from "In Bruges" to "Sound of Music"

On our way to Salzburg, Austria for the long weekend. It's about a 8 hour drive, so we left this afternoon after work and drove part way. My kids, awesome travelers that they are, are tucked into their beds and since I am without the TIVO for the evening thought it'd be a good time to take a look back....

Back in March, we left the bitty ones home with daddy and went on a grownup day to Bruges. What an awesome little city. The weather was cold and rainy, but Bruges itself... charming! I can't wait to go back when the weather's nicer. The kids and I can stroll, get some waffles, maybe even take a boat ride while daddy climbs the Bruges belfry, (which I did. The pic below is the view). And, just for the record the Colin Farell movie, In Bruges, totally inaccurate; there's no way one can fall (or be pushed?) out of that tower. But 'tis still a fun movie to watch before and after going to Bruges so you can place all the landmarks that go by.

speaking of watching movies for landmarks --- made eldest watch Sound of Music this weekend. I've been humming Do, Re, Mi ever since. "mommy", he says, "I don't want to sing Do, Re, Mi anymore" Can you tell who this weekend is really for? Anyway, back to Bruges.....

We took a city bus tour, which was nice because it drove us up by the windmills, which we wouldn't have gotten to on our own. I climbed the Belfry and then we simply meandered the squares, stopped at cafes for coffee and waffles, ducked into the brewery and strolled through the old convent, before making our way back to the charter bus for the ride home.

Bruges is the kind of city I like, the kind of city that's small enough to walk thoroughly, small enough to be charming in its whole, (at least in its whole historic district) rather than in parts. Lots of folks come to Europe for London, Paris and Rome. Not me. My money is on Florence, Prague, Cambridge, and now Bruges. I'm hopeful Salzburg will have the same, love to wander it, feel to it. And even if it doesn't.... it does have the Faulein Maria's Sound of Music tour, so what's not to love?

They say the "Hills are Alive" -- check back in a day or two and I'll let you know.
So long, Farewll, Aufwiedersehen, Goodnight!

Tiptoe through the Tulips

We made it to the world famous Keukenhof Gardens this weekend. We did it as a day trip, yet forgot to factor in the Mc Family travel rule while in Europe: There will always be a traffic jam. *EVERY* single road trip we've taken since we've been here, short or long, has been lengthened significantly by a traffic jam. The trip to Keukenhof, which should've taken 2.5 hours, took closer to 5. Thank goodness the other two couples we were meeting (who had our tickets and who had gone up the night before) didn't mind waiting and thank goodness my kids are phenomenal travelers. Oldest is skilled at entertaining himself with road games and can alternate between holding youngest's bottle for him and giving him toys. Baby sleeps better in the car than almost anywhere else and if C gets too antsy I simply pop in the German CD. He doesn't like the CD series that teaches you actual phrases and sentences, but he listens with rapt attention to the one that simply goes over words: we've got the days of the week, months of the years, numbers and colors just about mastered.

The gardens themselves were beautiful. This year's theme was New York, NY. That part was a little over-hyped. Supposedly you could see the Statue of Liberty drawn out with different colored flowers, and maybe you could from a helicopter, but the viewing platform provided by the park wasn't tall enough to really make anything out. If we go again, we'll pack a picnic lunch. They didn't care if you brought your own food and their food was not so good, overpriced, and shut down at 4 in the afternoon. We actually ate stand waffles for lunch and for dinner (C was in heaven). They had a petting zoo and two playgrounds for the kids. C actually thought we were going to the zoo, and he just had to look at some flowers first.


I'm not sure we'll go back every year, but I'm glad to have gone and would certainly encourage anyone who was ever in the area during the spring time to make the effort to get to Keukenhof.

fountain FUN in Maastricht

he's "all boy" as they say


I didn't have any extra clothes for the big boy and 'twas too cold just to stay wet, so he ended wearing momma's cout for the afternoon


played too hard, had to take a snooze

baby book substitute

Maybe I'll start him his own blog, but for now, this'll have to do.
At 9 months, he's moved from 1% on the weight chart to 5%. He's got two teeth, is mastering the mechanics of crawling, and loves to eat finger food, but only if it's mama's fingers doing the feeding. (I tend to hold those slimy foods for him, things like pears that he just can't manage to pick up off the tray, and lo and behold if it didn't take the kid all of about 2 seconds to figure out it was far easier to put mama's finger in his mouth than hassle with it himself).

He has the best fun with big brother; he'll cackle and laugh for the rest of us, but downright guffaws when C comes along. Their favorite game is the scream game. The rules are such: C screams, B screams, C screams, B screams.... pattern continues 'till I tell C to move on. B, of course, misses that directive, keeps screaming, and the whole game starts over again. (*Note* this game is good F-U-N when in the car).

Don't leave home without it (AKA --our weekend in the Mosel)

'Tis a dreary day today and eldest is engrossed in a Geman DVD grandma left behind, youngest is napping, and I've just about had my fill of housework for the day, so a good time to start catching up a bit, I think.

Those of you who know me well know I went on a bit of a stroller spree when expecting baby. C is a stolling kiddo. Still often prefers to ride than walk... So, I cajoled grandpa into getting us this not-quite-a-double stroller. It has been a sanity saver. C can walk when he likes, he can sit when he likes, he can even nap on the jump seat, as evidenced during a recent all day outing to Maastricht when after frolicking in the fountain, snug and dry wrapped in mamma's coat, he and baby explored the city in their dreams while the rest of us strolled the city and found the old roman gate. (Picture Forthcoming -- I can't get to the server at the moment)

We've only been here a short time and the Joovy's gone on all our major outings, EXCEPT, our jaunt down to the Mosel a month or so back when Grandma and GP were visiting. See, space that trip was at a premium. The five of us filled the car's cabin and the only place for stuff was the trunk. I made the executive decision to take a different, smaller-fold stroller, and simply make C suck-it-up and walk.

I chose poorly. This is what happened in Trier. C booted baby to the Bjorn and this after the rest of us had already endured two hours of whining moaning and feet-dragging from our bored/tired preschooler. Had I found space in the car for the Joovy, our entire day in Trier would have been more enjoyable. C could have chilled on the jumpseat where he is far more easily entertained with games of "I spy", "count the statues", etc.

Live and Learn

While in the Mosel we visited Trier and Cochem. Both lovely towns. I especially liked Trier. Good fun wandering all the ruins tucked between market squares, outdoor cafes and modern shopping districts. Trier is unique to Germany because it boasts preserved ruins from several architectural eras -- Roman, Gothic, and so on. It's a one stop-shop that city.

Cochem's claim to fame is it's Reichsburg castle which sits high on a hill overlooking the city below. Cochem is small, easily covered in an afternoon and full of quaint, narrow cobble-stoned streets fun to meander. Also, a riverwalk, nice to enjoy if the weather's pleasant. We did not tour the mustard mill, but did stop in to buy some of the good stuff. We came home with a garlic mustard and a cayenne mustard. Can't put French's on all these German sausages can we?