Its been a while since I've posted to the blog so I thought I'd post about the kids new school.
Regional International School
The boys started going to school the first week of September. Tyler is in Group 5 and Dillon in Group 1.
I had planned to keep Dillon home with me but we were informed that once a child turns five they are required by law to go
to school. I had to do the "first day of school" much sooner than I had prepared myself for. All in all it went
okay though. Dillon played it shy and I didn't cry. He has since made some new friends. His best buds are
a little boy from India named Noah and a little girl from Ireland named Zarah. His teacher, Ms. Marta (from Poland) seems
nice but I do detect a temper in her. I think a lot of it may be cultural differences though. They seem to expect
different things from the kids here than they do at home. There is more of an emphasis on general good behavior and
less on grades and performance. He seems to like her so I'm not complaining.
Tyler has a couple of american friends he has met in his class. His teacher is...well...a different sort of teacher.
Ms. Hija is from the states and she is very laid back...a very odd attitude...she doesn't really seem worried about anything
and her grading system is still unknown to most of the parents. We get the impression that she doesn't really give grades.
She lets the kids pick their own spelling words from a list of about 300. They don't do spelling tests...the kids test
each other but they don't really turn the grades in. They don't do cursive, they do "joining". It will be interesting
to see how things go when he gets back to the states.
I've been helping out here and there at school. I've joined the "Wam" program where I go once a week and help children
learn to read english. Most of the kids I work with are from foreign countries and are behind in their abilities to
read english. Who wouldn't be, in my opinion! Learning a new language is tough enough...learning to read and write
it is a whole new story.
I've also helped out in the library and in Dillon's classroom. I've tried to keep myself busy. I joined a
gym and try to go 3 to 4 times a week. I ususally go right after I drop the boys off at school.
Getting to school has been fun. If the weather is good we will ride bikes. The school is about 2 kilometers
from the house. If the weather is bad I either borrow a car from Aaron and Rachel or I use our car (depends on who is
carpooling that day). Dillon loves to take the bike when we can...of course he would...its a limo service! All
he has to do is ride on the back of the bike!
How often do you get to jaunt over to Wiesbaden, Germany to meet up with family!
The last weekend of August my Dad was in Germany on business and Chris, the boys and I drove out to meet him! We
arrived on Thursday evening and met up with Dad. Mom had sent a bunch of food with him!!! Those yummy, processed
food, things that you can't get here. Mac and Cheese, Velveeta, microwave popcorn, etc. Thanks Mom!
On Friday we spent the day being tourists in Wiesbaden. We visited a hot spring fountain, which Tyler decided
to stick his hand in....he found out just how hot those hot springs are! He didn't get burned, but it was hot enough
for him to take notice!
I decided that we needed to go to a large hill overlooking the city because there was supposed to be a Russian Orthodox
Church at the top that was very beautiful. What I didn't realize at the time was that we would be walking quite a ways
to get to the tram. It wasn't so bad...we got to walk through a park on the way. We got to the top and walked
around, found the church, and took some photos of the town. On the way home we did get caught in the rain. We
didn't get soaked, but we did get a little wet.
When we came down we took the boys to lunch at a pizza place, and stopped into the cuckoo clock store to have a look
around. Before we left town we took my dad to a brewery I had found online. It was called Brauhaus Castel.
Chris really enjoyed the beer there. I ordered a Hefeweizen and of course my beer was absolutely HUGE! I posted
a picture of it on our web album.
We had a really great time visiting with my Dad. The boys were very happy that they got to see him. We really
missed him!
Okay Okay...I know its been forever since I posted to our blog. Since my last post we've visited London and Wiesbaden
Germany. I'll start with our trip to London. The last week of July the boys and I headed to London to visit Karen,
Paul, Ailsa and little Angus. We spent the first part of our week taking it easy. I did take the boys to the Princess
Diana Memorial Playground, which was very cool. It had a huge pirate ship to climb on, sand pits, climbing equipment,
slides, teepees and so much more. For our second week Aaron, Rachel and Sydney came into town. They stayed at
Karens as well (yes, she had enough room...just barely!). We spent the weekend wandering downtown London. We let
Rachel take the lead because she had to leave town after only 3 days. We visited the British Museum (where Dillon was
absolutely fascinated by the mummies and the money); the British Library where we got to see the Magna Carta, Shakespeare's
work, and various other texts; We also saw the Tower of London; Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. Rachel left on Sunday
and for the rest of our week we hung out with Aaron, Sydney and the Kennedys. Sydney and Ailsa played very well together
and seemed to enjoy each other.
Later on in the week we took the kids to the Natural History Museum and saw dinosaurs, gems, and a really neat exhibit
on Antartica. If you know Dillon you know that he has had some fasciniation with Antartica for the last 4-5 months.
When we saw that this was going on at the museum we absolutely had to go! The first stage of the exhibit was a cold
room. They took us into a freezer and closed the doors. You got to experience -30 degrees for 1 minute...considered
a warm day in anartica. The boys were exicted until about 30 seconds into it...then they started complaining of being
cold. They toughed it out though. Then they took you into the rest of the exhibit where you could play games,
ride snow mobiles, and see how you would live in Antartica. We even got to see the contents of a penguin's stomach!
Lets just say it was full of all the things you'd expect...fish, squid, etc. etc. and the smell was lovely!
One day while we were in London we decided to take the kids to the Tower of London via boat. We picked up a boat
on the Thames River near Kew, which is where Karen lives. We hopped onto the boat and it headed towards Westminster.
About ten minutes into our ride we decided to break out lunch. I was sitting next to Sydney and the boys were sitting
across the other side of the boat (we were on the top level, windows open..very nice breeze). Sydney took a drink of
juice and then threw up all over herself, and me. Aaron was a quick thinker and grabbed her and stuck her head out the
window. She threw up one more time out the window. Once her stomach had settled a bit we started the "clean up"
job. My pants were soaked. Sydney's shirt was soaked. As you can imagine we smelled lovely. The upper
level of the boat cleared out very quickly....everyone went downstairs...gee I don't know why! We got ourselves cleaned
up as best we could and decided to continue on with our sight seeing. Needless to say, we didn't have a problem with
crowds at the Tower of London...everywhere we went people mysteriously backed away and let us through!
We ended up having a really wonderful time. I was able to get photos of Karen, Paul and the babies and we got to
spend some wonderful nights sitting up late and talking. Something I've missed being able to do with Karen. It
was wonderful!
I suppose you are wondering where Chris was this whole time! he was on business in the states. He had planned
to come to London but he couldn't change his plans. He got to go home to Texas at least!
2300 Kilometers. 6 Cities. 8 Days. Does this sound like an awesome vacation to you? We had a blast!
We, of course, waited until nearly the last minute to book our hotels and plan our driving routes, but we managed to get everything
in order before leaving.
Strasbourg, France
We arrived for our first overnight stop in Strasbourg France on Saturday afternoon. We stopped in to check into
our hotel and got our first taste of a "true Eurpoean Hotel". It was ancient. Peeling wallpaper, threadbare covers.
We did expect small in europe, but we didn't expect the mustiness and the fact that Dillon found a candy wrapper under the
bed. While we didnt' check out of the room, we did spend as much time as possible outside of it.
We arrived on a perfect night. After spending the day wandering through La Petite France and enjoying dinner by
the river, we were treated to a fabulous fireworks show. Apparently they were having a show every weekend through the
month of July. When we got back to the room we slept on top of the covers and got up as early was possible. The
shower was a whole different adventure! The shower head sprayed me in the face when I turned it on!!
Verona Italy
We arrived in Verona on Sunday afternoon and really enjoyed our stay. We had booked a bed and breakfast which turned
out to be perfect. It was close to the city center and it was clean, and airconditioned! It also really included
breakfast (which is actually not always included at a bed and breakfast here). We spent the evening wandering the streets
of Verona. It was in Verona that Tyler and Dillon had their first "true Italian Pizza". We enjoyed seeing the
coliseum which was built in 30 a.d. and we also got to see the legendary Juliet's balcony.
Venice, Italy
On Monday morning we went to Venice. We got terribly lost! We were supposed to go to Mestre and drive across
the causeway and park at the train station. We coudln't find the causeway. We ended up parking very close to it
and taking a vaparetto (water bus) across to the island. This, in my opinion, worked out just fine because the kids
absolutely loved the ride over on the boat. While in Venice we saw San Marco's Piazza and we toured the basillica.
We got to see the tomb of Saint Mark and the beautiful, jeweled, alter screen that Napoleon apparently stole jewels from when
he was in Venice. We choose not to ride a gonola because the prices were astronomical, but we did ride the water taxi
back to the location we were to pick up the bus. The kids absolutely loved feeding the pidgeons in San Marco Piazza.
La Buoena Terra Farm
The same day we went to Venice we stayed on an agro-tourism farm nearby, on the mainland. We arrived about dinner
time and they asked us if we would like to dine with them. We accepted, because we had not had dinner. It ended
up being the best decision we made. The food was absolutely to die for. Everything that was prepared was grown
on the farm. We started out with little finger food appetizers, then homemade Rissoto rice with a mushroom sauce, then
we had prochuitto with melon and some sort of rice-crispie cake for desert (it was a birthday cake for one of the other children
staying at the farm). The farm was amazing. There was a swimming pool, chickens, pigs, cattle, peacocks, rabbits,
turkeys, a huge garden, grape vines, etc. etc. I could go on and on! There was an airconditioner in our room that
night but we forgot to ask for the remote so we ended up sweating it out a bit overnight. By the time we realzied we
needed to ask for it everyone was in bed.
Tyler and Dillon loved spending time at the farm. We met a French couple from Monaco who were vacationing there.
The husband spoke French, Italian, and English. The children didn't speak English but the boys enjoyed
playing games with them anyway. If we had stayed longer we could have participated in the farm duties, or taken
some classes in medicinal plants and cooking. The day we left they were expecting 70 school children who were coming
for the day to learn about the farm! We made it out just in time!!
Florence Italy
We would have liked to have spent more time in Florence. We arrived that afternoon after a heated battle and near
divorce over the directions (I won, of course). We found our hotel and headed for the ciy. We got to the Academia
and there was a huge line around the building to see Michaelangelo's "David". We decided to go on to something else.
We ended up touring the Dumo and having dinner at a small restaurant across the river. The kids, of couse, got Pizza
and Chris and I got other italian dishes. We had dinner and headed back to the hotel (chris got us a room at the Hilton).
The next morning we got up very early and headed back over to Academia. We still had to wait in line, but not nearly
as long as we would have had to wait the night before. We got into the Academia and the kids did great waiting in line.
We got to see "David" and a lot of beautiful art. After we got done we had to rush over to the shuttle and get back
to the hotel to check-out. We wanted to see the church that had Michaelangelo's and Gallileo's tombs in it but we didn't
have time. Thats okay....we'll catch it next time we are in FLorence, right?
Pisa, Italy
Pisa was a very big hit with the kids! We drove to Pisa from Florence and spent just a couple hours in the city
but that was all we needed. We had a blast walking around the tower, making silly poses, and sitting in the grass.
Dillon kept telling us "this isn't as big as the Eiffel Tower". I think he thought it was supposed to be taller.
Cinque Terre
After our visit to Pisa we headed up the cost to Cinque Terre for a little rest and relaxation. Wow...this is where
I found out that I am afraid of heights...really. To get to the little town we were staying in we skirted the coast
on winding, twisty, roads and hairpin curves. Whats more, the crazy italians in the area were driving on these roads
at the suggested speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour. I was yelling at Chris to go slowly...I think he went about
30 the whole way and we had to pull over everytime someone came up behind us and started riding our bumper. We did manage
to make it to town and very thankfully leave our car outside the town (no cars allowed in the town). Our apartment that
Chris had rented was perfect. It had a king bed and a queen futon along with a twin pull out. It had a washing machine
and kitchenette and an AWESOME view of the ocean. It was warm there but it was so pretty. We were fairly close
to the beach...only 382 stairs away! Yep...382 stairs..and we climbed them twice! After 2 times we discovered
that there was a bus that would take you from the train station below up the hill to the town. THAT would have been
some handy information! We did use the bus on our last trip down to the beach. We spent two wonderful days in
Cinque Terre (Corniglia to be exact). The only problem we ever had there was the food. It was astronomically expensive
and it was a little diffferent. To give you an example, the first night there I ordered grilled shrimp...I have
a picture of this up on our picassa album...I got either very large shrimp or mini-lobsters...they were grilled, in their
skins, with legs, eyes, and everything attached. I only received 4 and I had to dig the meat out of the tail like it
was a lobster. Tyler ordered fried seafood with calamari, shrimp and anchovies...the anchovies were strange enough (Tyler
wouldn't eat them) but the fried shrimp were fried fresh out of the ocean...feet, eyes, antenna and all. Very odd and
of course Tyler wouldnt eat that either! We did get to swim in the ocean..the water was amazingly clear...a little cold
but not unbearable. We swam several times during our stay and the kids really enjoyed their time.
It was at some point between Cinque Terre and Zermatt that we discovered that Chris' google directions weren't entirely
accurate. They had us going to Milan and taking a train to our next stop, Zermatt. We had to pull over and pull
out the road maps. We got through the rest of our trip the old fashioned way...with road maps. Luckily I had brought
a highlighter so we tested our mapping skills and tracked our route so we woudln't get lost again....hopefully. I think
it actually went better this way...we got lost less from here on out!
Zermatt, Switzerland
Just when I thought I had made it out of the mountains and off those scary roads I went and booked us a room in Zermatt,
Switzerland, at the base of the Matterhorn. It ended up taking us 2 hours longer to get to Zermatt from Corniglia because
the roads were twisting and turning...not to mention the traffic jams we encountered in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE SWITZERLAND!
Who gets in a traffic jam halfway up a mountain?! We finally got to Tasch and parked our car. We made our way
to the train, hopped on and rode up the mountain to Zermatt (they dont' allow cars up into the town). We arrived at
cloud level. It was misty, foggy, and the river was roaring through the middle of town. It was kinda cool!
We had dinner at a local restuarant and headed off to bed. The next morning we got up and I headed outside. The
first thing I saw was the Matterhorn Mountain with a little wisp of cloud encircling the top. We took a short hike and
just enjoyed the scenery. Dillon found a giant chess game that he fell in love with so I took him over and we played
GIANT chess. He was so happy! Then we had lunch...the kids ate pizza...again...and we headed back down the mountain.
We would have liked to have spent more time in Zermatt as well. Apparently there was a lake just below the mountain
that you could hike to...I think that would have been beautiful to see.
Heidelberg, Germany
After leaving Zermatt we headed to Heidelberg,Germany. Heidelberg was beautiful once we found it!
On the way, much to Tyler's excitement, we got to drive on the German autobahn. Yep...no speed limit. Of
course, in a Honda Jazz there is only so fast you can go!
When We actually got into Heidelberg we didn't have a map of the city and weren't really sure where the hotel was.
After driving around for about 45 minutes we finally stopped and called the hotel. They gave us some directions and
we did manage to find it. We would have never found it without help....it was clear on the other side
of town! When we drove up to the hotel we were scared. It looked like it would be a repeat of Strasbourg.
I told Chris that if the lobby was icky that he should just tell them we weren't staying. Luckily, he came back
and said it looked okay on the inside. He was right...it wasn't too bad. The rooms were clean and the breakfast
the next morning was good. After breakfast we drove over to old town Heidelberg and parked. We went on a
tour of the castle...after we climed a very large vertical incline (because the king of the castle, of course, wanted a view
over the entire town). Yeah, we were done with stairs but we weren't actually done with climbing yet! While
at the castle we got to see the world's largest wine barrel, and taste some local wine (nevermind it was 11 a.m.....we
were on vacation!). After the castle we headed down to a little brewery we had spotted near the castle. We
weren't able to tour it because they were brewing and woudln't let you tour unless you had a reservation. Thats
okay though...as Chris put it....if you've seen one brewery you've basically seen em' all. We sat in the bar and had
a beer and the boys had french fries. The beer was good!
Once we finished up at the brewery we headed on to Eindhoven. That part of our drive was pretty uneventful.
I know my blog doesn't give as much detail as I have in other blogs but I'm trying to finish quickly because on Sunday
we head for London for 2 weeks with Karen and her family!
