Au Revoir (french); Tot ziens (flemish); Sayonara and Aloha L.A! ______________________________


Hi everyone!

As most of you know, Ray has accepted a 2-year assignment with Toyota's European Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. For those of you who do not know, Belgium is located next to France, Germany and the Netherlands. The home of NATO and the European Union, it is considered the "gateway to Europe" with its easy access to many European countries. (Hint, hint--good excuse to come and visit!)

Ray started his new position in February, 2008. The girls and I arrived here in late March. We are living just outside the city of Brussels in the commune of Tervuren, Belgium.

Although we are sad to temporarily leave our family and friends, we are excited for this adventure. What an opportunity to leave our tiny box and experience life outside of America!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

A Free Weekend!

Since we were out of town last weekend and will again be gone during the next two, it was nice to have a free schedule this weekend at home. However, with the weather in Belgium being exceptionally nice this summer (highs in the 80's and no sign of rain!) there always seem to plenty of things going on.

On Saturday, Jo and Tori were invited to a potluck dinner party, so we stayed around so Jo could prepare her Chinese chicken salad and chicken teriyaki. Although considered "mainstream" dishes back home, it's probably safe to assume no one else would be bringing this dish to the party...

Another difference here is that since the dinner party was nearby, Jo and Tori decided to ride their bikes to the party! Since I have never seen Jo bike to a dinner party before, I took a picture of them as they set off for their evening.



Notice that our bikes are not equipped with any headlights. The Tervuren police also noticed this fact as Jo and Tori were heading back home at 12:30AM!!!



The next day was beautiful, so Jo packed a picnic lunch and the girls and I headed out to Bois des Reves park in nearby Ottignies. Just about 15 mins away from home, Jo remembered this park from one of her first outings after arriving in Belgium.



I thought it was interesting that there was a small cash machine, much like a parking ticket dispenser, where you paid admission for the day. However, it was strictly the honor system because there was no gate keeping you out unless you paid, and I didn't see anyone come around to check to see if you had paid or not. (this would never work in LA!)



This was probably one of the most nicely manicured playground parks I have seen. Nice fresh-cut green grass, beautiful landscaping, lots of new-looking playground equipment including a very tall slide.



DS and PS had a ball climbing up this structure and going down the slide. Mommy was also enjoying it as well (not sure who went down more times...)



In the evening after dinner, we headed out to Tervuren park and the girls had a nice bike ride around the lake. As we said before, the weather has been great and our fellow Belgians know you must take advantage of it when you can.

Unfortunately, it won't be all that long before the cold winds and temperatures of fall will arrive...

Friday, August 21, 2009

When the sun's out, head to the beach!



During this past week, the thermometer here in Belgium has been hovering around 90 F -- which I believe is warmer than it is in California right now! In fact, Wednesday was the 2nd hottest day of the year, followed by Thursday's record-breaking temperature of 100F!!!


What do the Belgians do on hot days like these?! Head to the beach, of course! We, however, decided to stay a bit more local and head to Provincial Domaine Halve Maan in Diest -- which was just a 30 minute drive from Tervuren. Like any Provincial Domaine here in Belgium, Halve Maan was fabulous! The highlight of this locale was its "beach". The beach encompassed huge outdoor swimming pool/s surrounded by sand with two water slides and play structures for the kiddo's as well.


We spent the entire day there. The kids swam, played in the sand and went down the water slides for several hours. After exiting the beach area, Tor and I had a nice chat enjoying a cold Kriek while the girls had more playtime in the adjacent playground!


This was the perfect thing to do to cool down during the hot weather! And living in Belgium, you come to appreciate and take advantage of the warm sunshine...

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Monaco: How the other half lives...



Monaco has always been known as a haven for the rich, jet-set. As a playground for the wealthy, it has everything you would ever want: breathtaking scenery, a Mediterranean climate, fantastic restaurants, plenty of space to park your mega-yacht and of course, NO INCOME TAX!!!



But for us mere-mortals, we can still enjoy the beautiful scenery and Mediterranean climate. And although we don't have a yacht, we did take advantage of the marina to feed the fish! Which made DS' and PS' day...



Situated in a small pocket of France just next to the Italian border, Monaco is a tiny sovereign country that borders the Mediterranean. In fact, it is so small that it is said you can walk clear across the country in less than an hour!



We booked a room at the Riviera Marriott Hotel at La Porte de Monaco. The hotel was in a wonderful location, overlooking the yacht harbor and next to a private beach area.





Plus, it was within walking distance to shops, restaurants and such sights as the Palais Princier (Prince's Palace), Monaco Cathedral and the Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium.

Monaco Cathedral (lit up) to the left, Oceanographic Museum to the right


Plus, there was a nice pool for the girls, so it sounded like a perfect place to relax and spend a week during Toyota Europe’s summer shutdown.



One of the nice things about Monaco is how "safe" it feels there. In much of Europe, pickpockets prey on travelers who are distracted by looking at maps, taking pictures or just trying to find their way around. But in Monaco, which has the highest number of policemen per capita in the world (and just as many video surveillance cameras) you don’t worry about becoming another statistic. Besides, with all the high rollers there, what would they want from us?



On this trip, we decided to get the sightseeing out of the way early, so we could kick back at the hotel and enjoy the nice weather and pool! We made sure to go see the “changing of the guard” at Palais Princier, located on one of the most picturesque bluffs in all of Europe.



This is where the Prince of Monaco makes his home. And, by the sight of the Monaco flag waving proudly in the breeze, we knew he was in town!



It was also here that Prince Ranier and Princess Grace lived and raised their family. Their story became one of the most famous “real-life” fairy tales, after their chance meeting at the Cannes Film Festival.

Within walking distance of the Palace is the beautiful Monaco Cathedral, where Prince Ranier and Princess Grace were married and later buried.



Further down the hill, towering over the Mediterranean, is the Monaco Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium, which for many years was directed by Jacques Cousteau himself!



The girls loved the exhibits and fish tanks, although I thought the air conditioning should have worked better than it did…



The following day, we hopped into the car to do some sightseeing on the "Riviera." Our first stop was to nearby Eze, a medieval cliff-top village a few miles outside Monaco.

We were fortunate to find a rare parking spot and explored the narrow streets of the village, lined with shops, cafes and a church, all leading up to the magnificent castle at the top of the jagged cliff.



Afterwards we headed west towards Nice, France. Such a big difference between Nice and Monaco! Nice is more of a bustling beach town, whereas Monaco is a bit more slower-paced and much more exclusive.





Villefranche-sur-Mer is a small tourist town that was next up on our drive. We took a few shots of the town, but at this point, the girls were getting anxious to hit the beach and frolic in the water, so we pressed on...





Antibes is a beach resort, nestled between Nice and Cannes. However, after our long and hot drive through beach traffic, we found the water at Antibes beach to be… dirty! Still, the crowds were lined up along the narrow strip of sand and enjoying the hot weather.



But, it was just not what we were expecting to see, so after just a few minutes (and a few pictures) it was back to Monaco and the hotel pool!



Dinner was at an Italian restaurant called Il Terrazino. It was highly recommended by our hotel shuttle driver, who told us, “Trust me, I’m Italian!” Boy, was he right! The food and atmosphere were easily the best of the entire trip!



After dinner, it was a short walk to the elegant Monte Carlo Casino. No matter how many times you’ve seen James Bond in a tuxedo, pulling up in his Aston Martin, nothing can capture the excitement and buzz of just being there!



It’s actually like a big Hollywood premiere, with fashionably dressed people pulling up in their fancy sports cars.



A car full of college pranksters pulled up in their beat-up Fiat and attempted to park right in front with the Porsches and Ferraris! But, they were quickly whisked away by the head valet, as the crowd cheered their failed attempt!!!





The following day was spent swimming and relaxing by the pool. We were really getting used to our new schedule: a nice leisurely breakfast, followed by some fish feeding. Then, a lazy day by the pool. Late afternoon was nap time, followed by a nice dinner in the evening!



Tonight, was Italian food again, this time at Cacio e Pepe. Followed by a walk to the main harbor to check out the carnival at the boardwalk. The evenings here were balmy and it felt good to work off our dinner.



The girls tried the bungee trampoline that they thoroughly enjoyed. Afterwards, we went to the Formula 1 electric race car track, but the cars were a little too fast for PS.

Picture taken just prior to PS' big wreck!


All too soon, it was the end of our stay in Monaco. Our plans were to leave just after breakfast and head to Dijon, which was the halfway mark between Monaco and Brussels. But, we had a change of heart as we were heading home and decided to go for it and drive all the way home! Armed with some snacks and a can of Red Bull, we made the 1,200km (745 mile) trip home and got in about 3am.

Monaco was a great time and we highly recommend it for anyone in the area to check out. Although you don’t need a yacht to have fun there, it sure would be nice…!!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Where's the Chocolat?! (On the road to Monaco...)



Ever since I saw the movie Chocolat, I thought that the village where the story took place was absolutely beautiful. So when we discovered that Flavigny-sur-Ozerain (the village where the movie was filmed) was halfway to Monaco (in the Cote-d'Or Burgundy region of France), we had to make this our 1st night stop.


Our first night was spent at L'Ange Souriant, a bed-and-breakfast right in the heart of the village. We were pleasantly surprised with a spacious 2-bedroom unit with private bathroom. Our B&B hostess, Carole, provided us a map of the village and shared her album of pictures taken during the filming of the movie.



This medieval village, perched 420 metres high on a promontory of a limestone plateau, was like stepping back into time. It was as picturesque as it was in the movie.

The "movie version" of Flavigny was a much livelier place than in real life. This "sleepy" village had just a handful of shops, 2 restaurants, a few B & B's and The Abbey of Saint Peter. The abbey is well known for their anise candy, which reminded me (both in appearance and taste) of a large "tic-tac".

During our walk, we were able to find the church (Saint-Genes Church), the beauty salon and, of course, "La Chocolaterie Maya", as portrayed in the movie.

La Chocolaterie Maya (looks like it might be available for rent-just like the movie!)


Saint-Genes Church (statue in front was fabricated for movie)

The beauty salon (someone's house)

After our tour, we went back to the room to finish watching "Chocolat" which the girls had started to watch in the car. After a bit of rest (since I was recovering from the flu!), we walked to a restaurant next door for dinner (which happened to be the only place open this evening).

We had a wonderful dinner of Burgundy escargot (me), crusted salmon with anise-butter sauce (Ray) and lasagna (the girls). Our evening ended with a game of scrabble in the B&B lounge before the girls went to bed.




Afterwards, I managed to sneak out and take an evening stroll while everyone was asleep. In fact, I think I was the only one in the village not asleep...





Our B&B experience here was just delightful. The next morning, we were served our breakfast of fresh bread, croissants, home-made jams, cheese, hot cocoa and a delicious pot of coffee in the lounge. Although it was simple, everything was just delish. This turned out to be the perfect stop to break up our long drive.


Before leaving, we stopped by the local vineyard, Vignoble de Flavigny, for a quick tour before heading to our next stop, Monaco.




We were happy to visit Flavigny, although the girls and I were a bit disappointed that there was not a single chocolate shop in the village! Wishful thinking, I guess...