Christmas in full swing here in Europe!

Christmas Market at Grand Place - Lille, France

The weekend before last marked the opening of the Christmas Markets here in Europe. And since David was here for another visit, we started making the rounds to see some of the European Christmas markets.

Christmas Market -- Monschau, Germany

A few of the Christmas Markets we visited were in Lille, France, Monschau, Germany and our very own market here in Brussels, Belgium. Let's see how many Christmas Markets we will visit during our last month here...

Christmas Market at Saint Catherines -- Brussels, Belgium

Dinner at DS' favorite, Chez Leon

We were also able to visit a few new places with David while he was here. We saw the towns of Tournai and Beloeil in Belgium and also visited the Japanese Pagoda and Chinese Pavilion here in Laeken. Interestingly, the Japanese Pagoda and Chinese Pavilions were commissioned by King Leopold II, aka "The Builder King" who also built The Royal Greenhouses, Royal Museum for Central Africa (and its surrounding park), and the Cinquantenaire, just to name a few.

David & PS at Castle of Beloeil, Belgium

Notre Dame Cathedral -- Tournai, Belgium

Grand Place -- Tournai, Belgium

PS w/Uncle David at Japanese Pagoda -- Laeken, Belgium

Chinese Pavilion -- Laeken, 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!

Normandy Excursion - Day 4 - On the way home...

On Sunday morning we said Au Revoir to Le Mont Saint Michel and started our drive back to Belgium.

The half-timbered buildings in the Place du Vieux Marché

On the way back, we stopped to visit the town of Rouen, the capital of the Upper Normandy region. This is where Joan of Arc was tried and burnt in 1431

This signifies the spot where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake

Here we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Gros Horlage (astronomical clock dating back to the 16th century).

After lunch in front of the the Palais de Justice, we walked over to the modern church of Saint Joan of Arc. The shape of this building was very unique. I read that its shape represents the pyre on which Joan of Arc was burnt, a maiden's hat, and/or an overturned viking ship. Ray thought it looked like Joan of Arc's helmet -- I actually think Ray is right! The cross in front marks the location where her execution took place.

Although the style of the church seems a little out of place amongst the half-timbered buildings at Place du Vieux Marché, once we stepped inside, it was quite beautiful. The massive stained glass windows inside this church date back from the Renaissance (1520-1530) and were saved in 1944 from the bombing of the nearby ancient Saint Vincent's church.

Lucky for us, there just so happened to be a gastronomical festival going on that day where several blocks of stalls were selling delectable Normandy delicacies and treats.

I stopped to buy some Le Roi Du Caramels, which were made with the creme from the region. They turned out to be the best caramels I've ever tasted.

Our Normandy Adventure was now at an end as we headed back for home. It turned out to be a splendid 4 days!

PS & DS in front of Saint Joan of Arc Church

4 Splendid Days in Normandy, France...

As our Belgium Adventure is coming towards an end (gosh, it hurts to say that)... we are getting in those last few "must-see" trips before we go.

And since ISB was closed on Thursday and Friday, we decided to take this chance to visit Normandy, France.

For weeks, I was filled with excitement in anticipation of this trip, as this was someplace I have always wanted to go. To be honest, I didn't think this trip was going to happen as we only have a few more months here and the weather is now "hit-or-miss" since it's so late in the year.

With the exception of one cloudy day, we were blessed with beautiful weather! And due to a carefully planned itinerary, we were able to visit Etretat, Honfleur, Omaha Beach, Pont Du Hoc, Mont-Saint-Michel, St. Malo and Rouen. This trip was extra special since we were traveling during low season with hardly any crowds!

Although the entire trip and each place we visited was spectacular, I will never forget seeing Mont-Saint-Michel in person. Truly a destination you must see while you are in France...

Stay tuned to hear about our trip...

A visit to the Holy Land

Any Porsche fan knows that Stuttgart, specifically, Zuffenhausen, is the home of all things Porsche! The company headquarters, the main factory and the Weissach R&D center are all here in Zuffenhausen. And since January, the brand-spankin' new Porsche Museum is here as well!

My girls were all nice enough to let Daddy call the shots on a recent free weekend, so we packed up the car and started on our five hour drive to Stuttgart. Immediately upon arrival, we headed into the city centre, to see what was going on.





As luck would have it, the Hamburg Fish Market, a 10 day celebration of Hamburg specialties was going on at Karlsplatz (Karl Square). We really enjoy eating the local specialties in an informal setting and these types of festivals are great! The Germans enjoy eating, and of course, drinking! There were plenty of both here at the Fish Market...





On Sunday, after a nice brunch at our hotel, we headed out into town to visit the Porsche museum. It's a beautifully modern building worthy of housing all of the exhibits, special vehicles, race cars and rolling works of art created at Porsche during the last 78 years.



Every former Porsche owner has the dream of getting another one someday and I guess I am no exception. Wonder if I can convince Jo Ann that the girls really don't need to go to college!...





After the visit to the museum, we headed back to the hotel to go for a swim in the indoor pool. DS and PS have been taking swim lessons and DS has improved immensely! PS is just plain dangerous, because she has no fear of the water and just dives right in. She also has a slight buoyency problem too!!! ("I'm a submarine, daddy", she says...)



The following morning, we checked out of our hotel and headed towards Strasbourg, France. On our way home from Italy last April, we had hoped to stop by this picturesque French town, but unfortunately, we were not able to. Today, however, we alotted enough time to see the city and stop for lunch.



As in many cities in Europe, the main focal point of the town is the cathedral, and Strasbourg is no different. The Cathedrale Notre Dame is over 600 years old and boasts the highest cathedral in France (over 142m, or about 465 feet) We went inside and took a look inside, and it was pretty spectacular...





Lunch was at an outdoor cafe, down the street from the cathedral. We ordered the tarte flambe for the girls. These are what you would describe as the "French version of pizza" and they happen to be a local specialty as well. The girls loved it!

Next, we went to see an area of Strasbourg called "Petite France". I was expecting a miniature city or something, but it turned to be a collection of stores and restaurants with unique architecture and built beside the canals. Unfortunately, the hour was getting late and we needed to get back on the road, so we cut our visit short. It is definitely worth a stop to see, if you are in the area.



This weekend, I was able to go somewhere that I have always wanted to see, Jo got to check off another European town from her European "to-do" list and the girls got to go swimming. All in all, a perfect weekend for all of us...