Dusseldorf

Summer weekends: I try not to waste them sputtering around the house or at Schinnen, simply becuase there are some many cold/dreary days coming I feel some sort of pressure to make the most of the nice ones.  Last weekend I was itching for an outing, but none of us had it in us for a long day. Enter: Dusseldorf.   About 45 minutes by car, a smidge longer, but easy by train.

We had been down to Dusseldorf one evening the  first March we we here and were less than impressed.  It was cold.  It was Friday evening and on Friday evening old town turns into quite the bar/club scene with throngs of people and their typical European crowd-navigation technique, plus pushy maiter d's accosting you every 5 feet to come eat in their establishment. We just weren't feeling it.  Despite an excellent Dim Sum rest. we've heard about in the area, have never been back. 

Like so many other European cities, Dusseldorf is simply not stroller friendly, but Sunday, all we wanted to do was be outside in the gorgeous weather, to walk, and to wander.   Gorgeous weather meant outside cafes or an impromptu picnic, so we knew we wouldn't have to gear up to handle a super-cramped German eatery with the kiddos, AND there's a Dunkin Donuts in Dusseldorf, so off we went: to window shop while I drank coffee and the boys smeared donut goodness all over the stroller.  We even took the JOOVY stroller so we knew C could sit and play his video game and himself have a relaxing afternoon.

We strolled the KO. Because I grew up in  the land of the beautiful people, instead of gawking at the excess of it or wondering who in the world buys this stuff, I loved the familiar feel of it (not that I've seen a lot of fur displays in my time).   We encountered not one, but three Dunkin Donuts with fabulous iced coffee, half price stale donuts for the boys, and a friendly cashier who figured out right off the bat we weren't his typical English-speaking tourists.  "You came to Dusseldorf for the coffee?"  I've done stranger things, I assured him.  (For example: I've gone to Poland just to buy some coffee cups and next week I'm going to Canterbury for a book, but that's another story)

Speaking of books.... there was also a book fair going on. The riverfront street in the Old Town had been converted into a bibliophile's paradise.  AND, b/c we're in Germany I only had to look for the boxes marked English Literatur.   Didn't find any treasures to bring home, but had a great time looking.  Who wouldn't want an East German cookbook? I love it when I happen upon cultural interpolations of  the cold war era, artifacts that demonstrate a reunified Germany's struggle with its historical past, but really, I'm not sure (other than tourists?) who the intended audience  might be for a DDR cookbook.  I know American culture takes political correctness to an extreme, and although it's not quite the same, could you imagine walking into your local Barnes and Noble, perusing the bargain bin and finding an Apartheid cookbook, or a Jim Crow cookbook or a Triple K cookbook?  Like anywhere else, each region of Germany has regionally specific cuisine, but to label said cuisine as DDR cooking seems like an interesting marketing choice.

Old Town itself has some lovely restored seventeenth-century townhomes and a couple of brewpubs serving a local brew and a ceramics museum I might go down and check out one wintry day.    All in all it was a pleasant diversion.  Don't come to Germany to go to Dusseldorf.  If you're short on time don't even schedule an overnight here.  If you're having visitors take them to Maastricht or Monschau or  Aachen or Satzvey first, but don't discount Dusseldorf alltogether.

World Cup

Last Night Germany beat Uruguay to claim third place.  Tonight, the Netherlands takes on Spain.  Despite the fact that even at the tournament's outset many predicted it was Spain's year, despite a local Octopus with a flawless record picking Spain to win (yes, you read that right, an honest-to-goodness Octopus--only in Germany), we will be rooting for the Netherlands. 

We love the Netherlands.  We love the Dutch people - they're generous and crazy and zany and traditional all rolled up in one.  Most of our favorite local hangouts are on the Dutch side, some of our favorite day trips are further into the Netherlands.  We want this one for them.

Yet, we also wanted it for Germany.  For the quarterfinal game last week, we dressed up in yellow, red, and black, grabbed our German flags and headed to the Heinsberg main square to watch the game on the jumbotron.   We stood in the back to keep the kids out of the craziest of the mayhem.  By and large the crowd was well-behaved and when they noticed we had little ones did their best not to dance over them or spill beer on them. EXCEPT..... by the time the game ended, Germany was up 4-0.  With each goal the crowd got larger. With each goal the crowd got rowdier.  Everytime Germany scored a goal, the crowd celebrated by instantly tossing whatever beer/beverage they had in their hands into the air.  In the beginning of the game, no problem, but remember how I said with each goal the crowd got larger, the crowd got rowdier ....yeah.   We had to put C in the stroller under the canopy to keep him from freaking out from the spontaneous and seemingly random "rain."

After the game we stopped at the closest ice cream shop and watched the celebrating as an impromptu parade of decked-out fans and decorated cars erupted down main street.   I just can NOT imagine what viewing parties in Aachen or Koln  or larger cities must've been like, and I think, even though we love the Dutch, that we'll make it a point to stay home today.

bloggy back up

The PICS are up   (3 years late, but whatever)
the theme today in my house might very well be procrastination. Actually, it not truly procrastination, just that it's too blasted hot to do anything other than sit in front of the fan.  The kiddos won't let me focus enough to sit and read, so this was the next best thing......

If you've ever glanced at the blog archives on the right column, you'll notice it goes all the way back to 2007.  But wait, we didn't move over here until the Fall of 2008?

In the summer of 2007 as a graduation present to yours truly, D cashed in 3 weeks of leave, we deposited C with the grands, and armed with nothing more than a backpack each, German rail passes, a guidebook and a cell phone as an emergency contact number, we hopped a flight to the continent.

The blog was born because we didn't have a cost effective way to check in with grandma on a regular basis and because I wanted someway to preserve our immediate memories.  Although we hoped we'd get stationed over here,eventually--you never can tell with bees--and who knew when/if we'd ever get back.  At the time I was teaching an on-line class, so we had to find a computer cafe every other day for me to check in with my students, so it's not like it took that much extra energy to also blip a note to the blog to keep everyone back home up to date.  HOWEVER, I had no easy way to add in pictures.  BUT, I do now, so  this afternoon I did . . . finally  (btw, in the pic leading off this post D and I are in the Prague Royal Gardens and it is the *only* pic of the two of us together)

 Hard to believe now, after doing Europe with two kids in tow, that we traipsed around sans reservations (sans any real plans, for that matter). The thought : we'd leave home, fly into Germany and then head to Berlin, Prague and Vienna. The reality: we flew to England, via Spain, spent a week in East Anglia visiting Mildenhall, Ely, and Cambridge, plus a day in London. Then onto Berlin and Prague before we headed back to Germany to fly home.We spent 5 days in transit back and forth over the ocean waiting on flights, but since the price was right and the leave plentiful, we didn't mind waiting.  We've seen a lot of Europe since we've been here, but still Prague and Berlin are two of my favs. (Mildenhall too was fortuitous 'cause there's a lot to love about East Anglia, but it's not like anyone ever plans a trip there).

We tell ourselves, now, when we begin to fret that we won't have time enough to do it all while we're here, that before we blink the kids'll be in college, D'll be "retired" and we can space-A at will.  Heck maybe we'll even be lucky enough to score a 2nd European assignment before then and this blog'll turn into the travel blog that never dies.   Who knows?

birthday boy

ZERO, ONE, TWO!

as far as stat's go:  he's now 28 pounds and 34 inches, puts him about in the middle of all other two year olds for height and weight.  If you do the ol', double his height at two thing to predict is adult height, then that means he'll top out at 5'8.

He's got the temperament of a stereotypical two year old: from 0 to royally ticked off in just under 2 seconds. He must do everything himself, except for when he doesn't want to. He knows how to look sheepish when he's supposed to and how to laugh on cue at big brother's antics.  Playdoh, paint, and cars are his favorite pastimes.  Blues Clues and Diego are his favorite videos.

He never stops talking, does a running commentary of his daily activities.  Last week when I went in to get him after his nap, he stopped fussing the instant I walked in the door, put this great big smile on his face and said to me, "I crying mama".   Really kid, I didn't know.  Something tells me he's already figured out how to work the system.


He's a sweet boy, but definitely mischievous.  Fortunately, big brother is a rule follower, so hopefully this time next year, when B finds C and tells him he thinks it would be fun to put all the LEGOS down the toilet, C will have the presence of mind to tell him to think again.  Here's hoping!

Brussels

I call this series: Baby in Brussels.

It was going to be "boys in Brussels", but big brother got a better offer, so B got some simulated only-child time.  The buildings in the background are Brussel's Grand Place, which really might be the most impressive square we've seen in Europe, to date.  For a better picture and some brief history of the square go here or here.    It's a large enough square that B got to get out of the stroller and tromp around while D and I took turns chasing him and reading about the square's history.

this one was back in the car  and he's holding a pilfered Mango Ice cream cone -- which was mama's, but he had to hold it so that I could carry him down the stairs into the parking garage and I never got it back.  (after I had already bought him and he had already eaten a gooey, sticky belgian waffle, btw)

including this pic of the famous Manneken Pis, b/c I promise in the not too distant future it'll be my baby performing a similar action all over the squares and parks of Europe.  Manneken Pis gets a new costume every once in a while.  This weekend he was a Maltese Knight.  Why?  I'm not sure. If you're interested, here's his wardrobe schedule.

ETA:  We found out by skimming the news headlines this AM, that we missed the naked bike ride  that took place in Brussels yesterday. (If you google world naked bike ride, you'll get a --ahem-- colorful link with pics of  actual rides that explains the activism behind such a ride).  Another cultural difference, indeed.   However, it was mighty chilly and rainy yesterday.  Maybe the ride was rescheduled.  Will have to check on that.