Life: Idiotropic

Maastricht - a city that I love. "Take one" because I know I'll be back over and over again until they're sick of me.

On Friday, I took Tiara and Elise down to Maastricht for a little day trip to explore it. The city itself isn't well-known like Paris, or London, but it is beautiful and boasts along and eclectic history. The other great thing is that it's only 45 minutes from my house.

Part of the initial draw for me is the Meuse river which runs right through it, and to me, any place with a prominent water feature is automatically more stunning than any place without. Koln is more beautiful because of the Rhein. Amsterdam is amazing mostly because of it's maze of canals. I just like water and you can't miss this.

Driving into the city, if you want to see anything other then outskirts, you find yourself either on the edge or crossing over the blue river Meuse that divides Maastricht. There are several old bridges and a couple pedestrian only bridges as well that cross it, but is wide like the Columbia and very impressive.

We headed first for the Vrijthof where we were able to park in an underground parking garage and come out literally in the square itself through a tiny glass elevator. It wasn't very crowded at that time being still mid-morning, so the square seemed even more impressive in its expanse with two large churches on one side and the other flanked with cafes with sidewalk seating and patrons enjoying their morning coffee.

These two churches look rather imposing together. The one on the right is St. Servaasbasiliek whose crypt dates to 1000 A.D. with work continuing until 1475. The crypt (which I did not have time to see this trip) contains the tomb and remains of St. Servatius who was buried on 384 A.D. Supposedly, each year, thousands of pilgrims visit his grave where they eat a nice turkey dinner. No, not really... just a silly moment. You certainly get the gist. There are pilgims, but alas, no turkey. The ovens here wouldn't allow it. Too small. The church on the left is St. Janskerk, a 14th-15thC church origionally built as a baptistry for the former. It's claim to fame is the 230 foot red tower that stands out against the greyish hue of the rest of the church.
Tiara and I were starving, but wanted to get off the Vrijthof and see something else before we stopped. We wandered down a narrow street towards the Stokstraat Quarter passing a few tempting restaurants and intriguing shops along the way. Tiara really wanted to go into a hat shop with a beautiful window display of hats in all colors and styles, but they were closed. We did duck into a very quaint antique shop and looked around. They had antiques of all kinds, some priced well, and others seemed high. They had a large basement filled with "treasures," many of which were catholic in nature - old crosses, crucifixes, statues of saints, etc... The really pretty part of the shop was the garden in the back. They had furniture, tables, and cushions all displayed in the rear garden as if it was someone's garden living room. Elegant and whimsical. I heard a man who worked there say that he didn't speak Dutch. Maastricht is in the Netherlands. I turned to him and said that he surely is in the wrong country. He said that he is from Argentina and came to the Netherlands for "amor." That is the way in the Netherlands. It is a very multicultural place and he is not the first who's come here for love. A very common, but sweet story.
We eventually wound our way to the Stokstraat Quarter, a nice area with restaurants and great shopping. Our stomachs demanded that we eat before anything else, so we found a table in the square outside and sat down. Two cappuccinos. Ahhh... that is breakfast.

The church on the corner by where we sat is the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwebasiliek, parts dating from 900 until the early 12thC. At this point, I'd only seen the imposing front and had no idea how big it was. Tiara was hungry, so touring a church at that point was out of the question. I did go inside the smaller part on the left. It is the entrance, but looks very different from the rest. From outside you can see an ornate carving of Mary lit dimly in the background with candles all around in the foreground with people lighting them and praying. A very peaceful setting.
Poor Tiara is so patient with my photo taking. We did order. She ordered the pasta carbonara and I ordered the Mestreechs Zuurulees (Maastricht beef stew). Elise had kipnuggets (chicken nuggets). I was restless while we waited for our food... may be because people watching was so fun, may be because our chairs were very sticky. I wanted to sit, talk, relax, and absorb the atmosphere, but it was very hard to overcome the aversion of a sticky chair and the overwhelming question popping into my head, "I wonder how often they clean these?" The pidgeons flew in and out around tables without trepidation of any kind as if they were well-paid members of a Broadway cast just doing their part. Someone should train them to clean tables and sticky chairs.
Tiara pointed to a bicycle coming from behind me and I turned to see a sea blue bicycle pedalled by a well dressed man. Attatched to the bicycle, in front, was a wicker style bench with a back and sides. It looked like a piece of wicker furniture from Pier One Imports, but it was decorated with red paper balls. Sitting in it was a mother and daughter. The mother wore a blue formal gown - simple, but elegant. She held a large bouquet of white flowers. The girl, who looked about 9, was wearing all white and had a white flower crown in her hair. She looked very nervous. The bike stopped in front of the church, the church bells began chiming, and a crowd slowly gathered around taking pictures of the girl on her big day - first communion. This region of the Netherlands is very staunchly Catholic, so events like this are a true celebration. I like that here - that even among the oldest buildings, life goes on and this girl is having this special life event in such an old and beautiful place. That gives life to all these cold stone buildings and makes them even more beautiful. Everyone sitting at the tables around us watched. Some even stood up to see the young girl nervously pacing with her little basket of rose petals. I got up with my camera and took a couple of photos before my card was full and our food came. Tiara was embarrassed. "Oh, mom!"
Tiara's Pasta Carbonara was the best she or I have ever had. It was delicious with a really interesting sauce and big chunks of bacon. The portion was huge. We could have fed 4 people with that, so it was sad that we had to waste so much. Doggie bags are just not done here. I had the soup which is a Maastricht-only thing. Our waitress was from Amsterdam and had never tried it before. It was very good... just beef and onions in a dark vinegary broth. It tasted like a Sauerbraten soup almost... a bit tart, but very good.

After lunch we continued to wander through the city ultimately headed towards the Helpoort and the Meuse, but we didn't take the direct way at all. I saw a piece of wall art from the distance that I wanted a photo of and then we'd turn and go down any street that looked interesting. Unknown to us, we were only 4 blocks from the Helpoort, but we walked for at least an hour before we got there. Not far from where we ate was a wonderful old building that housed a mill and a bakery that made beautiful Vlaai (Dutch pie). We were to full to try it then, but we'll go back there again. It all looked delicious. The streets were very clean and the buildings all quaint. In both Germany and the Netherlands, the window boxes are overflowing with flowers. It is so beautiful. These flowers and windows were just one level above a drug store.
Wandering still, we came upon another street flanked by churches. One was the Eerste Minderbroederskerk, yet another old Maastricht church. Across the street was another. Both pretty to walk by. Just past the churches was a quaint little cafe with grape vines growing all over the front of it dangling clusters of bright green grapes above the doorway and above the outdoor tables where people sat with their coffee and snacks.

A little pedestrian street turned in there and just opposite was part of the old city wall complete with "windows." It was such a perfect setting with the quaint vine covered cafe and houses lining one side of the passage, and the old wall on the other with little openings in the stone where you could peep in and see ornate gardens hiding behind it. There were steep, narrow stone stairs in one section, but they were blocked off with iron bars.

We were on the Lang Grachtje, a small street known for it's beauty and where one of the more interesting parts of the wall (year 1229) resides. That wall is built in two layers with a total width of 8 feet and it was topped with a battlement. So those "windows" were actually loopholes below the wall arches. It was there that we entered the Jeker Quarter, another part of town known for it's artsy feel. We wandered towards the park. These towns were not built on grids, so there are times when we almost felt trapped, but then a tiny little passage would appear. In one place, a narrow stone stairway went up between two old houses. It had an arch overgrown with flowering vines, so we went up those stairs looking for the park where the Helport was. We ended up walking towards the Helpoort on top of another long section of the old city wall.

Maastricht is the oldest city in the Netherlands. The region was primarily farmland as early as 5300 BC, but as early as the 1st century BC, the Romans had come to Maastricht which was founded sometime before AD 250. The land itself has been under many rules and has a diverse history, but the Roman past is something that they are proud of, I think. There is a large museum dedicated to that history with many artifacts from that period.

The city wall is from the Middle Ages and is largely intact and very expansive. We walked on top of it for quite a while before we found a place to get down. Every little while there would be an old turret. Down below on the Meuse side of the wall is a small canal and a nice green park full of thickly trunked trees and a lot of shade. In one area there is a Deirenpark or small zoo along the canals. Paths go right through it and along the sides are small fenced off areas filled with deer and wild birds.
We found another steep stairwell to go down (may be that's why mortality rates were so high back then!) where we walked along a stretch of wall that was orininally arched and then later filled in. Tiara played in one broken piece noting how soft it was. The blocks that they used to fill in the arches are made of Marlstone, a sedimentary rock, and while thay last a long time, they are also very sandy and easy to carve. Many people had carved there initials into it and other random messages.
Walking through the garden area was nice. There is no end to the amount of shade making it a very welcome sight after a long walk on a hot day. People were walking, biking, and rollar blading through the park, walking dogs, pushing strollers, and laying in the grass reading books. Every little bridge over the canal had one or two people on it standing, leaning over the railing, and watching the ducks below. An old man fed the ducks on one bridge, so with a little bread Tiara had saved from lunch, she and Elise fed the ducks on the other side of that little bridge. That is when my camera battery died and I had the horrible realization that the replacement had never been recharged. Another good reason to go back.
That is also when I saw a sign pointing the way to the Helpoort, so we climbed a steep incline putting us back on top of the wall and we walked a little while longer, past some beautiful houses on our left and a large fountain in the gardens on our right. Eventually that portion of wall ended and we stood looking across a large grassy oblong along another long section of wall with 5 evenly spaced canons sitting in front of it. Then, to our left was the Helpoort, the old city gate. It led to a narrow passageway of shops and restaurants, that put us behind that beautiful church in the Stokstraat where we'd eated lunch.

From there we walked just a little ways to the river that the girls had wanted to see so much. What was really nice is that there is this beautiful pedestrian walkway right there. Elise enjoyed walking up those stairs, and down again. On either side of the wide stairway are deep grooves just the width of a bicycle tire. And, sure enough, moments after I'd wondered what they were for, a man ran up the stairs pulling his bicycle, tires in the grooves, up the ramp with ease. We didn't have enough time to cross the bridge into the Ceramic and Wick Quarters... those will be another day, but the bridge itself is quite beautiful and very well used. It just felt great to be there looking out over the river and walkers and bikers rode/walked by.

Time insisted that we head back since Arianna and Luci would need to be picked up. So, we headed back by the wall, near the Helpoort, through the square in the Stokstraat, and through a nice shopping area. A mother with her 11-year old daughter would be remiss in not stopping in a shop or two, so we did stop, not to offend the spirit of shopping. Tiara was drawn to the shoes... I loved them too, but 150Euro is not even tempting, so we didn't stay long. Mexx drew me in - my favorite brand here and they are having their big July sale, so I just HAD to go... and am glad I did. There was a very cute jacket there 50% off that is quite at home in my closet. Esprit had a sale too, so Tiara was able to get a few things for school and we both felt very good about our "good deals."

Speed walking through the thickening crowds was not easy and it started to rain as well. We hurried a different way back, this time. Ended up at the Markt which isn't far from the Vrijthof, but isn't where we parked either. A kind man gave us directions back to the Vrijthof and we were on our way home minutes later. The day was great. Tiara's only regret was that she didn't have her new camera yet. Taking photos is much more fun than watching someone else take photos. And, I will be more prepared next time with an empty card and two good batteries. There is so much to see there.

If you've ever seen an old fashioned brick oven, then you know what we're living in. These brick houses, while beautiful, absorb heat and hold it, so even if it did, perchance, cool down (which it is not!), these bricks would still hold the heat for days. I think that we're all, quite literally, slow roasting in our own house.

These weeks with Arianna and Luci at school were supposed to be liberating and fun for Tiara and I. We are trying to get out and see things, but hte heat is everywhere and unescapable, so it's been really difficult to find something to do. Everything we want to do and see is outdoors - and 37C isn't quite the weather for exploring. The house isn't much better, so we're all getting restless and cranky. Tonight Luci fell asleep under the kitchen table while we were eating dinner. Elise is only happy falling asleep if her little sticky forehead is toucning my sticky forehead and she has an arm and/or let flopped over on me. Half the time she falls asleep, the unsticking-myself-from-her process wakes her up! Arianna is the only one that seems unscathed by the heat. She doesn't like it, but her bubbly personality won't be stopped. Tonight she went on and on about the magic show that she's performing tomorrow for her friends at school, "and there will be popcorn and lots of candy and you, mom, will bring the decorations." Her magic trick? Freezing. Yep, her friend, Nate, taught her how to freeze and she's convinced that "freezing" is a way-cool magic trick that will wow not only her friends, but their parents as well.




In the evenings... if it's cool enough, the girls play outside on the slide. Tante Tinny lets the girls use her bench cushions to speed down the slide faster. Freia and Beret (Tante Tinny's grand-nieces) come over and play with the girls too. Freia is 9 and the younger of the two and loves playing with all my little ones. Elise climbs up the ladder herself carrying the small cushion, but prefers to slide down "the big one" which they can all fit on. So, they pair up and slide together. It's very sweet and yields a lot of laughs.



The wheat is being harvested. Every day the fields change. Large tubs of wheat kernels block traffic regularly and other harvesters fill the fields. Bob the Builder is popular here, but I think they need to create a new show - Fritz the Farmer, who has every piece of John Deere farm equipment made. Some of them are quite scary. Really, I'd hate to run into one in the night with those long spiny arms up in the air. Some of the tractor-type vehicles here look like the monster from the Black Lagoon or some Alien lifeform. With eyes and a cartoon mouth, they'd be ready to teach our kids all sorts of life lessons on PBS or Nick Jr.

Today, in an attempt to beat the heat and actually have a little adventure, Tiara, Elise, and I dropped off Arianna and Luci at school and immediately set off towards Vaals, Netherlands to take advantage of the cool of the day and see Drielandenpunt. The "Three land point" is the highest point in the Netherlands and the place where the borders of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands all touch eachother. Only about 40 minutes from here, it is in hill country with lots of trees and rolling fields of crops and cows with many white half-timbered farmhouses sprinkled among them. The hill where the borders collide is a mishmash of curvy roads and tiny houses squished together, but the top is beautiful and forested with trails running throughout.

I had to get the traditional "tourist" photo-op... the cement pillar marking the point where the countries come together. On the ground in that circle, the lines are drawn out marking each border, so you could play twister and have a foot and a hand in each country - being in all three at once. Several tourists did that while we waited for our photo. It was fairly amusing.

We spent out time taking a long walk through the woods. The vegetation was strangely varied. In one area a dark forest flanked us to the right and a light green grove of trees flanked us to the left. The appearance of both were like night and day and the path we walked on separated them perfectly. In the dark grove, coming back, we noticed beer bottles stuck into the side of the pine trees collecting sap. We also noticed that this dark, forboding forest was not natural, but planted with the trees all growing in perfectly spaced rows.

A tall tower rose above the trees so that people could go up and see the view of all three countries. Unfortunately, I came unprepared. When in Europe, you must carry cash. There was no Geldautomat (ATM) thus no cash available, so we didn't get to go into the tower. I'd like to try to go back at sunset one day and take photos then. There were a lot of restaurants and tacky gift shops and a nice large playground for kids. It was obviously a big tourist trap and there were plenty of tourists there taking pictures and eating ice cream. Tiara and Elise played at the park. It was interesting with a lot of different spinning and swinging contraptions that you'd never see at a U.S. playground. Tiara was sad that she missed out of the Netherlands' largest maze that was there. It was getting too hot, so we had to head home. The maze looked fun though - a nice activity for a cooler day when you can afford to spend an hour getting lost in shrubbery.

Driving home took longer than planned. My trusty GPS, Stella, took us on the scenic route down the windy hill into Vaals, then around through some lovely hilly countryside, into Belgium, around in a big circle, into Germany towards Aachen, then back into the Netherlands and home again to Germany. Yeah. I felt a little spinny with all the tight turns through narrow streets and detours around dead-end roads. The positive is that I saw some absolutely beautiful areas that I wouldn't had seen and a cute little Belgian town that I'll revisit when I have more time.

Driving through farmland every day is strangely exciting. I thought it would get boring, but it's actually more fun than the city driving in Oklahoma. The land here is dynamic, so each day, driving past the same fields, I can never be sure that I'll see the same thing. It's like that patchwork quilt view that you get from the airplane, but these squares change color and texture with the seasons. In winter it was almost always white, so I had no idea what would come with spring. In May the tall raised brown soil rows housed white asparagus, the local delicacy and little green strawberry plants rested on top of other mounds keeping the strawberries off the ground and easier to pick.

Now, we're literally surrounded by toast - in all shades. Most of the fields are wheat fields and different planting times yield an array of maturities and colors as it browns in the sun. There are a couple different varieties too... some that are taller and lay over like the crest of a wave and others that stand very straight. Yesterday I saw tractors in the fields. They are harvesting it now, hauling off the wheat grains to the mill in my village and bundling the stalks into large rolls of hay. It leaves the ground covered in golden straws. The pheasant and rabbits love it. Now that the wheat is coming to an end, the corn is starting to grow and the sugar beats and some other green thing I haven't identified yet. It's all very pretty.

Tonight I went for a walk and saw some bicyclists. It's the first time that I've actually seen them use their headlights. They are a lot brighter than I'd imagined. I thought, from a distance, that it was a motorcycle. This lady had a small terrier in a little covered basket on the back of her bicycle - a new way to take your dog for a walk.

Monday's feeling of accomplishment has been officially quelched with heat.

Tuesday we ran errands and got a few little things done, but nothing comparable to Monday as the temperature rose. By Wednesday it was a record 97 here. We were told it was a high for the century - possibly even the millenia. Great. And there is no air conditioning here. The last two days have been cooler than 97, but not in our house. Not only do the houses not have air conditioning, but the businesses don't either, so there is no running to the mall, or going out to eat in hope of a cooler resting place. The local movie theater has AC, but I can't hang out there all day with 4 wiggly kids watching Cars over and over again though if this keep up another day, I'll give out the Foroxity phone number as my own. Just page me. I'll be the one in the back covered in popcorn. Local cars don't have AC either, so while the Americans drive around happily with our windows up, the Germans all have their windows and sun rooves open, with elbows, hands, arms, and occasionally faces leaning out the window in the breeze. Everyone is miserable.

Arianna and Luci have been in the summer program all week playing on the playground and spending two hours a day at the pool. Today they went to the zoo and saw the elephant and seal shows. I'd planned on going with them, but opted out because of the heat... they are more resilient than I, but this week has zapped their energy leaving them incapable of anything other than a couch potatoe existance by the time they get home from school.

But nothing else is appropriate. It's hot. It's hot upstairs and downstairs and in the middle. 88 degrees upstairs yesterday. That was the magical straw that sent Kirk running to the OBI just 5 mintues before they closed to buy a small AC unit. It is currently 84 in the office, but a tolerable 75 in the room with the unit running. Fans are helping too. All three little ones insist on sleeping with blankets on. Tiara's sleeping on the floor in front of a fan.

Well, that's enough with the weather... on to happenings.

Our cows came back on the weekend, but have already gone again. We'd looked out the window to see them walking down the street in a cage pulled by a tractor. Three got out and one was taken somewhere else. I tried to ask why, but the farmers couldn't tell me. The cows had always paired up before, so the one missing her friend stood by the fence staring down the road as the other was pulled away. So, we got only 3 back instead of 4, but for those few days we enjoyed them. The girls watched them from the playroom window and we all talked to them from the fence. We miss them now. Some people enjoy waking up in the morning with the windows open to the song of birds. I truly enjoyed making my coffee in the morning listening to the gentle crackle of the grass being torn from it's roots as the cows munched outside my window. They were beautiful and sweet. The kids loved them too.

The positive is that the new Highlander baby in the village is getting bigger and a bit more active. We drove by today and saw him stand up and walk around a little. He is black like his father and looks more like a lamb than a cow with his short curly fur.

Wednesday night we attended a Greek name day for one of Kirk's friends.

In Greece most babies are named after catholic saints. Each saint has a day and that becomes the name day of all people who share that name. So, our friend Elias is named after the the biblical character, Elijah, and celebrates his name day on July 19th. Elias expained that in Greece, name days are celebrated with more fanfare than a birthday. Family and friends show up at your house, without invitation, on your name day with gifts and you invite them in to share a meal with you and celebrate. Since we aren't in Greece, Elias extended invitations to his friends here on his special night.

We arrived at the club just before 8. The tables were set elegantly and Greek music played in the background. Ouzo (Greek licorice liquor) sat in a bucket of ice with the rest of the drinks. The Greek ladies there were drinking it with club soda. The men drank it straight. I can't stand the stuff. Smells great - tastes like terpentine.

It was a nice group of people. Kirk knew a lot of them and introduced me to several of his friends. English is the common language here, so it was nice during dinner to be able to talk with the Greek and Portuguese men sitting by me. They talked about how to make the best Greek salad and where to travel in the region. Everyone was very friendly.

The food was served just after 8 and it was soooo good. I wanted to take some home, but didn't ask. Both red and white wine sat on the tables. Elias told everyone to eat as he would go last. They served eggplant mousaka, pastitsio, chicken with zucchini, a delicious rice dish with peppers and fish, new potatoes, vegetables, dolmas, and Greek salad. Everything was delicious. For dessert they served chocolate pudding, chocolate layer cake, and a white layer cake with strawberry cream. Elias wanted to serve baklava, but the club didn't know how to make it. Sad.

The kids played outside on the playground. We talked to our friends. It was a very relaxing evening that didn't end until after 10:30 when we left. Elise gave a nice speech telling us all that we were his family during his time in Germany and that we're all invited next year to celebrate his name day with him with dancing and a dinner that his wife will cook! (She's still in Athens now, so she couldn't attend).

So, July 19th is now on my calendar. If we're invited, I wouldn't miss it. Elias' wife makes amazing baklava, so I'm going to get her recipe.

Oh... and by the way, according to the man that sat next to me, the secret to the absolute best Greek salad is the oil. You have to taste the olive oil before you start and if it doesn't have a good flavor, don't use it. Then, you chop the onions and let them sit in the oil for an hour before you assemble the rest of the salad. That way, the onions flavor the oil even more.

There are currently three flies crawling all over my brighly lit computer monitor as I'm trying to type this and several more buzzing around my face. It's disturbing, but there is not a lot I can do short of overly tacky, not to mention, disgusting fly paper hanging all over my house. It is hot here this week and got up into the 90's today. There is no air conditioning here which we have been spoiled with living in the midwest and Florida the past few years, so our only defense against the heat is to open up the rolladn and windows at night when it cools with the hope that the wind will blow fresh air in to cool us and spare us the smell of the freshly fertilized fields. Some days I don't know what is worse - extreme heat, or that lovely "organic" wafting. So, this lovely odorless evening the windows are open - an open invitation to all flies big and small to come land upon whatever light sources remain on in this house. We have no screens to stop them. German windows here, though beautiful and ingenious in the ways they open, do not have screens. In order to keep flies out, the Germans use those beautiful lace curtains and other lace or mesh hanging fabric to keep them out. Ick. Another fly. I think those lace things are a must-shop-for tomorrow. This could drive a sane person quite batty in a matter of minutes. In fact, a nice bat might come in handy about now. The crane flies in this house along would keep a bat quite fat and happy.

It's midnight here now. Tiara and I just got back from the Foroxity where we saw Pirates of the Caribbean II. It was long - especially with the full 30 minute intermission. They stop the movie so abruptly, then begin it just as quickly with no warning at all. But 30 minutes is a long time in the middle of a 2+ hour film. Still, it was entertaining and was nice to get out to one of the few air conditioned businesses around here. We got there early and had dinner at the adjoining restaurant. Still had to beg for our bill which surprised me. Knowing that patrons have movies to see, you'd think they'd be a little quicker. Tiara had the bitterballen - a Dutch appetizer. They are deep fried balls filled with something gooey inside almost like gravy. They sound disgusting and don't look much better, but they do taste great. Tiara wants the recipe. I had the Insalata de Copa which I've had before and it was excellent. I'll list the ingredients below - worth making. The movie - well, I went for the outing more than anything. It was ok. There were funny moments, but it was a bit long and it ended right where a soap opera would end - right at that critical unresolved moment. I'm ok with leaving room for a sequil, but this movie handcuffed it's viewers to a sequel. It's as if they made a really long movie, cut it in half, then marketed the first half with one title sans resolution, and teased with the other half a year+ away. Bad form as Capt. Hook would say. So apparently, if I am to be suckered into it, I will be back at the Foroxity in a year to see the second half of what I paid to see tonight. Crazy.

Today, other than the movie, was uneventful. We ran errands. Arianna and Luci had school. The Natex had its grand re-opening after a remodel, so I went and stood in line for a few things. The lines were 40+ minutes long with mostly European men in uniform pushing carts full of senseo coffee and alcohol. The prices are cheap here. A Polish man in front of Kirk spent over 300E on alcohol. It's crazy how much people drink here on a regular basis. We bought a case of wine, but it will probably take our entire 3 years left to drink it.

Anyway... tomorrow is Elias' name day. I've got to get up early and get a gift together. Will fill you in tomorrow night!

Ciao! (Which, by the way, seems to be the universal goodbye here. The Germans and Dutch say "ciao" almost as much as the Italians do.)

The ingredient list/recipe for Insalata de Copa:

Romaine or lettuce of choice
Diced green, red, and yellow bell peppers
Diced cucumber
Mozzerella shredded
Honeydew melon chunked
Parma Ham (prosciutto) in thin slices

Mix all and drizzle with balsalmic vinegrette.

Relaxation. It is a wonderful thing. Today, for the first time in a long time, I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was a rare view of what life might look like in a few years when all the kids are in school... and it was good. No, it was fabulous!

We all got up rediculously early (which for me, a night owl, is anytime before 9, but on this morning 0630) to get Arianna and Luci ready for their first day of the summer program at their school. We had to leave at 0745 which we miraculously did. The kids were slow movers, but they were excited to go and see their friends.

They were gone from 8 until 3. They played at the playground, watched a movie, read books, and went swimming. They came home happy and tired.

Tiara and I made 32 calzones, cleaned up the house a bit, and got some packages ready for the post office. I also had time to paint! Yeah! It felt so incredible. I really haven't painted anything since well before the move, but today I got out some shirts and painted. Elise was happy most of the day and joined in all the activity. When we made calzones, she had her own small ball of dough that she played with the entire time... when I painted, she watched. Ahh... two at home and still, it is much easier.

So, I have three weeks of this. Tomorrow Tiara and I are going to go explore some local thing... and look for an elusive book that I must own. Until then...

When we were at the beach near The Hague a few weeks ago, Kirk got pannekoeken for dinner - a Dutch pancake, basically. I tried one bite and I was hooked, so I was hoping to find them easily available locally. No luck.

A couple weeks ago I was talking to a friend who mentioned this great pannekoeken place in Thorn, so last Thursday we went to see the little town and eat the pannekoeken that draws people there.

We were really pleasantly surprised. The town of Thorn, NL rests on the Maas river between Eindhoven and Maastricht. It is a small town and wouldn't be a draw by pannekoeken alone, but it has an interesting history. The Abby church that still sits in its center dates from the late 10th century and though it's been added on and changed over the years, the structure itself is still original containing crypts with two mummies in a lower chamber.

Most of the buildings in the town surrounding the Abby are brick painted white which is a very nice asthetic. The sun was shining and everything looked very beautiful and clean. Sidewalks and roads are all cobblestones making a bumpy ride for whoever was in the stroller, but the kids didn't seem to mind. It was a quiet day with not a lot of activity at first. All the people strolling through the streets were a bit older... quite a bit older, walking and riding bicycles (not at the same time, of course).

We headed for the church and found the pannekoeken place right on the corner, so we had to stop there first for some food. The decision process was difficult. They had over 300 topping combinations. Pannekeoken is more like a French crepe than an American pancake, but it is a bit thicker. They make them the size of a medium pizza and top them with anything from fruit and whipped cream, to salami and leeks. Some varieties even came with shots of alcohol on the side. We ended up getting one with strawberries and whipped cream (yum) and another with gyro meat, feta, tzaziki, and garlic - that one was amazing.

After lunch we toured the church which has art and artifacts from it's beginning in the 10thC up to the 18th century. It's really amazing how many architectural styles can get shoved together as churches evolve over the centuries. It's both Romanesque and Gothic, but with many art forms inside from Belgium, Germany, France, and the Netherlands spanning over 800 years.

The church began and remained for of it's first 800 years, an Abby. The rules of the abby changed over the years, but at one point, membership was restricted only to 20 women of noble birth who could prove that they had 16 ancestors of noble birth - eight on their father's side and eight on their mother's. Quite a prestigious order, I think.

The French disolved the order and made the church state property when they invaded in 1797, and it has remained a parish church since.

We enjoyed touring it. The entire place was very beautiful and so full of sculpture and paintings, it was like walking through a museum. The crypt was interesting only because I hadn't seen mummies before, but they were amazingly tasteful - if that word could ever be used to describe mummies - they just weren't the creepy, Hollywood version. Instead, the bodies seemed very tranquil and almost beautiful.

The walk around the town was nice. Quiet, peaceful. White buildings are pretty and show off the window boxes of bright red geraniums very well. We walked along a little stream where teenage boys were fishing for the 3" fish swimming in it. Luci almost got hit by a car-ful of teenagers driving at breakneck speed down the tiny one lane road and over the bridge that was croweded with people. I, of course, yelled in English. But, beind Dutch, they should understand. Luci was unscathed, so my moment of panic ended quickly. Our walk continued... the girls had to walk over every little bridge and I stopped to take pictures at most white houses. One had beautiful little lace rectangles tied in the window as a curtain. Most windows have lace coverings around here and they never get boring - always fresh and beautiful.

Anyway... that was our day. Quiet and uneventful, really, but it was nice to see a new town and it is worth going back to. Next time we'll fit in a boat ride up the Maas river.


The Guide:  http://www.tiffanyweber.com/2007/07/thorn-netherlands.html

Happy 11th Birthday, Tiara!!!

We haven't had a party yet... we'll do something fun later in the summer, but Tiara still had a nice day for herself. Her only firm request was that she would be allowed to sleep in. At 11am I finally saw her emerge from her dark room. We picked up her best friend and we went to Eis Paradies (aka. the best ice cream place around). She got an Eis Kaffee with chocolate ice cream. Everything there is homemade and wonderful. After a little break, we all went swimming (another birthday request), then home. Tiara wanted cheese fondue for her special meal, so we had that for dinner and chocolate fondue for dessert. I wouldn't let her open her presents until she was officially 11 which, with the time difference, wasn't until 7:53pm that night. She got a lot of little things and then the big one - a nice new digital camera. It's been on her wish list for a long time and now it's hers and it's a nice one. Being a bit mischievious, I decided to wrap her present 11 times... so I kept finding boxes that I could nest and wrap... she'd unwrap one, then find a wrapped box inside the last one. That worked 9 times and then I ran out of reasonably sized boxes, so I used bubble wrap for one layer and then a nice layer of plastic garbage bags... all wrapped, or course. It was fun. She was all smiles at the joke and took it with good humor. I think this just might start a little tradition. In each layer she found a little prize along with the wrapped gift - a pack of gum, her favorite candy... in one layer she got $11. Luci's 4 next... that will be easy!



Kirk saw a newborn calf, still wet, the other morning on his way to work, so we walked there later to see it. It's mother was keeping it as far away as possible and very protected, but it was still adorable. Four other older calves were there too. We'll go back later today. The kids love it. The neighbors feed the cows their day old bread, so we might take some too. These cows are Scottish Highlanders, a hobby for their owner, rare in this area, and very cute.

Heute ist Montag. Today is Monday... or it was. It is actually 1am now on Tiara's birthday eve which we celebrated tonight by staying up late and watching Raise Your Voice. My baby is growing up.

Anyway... today was not horrifically notable, but I do have photos to share... so... drumroll, please...

The school playground is open all summer, so we went there today to play and I noticed, for the first time, these three magnificent trees there. I actually noticed the ground first. It was yellow - completely yellow, covered in a thick layer of pollen and piles of long fingerlike flower clusters. They were unusual and dramatic. So I looked up and saw the tree above me covered in them. Most were the long yellow fingers, but other newer growth looked like it was growing white flowers and small round prickly things were beginning to grow too. I asked the lady raking it all up what the tree was called. It is a Maronbaum - or chestnut tree. She said they are delicious in stuffing and chestnut cream and that they were a staple in their diet before Germany had potatoes (potatoes are not indiginous to Europe - they came from the U.S.). So, as in some US homes, it is a traditional autumn food. I tried a roasted chestnut at the Christmas market in Aachen and couldn't tolerate the dry chalky texture, but may be with sugar and butter, it might be ok. She said to come back in the fall and pick them. I may.


Tonight was also calzone night part one. We made 18 calzones with italian sausage and roasted red peppers and herbs. They turned out great and worked well for some impromtu company. The girls each got to make their own too which was fun. Wednesday night we'll make our Greek style chicken pesto ones.

Last, but not least is our sunset tonight. The clouds were beautiful and the skyline where the sun rested looked like a lake on the horizon, glassy and brighter than usual. I love the sky here. This is the view from our side windows.

Oh... and I almost forgot... Tonight I went to my first meeting of the American Women of Geilenkirchen. I already knew a lot of people there and met a few more and we all had a very nice time. The theme was travel and so people shared their recent trips and gave pointers and websites. The disturbing recurring theme was the McDonalds. A handout told where the best McDonalds, Taco Times, and KFCs are. I learned where the biggest fast food playgrounds are and who had the "coolest" bathrooms. When giving directions most women used McDonald's as a landmark. "Turn right at the McDonald's" etc.

So I guess I sound like a total snob, but really... even with kids, aren't there better places to eat? Shouldn't the European experience be more than McD's and Subway? I had a nice time and learned a few things. The women there are very sweet. But, my friend and I both just sat there stunned at how many times good ol' American fast food was mentioned, and embraced with such enthusiasm. We've gone over a year without it... I think we'll somehow manage.

Tonight Italy earned the World Cup in a shootout and I was there to see it...

Well, I was not really there, but tonight I watched the last half of the game and all the overtime at our favorite Italian restaurant chatting with everyone, eating pizza and tartufo, and waiting for a goal that never quite came.

I've never seen a World Cup game before, in fact, I haven't seen any soccer game since my freshman year of high school, so I'd really hoped that I'd see one while living here - especially with Germany hosting, I thought I should at least see a game on TV. So Kirk watched part of the first half at the restaurant (one block away), then he came home when half time was over and Tiara and I enjoyed the second half, her sitting on a bar stool, me standing - both of us amongst a small crowd of people all gathered around the television in the corner. Almost everyone wore blue - the Italian jersey color. Polish, German, Italians, and Americans were all there and almost everyone wore blue. Guissepi had his really tall hat of red, green, and white and others wore the team cap. Everyone there cheered for Italy. It was tied 1 to 1 and remained so through 90 minutes of game and another 30 of overtime. In the first and only shootout, Italy got all 5 penalty shots sealing the win against France with only 4. It was great. There was yelling and screaming and pounding on tables. The Italian owner and his brother both ran out into the street yelling, then ran back in and hugged their friends. Tiara and I are not quite that type to be so loud, so we sat quietly huddled together in the group, smiling, cheering quietly, and just observing. When the game was over and the yelling paused, she and I left - kind of anticlimactly, but it was time to go.

Now the honking starts... I hope it doesn't last too long. We've already had a group go by singing. And there are whistles and bicycle horns - anything to make noise.

I wish I had a photo to post. I should have brought my camera. The restaurant was a sea of blue - all those people in jerseys with the big grins on their faces would have made a good photo - next time... in four years... I think Europe is the best place to be for this. One man said tonight that soccer is in their heart.

I think I'll get a souvenier hat tomorrow if there are any left. A drunk guy tried to give Tiara his hat - she politely, but wisely refused. Smart kid.

For obvious reasons, the 4th of July is not a holiday here. And, there seems to be a bit of bias when it comes to American holidays. All European holidays are celebrated, and embraced with days off of work. If another nationality has a special holiday, their commanders give it to them as a day off without question. In NATO, they work together, but still hold their own cultures and nationalistic pride... unless you're an American. In many ways, where Kirk works, the Americans are treated differently, and one of those ways is holidays.

We live in Germany and I certainly don't expect that Kirk should get all of our holidays off, but it seems to be that the Independence Day of our nation would be one of those exceptions. But, they're not, so on this past 4th of July, Kirk worked a long day. I didn't see any fireworks on that day - none in the skies and none on tv. And, if is wasn't for a few emails reminding me of it's significance, then I would have forgotten it completely.

The good news is that we did get to celebrate - though late - we celebrated the 4th on the 8th.

And it was good. There are three bases here all relatively close together where Americans work. It is still a relatively small group that became increasingly evident walking around yesterday. Between Tiara, Kirk, and I, we knew well over half the people at the party.

It was held at the AFNorth base in Brunssum, Netherlands and it really had that summer carnival feel. All the little rides for the preschool kids were free and though they had food for sale, our base had a place set up with free food for it's people. There were a couple bigger rides and a tent with bingo and a little restaurant serving alcohol and ice cream. A country singer twanged from the entertainment tent for most of the day and the weather cooperated with the perfect mix of not too hot and not too cold.

Though it started at noon, we got there just after 5:30, sunblocked and ready to last through fireworks. Before we had a moment to explore, the kids caught sight of the choo-choo and climbed aboard. Arianna helped Elise into it enjoying the chance to be the big helper now that she's five. She reminds us still every day that of her new age, lest we forget. The three little girls rode around probably 6 times on that tiny train waving to me and all others gathered around the track as if they were in a parade. Elise waved, "bye, mom. Bye, mommy. Good-bye."

Getting tired of the circles (they could've stayed there at least another 40 minutes), I urged them off and scuttled them over to the little swings - another big hit. Even Tiara got on them and had fun, though I think she was a little embarrassed. I'd really like to have one of these spinning swing toys in my backyard... strap them in and go. They could be happy there for a while and no pushing!

Kirk and I watched them and talked with friends walking by. The atmosphere was very relaxed, so much, that it felt more like a family BBQ than a festival. The turnout was great, but it never had that over-crowded, pushy feel to it that many events can have and everyone was just having a good time.

After dinner there the girls pursued other rides... Elise jumped over and over and over and over again on the little inflatable trampoline thing. Arianna and Luci joined her for a little while until I coaxed them off for something else.

While I took Arianna and Luci over to the craft tent to paint ceramic bears, Kirk took Elise to the gigantic Bug's Bunny inflatable slide. It was big. It was tall. I thought Elise would be too small... but... she proved us wrong as she ran right past the line of kids 20 persons long, to the entrance and past the lady in charge distracted with another child. Elise may be small, but she is quick and she got up that steep incline with no problem and was down the slide with a smile on her face before anyone could catch her. That started what became the main event of the night. Arianna and Luci ended up spending probably half the night on that slide, patiently standing in line, taking their turns together, getting to the top, then jumping up and falling down onto the soft cushiony slide. Elise, on the other hand, did not stand in line. Not once. Until I caught on, she was running off straight to the entrance and zipping past the lady before anyone could catch her. Up the ramp, down the slide, and over and over again straight past the lady again, and again. Keeping her in line was impossible. If her feet touched ground, she ran to the front of the line. So I stood at the exit, grabbed her as she jumped off, and held her kicking and screaming until Arianna and Luci were to the front of the line, then I'd put her down and she'd be instantly happy taking off up the ramp again.

I'm really amazed at how fast those little legs can go. Elise is still sweet, but the youngest of four, she is a powerhouse and not to be underestimated. Any time that her feet touched ground last night, she was running off somewhere to do what she wanted to do, completely confident in her own capabilities, and it was always a big ride. Little rides would not hold her attention once she knew about the others.


Arianna and Luci were happy the entire time enjoying a little of everything. Though they spent the most amount of time on the big slide, they were more willing to walk around and do something new. Both painted a ceramic bear in the craft tent and both gave them away to friends there.

I told Tiara last night that it feels like we fell asleep and woke up three years later. Last time she was in school, she was in second grade and too young to run off with her friends at a carnival. After 2.5 years of homeschooling her, those opportunities didn't present themselves as much. We transitioned into biking around the neighborhood with friends and she's occasionally ride to the corner market with Lauren, but nothing like last night. Now, in 6th grade, she is so grown up. She knows a TON of people and seems very well liked. Girls came up to her constantly as we walked together saying hello. Once her best friend showed up, then she took off with her. The area was small, so I could always look around and spot her in a gaggle of girls talking and laughing. They went on the bumper cars a lot and just "hung out." It feels good to see her having fun with friends and being more independent, but it is bittersweet. My little girl is growing up.

My favorite ride was the really big swing carousel. All the girls loved it, but it cost money, so we couldn't go on it 20 times. Still, I took Elise and Tiara on it the first time which began another Elise obsession. And the second time I took all three little girls. Elise sat on my lap and the swing went high and spun fast.

Though we didn't partake in the entertainment, we did see cheerleaders from a Florida team - the Florida Jets, I think... but am not sure. They came and danced and had a band of Hawaiin t-shirt wearing bongo drummers playing. That was the show that finished off the evening ending just after 10:30 before the fireworks show. Then the lights dimmed, the music started, and over the loudspeaker we heard, "The Masters of Belgium..." So, our fireworks display was correographed by the Belgium masters. What was particularly funny at first was that with all the drama in the voice we all expected something equally dramatic, but then some little sparklers went off not even half as high as the trees and then we heard, not America the Beautiful, but the theme song to the Titanic. Eventually the show got going, the fireworks display itself was fun, and we all enjoyed Irish music from Riverdance, and the Star Wars theme. Elise started shaking the second it started and shook with her little heart pounding and her hands clinging to me the entire time. I held her ears and Kirk held Arianna's ears. Luci sat there excitedly with a big smile on her face. She loved it. Unfortunately, it ended just as abruptly as it started. I asked Kirk, "Is it really over?" And people started packing up and the lights came on.

Last year I celebrated the 4th of July at Tinker with an air show, great fireworks, and Lee Greenwood capping it off with "I'm Proud to be an American." Last night I walked out after a nice day, shaking my head that I hadn't heard one truly American song... not the anthem, not America the Beautiful, not even a good ol' band march. The theme from Star Wars... that was it - which, to the Belgians, probably is truly American. Really, they have the Mannekin Pis that they all adore, so may be it makes sense.

Oh well. That was our 4th - on the 8th - in Europe. A fun party and well put together. My only complaint really, is that except from one little booth selling flag tattoos and a few people wearing red, white, and blue, it could have been any carnival anywhere. And, though I absolutely love living in Europe. I am an American and I am proud of that. My country is still a great one and I miss it - days like this especially.