Tori's Turtles...

Scuba diving was one of my favorite things to do while on holiday (pre-Ray/pre-kids, anyway). And becoming certified was one of the many things I've always wanted to do, but never got around to doing. So, when I found out one of my gal-pals was a certified scuba instructor, I was jazzed when she agreed to help me obtain my certification... Three of us are obtaining our certification through Tori ("Tori's Turtles" as she calls us) and here we are on our first contained water dive.

Tracy, Kate and Jo at Bud's Diving Club...note to self -- yellow is definitely NOT my color!

Another desirable factor in becoming certified here is that Belgium is home to Nemo33, a recreational scuba diving center that is the world's deepest swimming pool! More details on this amazing locale on a future post when we start our open water dives there.

I knew prior to moving to Belgium that I wanted to visit Nemo33, but had no idea I would be obtaining my diving certification there... woo-hoo!

"Aachen" for more of Germany...

Actually, it's pronounced "AHH-ken"and not "AAY-ken", which would have sounded pretty catchy...

After a splendid day in Monschau the weekend before last, we decided to explore more of Germany and spent a day in the town of Aachen (last Saturday). Once known for its ancient hot springs, today the town is famous for its association with Emperor Charlemagne (a.k.a. Charles the Great). And its only about an hours' drive from Tervuren!

The main attraction of the town is the Aachen Cathedral. Built by Emperor Charlemagne in 786AD, his remains were buried there and are still located at the Cathedral.

The Cathedral's treasury is home to an impressive collection of holy artifacts collected by Charlemagne, including the cloak of the Virgin Mary, the swaddling clothes and loincloth of Christ and the decapitation cloth of John the Baptist. These relics are taken out of its precious shrine and put on display only during the Aachen pilgrimage which takes place once every 7 years.

There is an interesting local legend regarding the cathedral door. Apparently, the devil trapped his thumb in the door and you can still feel the devil's thumb in the right lion's mouth.

After taking in the Cathedral, we browsed through town and stopped at Kaiser Wetter, a local cafe, for a lunch of turkey salad, salami pizza and penne pasta.

Before leaving, we shopped in the Aachen open air market and purchased white asparagus (a german delicacy), which are now in season. For those of you who do not know, white asparagus is grown completely in the dark, covered under soil which produces the "green-less" spargel. It is said to be milder and more tender than the green variety we are accustomed to.

Although spargel is available throughout Europe this time of year, the vendor in Aachen had a cool automated peeler and washer that made buying them here worthwhile.

Later that evening, Jo cooked them using a Wolfgang Puck recipe which we enjoyed for dinner.

We made sure to buy some Printen, a famous Aachen treat, which are sold at numerous shops and bakeries throughout Aachen. These treats are baked in a mold, are thick and chewy and are reminiscent of sweet, spicy gingerbread. Its taste quite unique, it's not for everyone (DS and I didn't care for it), however the sweet-tooths of the family -- Jo and PS enjoyed them quite a bit!

Before we left, we walked over to see the Rathaus (City Hall) and the Market square. And also, what has now become a new tradition when in Germany, we stopped to get some delicious local Eis (ice cream).

DS and PS enjoying Eis in front of the Aachen Cathedral.

There's nothing like making a run to Germany when you are Aachen for some good ice cream!

Hanging out with storks at Planckendael

In an effort to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather, DS and I took advantage of another school closure day and went to Planckendael Zoo/Animal Park near Mechelen this past Friday. We spent an enjoyable day strolling through the 40 hectare (100 acre) park with friends and checking out the several animals (over 1000) who live here.

DS and Jo in front of the Oriental small-clawed otter exhibit

Interestingly, instead of typical peacocks, there are white storks which roam freely throughout. As such, you will see their large nests in trees, roof tops, and even on some of the animal enclosures.

One of several stork nests scattered throughout the park

The park is divided into continents -- Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania (Australia), each with numerous endangered species from each region. The park prides itself on its Centre for Research and Conservation in which portions of the proceeds go towards scientific research for animal welfare and conservation.

Jo, DS, LD, and Tori in front of the new Savannah exhibit


Cuddly Koala Bear

Indian Rhino

In addition to its animals, the park entertains the young (and young-at-heart) with several playgrounds, a rope-pull river raft, suspension bridges, and our favorite -- a huge climb-through complex suspended high up in the trees! We had so much fun, we went on twice!

Whoa -- 14 metres off the ground!

Norway one more time...

This past week, I made my fourth (and possibly final?) visit to Norway for Toyota Motor Europe. Company travel at Toyota has been significantly reduced due to the current economic downturn. But, since there were still a few bucks left in the ol' travel budget, I figured I'd better get a trip in to see "the boys in Norway", one last time...

When we landed in Tromso, Norway, we were met by high winds and blizzard-like snow conditions. I started to miss the warm 50F weather I had just left in Brussels!!!

But, soon the winds calmed down and we were left to enjoy the hospitality of our Norwegian hosts and the beautiful scenery. Past visits to Norway consisted of the usual "meet and greet" of some kindly dealer folks, discussion of some business, followed by a sampling of the local faire and of course, drinks. This trip was much the same, with the exception of alot more fancier food and drinks. (they must have had some leftover money in their budget!)

I hope that next year's budget will have enough in it to make a return visit to Norway, before my assignment in Europe runs out.

If not, at least I know I'll be back later this summer, when the Shinozaki and Yuki families will be stopping off in Oslo during our Scandinavian cruise...

A slice of heaven... Monschau, Germany

Now that the weather is warming up, we are catching up on one of our favorite pastimes -- exploring Europe. This past weekend, we spent the day in Monschau, Germany.

The town centre over the River Rur. The Haller (watchtower) is on the northern hill. Monschau's Rotes Haus (red house) is on the left and Restaurant Tomasa is on the right.

Located about an hour and a half drive from Tervuren, just 2 km across the Belgian border in the Eifel mountain range, this small historic town is considered by many as the most beautiful in the Rhineland region. Quite stunning, situated in a valley surrounded by dolomite cliffs, this town was left unscathed after WWII, which accounts for the extraordinarily well-preserved houses that are centuries old, tucked into peaceful hilly landscapes. We enjoyed walking through narrow streets lined with half-timbered houses topped with high slate roofs, some richly colored and ornate.

We stopped for a leisurely lunch at Restaurant Tomasa, located in the Hotel Horchem in the center of town (recommended by a girl at the tourism office). Our outdoor table sat right over the River Rur, offering spectacular views of the cascading river and surrounding town. While Ray and I ordered off the restaurant's formal menu, the girls opted for a simple bratwurst, which was being sold at the hotels own bratwurst stand. The good food, great company, a nice glass of wine, beautiful weather and perfect setting in this beautiful town of Monschau, made for what felt like a "slice of heaven"...

After lunch, we walked up the stairs (144 steps from what we were told) up to the town's medieval castle. Situated high on the cliffs, the castle ruins offered outstanding panoramic views of the town of Monschau and its surrounding landscape. Although the castle is mainly in ruins, it was worth the climb for its view (and the exercise!). Did I mention the various playgrounds we ran across while browsing through town?

We then strolled back to town and browsed a few of the shops, one of which was selling Monschau's local mustard made in several different flavors. I opted for the honey poppyseed (quite delish) which I bought for our neighbor. And wild boar salami for my dad. Good luck finding a souvenir (other than postcards) that say Monschau on it -- I could not find a single magnet to add to my mom's collection!

The girls convinced us to stop for some local Eis (ice-cream). We knew from our previous trips to Germany that it was no doubt going to be good. It was.

Right as we were driving out of town, it started drizzling, then gray skies with rain all the way home. Perfect timing after a perfect day. We will definitely visit Monschau again, for its Christmas Market, which is said to be the most picturesque in all of Germany...

The Sound of Music?

PS has decided (on her own) that she wants to learn to play the violin. And fortunately for us, the Montessori school where PS attends offers a music program where these future young prodigies can start.

And although we don't know where this will eventually go, it sure is fun to watch her give these "mini" concerts...

DS and Mommy at ISB...

This morning, I attended a student-led conference at ISB. This conference gave the school children the opportunity to showcase to their parents what they have been learning and accomplishing in school this year.

Each Monday, DS writes what she did over the weekend in her "Weekend News" journal...


DS with her portfolio of projects. One included "Passport around the world" where KG "travelled" to several different countries and learned about different cultures...


DS had a lot of fun showing Mommy what she has been doing in school.

DS recently did a presentation with her reading comprehension group in front of the first-grade and kindergarten students. Her group has been reading books about the human body and its digestive system...


After our morning at ISB (a school closure day), DS got a real treat by spending the day with her girlfriend and family at the spa!

Meanwhile, PS and I enjoyed the outdoors by taking a nice walk and bike ride at the Tervuren Lakes.

PS enjoying the outdoors...







especially riding her bike!

and feeding the ducks and geese.

Springtime is soon approaching!

An evening at the cinema...

I was delighted when I received a text message to join some friends going to the cinema this evening. After being cooped up in the house for the past 5 days due to PS' windpocken, the invitation couldn't have come at a better time! So, right after dinner I hit the road and headed out to Kinepolis Brupark. You'll recall from previous posts that Brupark is where the Atomium is located, along w/Mini-Europe, Oceade water park, a huge cinema complex and several bars, cafes and restaurants.

We saw the 7:45pm show of "The Reader" starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. It was a good movie and very thought provoking. Hopefully, I'll have the chance to see the rest of the Oscar contenders before they hit the DVD's!

We are finding out so many interesting tidbits about Belgium, one of which I've been meaning to share about the Belgium motorways. Many of the highways in Belgium are fully illuminated at night, as there is a surplus of nuclear power in the off-peak hours. It is often claimed that the Belgium illuminated highways ("the Belgium window"), together with the Great wall of China are the only man-made objects which are visible from space with the naked eye. I took a few shots on my way to and from the cinema today. Not that easy while driving, by the way!

And what a pretty sight of the Atomium illuminated at night. It was a lovely evening doing something I love to do (going to the movies!) and spending time with new friends. Now recharged and ready to face the remainder of the week!