Jerry and Pete's Visit

We had a great visit with Jerry and Pete when they came to visit. They spoiled us with many wonderful treats from home, and we hope we showed them a wonderful time while they were here.

We took them to the Grand Place in Brussels, and took a bus tour around the city. It was great for us, too, because we got to see some things that we haven't seen yet. We took a weekend trip to Germany -- stopping in Cologne, Koblenz, Boppard, and St. Goar.

We saw the beautiful Cologne cathedral, and the kids had a great time playing in a fountain. We took a "train" (a bus dressed up as a train) around Cologne to see the sights. T.J. took the kids to the zoo, while Jerry and Pete took a overhead tram ride across the Rhine, and I indulged in some retail therapy. (And some Starbucks therapy, too!) We had some great pretzels, and got a takeaway lunch of sandwiches that was quite nice. We then drove from Cologne to Koblenz to spend the night. It was a long car ride as the kids were cranky and the GPS which we rely on almost exclusively in Europe to find our way did not pick up a signal until we pulled up to the hotel. TJ was pretty close to throwing it right into the Rhine. We had a nice stroll along the river and ate at a nice little restaurant on the bank of the Rhine, eating more traditional German food. Pete and T. J. enjoyed some German Beer. Not too cold, but still good.

We woke up the next morning and had a wonderful breakfast (bacon! scrambled eggs! so unusual in Europe!) and then drove to the nearby castle in Koblenz. The castle was more like a fortress perched way up high on the cliffs. It was an awesome view down below of Koblenz and where the Rhine and Mosel rivers meet. Afterwards, we drove to Boppard for lunch and for a river cruise down the Rhine. It was just lovely, and the scenery was beautiful. We stopped off at St. Goar and were greeted by a local parade. The men and women were dressed in interesting outfits. The men had Green jackets on with lots of medals pinned on them. The parade ended in front of the local church where they all stopped to socialize (lots of German Beer appeared to be flowing) and enjoy local music. We wanted to go to see the castle at St. Goar but the kids both fell asleep in their strollers so we opted for a coffee and dessert on the main street.

We took a nice day trip to Ghent, and we showed them around the Stockel market. We got some wonderful food to grill -- it's great to sample all of these wonderful foods.

We really enjoyed having them here, and the kids are sure missing them now!

Joining the Club
The kids and I joned a swim club last week. The kids have a HUGE pool they can swim in (and it's nice and warm!) and love going there. There are a few families from Amelia's school that go there, which will be nice. They have a bouncy castle (on some days), a restaurant, a workout facility, a creche (day care), and a wonderful sauna. Oh, yes, and a spa and a salon, too. It's been a wonderful place for us to go.

Season Passes Everywhere
We just got back from a trip to the zoo this morning. I packed lunch for the kids, and we had a great time walking around for 2 hours. There are tons of playgrounds, and a great water toy for Jack (he is now soaked). We bought passes for the zoo, which isn't too far, and it's great that we can go whenever we want.

We also got passes for Technopolis (www.technopolis.be) that is a great hands-on science museum for kids (like the Magic House in St. Louis, but way bigger).

Transition Time
Our German neighbors (Amelia's playmates) just let us know that they're moving back to Germany in September. Amelia is really going to miss them -- and we will, too. Unfortunately, it's something we have to get used to, with being here. All the folks we meet are here for a short period of time, so just as soon as you find some good friends (for either us or the kids), someone gets transferred away. I don't know how you get used to the transitory nature of things here, but I guess we just enjoy every day as we can, and just go from there.

HOW Much?
Saw pancake syrup in the grocery store. A regular size bottle was 8 euros (over $10 ), and a small package of chocolate chips was 5 euros ($7). It's amazing how much those things are!!

Joe (T.J.'s nephew) will arrive on Monday for a visit. We're looking forward to taking him around and showing him the sights.

I'll be posting pictures from Jerry and Pete's trip shortly, so check back!