Go Karts!

This week, the fellas were feeling the need...the need for speed! Unfortunately, everything is covered with a foot or two of snow right now, so we had to be a little creative. Did you know that they have several indoor go kart tracks here in Belgium? We headed over to Lommel with some friends to check one out.Unfortunately, it's really hard to take pictures inside this building. In order to make it light enough to see, the guys are all little go kart blurs on the track. You can get the idea, though. It was a blast! There was a big group of riders finishing up when we got there, and then we had the track to ourselves for over an hour before more people showed up. Apparently going during the middle of the week is the way to go! Each rider is assigned a car, and each car has an electronic device in it that keeps track of your lap times. When you are done with the race, you get a print out of your lap times. It's very cool. There was a nice place for us ladies to hang out in upstairs. We weren't really feeling the need for speed. We were feeling the need to chill, and this was right up our alley. Like every place in Belgium, there's beer available. And coffee. It's a great place to hang out after your race and swap stories.

Don't you love this? Just in case you were missing a little bit of home, you can order a Miller Lite. After all, it's made the American way!

Merry Christmas!

If anyone here was dreaming of a white Christmas, then Santa really delivered this year. Some day, many years from now, the locals will refer to this (with affection) as "The Great Snowstorm of 2010." I'm having flashbacks of our Alaskan Christmases. (I still can't beleive we sold that snow blower. It would have come in really handy here lately, but who knew?) I hope none of you were on Santa's naughty list, and you got everything that you wished for. We had a great Christmas, starting with the exciting chaos of opening presents and ending with a delicious dinner with friends. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderfully Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve

Twas the day before Christmas, and all through the land,

The snow just kept falling. How much more can we stand?

My family is all snuggled in our mazoot warmed abode,

Watching neighbors shoveling their driveways... load after load.

There's no sense in clearing it, cause there's no where to go.

It's a good thing that Belgium never gets any snow.

Kerststad Valkenburg...A Christmas Market In A Cave!

We've first visited Valkenburg in July of 2009, right after we moved to Belgium. When I heard that they held a Christmas Market in the Velvet Cave, I knew I just had to go back. The Christmas Market runs from November 19 to December 23, so I guess you could say I cut this one a little close. We visited the Market on the last day. Due to the mini blizzard hampering the locals driving, and it being so late in the season, we didn't even have to fight the crowds. The theme of this years market was A Charles Dickens' Christmas. The entrance to the caves was very festive. It's hard to remember that the last time we visited these caves, the entrance was just a rocky wall.

Although Christmas Markets aren't really his thing, Russ very generously braved the elements and took me to this one.

Once you are in the cave, it's pretty cozy. There were lots of lovely booths set up here and there along the path through the cave. This one had some very pretty tapestry purses.

There were also scenes set up in little nooks and crannies along the route. This Nativity Scene was very pretty.

They left some areas open so that you could enjoy the beauty of the caves themselves. This is the chapel in the Velvet Cave.

They even had a restaurant and bar in the middle of the caves. I loved that they set up the bar right beside the carving of a dinosaur.

There are actually two different Christmas Markets in caves in Valkenburg. They have one in the Velvet Cave, and another in the Municipal cave. We didn't make it to the second one. Maybe I'll put that on my list for next year. If you ever find yourself in The Netherlands during Christmas, head over to the city of Valkenburg and check it out. They have a Christmas parade every Wednesday and Saturday evening, and they light up the downtown area with lots of beautiful Christmas lights each evening from November 19th to January 2nd. There is even live music, with choirs, bands and musical groups performing for your listening pleasure. It's just the thing to get you into the Christmas spirit!

Relaxing During the Christmas Break...

Someone is regretting the fact that we sold the snow blower when we left Alaska.  Don't worry, it never snows in Belgium.  If it does, it usually melts the same day.  Usually. 

Our Belgian Advent Calendar

I was in Dreamland (it's just like a Toys R Us) one day last month, and happened upon a Lego Advent Calendar. I thought the kids would get a kick out of it, Brandon in particular. After all, you never outgrow Lego's, do you? I know I didn't. Each day, you open a little door and find a new character or object to construct. There is a picture on the inside of each door that gives you the instructions as to what you are making that day. It's lots of entertainment. I get a kick out of seeing what Brandon adds to the scene each day.

This Lego Land revolves around a city scape. Each new piece adds to the details of a lovely home. There is Mom preparing dinner with her huge loaf of French bread, and Dad arriving home from work with briefcase in hand. Little Becky Sue is playing a kickin' song on the drums, and Tommy is pretending to fight evil knights with his sword. There is a roaring fire and lots of toys scattered around. Oh, the joys of Christmas. Then, a couple of days ago, things got a little weird. By weird, I mean very disturbing. Lego might have scarred my little angels for life.

Your eyes are not deceiving you. That's Santa, wearing a speedo, and taking a shower. In the living room. They even included a nice brush to scrub his back with. To say that our house was in an uproar over this development is an understatement. The kids and I are now seeking therapy. We might never be able to look at jolly old St. Nick the same way again. Only in Europe. Scarred for life, I tell you.

Scarred for life.

Baby Grinch

He puzzled and puzzled, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store! Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!

We had a Whoville Cookie Exchange at KB on Saturday, and this little sweetie was the hit of the party. No explanations necessary. I think maybe our hearts all grew three sizes that day.

It's Snowing...Again

Yesterday's big fat flakes of snow are back, and they brought a few friends. It's beginning to looking a lot like Christmas...everywhere you go...

More Christmas Markets...This Time It's Antwerp!

We probably didn't pick the best day to visit another Christmas Market, but such is life. Dawn and I decided to head to Antwerp today to check out their holiday fun. The morning started out with fat flakes of snow falling all around, but by the time our train arrived at Antwerp Central Station, it had turned into an icy rain. Still, how can you let the weather get your down when there are Christmas markets to experience?

Ahhhhh. There she is. We were some of the first customers to the Market this morning. This one was in De Grote Markt, with the Stadhuis and Brabo Fountain in the background.

All of the little Christmas stalls were in a circle around the fountain.

If you look back in the other direction, you have a great view of the Cathedral of Our Lady.

I thought this booth had some interesting things. This is a chocolate Duvel Beer bottle and glass. It doesn't get much more Belgian that that, folks. Aparently Antwerp was taking notes from Cologne's multiple Christmas Markets, and decided she needed to keep up. We wandered around a little bit and happened upon this Market beside Het Steen, on the bank of the Scheldt River.

The giant penguin is standing at the entrance to the outdoor ice skating rink. It's just to the left of this picture. Local school kids were all taking field trips to go and ice skate there.

On our way back to the Grote Markt, we came across yet another Christmas Market. And more Christmas goodies.

I just had to take a picture of this booth. See? You can even get a little bit of Alaska in Antwerp, Belgium. They must have known I was coming. I'm off to warm up with a nice cup of coffee. Hope your day is filled with a few Christmas surprises as well.

The Christmas Markets at Cologne, Germany

KB planned a day trip to the Christmas Markets in Cologne, Germany, on Monday, so a friend and I tagged along for the ride. Cologne, or Koln, has been on my list of places that I've wanted to see in Europe for a long time. Besides, who can resist a Christmas Market? We got there pretty early, so we were some of the first customers when Markets opened. Cologne is such a huge city that it doesn't have just one Christmas Market. It has 5! This one is near the center of town. What? A castle in the middle of the city? This is the Hahnentorburg, and it's one of the three medieval gatehouses to the city that remain standing. It dates back to somewhere between 1180 to 1220. This entrance was once used by Royal visitors to the city.

On to the second Christmas Market. It's only a few blocks from the first one, and the crouds were starting to pick up. After shopping for a bit, we decided to walk over to the Christmas Market at the foot of the Cathedral. The pride of Cologne is the Cathedral, or as the locals call it, The Dom. We meandered through the city streets, patiently looking for her, until finally...she peeked out at us from behind a building.

She's quite the beauty, isn't she? As impressive as she looks in pictures, she is much bigger in real life.

Time for more holiday shopping. Market #3 awaits... Yep. That's roasted wild boar. I didn't eat any of this, but isn't it interesting? It actually smelled really good.

Another view of the Cathedral... This is the right side. From the front, you can really get an idea of how enormous this building really is.

The two towers are just over 157 meters tall. Did you know that the North tower is actually 7 cm taller than the South one? I'm sure that will come in handy one day when you are playing Trivial Pursuit. Or maybe Jeopardy. The base of the Cathedral is bigger than a football field!

The area in front of the Dom is a popular hang out place.

We walked around the side of the Cathedral looking for...you guessed it....another Christmas Market. Our goal was to see all of them.

The architecture is amazing. There was even a gold cross on the top.

Soon, we were on the back side of the Dom and walking down to the water front.

We found it...Market #4! How many people can say they've been to a floating Christmas Market? This one had lots of interesting things, including some antiques. Pretty soon, it was time to head back to the bus. We did spot the last Christmas Market (#5) on the way back, but we didn't have time to check it out. In all, it was a very successful trip, and I finished up most of my Christmas shopping. I picked up some goodies for Grandma and Nana there, too, but they will just have to wait until their boxes arrive to see what their surprises are. I'm not telling.