos to be taken.

We spent the night in Schwangau and then got up early the next morning to head to Italy. More soon!

Road Trip

2011-11-08T22:22:00.000+01:00

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5 countries
5 days
1,899 km (1,180 miles)
19 hours, 9 minutes

Just got back. More later. :)

Toussaint

2011-11-01T22:07:00.003+01:00

While Halloween isn't really celebrated here, the next day, Toussaint, is an official holiday. Before moving to Luxembourg I wasn't too familiar with this holiday, though I'd heard of Mexico's Dia de Los Muertos, so the traditions were mostly new to me. Basically, La Toussaint (or "All Saint's Day") is a day when people go to cemeteries to honor their deceased relatives by placing chrysanthemums on their graves. This flower, by the way, is pretty much only seen on Toussaint because of its association with death!

Though I guess it is a little bit morbid, I love the idea of a holiday for remembering and honoring the dead, and I wanted to introduce the kids to this concept. We do often talk about family members who have passed away, but we don't ever go and visit their graves--for obvious reasons, I guess. Since we don't have any family buried here, we decided we'd take a trip to the American Military Cemetery in Luxembourg to honor some of the soldiers killed in nearby fighting during WWII. So the kids each picked out a flower (but not chrysanthemums; they didn't think they were very pretty. They went for pointsettias instead) to place on a soldier's grave.

Kate chose this one, a Jewish soldier, as indicated by the Star of David head stone...

...while Will, who has developed an impressive knowledge of WWII history, went for the big guy, General Patton himself:

I was glad to see that we weren't the only ones who thought to honor American soldiers on this day. There seemed to be a bigger crowd than usual at the cemetery, and there were two enormous wreaths of chrysanthemums adorning the chapel.

I've visited this cemetery several times now, and each time I'm incredibly moved.

All those rows and rows of headstones, each one representing some poor young man who never came home, resting eternally so far from friends and family.

It brings me to tears every time.

Upon leaving the cemetery, we walked back to the car over this gorgeous carpet of fall leaves...

Yes, this was taken before we came into the cemetery.

...which immediately prompted a fast and furious leaf fight.

So much for solemnity...

Halloween

2011-11-01T21:46:00.000+01:00

While I know that Halloween is not that big of a deal here, I was still glad the kids had a chance to get dressed up and do some trick-or-treating.

Here's Will giving his best evil mummy face. Note the arm in sling!

And here's my Little Red Riding Hood, complete with wolf in basket.

And here's LRRH about to be eaten by the evil, one-armed mummy.

Thanks to the American Women's Club of Luxembourg, kids here can experience trick-or-treating just like in America. Or almost.

The AWCL maps out a route in a nearby town and provides participating houses with candy (real American candy too! Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!) and then kids go along to only those houses.

It was a great event. Over 400 kids and 32 houses!

To top it off, at the end of the route there was a hot dog stand selling real American hot dogs, not the usual huge (and delicious) sausages more commonly found in these parts. They even had the authentic, cardboard-dry Wonder Bread hot dog buns.

A real taste of home...

Fall crafting

2011-10-30T22:59:00.001+01:00

Since fall is now officially my favorite season, I've been trying to find ways to take advantage of all the beautiful foliage around. So Kate and I have been busy crafting away. Last week we made a few leaf garlands:

They're really easy to do:

1) Gather beautiful fall leaves and press them for a week or two until they're flat.

2) Cover pressed leaves on both sides with Mod Podge.

3) Let the Mod Podge dry:

The colander's not mandatory but we found it worked pretty well. Or you can lay the leaves on waxed paper, dry side down, flip over and paint the other side then let dry.

4) Use a glue gun to attach the leaves to a length of string, yarn or twine.

6) Hang them all over your house!

Kate and I may have gone a little crazy with the leaf garlands, but they're so pretty!

Our next project didn't turn out quite as expected, but it's still pretty, I think:

For this one, take pressed but un-Mod Podged leaves, paint a thin layer of Mod Podge over a glass or jar, stick on the leaves and cover them with Mod Podge, then let dry. Well, that was the plan. But the leaves wouldn't stick to the jar! So we got out some plain white glue and stuck them on, then painted over the leaves with Mod Podge. But the leaves still weren't sticking! So I got the brilliant idea of wrapping waxed paper over the wet leaves, all around the glass, thinking I'd peel the waxed paper off later after the glue had dried. However, my "waxed paper" turned out to be tissue paper, which wouldn't peel off. So we got an opaque candleholder instead of a clear one. Still pretty, but not what we expected.

We've now managed to use up all the beautiful leaves we've gathered so we're off to the forest again tomorrow to find some more.

Not that we mind. Look at this!

Definitely not a hardship to take a walk through these woods...

As always, I can't take credit for these craft ideas. They're from here:
Leaf garland
Candleholder

Mantelsonndeg + Birthday party

2011-10-24T19:33:00.001+02:00

So yesterday was a very exciting day, for more than one reason: Not only was it Kate's birthday party (a little late as we didn't want to drag poor Uncle Sean and Aunt Heather to a crazy kids' play place on their trip to Europe), but it was also Mantelsonndeg. What's Mantelsonndeg, you ask? It's the day, literally "Coat Sunday" when the stores in Luxembourg are open on Sunday so that people can go out and buy their winter coats. As the stores are always closed on Sunday, this is very exciting and hordes of people descend on the local shopping centers to buy their winter clothing. While, unlike some people, I still can't get used to Sundays with nothing open (seriously, nothing!!), I resisted the temptation to join the crowd and get some good deals on winter clothing. No discount is worth fighting that mob, let me tell you!

Instead, we headed over to Arlon, Belgium, to a local kids' play area to celebrate Kate's 5th birthday with 14 of her little friends. A good time was had by all, I think. The kids played, ate pizza and cake, parents chatted and drank coffee -- what's not to love?

Here are a few pictures from the day:

The cake

The guests

The happy birthday girl

Blowing out the candles

There was one person who didn't really enjoy the party -- Will -- and not just because he was surrounded by "annoying" 4- and 5-year-olds. A couple of days ago he took a nasty spill off some play equipment and ended up with a badly bruised, but thankfully not broken, arm which he has to keep in a sling for a week. So what fun is a play place when you can't play? Poor Will!

Wouldn't it have made a better story if he were injured fighting over a coat in the Mantelsonndeg crowds?

Burg Eltz

2011-10-20T21:51:00.000+02:00

A couple of weeks ago, during what was probably the last warm, sunny weekend for MONTHS, we took a little trip to Burg Eltz in Germany.

I can't explain how much I loved this place. The castle was straight out of a fairy tale, and the setting? Spectacular!

I think fall must be the best time to go. Those leaves!

We hiked down from the car park about a kilometer through the forest:

.. to get to the castle.

There's a nice restaurant...

And little windows for peeking out:

See Kate behind all the sunbeams?

Will's best picture face.

And an armory that impressed even Will (though he's still upset I wouldn't let him spend 30 Euros on a crossbow at the gift shop):

It was a gorgeous place, one of my favorites of all the castles we've seen so far. Hot and tired after our day of exploring, we hiked back through the forest to find our car. The kids were thirsty, so when we saw this little booth we thought we'd just buy them an apple juice before we hit the road:

Just one little problem: They only served wine -- which, for some reason, they were giving away. In the parking lot. Before everyone got in their cars and drove home. Europe -- gotta love it!

I ♥ Luxembourg: Travel Opportunities!

2011-10-18T12:30:00.003+02:00

See the motorway sign? DFB = Germany, France, Belgium, all just a short drive from Lux City

From my house:
Belgium..................16.4 kilometers (10.2 miles)

France.....................22.2 kilometers (13.8 miles)

Germany.................35.1 kilometers (21.8 miles)

One of my favorite things about Luxembourg is how close it is to... everything! Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in the world (only 998 square miles -- smaller than the state of Rhode Island), and situated smack dab in the middle of Europe, which makes it ideal for traveling. So far since we've been here, we've visited France, Germany and Belgium (obviously), Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, England and Tunisia. If we throw in Roger's business travels, we could add Spain, Norway, Denmark and Ireland too. (But that doesn't really count. He's always in some other country.) Compared to some of our friends here, we've hardly seen anything. We've got a lot more traveling to do before we go home. We need to get on that!

Luxembourg is, in fact, so small that some people go to other countries just to do their shopping. People often grocery shop in Germany since it's much cheaper, and every time I need to go to Ikea I head over to Belgium. One time I even went to Germany by mistake. It's surprisingly easy to do, especially since there are no more border controls so you barely notice you've entered a new country.

As an American from a big state, I still marvel at how compact Europe is, Luxembourg in particular. In California, it would take us hours of driving just to reach a state border. And when you cross a state border nothing really changes. Here? Not true. Though, because of the EU, the money stays the same, the language does not. Yet another reason to be multilingual like nearly everyone here. Simply amazing. But that's another post altogether....

Leaf printing

2011-10-16T20:31:00.001+02:00

The kids and I have been enjoying the beautiful fall leaves and a couple of weeks ago decided to do something fun with them. Here's the end result:

Kate agreed to model hers.

Will refused.

We've been gathering and pressing tons more leaves for some future crafts. I love fall!

Apple Festival

2011-10-02T22:32:00.001+02:00

One of our favorite fall outings last year was the day we spent picking apples in Steinsel. So this year, when the annual apple festival rolled around, we couldn't wait to go.

Will grabbed a wheelbarrow, and we were off to find some apples.

He (recklessly) steered down (off) the path until we found a likely row...

And then the kids raced off to do some picking.

They didn't have to run far. Unlike last year when the orchard was pretty well picked over, this year there were plenty.

Bright, shiny red apples....

Almost as big as Kate's head!

And apparently really delicious.

After we'd filled our bags, we set off for some cider and apple treats:

This is the cider press that makes the most delicious cider I've ever tasted!

It was, as usual, a great day. And we came home with tons of apples. I'm not even going to tell you how many kilos of apples we picked. It's a little embarrassing. But that means that I've been busy turning all our apples into delicious baked goods.

So far I've made two apple tarts (plain, above, and an apple custard one), an apple cake and four dozen apple muffins. 16 apples down, 200 to go!

I foresee a lot of applesauce in our future...

Home Part IV -- Texas

2011-09-27T21:29:00.001+02:00

After a few weeks in California, we boarded a plane for Texas, where we spent one week. Since we're now so used to marathon flights, the 3.5 hour trip seemed like nothing. There wasn't even a movie, but the kids didn't mind a bit. Will passed the time taking photos...

...mostly of clouds but also a couple of Roger, sound asleep and snoring. I won't post those here. :)

Once in Texas, we spent our time visiting with family. The kids were so happy to see Gigi again, and we managed to see just about everyone else too.

Here's Kate with her great-grandfather:

The kids loved playing with their sweet cousin, Samuel:

We also found time to visit a cute little children's museum where Kate got to don an apron and do some painting:

Really, we did just about whatever we could to beat the heat. Texas was HOT. Hot, hot, hot.

108 degrees F = 42 degrees celsius

This will forever be engraved in my mind as the trip where I learned to appreciate ice. (I never liked ice in my drinks before -- too cold -- but in 108-degree weather? Necessary!)

It will also forever be engraved in my memory for another reason. Let's just say the kids and I had been enjoying a lot of togetherness over the past four weeks, sharing every waking and sleeping moment AND, apparently, something else. I just love it when my children share with me. No idea where or when we picked up this charming little problem, but it involved a major freak-out on my part, countless trips to the drug store and even a visit to this place, which by the way has the catchiest jingle ever and was worth every penny.

That little bump aside, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit, but all too soon it was over and we headed back to California where we spent one more week catching up with friends before hopping on a plane (or two) back to Luxembourg.

Home, Part III -- San Francisco

2011-09-23T14:20:00.001+02:00

As the kids and I discovered this summer, there's nothing like playing tourist to make you appreciate (and miss) your hometown. And San Francisco is one of the best!

On one of our first days there, we drove all around the city and stopped to admire one of the beautiful bridges (San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridge),

I did have to angle the camera carefully to cut out the homeless people smoking joints. Ahh, San Francisco...

Then we took a roller-coaster ride down Lombard Street:

Image from here

And then had a wonderful lunch by the beach. But since it was August in San Francisco, instead of being able to see the ocean, literally across the street, we saw this:

I didn't take this photo. It's from here

So a few days later, hoping for warmer weather, we headed south and spent a wonderful afternoon at Gilroy Gardens with friends:

In case you can't tell, this is Kate's "mean" face

The next day, back up to S.F. to play with the fascinating exhibits at the Exploratorium:

Again, he won't kiss his mother but he'll drink out of a toilet. Hmmph.

And then we strolled around the Palace of Fine Arts:

While in CA, we ate a TON of Mexican food...

And, yes, she ate the entire plate of super nachos.

...and enjoyed really healthy hotel breakfast buffets.

Remember his vegetarian phase? Clearly over.

We also revisited some of our favorite parks and playgrounds in the Bay Area:

Magic Mountain in San Mateo

And spent a nearly fog-free day at the beach by Crissy Field:

That's Alcatraz there behind the seagull.

The kids even found and "reassembled" this poor little crab.

They couldn't understand why I refused to let him come home with us.

Kate took home half the beach in her swimsuit anyway, so there was no room for dismembered crustaceans.

This is the Dahlia Garden near the Flower Conservatory in Golden Gate Park:

It blooms every August - October. One of my favorite places in S.F.!

Then we headed over to Children's Playground to test out the amazing concrete slides. These have been there for at least 30 years, I think.

You sit on a piece of cardboard so you really fly!

We were also fortunate enough to attend the wedding of some very good friends while we were in California. The kids had a blast, and the setting -- spectacular!!!

Kate, with the fog rolling over the hills behind her.

There were so many beautiful photo opportunities that the kids (read: Will) got a little tired of posing for me.

Just outside our hotel. Poor Will. Being photographed AND hugged. The horror!

But he felt better after I let him take the next photo up a tree.

Next up, from damp, freezing fog to the scorching heat of Texas...

Home, part II -- Family in CA

2011-09-21T22:00:00.000+02:00

The best part of coming home? While Trader Joe's, Target and good customer service rank at the top of my list, they certainly can't compare to spending time with family:

Will and Grandpa

And swimming in the warm California sunshine. We did lots of swimming!

with cousins:

And second-cousins (?):

and a couple of dogs!

Taken two seconds before the dog jumped on Will and nearly drowned them both!

There were cannonball competitions:

And Slip-N-Slide marathons:

Fountain splashing:

Dining alfresco

And more quality time with cousins:

A once-a-year family photo op:

And even the chance to cuddle up to a sweet pet dove.

Don't ask me to explain how even Will, who has declared all kissing "disgusting," who only allows me to kiss him when he's asleep, had no problem puckering up to a bird:

So he doesn't look thrilled. But he did it! I'm slightly offended.

We also found time to reconnect with some very good friends.

Kate and Ryan plan to get married and have 10 kids.

Emily cuddling up to her favorite "Woo"

It was such a nice visit, but seeing all these wonderful people just once a year is not enough. I hope to tempt at least a few of them to come visit us this year. Seriously, what are you all waiting for??

Home...

2011-09-03T20:05:00.001+02:00

Where we've been the last five weeks.

It was wonderful.

I'll be back soon with more pictures and updates!

I Love Luxembourg: Carless streets!

2011-07-19T22:09:00.000+02:00

I know lots of European cities have these pedestrian-only zones in the city center, but it was new thing for me. And I love it! Where else could my silly kids stand in the middle of the street without me having to worry about them getting run over?

I would love to see some of these pedestrian only zones popping up in America someday soon!

I Love Luxembourg: Flowers

2011-07-17T17:24:00.000+02:00

Yet another thing I love about living somewhere with real seasons: Each month in spring and summer, a new flower blooms, if only for a few weeks.

In late winter, the first sign of spring, snowdrops:

March brings crocuses:

In April, the tulips come out:

May brings fields and fields of brilliant yellow flowers:

And in June, red poppies everywhere:

In late summer, the sunflowers appear:

And then it's time for fall with its gorgeous colors... but that's for another post.

Summer baking

2011-07-12T16:07:00.000+02:00

I couldn't resist buying an enormous tub of cherries at the supermarket last week, more cherries than even my cherry-loving children could consume, so we decided to use up all those extras in a cobbler.

One problem: a ton of cherries to pit and no pitter. SO we used my best friend Google to figure out how remove those pesky stones sans pitter, and discovered this fantastic method:

Center cherry over (empty) beer bottle, poke hard plastic straw down, the pit falls into the bottle. Easy!!

This worked amazingly well, though the cherries have to be ripe and the straw hard plastic. We did about 4 cups of cherries in maybe 10-15 minutes. The kids thought it was really fun, and it minimized the mess since the cherry pits all fell right into the bottle. Of course, environmental guilt forced me to painstakingly shake all the pits out of the bottle so it could still be recycled. But if you skipped that step, then this method is really fast. I love Google.

Here's the finished cobbler:

With ice cream on top, of course!

Warm cherry cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream? It doesn't get any better than that!

I Love Luxembourg: Built into the Rock

2011-07-08T21:47:00.002+02:00

If you've ever been to Luxembourg, you probably remember the impressive old town, with its gorgeous cliffs and ancient ruined fortress, and of course, the casemates, an incredible labyrinth of tunnels carved into solid rock with windows offering spectacular views over the valley below.

While the casemates are impressive, they're public. Everyone knows about them. It's one of the places you have to take friends and family when they come to visit. So, for me, they've lost a little of their impressiveness (and I have to admit I lost some of my enthusiasm for them when I learned they were closed for the winter because they provide a safe place to hibernate for thousands of bats. Ick. Bats. You know how I feel about bats.)

So while I acknowledge that the casemates are pretty amazing, they pale in comparison to a few other gems I stumbled upon in my exploration of the city.

Like these houses in the Petrusse Valley:

What I wouldn't give to take a peek inside these houses. Did the architect leave the rock exposed or conceal it behind a wall? Doesn't it feel like a cave with an entire windowless wall? Who lives there??

What do you do when you want to build something but are faced with a solid wall of rock? You incorporate it into your structure, of course! One less wall to build...

And then there's this chapel. St. Quirin, also in the Petrusse Valley. It too is built right into the rock. I've never gone inside this one but I definitely will someday.

Photo from : http://www.building.am

There's another little building carved into solid rock that I just noticed the other day, despite the fact that I've driven past it twice a day for a 18 months taking the kids to and from school. It looks a bit like the chapel above but much more dilapidated, abandoned, even. I need to stop, take a photo and do a little exploring someday soon.

And if you don't feel like building into the rock, how about perching precariously atop it?

This house looks to me like it should be perched atop a giant sea cliff with enormous waves crashing below it. But, no, it just overlooks an ordinary street. Ordinary for Luxembourg, that is...

What I love about Luxembourg

2011-07-06T22:19:00.003+02:00

I love Luxembourg. I really do. I think it's a beautiful, unique, utterly charming country. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here, I cherish the people I've met, the places I've visited, the experiences I've had, the little (and not so little) differences that remind me that I am in a whole new part of the world.

However, in the past few weeks I've been feeling, to put it bluntly, like I can't wait to get the hell out of this country and go back to America.

Maybe all expats feel like this at some point. For me, I think it's a combination of a few things: the endlessly long school year (July 15!); the constant pain of my knee injury (3 months now!) and the uncertainty about whether I'm facing surgery; a husband who travels constantly, leaving me with sole responsibility for house and kids (you try managing two kids and a 5-story house with knees that don't do stairs. 3 months of going up the stairs on my butt!); plus the fact that I haven't seen my family in an entire year. (Note to family: COME VISIT!!)

Last week, after nine days away, Roger came home to find me crying on the couch while the kids enjoyed a dinner of chips, crackers and day-old pastries. It was not a pretty sight.

I know that all of this is temporary. It's been a rough spring, brutal, I think, when I'm really feeling sorry for myself, but these feelings will pass. I am sure that a good, long trip home will rejuvenate me, give me some perspective (really, I don't have it so bad. I know that.), and restore my enthusiasm for life in Luxembourg.

So, to get me through these last couple of weeks before school is out and I can, in fact, get back to the good old U.S. of A. for a long visit with my family (and possibly a knee surgery or two), I thought I'd try writing about some of the things that make me love this country and my experience here. Maybe a reminder of how lucky I am to be in this incredible place will snap me out of my self-pitying funk.

There are actually dozens of things that I love about Luxembourg not particularly things that other people would appreciate or even notice, which is why I haven't posted them here before*, but if listing them cheers me up and reminds me of why I love it here, then that's a good thing, isn't it?

So, with that said, here it is, the first thing about Luxembourg that I absolutely love, something that makes me happy every single day, without exception:

FORESTS!

The view from my deck in early spring.

Luxembourg is surrounded by forests, and they are glorious. Having never lived anywhere near a real forest, I didn't realize how much I would love it. Spring, summer, winter, fall -- it doesn't matter. I love the forest in every single season. In fact, I really can't decide which season I love best. Fall is spectacular, with all the magnificent colors, but then spring is so exciting with the neon green leaves, the bright color after all the months of drabness.

But then winter can also be spectacular:

Really, the forest is gorgeous in any season. And did you know that from any point in Luxembourg City you can walk to forest in 15 minutes or less? I'm even luckier because I don't have to travel 15 minutes, I have the forest literally in my back yard. Even though I can't spend hours walking in the woods (because of my knees) like I used to, I can still sit on my back deck, enjoy a glass of wine and watch the birds and butterflies--and bats--swoop through the trees.

Now who could be depressed with a view like that?

Not me... :)

* Okay, so maybe I have posted about forests before, once or twice or twelve times. But it's a big one for me.

Springtime Summary

2011-07-06T21:14:00.001+02:00

I know I haven't been posting much here lately but that doesn't mean we've been sitting around doing nothing. On the contrary! I also know that it's technically summer, but since the kids are still in school, in my mind it's still springtime. So, with that in mind, here's a picture review of what we've been doing in the last month or two:

Hanging out at Parc Merveilleux,

where we renewed our love affair with these adorable little monkeys:

They're called Tamarins and I WANT ONE!!

Walked around the lake in Echternach where we stopped to make a few daisy chains:

and to jump on the crazy bungee trampoline:

Took a few swimming lessons:

And visited the zoo at Amneville, France:

These two little monkeys were much cuter than the real thing.

Made friends with the neighborhood cows:

Ate some popsicles and enjoyed their aftereffects:

Made only with natural coloring, I'm sure.

Spent a lovely afternoon enjoying the free games and activities set up in honor of Luxembourg's National Day:

While Kate visited the face-painting booth,

Will decided to try something a little more strenuous:

He made it up about 15 feet before declaring it impossibly hard.

And stopped at a scenic point to enjoy one of Luxembourg's most beautiful views...

This picture reminds me of why I love Luxembourg so much. Look at that view!

Amsterdam

2011-06-04T11:42:00.003+02:00

Since there was no school this week and Roger had to work in Amsterdam for a couple of days anyway, the kids and I took the train from Luxembourg and met Roger there. We managed to do quite a bit despite the fact that I'm still nursing a fairly bad knee injury and had to hobble around the city like an old lady. I suggested to Roger that we rent one of these bikes so he could pedal us all around, but he didn't like that idea. I can't imagine why.

Anyway, it was beautiful.

Kate and Roger were happy to pose on the bridge with all the bicycles

Will was not so cooperative.

I have about 100 pictures like this

But finally I got a good one... or at least one with him in the frame.

He lost a bet with me (that we'd see at least 10 houseboats on our walk back to the hotel) so he had to pose nicely with his sister for at least one picture. He was not happy but he did it.

We also took a canal boat cruise...

...and hopped off at the NEMO Science Center.

Wow. The kids thought that was the. best. place. ever! It's a lot like the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and the kids could touch, experiment and play with things as much as they liked.

Fortunately for us, all the exhibits were labeled in both Dutch and English so we could even understand everything. Unfortunately for us, we had less than two hours there and I think we could've easily spent an entire day. Next time!

We also stopped by the Van Gogh Museum for a quick visit. I'm the one who wanted to go since I love Van Gogh, but I thought Will would also like it since he studied Van Gogh in school last year and recreated his Sunflowers:

His painting was even selected to hang in the library in our town!

I was mildly right. The kids thought it was "fine," but they were much happier after we headed over to the nearby Vondelpark.

There we fed some ducks...

...walked over picturesque bridges...

...and explored the playgrounds.

We actually went there two days in a row... thus the different clothing.

It was such a great trip. On the train ride back, Kate said, "I already miss Amsterdam. When can we go back?" Very soon, I hope!

Addendum to Conversation with Kate: Will's perspective

2011-05-21T22:58:00.001+02:00

Me: Will, Kate said she wasn't sure if she'd love me if I were ugly and stinky. What about you? Would you still love me?

Will: Oh, sure, I'd still love you. I just wouldn't hug you.

Conversation with Kate

2011-05-21T13:23:00.003+02:00

Kate: Mommy, you know why I love you?
Me: Why?
Kate: Because you always look pretty and you smell so good.
Me: That's nice. But would you love me if I were stinky and ugly?
Kate: (long pause) Maybe...

How I spent my day...or, I am not an idiot -- am I?

2011-05-05T22:35:00.001+02:00

People ask me all the time, Now that the kids are in school full-time and you don't work, what do you do all day? As if the laundry, housecleaning, French classes and, ahem, endless coffee-drinking with friends, weren't enough to fill my day, I find myself spending inordinate amounts of time doing things that should take no time at all. Do all expats do this? Or is it just me?

For example, a simple trip to the grocery store to gather ingredients for the special Dutch pancakes Will loves might first require a visit to Google Translate to look up the French word for "buckwheat flour," because I certainly didn't learn that one in French class. Then, once at the store, after circling countless times for a parking spot out front, giving up, heading to the underground parking garage to attempt to squeeze my car into the miniscule slots they call parking places here, I traipse five miles through the sprawling hypermarché to reach the baking aisle. I then scour the shelves -- closely examining all 500 different types of flour -- for ones likely to be buckwheat flour.

At this point I discover that all the labels on the likely candidates are in Luxembourgish. Crap. Not even my friend, Google Translate, can help me now since it doesn't do Luxembourgish. Double crap. I'm just debating whether to waylay a friendly passerby to ask after "farine de sarrasin," when I see that some of the flour sacks also have German labels in small print at the bottom. This, Google Translate can do! So I use my handy iPhone to look up "buckwheat flour" in German (Buchweizenmehl, in case you were wondering).

And so, just two short hours later, success! Will was very happy. And I was too. After all, I have all day to myself so I'm thrilled to spend two hours tracking down just the right flour for my son's favorite treat.

And then the latest one. I needed to call the place that's hosting Will's upcoming birthday party to tell them how many children would be attending (and that they'd need to provide the cake because I am not risking any more trips to the baking aisle in the immediate future). Simple, right? Having already researched (again using my best friend, Google Translate) what I was going to say, I check their website, dial the number I find on the page -- and get a message that this number doesn't exist. So I check the website again and realize -- silly me -- that number was actually their IBAN number. Oops.

So I scroll down and find, in tiny print, the actual phone number. Feeling very silly for having made such a dumb mistake, I dial the new number -- and get a busy signal. Okay, no problem. I'll try again later. Which I do, every 15 minutes for two hours. Very strange for a business that is, according to its website, open right now. Then again, this is Luxembourg, and they could just be having an extra-long lunch. At this point, I suddenly realize that, despite the fact that this place is 15 minutes from my house, it is actually in Belgium, not Luxembourg. A whole different country. With a whole different country code. That would explain it.

Again, I feel like an idiot.

Of course, I don't actually know the country code for Belgium, so I once again turn to the Internet. After Googling "country code Belgium" I find this very handy website called howtocallabroad.com. Plug in your location and the country you need to call, and it tells you exactly what to dial. Perfect! So I dial the new number and, once again, get a busy signal. Though I feel that something is probably not right with the new number, I try again every 15 minutes for another hour. Then, in desperation, I start randomly deleting zeros since there seem to be too many of them. Success! Apparently there was an extra zero between the country code and the real number. Who knew? Not howtocallabroad.com, apparently.

So, there you go. That, my friends, is what I do all day. I have to wonder if all expats face this or if I am I just extraordinarily slow. Whenever I consider looking into getting a job here -- you know, to fill up all my free time -- days like this bring me right back to my senses.

Easter/Birthday Recap

2011-04-29T21:18:00.015+02:00

Easter Sunday just happened to be Will's 7th birthday, so we had two reasons to celebrate. Here's our day in pictures:

This is actually the day before -- egg dyeing.

Will really got into it

Not sure what brought about this spontaneous show of affection.

First thing in the morning we had our Easter Egg Hunt

That crazy Easter Bunny left Will a bow and arrow!

He had to promise not to point it at any living things -- especially his sister.

After the egg hunt, it was time for birthday presents.

Here's Will opening his birthday card from Kate.

She gave him bubble gum (or gubble bum, as she calls it).

He liked it enough to give her a hug -- a sure sign of a good gift!

My science book got a more mixed review. He'll appreciate it later, I'm sure.

But the biggest hit of the day?

One that requires a helmet? And lots of padding?

Roller blades! We wasted no time testing them out.

While Will tried out his new skates, Kate rode around on her bike.

And picked flowers in the forest.

Finally, we had some cake -- Easter Bunny birthday cake, carrot, of course!

How to survive a long road trip with small children ... Or why there's no such thing as being too prepared!

2011-04-16T22:05:00.002+02:00

I was a little worried before we set off on our road trip to Austria since it was, according to Google maps, a seven-hour drive -- and that's without traffic. Long drives and small children? You know how that is... With memories of not-so-pleasant journeys ("Mom, I'm bored! There's nothing to DO! How much longer till we're there? Mom! Kate touched me!" "Mom! Will's looking at me! Make him STOP!") echoing in my head, I got to work preparing activities for the kids so we could have a peaceful, relaxing trip. Busy kids are happy kids, right? And happy (quiet) kids = happy parents.

First up: Each kid got an art binder with a brand new notepad, crayons, pencils and stickers.

Kate was so disappointed that hers wasn't pink. But she got over it.

Lacing cards and lots of thick, fun yarn:

Sandpaper and yarn for creating fun designs:

Kate's favorite -- "Felt Land" -- just a sheet of felt for a background and then various shapes and objects cut out of felt. Apparently, felt sticks to felt so it's easy to design all kinds of scenes and designs. So simple but she loved it!

The castle was Will's idea. He suggested a princess too but that was beyond my scissor skills.

And Will's favorite -- a map and list of all the countries in Europe for playing the license plate game. Each time he saw a car from a new country, he'd locate the country on the map, write in its initials, then cross it off the list. Entertaining and educational!

He spotted cars from 18 countries, and upon pulling onto our street actually saw a car from Andorra. Andorra? What are the odds of that!

Each activity went into its own manila folder, all of which were neatly contained in a box to be seat-belted into the space between the two kids so no one could knock it to the ground if they both dove for the same activity at once. Yes, it happens.

Toss in a couple of travel pillows, a few books and a huge bag of snacks, and you've got some very happy kids!

Just to be on the safe side we brought along just a bit of technology too: an iPad, an iPod, two iPhones and a Nintendo DS (most of which was barely touched). But in my mind* you can never be too prepared, especially when a "seven-hour" drives turn into nine hours... or longer**.

And, how did it go? I'm happy to report that the kids were happily engaged for the entire trip. Roger and I even got to listen to This American Life podcasts the whole time. The kids were so quiet I had to keep looking back to see if they were asleep (they weren't). In fact, when we arrived in Austria they were actually disappointed because they hadn't had enough time playing with all their new activities. Can you imagine? After SEVEN hours in the car? Silly kids...

Anyway, the travel box, as it's come to be known, was a huge success and I'm insisting, much to the kids' disappointment, that all the activities included are only to be used on road trips, never at home. So the box has been relegated to the back of a closet patiently awaiting our next long drive...

* Roger thought I was crazy. "Just put a couple of extra movies on the iPad and be done with it!" he told me. Okay, that probably would've worked too... but it wouldn't have been as much fun for me. For the kids? Who knows.

** Yes, it took over nine hours to get back. Despite the fact that we attempted to drive fast enough that those Germans didn't blow us off the road when they zoomed past at 150+ km an hour, we hit several spots of bad traffic.

Austria!

2011-04-16T21:58:00.001+02:00

A few weeks ago we took the kids out of school for a few days (shh!!) and headed to Alpbach, Austria, for a quick ski vacation. It was beautiful!

There wasn't a ton of snow, and upon arriving, we weren't sure whether we'd be able to ski or not.

Better stay on that path!

But, not to worry. The top of the mountain was covered:

Roger skied all day, both days.

The kids went to all-day ski school both days we were there.

Kate found a new best friend there. They called each
other "Briar Rose"-- clearly a match made in heaven.

Will was ready to tackle the mountain. But the ski instructors said no way since there weren't many beginner slopes because of lack of snow. But, by the end of the second day, he was ready.

And me? I skied in the morning (if you could call it that; I'm kind of pathetic on skis. I need beginner slopes, baby slopes, really), and in the afternoon I read outside by the pool, admiring the view, snuggled in a warm blanket, or I hiked. Way better than skiing!

While I couldn't get enough of the views, I also loved the architecture. All these little buildings scattered around:

Check out the rocks on the roof!

Are they holding the roof on??

Can you spot the kitty in this one?

There he is!

Hiking in these mountains was one of my favorite things we've done since moving to Europe. I can't wait to go back!

Frogs in love

2011-04-02T16:01:00.000+02:00

This morning I stepped out my back door nearly right onto this:

As the kids said, "Look, Mom! They're hugging!"

After I screamed (and grabbed the camera), I had to answer many questions about what the frogs were doing. We decided these two little frogs just like each other so much that they're giving each other a big hug. A big, slimy frog hug. Ick.

Now I know what to expect on my lawn in a couple of days:

These showed up on our lawn nearly exactly a year ago. No little frogs ever emerged.

Poisson d'Avril

2011-04-02T15:38:00.001+02:00

It turns out they celebrate April Fool's Day here too, but it's a little different. They call it Poisson d'Avril (April Fish??), and rather than playing random jokes, people try to stick a little fish on someone without being noticed. (I did see a couple of people walking around with paper fish on their backs yesterday.) Fortunately for me, no one told my kids about this. It's right up their alley.

In addition to pasting fish on the backs of unsuspecting victims, people here seem to celebrate the 1st of April with all kinds of delicious fish-shaped foods: cakes, pastries, chocolates. To make up for the breakfast prank, I decided to surprise the kids with this cake:

Of course, in the spirit of April Fool's Day, I couldn't resist telling the kids that the cake was actually made of fish. (It's not.) But it's not too much of a stretch, since, as Will reminded me, "They do eat frog's legs here, after all."

Will was going to eat it no matter what, but Kate? She wasn't so sure.

But then she gave it a try...

The verdict? Delicious!

They said they'd eat fish cake anytime. And me? I'm already busy dreaming up even better pranks for next year...

April Fool's!

2011-04-01T11:31:00.000+02:00

We love April Fool's Day around here. Usually Will and I spend weeks thinking of the best pranks to play on Daddy. One year we replaced his hair gel with lime jello (he didn't notice); another, we parked his car around the corner so he would think it was stolen (this one he did notice).

But, since Roger's currently in Canada, we can't play jokes on him, so the poor, unsuspecting kids bore the brunt of my April Fool's humor.

This was their breakfast today:

Looks perfectly normal, right?

Well, it's not. The milk is actually gelatin and the cereal? Frozen! With the spoon right in...

The kids were so confused. Poor Kate said, "There's something wrong with my milk. I think you put egg in it instead."

After Will tried to eat his cereal and the whole bowl came up when he lifted the spoon, he clued in: "Wait a minute, what day is it? AWWW, MOM!!"

I crack myself up....

More signs of spring

2011-03-28T20:22:00.000+02:00

Kate and I bought some little bird feeder balls at the store a few months ago, and the birds have been gobbling them up. Could be because Kate went a little crazy and hung up all 10 of them on our deck. Consequently, we have flocks of birds feeding just outside our window.

They're awfully cute.

What they're leaving all over our deck? Not so cute... Don't worry, no photos of that.

Spring is in the air...

2011-03-15T20:15:00.000+01:00

It's been warming up gradually over the past few weeks (up to a whopping 18 degrees C today!), and the flowers are beginning to peek out:

Crocuses in the park

I love the striped ones!

Will & Kate in London!

2011-03-04T19:25:00.000+01:00

During the kids' half-term break, we headed to London. Since Roger and I have both spent significant time there, we decided to make this trip ALL about the kids--which always makes traveling with small children much easier. Yes, we have learned from our mistakes.

To prepare for our visit, we talked up London a lot, which for Kate meant all things royal: the queen, the palaces and the upcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. (How convenient that there will be a real-life Prince Will & Princess Kate! You can only imagine how that boggles the mind of a young Kate obsessed with princesses!). We also found a darling book called Katie in London (how perfect is that?) in which a little girl named Kate takes a tour of London on one of the giant lions from Trafalgar Square. That plus a London coloring book helped Kate feel like she knew the city already.

For Will, we took a more boy-oriented route: gore, lots of gore. Will's a big fan of the Horrible Histories series of books -- history with a focus on the lurid, disgusting bits -- and as you can imagine, England has enough revolting stories to fill a whole library. Among the titles we bought: Loathsome London, Awful England, Slimy Stuarts, Smashing Saxons, Terrible Tudors, Terrifying Tudors (a family horrible enough to warrant not one, but TWO books!), Vile Victorians, Barmy Boudica, and Blackout Blitz. Overkill? Maybe... but Will loves it. If you want to know any revolting tidbit about England, ask my son. He's an expert. Even Kate could tell you which bridge sported the most number of severed heads on spikes. (It's London Bridge, in case you're interested.)

So, with the kids properly prepared, we had high hopes of a smooth trip. And? It was great! We didn't take into consideration that it would also be school holidays in the UK, which meant London was mobbed. But other than an hour-and-a-half wait (in the rain, I might add) for the Natural History Museum, we didn't have any problems.

On our first day, we headed over to the Tower of London:

Here are the kids at the Tower, with Tower Bridge in the background:

Will was being too silly, so I asked him to step out:

Kate is always happy to have her picture taken.

But then we found a way to make his silliness work. Here he is being chopped:

Stabbed:

And blown up:

One of the Tower's famous ravens:

Just outside the vault where the Crown Jewels are kept, we found this emblem. Kate was delighted since The Lion and the Unicorn (fighting for the crown) is one of her favorite nursery rhymes:

After the Tower, we headed over to the Natural History Museum. So did the rest of London:

Did I mention, 90 minutes in line? In the rain?

On day two, we went straight to the London Eye, which is just across the River from the Houses of Parliament.

It was a clear day, so we could see for miles!

At the very top!

Kate thought it was really funny to pretend she was flying:

Yikes! That look on her face means she knows she's terrifying her mother.

After a quick visit to the London Aquarium (where we were packed in like sardines!), we jumped aboard a Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour to rest our feet and see the sights. We got off at Regent's Park, one of my favorite places in London.

Look at all the flowers! Spring is on its way!

Kids having a stick battle.

On our third day, we visited the British Museum, home to an incredible collection of Egyptian artifacts. If you remember Will in the Egyptian section of the Louvre, you can imagine how excited he was to see this:

The Rosetta Stone

The boy only agrees to have his photo taken with Egyptian objects.

I didn't photograph any of the mummies. But there were dozens of them in various states of preservation (decay?). We also tagged along with a tour through the Japanese section. I'm not sure why, but the kids were utterly enthralled and listened quietly for 30 minutes. Roger and I were tapping our feet and looking at our watches, but the kids loved it. And only five minutes of the tour focused on samurais! I wonder if Horrible Histories has a Japanese series?

Since he's got hieroglyphics down now, Will was very excited to discover the Etruscan alphabet. Again, he made me take a picture so he could use this at home:

Later that day we wandered through St. James Park to see Buckingham Palace. Kate was giddy with anticipation to see where the Queen lived!

Will, not so much.

The verdict? Kate was not impressed: "It's so boring and gray. Not pretty at all. If I were queen, I'd have a rainbow-colored palace."

We wrapped up our day with a trip to Hamley's, without a doubt the most incredible toy store I've ever seen. Seven stories of toys! Kid heaven. I gave each of them 20 pounds to spend, and they had a blast. Here's Kate that night, cuddled up with her choice.

One tired little girl!

Overall, it was a great trip. Both kids loved it and said they couldn't wait to go back, which I'm happy to do since we didn't even come close to seeing it all. London has so much to offer! And everyone speaks English! ;) A few things that helped to make this trip go so smoothly:

• Preparing the kids with books: Horrible Histories for Will, Katie in London and the coloring book for Kate

• Advance tickets whenever possible: By reserving our tickets online for the Aquarium & London Eye we were able to skip the line for purchasing tickets. We just had to collect them, then walk right into the line, which moved incredibly fast. The whole thing, from the time we arrived to pick up tickets to the time we entered the Eye: 20 minutes! No need to pay more for the "Fast Track," which requires that you specify what time you'll be arriving (who can plan for that with kids??)

• Arriving at attractions right at opening time: We got to the British Museum at 9:45 a.m. (it opens at 10) and walked right in. By the time we left, there were hordes of people. This was our mistake at the Natural History Museum. We showed up at 1:30 p.m., thinking we'd breeze right in. Not a chance!

• The Original Tour Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour. There are lots of choices for bus tours of London, but this one was fabulous. Not only did they have a special kids' channel to listen to that described the sights in a way interesting to kids, but they also gave each child a special booklet to color and complete on the bus. Big hit with the little ones!

• Asking for "family trails" at the big museums. I think all of the ones we visited had special "trails" for kids. You could choose a specific path to follow (for example, the Egyptian or Greek trail at the British Museum), and kids were given a special booklet with activities to complete as they followed the trail. Not only does it keep the kids actively engaged, but it narrows the focus of the museum and keeps the visit to a reasonable time. Really, I don't think we could do more than two hours in any museum, and with the family trails we could hit the highlights that most interested the kids before they wore out. Such a great idea!

• The Children's Map of London: This was the single-best purchase we made, I'd say. It has a colorful map of central London with stickers kids apply after having done something interesting, i.e., learned about mummies, had a cup of tea, rode a bus, visited a palace, etc. Each evening at dinner, we'd look at the map, talk about where we'd been and what we'd seen, and put on the appropriate stickers. The kids loved it, and now we have a nice souvenir of our trip.

We HAVE to remember these tips for our next trip!

Tree Slaughter

2011-02-19T20:37:00.002+01:00

On a recent jog through the forest, I spotted this sign affixed to tape blocking the path:

In case you're wondering, the top part's in German, bottom in French

I knew it meant they were doing something to the trees and that entering the area was forbidden, but I'd never seen the word abattage before.

So I went home to consult my best friend, Google Translate. And you know what it told me?

abbattage = slaughter! They were slaughtering trees in the forest!

As much as I love Google Translate, I guess it does have its weaknesses.

(In all fairness, when I entered "abbattage d'arbres," it said "tree felling." But I like "tree slaughter" better.)

A few days later, the path was reopened and there were indeed piles of slaughtered trees everywhere.

Victims of the massacre

I must say, Luxembourg does an outstanding job of maintaining--grooming, really--its forests*. I always see city workers in there, trimming trees, blowing leaves, doing... well, I'm not exactly sure what. Perhaps this nice display I passed today explains it.

Or maybe not. Since it's in German, I can't read it. I guess I could head over to Google Translate... but I think I'll just let it remain a mystery.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*So much so that last year the local news reported that six trees were missing from the forest and the suspects were still at large--which begged the question, how on earth did they notice six missing trees in a forest of millions?? Only in Luxembourg...

Football (Soccer) Tournament

2011-02-15T13:43:00.000+01:00

This weekend was Will's first soccer tournament. He's been playing on a team since October, and to say he's not very enthusiastic about it would be an understatement. (As it would be to say he's not very athletically gifted in this area. Is that too mean to say about my own son? The boy is no David Beckham, that's for sure. It's not exactly surprising, considering his parents...) But it gets him out and running around, burning off some of that insane little boy energy, and in my mind, that's a good thing.

At the tournament this weekend, his team lost all of their matches and ended up in last place. Well, in all fairness, they tied for last place. I don't think the boys minded too much. They had fun hanging around and being silly--something Will does excel at--even if they lacked a common language.

He looks surprised because he didn't know I was taking his picture. That's the only way to get a shot of him these days!

That's Will in the front.

Awarding of medals at the end. Everyone got a medal!

Will hiding behind his friend after he realized I was taking his picture.

The artwork Kate did on my iPhone during the FOUR hour-long tournament!

I'm of the opinion that kids need to stick with an activity long enough to ensure that they truly hate it -- several months at least -- and then they're free to quit and try something else. So, Will's counting down the months till June when I told him he could stop playing. But -- shhh, don't tell anyone -- I think he might be having just a little bit of fun. Not that he would admit it. It helps that his best friend (who speaks English) is on his team, which has made it much more fun for Will. It'll be interesting to see if he decides to continue when the time comes!

Kate

2011-01-30T15:54:00.001+01:00

Guess who bought herself a new Disney Princess lipstick from a vending machine?

She put it on herself. Can you tell?

The scary thing? That's what she looked like AFTER I wiped it off. I think she may have to go to school tomorrow like that.

It reminded me a little bit of this photo from the very first time I let her do art unattended. Big mistake!

Note the blue tongue. She didn't miss a spot.

At least the blue stuff washed off! Who would make little girl lipstick in such a bright color -- and one that doesn't wipe off easily!

One Year in Luxembourg

2011-01-19T20:13:00.000+01:00

So this is it: our one-year anniversary in Luxembourg. One year ago today we -- and our enormous pile of luggage

-- arrived after a harrowing trip...

...halfway around the world.

I can't believe it's been a year!

Some highlights from our first year in Luxembourg.

January:
We spent lots of time exploring the forest behind our house.

The kids were delighted by the first snowfall:

Their first snowman!

February brought many trips to Ikea and much furniture assembly!

Ack! The cardboard!

But we also made time to explore our new home:

Luxembourg Centre Ville

March:

Our first trip to Paris!

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower

April:

A visit from Grandpa and Aunt Minnie

Trier, Germany

Jennifer annoyed her Facebook friends by endlessly gushing about the beauty of spring in Luxembourg.

May:
A trip to Holland to see windmills and tulips.

Keukenhof Gardens

Kate appeared in a French newspaper:

And our home was invaded by bats:

Still makes me shudder even 7 months later!

June:

We took advantage of the lovely weather and relaxed in our backyard:

Our friends, Ted and Laura, came to visit.

Ted and Laura in front of Vianden Castle

We celebrated Luxembourg's National Day:

July:

A trip home to see friends and family...

Will and Brendan

August:
Gigi came to visit and we took her to Bruges, Belgium.

September:
Our trip to Italy where we visited Rome, Pompeii and Sorrento

Will and Kate on the island of Capri

October:
We started enjoying the fall activities Luxembourg has to offer:

Pumpkin picking in Sprinkange

Jennifer annoyed her Facebook friends by endlessly gushing about the beauty of autumn in Luxembourg.

C'mon! Look at that. How could I not gush!

November:
The kids and I visited Nancy, France.

Our family went to Tunisia for some sun and -- uh -- camel riding.

Ali Baba.

December:
BRRR!!!

Snow, snow and more snow.

We took also took a trip to Heidelberg where Will lost his first tooth and went ice skating for the first time.

What a year!
I can only hope the next one is as wonderfully full as the last...

Le Snowhall

2011-01-18T12:30:00.001+01:00

This past weekend on what turned out, ironically, to be a beautiful, sunny day, we headed to Amneville, France for some indoor skiing. This place is open 365 days a year and offers beginner as well as more advanced slopes, and it even has a sled hill!

This was Kate's first time on skis and Will's second, though it may as well have been his first since I think he was just three the last time we went.

This is the more advanced slope. It's 620 meters long--not that I tried it out. I stay firmly on the bunny hill!

Here's Kate all set to hit the slopes:

No pictures of Will. Guess why? As usual he tried to hide every time he saw my camera and I'm not talented enough on skis (actually, I'm a menace) to get any action shots. Not entirely true, I guess. I did manage this one:

Nice slow conveyor belt ski lift. Just my speed.

So, how did the kids do? Great, of course. Kate took to it immediately and after a few first shaky runs, Will loved it too. Some of his friends were there and their dads, who are much better skiers than Roger or I, helped him down the hill. By the end, he was zipping around with no problem.

As for me, I managed not to wipe out and take anyone with me, so I consider that a successful day's skiing!

Adventures in Food

2010-12-30T17:34:00.001+01:00

Part of the fun of being an expat is exploring different kinds of food... but it's not without its rough spots. Here, especially, there seem to be so many foods that I've never seen or heard of, or which look the same as at home but aren't. At all.

Like the time I bought what I thought was bacon. It looked just like it, only thicker, but when I cooked it, it shriveled up and turned gray. It was disgusting, tough, practically inedible. Yuck. The kids were so disappointed. (For your reference, it was lard maigre. I still don't know what you're supposed to do with it, but don't fry it like bacon!)

And then there's the yogurt. The dairy aisles here are overwhelming! At home I used to make my own yogurt because I didn't like all the sugary, gelatin-filled options available. Here, no way. The yogurt is amazing!

And then there's the stuff that looks like yogurt but isn't: fromage frais, something I'd never heard of at home. It's delicious -- very thick and creamy (and probably full of fat, but who cares? It's worth it!).

It confused me at first. Remember this?

And this?

I finally asked someone at a grocery store what that Stoffi was and it turns out it's another kind of fromage frais, made in Luxembourg and very high quality, according to the woman I asked. Plus, she said, you can get money back for recycling the glass jar which you can't for the other stuff.

Speaking of which, I'm getting very brave about asking random shoppers (who can ever find a store employee when you need one? Plus, in my experience, they're not too friendly.) about mysterious food items. Without exception, I've gotten a friendly, detailed explanation of the item. I love it! It makes grocery shopping so much more fun if I can learn something useful! I've found French people give the best explanations. They really know what they're talking about and they seem to love sharing their knowledge.

So it's my new mission to ask about one mysterious grocery item every shopping trip. Today it was this, galette des rois. I've noticed they're all over the stores now. I thought it must be some kind of cake for New Year's, but it's not. It's for the 6th of January, Epiphany, the day the three wise men (kings?) brought gifts to the baby Jesus.

Oh, the things you learn living in such a Catholic country. The woman I asked was really surprised I didn't know about it. "Aren't there Catholics in the U.S.?," she asked. Sure, but I don't think I've ever seen one of these cakes there. Have you?

Here's what ours looks like:

We're not Catholic. We'll be eating this on New Year's. It'll be stale by Jan. 6!

There were two flavors, frangipane, which I had to ask about (almond powder, mixed with cream and sugar) and apple. We went for the apple.

Anyway, there's a little object (the one she showed me was a baby) hidden in the cake and whoever gets it in their slice becomes the king or queen and wears the crown. Sounds like fun...as long as you don't choke or break a tooth.

On second thought, I think I know why I've never seen one of these cakes in the U.S.

Since there are dozens of unfamiliar foods, I often end up googling my purchases. Next on my google list:

Unfortunately for me, everything's on this one's written in German, which may as well be Greek to me. So off to Google I go. I'm sure hoping this is chicken stock because jarred or canned broth isn't available here. Everyone uses bouillon cubes or these little gelatin things that you mix with water. They're delicious but not very convenient when you just need a cup of broth.

Oh, and these things:

I'm not sure what they are (parsnips?) but I put them in a chicken pot pie last night and they were pretty good.

And then there's our New Year's Day meal. Since Roger's from Texas, I usually make the traditional southern meal, ham, greens and black eyed peas, all foods supposed to bring good luck in the new year.

Fortunately, I was able to find all these things here in Luxembourg... or at least I think I did.

Do these look like greens of some kind to you?

Whatever they are, I'm planning on chopping them up and cooking them with some lardons, one of my favorite discoveries here.

And this. I'm pretty sure it's ham, I know it's pork, let's just hope I'll be able to figure out how to cook it. I really hope it's not a huge hunk of lard maigre. I need to google this one right away.

The black-eyed peas were no problem. Those I found. Since I didn't see any friendly shoppers to ask about these other things, I'm just going to experiment and hope for the best.

I'll let you know how it turns out!

Où sont les pelles à neige?

2010-12-28T18:59:00.000+01:00

That's a question I've perfected over the last couple of weeks.

What's a pelle à neige, you ask?

This:

Not one to be found in the whole city of Luxembourg!!

And I really need one! The never-ending snow we've had over the past few weeks means a lot of sidewalk to be cleared. By law, residents have to clear the sidewalk in front of their houses by 7 a.m. or they risk being fined. I've also heard you can be liable if someone falls and is injured but I'm not sure if that's true. So there I am each morning with my rake and broom trying to clear a path for pedestrians. Not too bad if the snow is light and powdery, but if someone's walked on it -- and they usually have -- it's packed down and frozen solid, pretty much impossible to remove with a plastic rake and a broom.

So I need a snow shovel! But every store I've visited (five at last count) has been sold out with no delivery date in sight.

Will someone please send some snow shovels to Luxembourg right now? We really need them! And maybe some salt too. They don't have that either.

Being a California girl, all this is new to me. In fact, I was surprised to learn that dumping salt on icy steps removes the ice and makes them safe to walk on. Who knew? (I know, everyone but me). I guess I should've paid better attention in chemistry class. They probably told us the effect salt has on ice.

Anyway, it doesn't matter because there's no salt in Luxembourg either. I did figure out, though, that the salt you have to dump in your dishwasher (this stuff) works pretty well on icy steps.

In the meantime, as I scrape the ice away with my plastic rake, cursing winter under my breath, I'll keep repeating to myself... Only three more months till spring, three more months till spring...

Heidelberg, part two

2010-12-23T14:59:00.001+01:00

The next morning we had some excitement. Will lost his first tooth!

It happened in the breakfast room at our hotel, and the very nice German family having breakfast at the next table even applauded for Will. He was very excited.

After breakfast we headed up to Heidelberg Castle.

It was beautiful!

I thought this would be a great setting for a Christmassy photo with the kids. Unfortunately, my husband stood 200 feet away and doesn't know how to use the zoom.

But I got a good one of the kids. I just had to remind them that Santa Claus is more likely to bring presents to kids who cooperate with their picture-happy mothers. I'm going to miss that when Christmas is over!

The castle was beautiful but the view -- breathtaking!

My newly gap-toothed boy:

Kate and Daddy:

Here's Will plotting to throw snowballs at people below. I didn't let him.

Aww, c'mon, Mom. Please! Look how big my snowball is!!

Heidelberg is also home to the world's biggest wine vat. I think it holds 228,000 liters. Or something like that.

Will was really impressed.

After the castle, we headed back to the Christmas market to do some ice skating.

Will's first time on skates!

He did great!

Or at least Will went skating. Kate spent that time posing with all the cute polar bears surrounding the rink.

See the castle in the background?

We decided to leave Heidelberg early because we'd heard a huge storm was on the way and we didn't want to get stuck. Good thing we did! It took nearly five hours to get home and the drive was terrifying: heavy snow on unplowed roads. But we made it...

Heidelberg -- Christmas Market

2010-12-23T14:46:00.000+01:00

This past weekend we went to Heidelberg to see the Christmas market, which we'd heard was wonderful. It was! It was our first trip to the city too, and we loved it. Such a beautiful place and less than three hours from home.

The Christmas Market was fabulous. Lots of cute, Christmassy things to buy, good German food (sausages, potato pancakes with apple sauce), hot chocolate and gluhwein (mulled wine).

It was snowing gently, which just added to the Christmassy atmosphere. Not that I could get a decent picture of the kids. So uncooperative.

There were even some rides for the kids. Again, no good pictures. I think there's something wrong with my camera. All the photos look like this:

Couldn't be the photographer I'm sure. Maybe Santa will bring me a new camera for Christmas?

For some reason, there were even donkeys to pet and feed -- for the small price of 1.50 Euros. Kate wanted to do it but then she wasn't so sure.

He looked like a gentle donkey to me. But maybe from Kate's perspective...

...he was a little scarier.

She eventually gave him the carrot, no fingers lost.

Will was too busy dancing around on the spotlights surrounding the square's fountains. Apparently, they were really slippery. All the little boys were enthralled with this activity.

He was so busy dancing he barely even noticed I snapped his picture. Ha!

Fun in the snow!

2010-12-21T20:14:00.001+01:00

It has been snowing here and snowing and snowing. Since the kids are out of school for the holidays, that means lots of time to build snowmen, have snowball fights and just generally play around in the snow. The kids are in heaven. Well, Will is. Kate doesn't enjoy it quite so much. Here's why:

The snow was so deep she kept sinking in up to her waist so she couldn't walk!

This allowed her brother...

Little stinker

...to pelt her mercilessly with snowballs from his perch up high, while she lay helpless, mired in the snow.

I did step in eventually and put a stop to it. But not right away. It was kind of funny.

Kate soon regained her good humor and let us bury her in the snow. I tried pretending we were on a warm beach, burying her in sand but it didn't really work. My toes were too numb.

The more it snows the more I'm plotting our return to Tunisia (or some other beautiful, warm place with gorgeous beaches).

This is where I want to be!

Kate in her Christmas Concert makeup

2010-12-14T13:25:00.001+01:00

My little doll

Kate loved rehearsing for this play. I've been hearing Christmas songs for weeks. During the performance, though, she mostly had this frozen, deer-in-the-headlights look. Most of the littlest ones did. But isn't she cute?

Time for another dose of humiliation

2010-12-14T13:06:00.003+01:00

I was just thinking the other day that I hadn't had any humiliating stories to tell lately. I should've known better, because now I've got a good one.

I took the car to the gas station yesterday and -- listening to my bickering children -- was a little distracted as I fueled up. The pump clicked off, I put the nozzle back and realized, with a sudden chill of horror, that I had just put GAS in my car. My DIESEL car. Merde.

I don't know much about cars, but I know that isn't good. So I had to go back in to the gas station and explain to the attendants what I'd done. They were very nice. They helped me call the local auto club (thank goodness I joined!), pushed my car to the parking lot, and gave my children lollipops while we waited.

Kate had had her Christmas play that afternoon and was in full makeup (she was a doll). In trying to explain the makeup, I inadvertently told the attendant Kate had had cancer that morning. Christmas cancer, to be exact. In my defense, concert and cancer sound really similar in French. Maybe that's why they got lollipops? No, I think I clarified. More humiliation...

The auto club towed my car to the local Toyota dealership and left it there to be repaired in the morning. The kids and I took the bus to school this morning, a friend drove me to the airport to rent a car (got one of the last ones in Luxembourg!), and we hope to have our car back tomorrow. Let's just not think about how much this little error will cost.

Of course, there is some good news:
• I will be extra, extra careful to choose the right fuel from now on
• We now know how to take the bus to school
• I am perfectly proficient at explaining that I am an idiot in two languages!

:)

Four seasons in Luxembourg

2010-12-11T14:26:00.003+01:00

As seen from our backyard.

Spring

Summer

Late summer

Autumn

Winter

Magical snowfall...

2010-12-09T20:55:00.001+01:00

... or a blizzard, depending on who you ask.

Me, I had nothing to do and -- since schools were closed because of the heavy snowfall -- nowhere to go, so I was perfectly happy with the outcome of last night's huge storm.

Can you believe how beautiful that is?

Everything looked like it had been dipped in white velvet.

And then the sun came out...

Magical.

I know, it's just snow. But you have to remember, I'm a California girl! These things are very exciting to me.

Naturally, the kids spent the day playing in the snow, having snowball fights and building a big snowman. This was our first ever snow day, and I have to say, I hope we have a few more!

Morning bells are ringing

2010-12-08T21:52:00.000+01:00

Guess who learned how to post video here?

One of the things I love about living in Europe: the church bells! I never get tired of hearing them. Of course, I don't live right next door to a church. Then I guess they'd get old. But listen to this:

This is one of the main squares in the center of Luxembourg city.

Final fall forest foray photos

2010-12-08T21:36:00.000+01:00

How's that for alliteration?

Snow has been falling for the past few week or so now, and it's beautiful. But I am just not ready to say goodbye to fall. So here are a few photos from my last few forest walks this autumn.

Most of the beautiful autumn color is gone, but there's still lots to see. On a recent walk, I discovered this wooden wind chime deep in the forest.

I have to say, it looked better than it sounded.

Cute little shelter in the woods. It's just begging for picnickers, I think!

Last few stubborn leaves hanging on....

Though the spectacular autumn colors are gone, there's still plenty of color to be found.

Ferns:

Moss:

Fallen leaves, of course:

Ivy climbing up the leafless trees:

Lots of ivy!

And evergreens scattered throughout the forest.

There are even a few giant sequoias to be found:

They weren't that giant. Maybe they're babies?

I love the forest at all times of the year, but it was truly magnificent when the leaves were falling. There were just so many that it almost felt like rain. Listen to this video:

That sound isn't rain falling. It's leaves!

Drive-by Tunisia photo

2010-12-02T22:30:00.000+01:00

Just a teaser till I get around to posting more...

Kate, Will and Mom on "Ali Baba"
Tunisia, Nov. 2010

Tough readjustment

2010-11-28T10:48:00.000+01:00

From sand:

Djerba, Tunisia

To snow:

Back home in Luxembourg

Not that I'm complaining! Four days on the beach in Tunisia.... Heaven. I'll be back soon with an update and some more pictures.