Kris Allen Comes To The Netherlands

Unless you've been without electricity for an extended period of time, or abducted by aliens, you know who Kris Allen is. If that was your fate, then I'll be happy to share with you the fact that he was the Season 8 winner of American Idol, and singer of the hit song "Live Like We're Dying." Kris was here yesterday as part of a USO tour of Europe, and the concert was free for military and their families. He and his band showed up at the kids' school, and put on a great show for us. Even though the venue was pretty small, they went all out. This must be what people are talking about when they say someone rocked the house down. The seats (and the audience) were literally vibrating with the music. I don't think the kids noticed much, though. They were too busy dancing around and singing along with the band.

One of the things that impressed me the most, was that not only is he a talented musician and singer, but he seems to be a really nice guy. He interacted with the audience, thanked the military members for their service, and joked around a lot with the kids.

He even read each and every sign that the screaming girls had made for him. He said that if they could take the time to make those signs, then the least he could do was read them out loud. That was a big hit! A big THANK YOU! to Kris and the USO for putting on this show for us. You guys rock! Literally!

A Happy, Healthy and Chilly Home

Have you ever had one of those days? Silly question, huh? We've all had them. Some days just sail on with no issues at all, and then there are those other ones. The days when everything seems to take so much effort to accomplish even the tiniest of tasks. Running late for a big event on base, the phone won't stop ringing, the curlers that I plugged in to heat up mysteriously came unplugged and were luke warm when it was time to fix my hair...and then the biggie....no hot water. In fact, there is no heat at all. Ugh. Now you folks back in the states are thinking, "What's the big deal about no heat? It's not even really Fall yet!" I'll tell you what the deal is...this is Belgium. The Fall weather is typically overcast, rainy, foggy, and cold. The highs right now are in the mid to low 50's. Then you take into account that all of the houses here have concrete/brick walls and tile flooring. (A few have wood flooring, but NO carpeting.) Essentially, it means that without heat, your house is one giant refrigerator. So here I sit, wrapped up in my Snuggie and typing away. (Thanks Mom for buying it for Dad, and thanks Dad for rolling your eyes and handing it over to me.) It's my new best friend. And it will remain so until at least this weekend, when the mazoot guy can come over and find out what's wrong with my cranky heater and return warmth to my frozen family. No rush. These things take time. Have a cup of coffee and relax. That's the way things are done over here. They don't get wrapped up about much, and I guess that's why they live longer. Don't stress over the things you can't control. It reminds me of something a local lady told me when we moved here. I was frustrated with all of the spiderwebs in my house. I dusted, swept and vacuumed constantly, but the little darlings rebuilt their webs the minute after I destroyed them. She said as long as you have fresh flowers in your home, you will be happy, and spider webs in your home were a sign of a healthy house. In other words, just relax and enjoy life. So what if my flowers have icicles hanging from their blooms and I spend rest of the day wrapped up in a Snuggie? It's all good. After all, a bad day in Belgium beats a good day somewhere else. I'd better go now. I'm pretty sure I just saw a gang of spiders hauling one of my sweaters back to their web.

My Kind Of People

Most of the locals around here are kind of reserved, but occasionally you run into

one with a really awesome sense of humor. These look like my kind of people. Such a classic and stylish house...but what's that peeking out from the corner of the yard? Yep. My kind of people. It makes you want to knock on their door and ask what the story is here. You know it's got to be a good one. Hope your day is full of sunshine, smiles and maybe a dinosaur or two...

Hamont...Antiques and Windmills

I go to Hamont a lot. Well, one place in Hamont, to be exact...Slegers-Heise Antiques. In fact, I just made a quick run over there to check out an amazing bench. Not just any bench, mind you. THE bench. The very one I've been looking for all last year! I saw it on their website under "new arrivals" and Russ told me to just go and get it. I won't bore you with the details, but once I got there, I found out that it was already sold. *sadness*. I spent a little time in the store anyway, wandering around and telling myself that maybe the bench wasn't as amazing as it looked after all. Maybe it had a big crack somewhere, or maybe it smelled like an old man's stinky feet. Maybe. Anyhoo, after my great disappointment, I decided to make the most of the beautiful day and actually check out the town. I had no idea that Hamont was home to this beautiful windmill called Napoleansmolen. It was built in 1804. You know that I have a thing for windmills, so this made me feel a lot better. How could you possibly feel sad when you live in a place with such beautiful things to see and explore? This plaque on the side of the windmill gives you a brief history of the building. If your Nederlands is a little rusty (like mine), then check out their website. It has some great pictures, and really has some interesting information about the windmill and the town of Hamont.

I have a thing about European churches, too, and this is the one in the centrum of Hamont. Very pretty! Things were a little busy when I was there, but I plan on heading back on a quiet morning some time soon to take more pics of this beautiful building called St. Laurentiuskerk (St. Lawrence Church). It's a Gothic Revival church and it was built between 1903 and 1904. Enough exploring for the day. It was time to get back home and start searching the internet for that perfect antique bench... One that's even more amazing than the one that "got away". *snif*

Violence Against Starbucks

Hey, USPS! You should be ashamed of yourself! What did Starbucks ever do to you? Now go to your room and think about what you've done. Bad. Very bad.

St. Huibrechts-Lille

I haven't been out "adventuring" lately. The hubby and I have been hanging out at the house for over a week now, while he is recovering from his knee surgery. I must admit, I've gotten a little bit stir crazy, and decided to just take off and check out St. Huibrechts-Lille. The hubby needed a change of scenery, too, and went with me. This town is located on the Northeast corner of Belgium, just a few minutes from the border into The Netherlands, and it's a very pretty place. (Actually, it's hard to find a city or town in Belgium that isn't amazing.) De Windmollen St. Huibrechtslille was built in 1819 by Wouter Houben and Joseph Kerckhofs, and was a grain and oil mill. It was originally situated beside a canal, but was moved to it's current location after the canal was widened in 1908. From 1921 to 9161, it was owned and run by a co-op of farmers. It changed hands a couple more times until the local government bought the windmill in 1997. It was restored and opened to the public in 2000. You can go inside it every second Saturday and fourth Sunday of the month, from 1-5 pm. The Gementehuis in St. Huibrechts-Lille is in the Centrum. It's the Town Hall. This little statue hangs out over the door of the Parish house in the Centrum. It was put there in 2003 by the Liller Meulewiekers, to celebrate their 33 anniversary. I must say, he's a creepy looking little fellow. St. Monulphus and Gondulphuskerk towers over the Centrum of St. Hubrechts-Lille. It was named after the patron Saints Monulphus and Gondulphus. You'd think that a name that is such a mouth full would be unique. Turns out that there are several churches in this area with the same title. This is a bronze replica of the old cast iron pump that used to be in this town. The original one was destroyed some time between 1950 and 1960.

In case you are wondering about the hubby's recovery...he's doing rather well. His knee is healing nicely, and he's raring to get back to work. Yes, he is still driving me crazy. That seems to be his main form of entertainment lately. His latest winning comment was "Hey, woman! Get up here and rub my feet." Seriously? You say this to the person who is giving you your shots? Are you THAT crazy? Yes. He is.

Normandy, France

On June, 6, 1944, the beaches of Normandy, France, became a part of history. In the past, they were simply referred to as the beaches of the Cote de Nacre, between the Orne and the Vire. After this date, they were to be forever known as Sword, Juno, Gold and Omaha. The most famous of these is Omaha Beach. The fighting was so intense here, it was nicknamed "Bloody Omaha." Today, it's once again a peaceful and beautiful place. Still, no one will ever forget what happened here. This monument is just off of the sandy beach. It says (both in French, and in English), "The Allied Forces landing on this shore which they call Omaha Beach liberate Europe - June 6th 1944." Just behind the other monument, is this sculpture. It's called Les Braves (The Braves), by Anilore Banon. It consists of three parts: "The Wings of Hope- so that the spirit that carried these men on June 6th, 1944 continues to inspire us, reminding us that together it is always possible to change the future. Rise, Freedom! - so that the example of those who rose against barbarity, helps us remain standing strong against all forms of inhumanity. The Wings of Fraternity - so that this surge of brotherhood always reminds us of our responsibility towards others as well as ourselves. On June 6, 1944 these men were more than soldiers, they were our brothers." Not too far away is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. It was established the the United States 1st Army on June 8, 1944, and was the first American Cemetery in Europe in WWII. It sits on a cliff, overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel. This statue is called "The Spirit of American Youth". The cemetery covers 172.5 acres.There are 9,387 American soldiers buried here. This is a view of Omaha Beach and the English Channel from the cemetery. The next morning, we finished our weekend in Normandy with a visit to the Caen-Normandy Memorial Centre for History and Peace. Not only did it have exhibits on WWII, it covered all of the wars. Our weekend in Normandy was very educational. It was interesting to see first hand where these battles took place, instead of just reading about it in a book.

We Need To Talk...

The hubby came home and said, "We need to talk." Is it just me, or does that phrase always make you nervous? I'm starting to feel guilty, and I don't even have a clue what he's talking about. What on earth have I done now? (and who narked on me?) "I keep getting these little boxes in the mail," he said, "and I'm starting to wonder if you have a problem that you need to tell me about." Whew. Is that all? He already knew about this addiction, and sort of approved it, so I have nothing to worry about. I do want to send a big shout out to my awesome friends back in the US who are feeding my addiction. (And doing it quite nicely, by the way!) Aren't my new babies adorable? And I have an ALASKA now! Woohoo! Thanks ladies! You made my day! (And you make the hubby very nervous. That's always a nice bonus.)

Aachen Adventures...

Have you ever had one of those days? And you pretty much knew it was going to be one of those days, but you just couldn't stop yourself? Today was that day. A little while back, I'd asked Erika if she wanted to go to Aachen, Germany, with me today. At that point, I really hadn't thought about how tired I'd be after spending the previous day in Antwerp, and then heading to The Netherlands last night for a meeting about school sports. I debated it all night, and had pretty much decided not to go. Then morning came, and I changed my mind again. Even though I wasn't feeling it, I decided to keep the date and head over. This morning, before Russ left to go to work, he said "I wish you weren't going to Aachen today. I'm just not feeling it." Hmmm. Kind of eerie, but I didn't mention my earlier feelings and told him it was fine. Then Erika showed up and said she was ready to go, but she'd been having a really bad morning. "Everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong", she said. "It's like something is telling me that I shouldn't go to Aachen today." OK, now I'm starting to get worried. Does this mean something really bad is going to happen if I go to Aachen? Ugh. I'm not really that superstitious, but when it keeps slapping you in the face, you feel like you have to pay attention. There was some serious debate in the drive way, but we decided to risk it and take off. After an uneventful drive, we found ourselves in the city. We did some light shopping, picked up a snack, and decided to hit Starbucks and head home. On my way out of the store, I noticed a little girl and boy playing on the outside of the automatic doors. They kept slapping the doors and giggling. As I approached the doors, the boy slapped both hands on them. This was at the same time the doors slid open, trapping his little hand between the pieces of glass. I looked at him, he looked at me, then he looked at his hand that was now pinned between two pieces of glass and started to howl. Loudly. Then all heck broke loose. His Mom came running from the outside and started yanking on his arm. I started yanking on the door from the inside. The little girl started crying. Everyone was yelling. Or staring. Or both. Total chaos, until finally, his little hand popped free. The Mom and boy walked away. He was sniffling, but feeling better now that he wasn't trapped by in a door by a strange foreigner. I walked the other way, relieved that he was OK, feeling a little guilty that he got trapped, but also wondering what kind of mother lets her kid play with an automatic door. Seriously. Whew. Erika and I decided that we'd had enough excitement for the day, and headed on home. As we approached the border between Germany and The Netherlands, things slowed down a lot. Then even more. Eventually, we were traveling at a crawl. There was a police road block ahead, and they were checking papers. As we approach the Politie, I am doing a mental check list. No problem. I have my driver's license, passport, and ...crap. I don't have my International Driver's License. I'm going to be detained at the border. Strip searched. Fined. Locked in a German or Nederland jail for months, and all because I didn't bring the proper paperwork. And that's not the worst part. I'm going to have to listen to Russ tell me that he didn't want me to go to begin with. He didn't have a good feeling about this. I should have listened to my husband. UGH! Soon, we make it to the front of the line. We pull up to the Politie and...they waved us on through. What? That's it? Relief. I pick up speed and head on to the house. Home sweet home. I'm going to spend the rest of the day hiding in bed with a good book. And I will never....never....ever....leave the house again when I'm not feeling it. It's just too nerve racking. I don't think I can handle the strain.

Antwerp Again!

Let me just stop you right there. Yes. I did just go to Antwerp a couple of weeks ago. But if you've ever been to Antwerp, you will fully understand my desire to go back again. And again. Let's face it, it's a huge and amazing city, and I barely scratched the surface of it during my last visit. Besides, there is nothing more enjoyable or relaxing as a nice train ride to the city of diamonds. (Even if you don't actually buy any diamonds, it's lots of fun to admire their sparkly charms through the store windows.) Dawn came along with me on today's adventure. After a brisk walk down from the train station, we visited The Cathedral of Our Lady in the Groenplaats (Green Churchyard). I thought the side view was impressive, but check out the front of this beauty! All of the carved detail around the massive door was very intricate. From best I can tell, it illustrates that some people go to heaven, and others take an unappealing, and slightly warmer, path. This is the largest church in The Netherlands, and it took 183 years to build (1352-1535). This statue is just to the right of the main entrance. You are allowed to take pictures inside the Cathedral, but you are not allowed to use your flash. I'll just share a few of the 50 or so pictures that I took inside. The architecture is stunning, and there are lots of paintings by P.P. Rubens and detailed wood carvings all over the place. It is a little overwhelming, because you feel like you have to look everywhere at once. This view is looking straight up while standing in front of the pulpit. Now you are looking forward, and a little high, so you can admire the beautiful cross.And this is right in front of you. Here is a close up of the painting on the ceiling of the Cathedral's dome. One of my favorite things about all of the churches here, is the fact that they have such amazing stained glass windows. This church was no exception. They are all beautiful!After exploring the Cathedral, we stepped back out into the little square called the Handschoenmarkt (Glove Market). It was still early morning, so things were pretty quiet. It gets a lot more lively around lunch time. I loved the name of this little cafe. It's literally called In De Schaduw Van De Kathedraal (In The Shadow of the Cathedral). And yes, it was. In this little square is De Quinten Matsijput well. It's a stone well with very fancy ironwork decorations the top of it. When you head down a little street from the Handschoenmarkt, you will soon find yourself in De Grote Markt (The Market Square). On a normal day, it is a large, open square, but not today. They were setting up an enormous set of bleachers that actually surrounded the fountain/statue. You know what this means, don't you? Yep. Now I have to come back again. How can I not get a clear picture of the Stadhuis (Town Hall) and statue? This is the famous De Brabofountein ( The Brabo Fountain). For fellow Starbucks mug collectors, this is featured on the Antwerp mug. I'm just saying. The fountain is of Silvius Brabo, a nephew of Julius Caesar. Legend has it that there was once a huge and terrible giant named Antigon, that lived on the side of the Scheldt river, where the city of Antwerp now lies. When someone wanted to cross the river, they had to pay the giant a toll. If they could not pay the toll, the giant cut of their right hand and tossed it into the river. The giant terrorized travelers for a long time until young Brabo came upon the scene. He killed the giant, and then chopped off it's hands and tossed them into the river. Antwerpen got it's name from hand werpen (to throw hand). At least this is one side of the story. Others insist that it's name came from the words An t' werf (at the wharf), because it is a large port city. There is some debate about this issue, but you know how I love a good story, so I go with the first version. Down another little street, and you will end up at the Scheltd River and Het Steen. This is the former home of the previously mentioned giant. It was turned into a prison in the 18th century. Now, it's the headquarters for the National Maritime Museum, which is just to the right of it. This is a statue of Lange Wrapper, who is known as The Teaser of the Antwerpeans. I'm told that he started out as a normal sized man, but when he went out at night, he could make himself bigger and bigger until he was a giant. Then he would torment the locals, mostly those who were drunk. During the day time, he would relax on the banks of the Scheld. I think there are about as many legends about giants here as there are statutes of fellows who look like Shakespeare. On the other side of the Castle is the National Maritime Museum. It's free, so be sure to just walk around and check out all of the old boats. It's really interesting. We saw everything from tiny one person dingys to huge sailing ships. Soon, it was time to return to the Grote Markt, get some lunch and head back to the train station. As we entered the square, we noticed this large horse and carriage.

This is an absolute must do, if you ever find yourself in the city of Antwerp. For a mere 5 Euro, you can enjoy a leisurely 45 minute ride in a horse drawn carriage, driven by this dapper gentleman in a top hat. He leaves every hour, on the hour, starting at 10 am and ending at 6 pm. (I think, but don't sue me if I'm off an hour.) What a wonderful way to see such a gorgeous city! Hmmmmm. Maybe on my next visit...