Happy "Rääbeliechtli"!!

The Saturday before last, the families of DS' 1st grade class gathered together to celebrate the Swiss tradition of Rääbeliechtli.

This tradition came out of a legend dating back to the mid nineteenth century, telling how the farmers' wives living in the hills around the town would make lanterns out of turnips, to light the way home from church at night during the middle of winter.

Today, around the 2nd Saturday in November, children's processions with lanterns are common in Alemannic Switzerland. Lanterns, called Rääbeliechtli "turnip light", are made and hand carved from root vegetables (removing the interior and putting a candle inside). DS carved her turnip in class and Mommy carved PS' turnip at home -- quite fun! The custom originates with thanksgiving traditions at the end of the harvest in November.

And thanks to DS' Swiss classmate, his family organized a wonderful evening for all of us to enjoy this special custom...

Menin Gate

Ypres, Belgium is located on the western tip of Belgium, in the quiet province of West Flanders. But during World War I, this area was right in the middle of Germany's path towards France, and, unfortunately for Ypres, it became the center of some of the fiercest battles between Germany and the Allied forces.

The Menin Gate Memorial was built following the war, to commemmorate the Allied soldiers who died in battle and whose graves were unknown. So, with Armistice day just a few days ahead, we thought it was an appropriate time for us to visit this memorial.



Menin Gate lies at the entrance to the city of Ypres, and is on the road where many of the young soldiers passed through to get to the front lines of the battlefield.



The names of over 54,000 soldiers have been inscribed on the memorial's walls. And, as large as this memorial is, there still wasn't enough room for all the names, so another nearby memorial was constructed.





We walked the grounds near the memorial and enjoyed the scenery and outdoors. The fall colors were quickly making way for the arrival of winter...





We originally came to Ypres for what was advertised as a "poppy planting" festival. But, as we walked through the city, there were no poppys to be found anywhere! We did find a few flower shaped paper signs that were left near the memorial, in honor of Armistice Day. I guess the Belgian idea of a poppy festival was just different than ours...



However, the cityscape of Ypres did not disappoint. The centerpiece is the Cloth Hall, a reproduction of the original Cloth Hall that was built in the 13th century...





Even though it was a chilly day, we still managed to make a stop to sample the local ice cream...



The girls enjoyed their bubble gum ice cream! And since it was cold, they had plenty of time to eat it before it melted down their arms...



Our visit to Ypres turned out to be a nice day trip with some beautiful scenery, fresh air and some historical perspective.



Next time, we will know better than to expect poppy planting in November...

PS turns 4!!

This past Sunday, PS celebrated her 4th birthday, "Hello Kitty" style...

Our house was bustling with 14 children! We made Hello Kitty and Boy Kitty puppets, decorated pencils, played "Pass the Kitty" and "Pin the bow on Hello Kitty"...

Then of course, there was cake... I made and decorated a special Hello Kitty cake for PS. Luckily, the cake came out. (Ray was a little nervous as this was my first attempt at cake decorating and I had no back-up plan!). PS' huge smile when she saw the completed cake made all the effort worthwhile -- and I actually had a lot of fun making it!

After our guests left, PS opened her presents with Grandma and Grandpa (via Skype) and as you would guess, went to bed that night a very happy 4-year-old!









Happy Birthday, PS! We love you!

Casino Night in Belgium!

Ray and I recently spent a Saturday night out with friends and checked out the Grand Casino of Brussels, right in the heart of town...

Walking to the Grand Casino Brussels...

To get into the casino was quite strict. First we had to go through the formality of checking in at the front desk, present our identification, take a picture, and sign a form stating we understood the rules of the gaming establishment (including no camera, drats!). Then, we had to check in our coats (mandatory) before passing security where we showed our new membership cards to pass through the doors to the actual casino!

After browsing the casino to see what it had to offer (no worries, Vegas!), we enjoyed some nice conversation at one of the bars before trying out our luck.

But as luck would have it, Ray and I unfortunately didn't have any! However, we were pleased that we were "good luck charms" as the others did very well at the Roulette and card tables! And we were glad to finally see what a European Casino was like.

Pete, Anne, Dirk, Tor & Jo (Ray's taking the picture!)

After the others cashed in their winnings, we took a stroll through town and stopped for some yummy frites, or shall we say chips (since a few of us were visiting from the UK) before heading over to the Grand Place. The Grand Place is such an awesome place, no matter how many times you go there -- especially on a cool clear night like this!

The Town Hall at the Grand Place...

It's still one of my favorites spots in Belgium!!

Paris and 1st Grade Peer Pressure

Poor DS! On several occasions, she had mentioned that she was the "only one in her 1st grade class that hadn't been to the Eiffel Tower!" We just couldn't allow DS to endure that kind of peer pressure, so we decided we needed to get to Paris - and fast, since our time in Europe is coming to a close and winter is approaching!

We took advantage of a school holiday and left for Paris early on the morning of October 30th. Coincidentally, it was exactly a year ago that we went to France (Disneyland Paris, which is not really in the city...)

As luck would have it, the Eiffel Tower is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year! And in honor of this occasion, a spectacular nightly light show had begun for a limited time.

On October 22nd, the tower premiered its new light show, featuring LED spotlights that illuminate the tower with beautiful lighting and dancing colors, all set to music.

Just three hours from Brussels, we arrived at our hotel just on the outskirts of town, parked our car and took public transportation into the city. After a crowded "commuter" bus ride and two subway transfers later, we finally arrived at the Eiffel tower. The girls were extremely excited to finally see this world famous landmark in person!

Jo and I decided to take the Batto Bus, a hop-on/hop-off boat ride that takes you to many of the famous sites of Paris.



Cruising leisurely along the Seine, it allowed us to see many of the familiar Parisian sites from a slightly different vantage point.



We got off at the Notre Dame and the Champs Elysees (Arc du Triomphe) drop off points for the girls to see these sites in person.

Following a nice dinner on the Champs Elysees, we hurried back to the Eiffel tower to catch the first lightshow. And, although it had just started as we arrived, we were treated to a fantastic spectacle, and hopefully, a memory that the girls will have for a long time to come!

Afterwards, because of the late hour, all of the subway lines we took earlier had finished running, so we had to improvise an alternate way back to the hotel. When we finally arrived back at our hotel, the girls collapsed into a deep slumber.

The following day, we enjoyed a leisurely buffet breakfast at our hotel and decided to make a side trip to Giverny, to see the home of Claude Monet and the gardens that inspired many of his paintings.

It was here where Monet had lived his later years and painted many of his most famous artworks.

The gardens and lily pond that surround the home were his inspiration for many of his famous paintings. And of course, a great backdrop for some family pictures!

What a beautiful place this was!

Soon afterwards, we headed on home and got back in time for dinner and to prepare Jo for her Halloween night out.

At least, now DS can ask if her peers had seen the new Eiffel Tower light show!

Halloween, Part 2

Alice, Aurora, & Mama Cat...

Recently, after half-term break, DS' 1st grade class celebrated Halloween at school. I, along with a few other moms, helped to put this party together.

PS & Mommy made the marshmallow krispy pumpkins & pizza mummies...

The kids enjoyed a day filled with Halloween Stories in their school library, then returned to their class for a buffet of treats followed by a Halloween craft and trick-or-treating in a few of the staff offices at school.

Since PS' half-term break was a week after ISB's, PS got lucky and was able to join in on the festivities!