a little pumpkin fix

A celebration of fall and that uniquely American urge to wander in a pumpkin patch this time of year led us to the beautiful baroque city of Ludwigsburg and its' annual Kürbisfest today!

We entered the palace grounds from quite a distance and immediately wondered if this was really going to be worth the price of admission....the palace was certainly beautiful and as we walked down the promenade, many of the pumpkins were carved with "welcome!", however, it didn't really seem like it would be that special.

Unfortunately, the 180° turn in the weather (we've gone from cold fall to Indian summer) caused some serious headache issues with Nate so he stayed home to recover.  Incidentally, the palace was built in 1704 and is one of the oldest surviving palaces that remains "virtually unscathed from centuries of tumultuous history".  It also boasts being among one of the largest palaces in Europe! 

6 things to love and miss

I've recently suffered a long bit of blogger's block...coupled with a rather busy schedule....I've had a few ideas rattling around in my head for several weeks.   Pondering a few things I love about living in Germany versus what I miss about the good ol' USA has led me to these conclusions:

Loving in Germany                                          

1.  Fresh brotchen from the Barbarossa bakery!  And nussplunders, and apfeltasche, and..... 
 

Nussplunder!  Our favorite!  (Nate still prefers donuts!)

2.  Reduce, reuse, recycle.....relax....we have 5 different bins to sort our trash!  **nothing is open on Sunday** makes German shopping something to do for necessity, not so much for want on the weekend.  Besides, the lines are terribly long on Saturdays!!!
                                                  
3. Autobahn.  It's fast.  And fun.  Well maintained...Until a traffic stau.  Then you wait.  Sometimes for hours.    

4.  German radio:  the classical station plays an eclectic variety of music:  jazz,  French bistro, symphony, chorale, opera, and even a German story hour.      

5.  A school whose campus includes Elementary, Middle and High School--makes pick up super easy... when I can find them all.... Plus they can ride the bus!                          

6.  Fresh, in season fruits and veggies at the local shops; weekly farmer's markets nearby, and even better,  an awesome village butcher deserves a bit of praise for selling local meat --he actually *knows* the farmer!   And I'm pretty certain my husband would say the coffee is hands down, better.

sadly, as I publish this, Benjamin will be closing his doors.  

Missing the USA: 

 1.  Stan the Donut man.  

 2.  Target.  The BX isn't too bad, but there's not much comparison shopping and when the item you're looking for is in stock, you'd best get it right away.

 3.  Parking spaces that fit American sized cars.  Actual street parking, too.  Not "on the sidewalk,  pull in your mirrors" parking.

  4.  NPR.  no longer being carried over here --apparently I can stream it live at home.  WHY would I do that when I only listen to the radio in the car? (And now bicycle!)

  5.  Neighborhood schools.  We really miss walking distance schools!  Here our friends are scattered across a very large district--sometimes more than 45 minutes away-- making impromptu play dates impossible!

  6.  CSA (community supported agriculture)--you don't realize how wonderful and convenient the CSA is until you don't have it anymore...Convenient access to organic foods in a variety of stores with competitive prices.  

I know this list could be longer and perhaps more interesting, but at least gives a little glimpse into life here for us to someday remember!

My Tuscany life

I admit,  I'm a hopeless romantic--especially when it comes to sappy chic flicks (Under the Tuscan Sun).  And flowers.  And surprise dates (hint hint).  My dream world is that movie --girl bikes to grocery, warm breeze blows her hair, comes home to her Italian fixer-upper complete with tall, dark & handsome boyfriend. I don't even remember what the movie is really about --but for the past 5 weeks and 6 more to come,  I've been living that Tuscany life.  I don't have the boyfriend or the Italian house; and I'm not living in Tuscany....  BUT, I do have my bike and a breeze blowing through my (helmet) hair! 

My Tuscany story requires a little background:  Over the course of 15 months, we managed to pour over $14K into repairing our beater cars.  By the time summer started, my Audi was no longer highway-safe, so we plunged into the new car world, which in Germany, means, "wait a few months while we build it for you."  Mike's car arrived 8 weeks after we ordered it; we parked my beater and I was to drive his just repaired (to the tune of another€1200) Audi A4 until the November arrival of my new car.

Perhaps the blog title my Tuscany life is misleading:  It should be titled "a dismal day with Audi" or "delayed gratification = more car repairs" or even better, "how to help your mechanic make a killing repairing old, beater cars again."

My day started out innocently enough.  Mike headed out on tour for a week, leaving his new BMW at work for me to pick up later.  The boys headed off to day #2 of school.  And I, in my "back-to-school-freedom-mode" scheduled a massage at a location about 35 minutes from home.  My day looked so perfect:  massage, PTSO meeting, make a snack for the boys, head to golf, ballet and then home for the night.  

It's funny how a perfectly good day can be ruined in a matter of moments!  As I entered the construction zone on the Autobahn, that old, bless-ed A4 decided to lose power.  All of its power.  I came to a grinding halt about 10 construction cones into the zone.  With no real shoulder. And lots of construction and traffic.                                                                                                                                                        What commenced next was a plethora of cursing, tears and fear: I was blocking part of the lane and couldn't get out of the car since the traffic entering the construction zone was speeding by a gazillion kilometers an hour!!! My tearful, panicked call to Mike (who was happily and quietly riding the bus to Slovakia) turned into much more drama than you need to read.  

Next step, call ADAC: however, when German roadside assistance answers, they spew out a host of information in German! (well, duh, what was I thinking??!!)  Normally, I could listen and follow the German directions.  However, in my turmoil, I was not processing ANYTHING they said. After several attempts, I finally reached an English speaking person:

                            1.  Get out of the car

                            2.  Put out the appropriate safety cones

                            3.  Walk about 500m to the next blue sign (road marker) so I can locate you.

Ok, Mr. ADAC, I'm in a construction zone in the infamous K-town area, there is NO shoulder, and what is left of it is weeds up to my eyeballs.  There are no blue signs anywhere.  The traffic is crazy. And I have to pee. Really bad.

"Well, ma'am.  We have no idea where you are."  "Really?  Are you kidding?  Everyone knows this spot.  I'm the reason everyone is calling the radio station to report the traffic!"  And then it dawned on me.  This guy is at a call center somewhere in the middle of India.  Crap.  I have to find the blue sign. Upon turning around to walk the other way, I spy a blue sign across the autobahn.  Bingo!  Mr. ADAC is pleased to have located me!  Someone will be there to help in about an hour.

So, I made a little place to sit using the grocery bags from my car; grabbed my phone; some wet wipes and waited.  (And I found a somewhat secluded place to pee, although I suggest not using cold wet wipes in those places.)

Soon enough Mr ADAC came to my rescue:  he got in and started the car.  No kidding!  It started right up.  Gah!  He said he'd follow me to the mechanic and good thing because I went about 20 feet and the car died again.   Mr. ADAC, in his little Ford Fiesta-like car, got out his trusty little bungee cable and gave me towing instructions:                                                            1) brake only when his lights go on, 2) the steering will be much harder. 

Great. So now I'm being "rope towed" by this little car down the autobahn with cars whizzing past me and we're going downhill and I'm not supposed to brake?!  I thought I'd never be so scared.  

Upon arriving at the mechanic (a grueling 30 minute rope tow, btw) I burst into tears, clearly making all the German men around me incredibly uncomfortable --they offered me chocolate and beer!  

                Marcus's diagnostic:  the ONLY piece of engine not replaced to date was finally broken:  €2300 Engine fuel pump.  I begged him to please take the car to the junk yard.  Instead, he made a phone call and sold both of our Audi's to another mechanic for €500.

And, so, now I ride my bicycle!  It's only 30 minutes to the bakery/grocery.  I've picked berries and apples on the bike path; smelled the coming of autumn; spit out a few bugs, enjoyed the wind in my (helmet) hair and although it's not Tuscany, it's my life and I think I'll just enjoy it!

(6 weeks and counting to the new car...but I think I'll still love my bike-life...until the snow comes.) 

Mike's BMW happy face

the measure of time

Papa's "glimmer"

It's hard to believe an entire year can pass so quickly, although I've lived long enough to know the certainty of that phrase.  Our time is measured in so many ways -the baby's growth, the preschooler's handwriting, the high schooler's marching band season, summer breaks between school years...the passing of a loved one.

It's hard to believe a year has gone by since dad died.  Last year, I wished this day would come quickly for his sake:  that the pain and suffering would end for him and he could rest peacefully in the arms of God.  Now, I wish this day hadn't come so quick.

I am peaceful knowing my dad is loved and cared for; but on this side of heaven, I still weep.  Not everyday, but just now and then.  Times and experiences my family shared in the past year are pieces of life I wish I could share with him in person.  Band concerts, fencing tournaments, birthdays, ballet, golf... all those little moments we want to share with our parents regardless of how far away they live.

At the onset of hospice care last summer, Dad said he'd always be watching us.  It's just not fair I can't observe his reaction.  Funny thing is, and perhaps fortunate too, I know exactly how he'd react; what he would say.  "Nothing is fair!"  Then he'd likely chuckle, inform me of the Iowa weather reports, tell me how his golf game suffers and close with, "You're doing fine, dear.  Keep up the good work!"

So,  I will keep trying.  The noisy, cheering crowd of saints (no doubt marching) in my head will remind me of their presence here today and perhaps by next year my measure of time will feel more joyful.

Top Ten (or so) Spring 2014

Spring is usually full of activity and compared to last year, this one was quite the whirlwind blessed with birthdays, spring break, end of school-year concerts, recitals and more.  These were some of our highlights:

1.  Zach spent hours learning dances for the spring Time Travel Showcase with Grace Studio.

2.  Prince Charmful (Nate) steals the stage and surprises his family with his acting skills in the middle school spring play "Cinderella and the Substitute Fairy Godmother."

3. Spring Jazz Band concert...trombonist Alex surprised us with a jazz solo!  He also participated in a week of European Honor Band in Weisbaden.

4. "Hold on to 16 as long as you can..."  While most American boys get driver's licenses on their 16th birthdays, Alex receives 16 random stupid things; 16 twisty-dos, 16 assorted bills, 16 things to make a mess, 16 yummy things to share and a day of climbing at the ropes course with his friends!

5. Mike remains busy sending troops all over Europe and Africa --on Memorial Day weekend, Mike conducted USAFE's Ceremonial Marching Band at the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial in Versailles, France.    (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Wilson) 

6. Spring Break Finland:  searching for snow in the Arctic Circle since Germany had none this winter!  Selfie in front of 3 boys with snowballs = not a good idea!

7. Nate's 14th Birthday and trip to the ropes course followed by dinner at our favorite pizza joint.  Whipped cream instead of frosting with fast melt candles makes for a short photo op!  

8. Alex's induction into National Honor Society...a club full of  cute girls new friends...

9. Zach's lead role as the circus "barker" in his 3rd grade class play.

"Tickets! Hurry up for the merry go round!"

10.  Zach played kid-pitch minor league baseball while Nate & I assistant coached.  

"Good eye, good eye!"  was frequently heard on the field! (Duh! It was over the backstop!)

11.  Nate fences in several more tournaments --how we ever really know what's going on is a small miracle!  Having friends & family watch is an awesome ego boost!

12.  Spring isn't complete without prom now, I guess.  Although, the 16 yo has yet to attend, the younger enjoys the party, the dancing, the dressing up and the cute friend date!  

13.  The one time it rains this spring, Paul the cat discovers his love of fishing.  He was also caught trying to dive into a larger bucket.  Interrogated about the mess, he gave only a blank stare....

An almost Birthday in Paris

If only you could hear the symphony in my mind as I write…

Almost a birthday as most venues are closed in Paris on Tuesdays, my actual birthday.

I'd been putting off Paris for a year and I must apologize to "her".  I had no idea I would enjoy this city so much!  I guess I was worried it would be too expensive, or too crowded, or  I wouldn't know where to start or how best to get there.

I stumbled upon really cheap last minute ICE tickets and decided to "just do it."  We were on the train early in the morning and in Paris in under 2.5 hours!  Our first stop:  Ecole Militaire.  WHERE?  The boys were really wondering where the heck I was taking them until….
we rounded the corner by the park and there she was.

The Eiffel Tower veiled with a misty cloud, proudly standing in the chilly morning air.

Our walk thru the Champ des Mars gave us ample opportunity to marvel at the iron lady.
It was so much more massive in size that I ever imagined!

Throw back to 2009 with Alex's favorite Christmas gift -Lego Eiffel Tower--which made the journey to Germany!

We decided getting lift tickets to the top would be a bad idea given the clouds, so opted instead for the super cheap stairs.  Yup.  Climbed something like 600 steps, reading little tidbits (in English, thankfully as my French is nicht sehr gut) along the way and enjoying the panorama of Paris below.

At the end of this park is Ecole Militaire, where we first started our walk to Eiffel.

Looking down!  Zach & I think we've taken about a million stair steps since moving overseas!

It was rather cold in the tower, so we stopped for a rather non-descript lunch--wishing I had researched a better place, but, the coffee was hot, the ambience nice.  Our next stop was the Place du Concorde to walk the Tuileries Gardens to the Louvre Museum.  

As we popped out of the metro in the Place de la Concorde, I was peppered with questions from our inquisitive 9 yr old.  I just picked that spot so we could have a view of the Arc du Triomphe to the west and the Louvre to the east.  The Place marks the area where the beheading of the nobility took place during the French Revolution in the 1790s.  My limited knowledge of this area did not satisfy him.  WHY would they chop off the heads of the nobles?  WHY didn't anyone stop them?…and on and on the questions came.  There is an Egyptian obelisk in the center of the Place, but no information in English.   Luckily, a Ferrari for hire was parked nearby which gave us the perfect change in conversation!

Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde; a gift from the Egyptians to France.  The markings on the side explain how they transported/erected such an enormous object in 1829.  There was only one pavement marker that mentioned Marie Antoinette and her fateful demise in this very place.  

The photo-shopped version of Zach's interpretation of a nice afternoon:  sitting in a lounge chair by the pond in the Tuileries Garden.  Alex, however was anxious to move on to the museum, so his rest was only for a moment.  Next trip, this is our picnic spot!

Outside the Pyramid and Zach on the inside holding it up!

After we finished our token photos by the pyramid, we found the underground entrance and only had to wait a few moments to get thru the security line.  Alex found the map, I purchased a ticket (students are free, thanks Museum folks!) and we were off to explore!  There were only a couple things I really felt we "needed" to see, otherwise it was just an easy "walk around and take it all in" kind of afternoon.  The cool part was listening to Alex recall things he learned in history classes over the years and finding artifacts he'd only ever seen in books!  Can you believe we walked right thru the Venus de Milo room and didn't see it?!!!!  Yet another reason to return….

Alex discovers Hammurabi's Code and makes his former 6th grade teacher proud.  Zach finds really big feet...

I enjoyed finding a real mummy and reading about this ancient Egyptian.
Thankfully everyone slept in their own beds after this day!

I got the double pleasure of art museum plus palace all in one place!  Seeing the Mona Lisa in person, about 8 feet away from it was really cool.  It was bigger than I expected and although it was crowded in this gallery, it wasn't hard to get a front row view.  

A full day of sightseeing, we found a lovely bakery to take sandwiches and desserts to go on the train and were home by 8pm.  Can't wait to plan the next excursion…I'd really like to try a shopping day next--I'll bet the 2nd hand and vintage shops are awesome!


Ciao!
Linda

Bruxelles, Belgium (Feb 2013)

Benelux.  What?  Where in the heck is Benelux, and while I'm at it, where does Holland fit in?  A trip to Brussels (Bruxelles as they spell it here) helped answer that question.  Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg joined together (BeNeLux) several years ago to form a united economy that would help them compete in the larger EU.  Seems to have worked, and Holland is really Netherlands and neither of them has anything to do geographically with the folks in Norway, Sweden or Finland.  Geography lesson complete with my apologies to our friends from way up north!  (I'll save the language complications for another day.)

Cinquantenaire Park:  Quote of the Day "I'll bet this place is beautiful in the spring."  It was cold, but I thought the misty, gray fog was kind of ethereal!  The park was designed in 1880 for the 50th anniversary of Belgian independence from the Netherlands.

We arrived in Bruxelles and discovered the parking area for the hotel was impossible to find: our GPS “Heather” was quite confused!  After several passes around several *not so straight* European “blocks”, I ran to the hotel to inquire while Mike circled around again to wait for phone instructions.  

• Lessons learned: call ahead to find out where to park and get those directions;  
•  be prepared for your prepaid phone to run out of minutes/money really fast when “roaming” in a foreign country!  

Hotel Matignon, run by a wonderful French-speaking Belgian couple, was magnificent and only 2 blocks from the Grand Place!  Because we have a large family by European standards, we required 2 hotel rooms-- lofted “junior suites” right next to each other with views of the beautiful La Bourse (former Belgian stock exchange).  La Bourse was built in the late 1800’s with sculptures by Rodin adorning parts of the building. (This particular building project early in Rodin's career actually provided him the means to study in Italy and eventually be "discovered".)

View from our room--down the street into the Grand Place and the ruins under the street.  Right outside Hotel Matignon was an underground museum --during street renovations in the 1980’s, a large section of the medieval city was discovered.  Road work ceased, and a permanent museum was put in place for all to see!  Ruins from 12th century buildings and the bones of a nobleman were discovered at the site.

Waffles, real Belgian waffles, were the real conquest for this trip!  Zach had been dreaming of eating authentic waffles for several months!  One can find 2 types of waffles in Bruxelles:  Liège waffle--softer texture, sweeter batter with carmelized sugar coating, typically not rectangular,  and the Bruxelles waffle: crispier waffle, rectangle shape made from yeast batter with larger indentations on the top to hold all the gooey yummy toppings!  Just like there’s a coffee shop on every corner in Seattle, the same goes for waffle shops in Bruxelles!  Only €1 if you didn’t want all the gooey, sticky messy good stuff on top.

Of course, a trip to Belgium isn't complete with chocolate!  Truffles, rich and
creamy, in all sorts of shapes, colors and sizes!  Imagine our surprise in the chocolate
store when we spotted an old NCR (Dayton, Ohio) cash register being used for display!  

From the waffle shop, we wandered all over the town and discovered many beautiful buildings, interesting shops and lots of people.  Established as a market place in the 11th century, the Grand Place is an expansive square surrounded by Guildhalls (trade unions) and the City Hall --"Hotel de Ville".  The Grand Place now contains museums and shops--many of which sell Belgian lace and chocolate.  Near the Grand Place is Europe's first indoor mall, the beautiful St. Hubert Gallerie.  The glassed covered shopping center was constructed in 1846 and featured a glass barrel vaulted roof.  Inside, shops provided a meeting place for such giants as Victor Hugo and Alexander Dumas.  Now it's full of high-end shopping and eating experiences.

top left:  guild halls; top right: City Hall
bottom left:  inside the Galleria; right: Belgian lace store

Manneken Pis is quite the tourist magnet and has achieved much fame for the city.  The sculpture, by Duquesnoy, was commissioned in 1619.  Legend claims a wealthy man lost his son in a crowd and discovered him 5 days later piddling in the street.  

Our boys had a hard time understanding why all the fuss over the peeing statue!  More intriguing to them was the escargot cart across the street!  However interesting, the only brave soul was Zach who discovered eating snails tasted better than it looked!

And, of course, eating dinner…when in Brussels, one must eat mussels!

The menus were fun to read--French & Flemish
 (or Dutch, depending on which you prefer to call this strange looking language!)

The Atomium was a cool structure to visit:  contracted for the 1958 World's Fair, a series of elevators and escalators transports one from one sphere to the next --each one with interesting science exhibits, amazing panoramic views of the city and even an area reserved for overnight school groups--sleep in a rain molecule!

Near the Triumphal Arch in Cinquantenaire Park was the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History --it was not really that interesting to the boys who spotted Auto World museum across the plaza!  TopGear fanatics, these boys really enjoyed seeing all their favorite European cars under one large roof!

Just when we thought the only sweet shop in Bruxelles was a waffle or chocolatier, we stumbled upon Sucx --a kid's dream--every kind of candy imaginable and available for purchase by the pound! 

As we wandered the streets of Bruxelles, we kept running into comics painted on building facades. Brussels is the birth place of many famous comic strips, including the Adventures of Tintin and the Smurfs!

None of our European visits is complete without stepping inside a cathedral --this one, St Nicolas, was just down the street from our Hotel.  The organ was just fantastic to look at --I'm sure it sounded even greater!  The beautiful dove window, tucked into an alcove of the sanctuary, was positioned above the baptismal font.
.  

Built in the 11th century, St Nicolas is the patron saint of traders.  How apropos the church was surrounded by trade booths--people selling all sorts of things and squeezed into the smallest of spaces.