Maastricht And Sinterklaas

Some lovely ladies and I decided to head over to Maastricht today, to check out their Christmas Market. Maastricht is one of my favorite cities, so it doesn't take much to convince me to go there. First we wandered around the local market, and then we strolled down the streets and window shopped for a bit.

Then we spied what we had come to see... the Christmas Market! We were so excited, but something just didn't seem right. Why were there no people walking around the stalls? Why weren't the stalls open? We asked a local and were told that the dates on their website were incorrect, and the market doesn't actually start until Friday. Foiled. Oh, well. Who can be sad in the beautiful city of Maastricht when you are there on such a gorgeous day with friends? Not us.

So we walked around a little bit and enjoyed the sights.

And planned another visit to the city. Very, very soon.

And then paid a visit to my favorite book store. It's the one in the old church. Don't you just love it?

And then we went next door for a delicious lunch. I am really going to miss all of this when we have to leave Europe.

It was getting late, and the kids would soon be home from school, so we walked back to the Town Hall and to our vehicle.

Imagine my surprise when I spied this familiar group stopping by the local pizza joint. Could it be? Why yes! It's...

Sinterklass and his trusty sidekicks Zwarte Pieten! Back home we have Santa and his elves, but in The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, they have Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet. And they have two Christmas celebrations, too. Why have just one, if you can get away with two? On December 5, the good little girls and boys put their shoes out in the hopes that Sinterklaas will send Zwarte Piet down that dirty chimney and fill their shoes with all kind of goodies.

If the children are good, then they get lovely surprises. If they have been bad, then Zwarte Piet bundles the naughty children into a burlap sack and ships them off to Spain to be disciplined. I'm told that this hardly ever happens, but it's still enough to give the little ones nightmares. We assured Sinterklaas that we have been very good this year, so hopefully there won't be any nasty surprises when I wake up on December 6. Then again, I haven't been to Spain yet...

Sadly, we said good bye to Maastricht. We promise to return very soon. We still have to check out that Christmas Market!

I did pick up one little thing from Maastricht. It's a T-Rex tea infuser. So essentially, it's a Tea Rex. Don't you just love it? I couldn't resist.

If you're like Russ, you're rolling your eyes right now, but you'll be jealous later on when Rex and I are enjoying a nice hot cup of tea. You know it's true.

Merry Christmas... A Little Bit Early!

Around this time last year, Russ and I were drooling over a Grandfather clock at the Spang Bazaar. We don't like to talk about that experience much. Mostly because we both blacked out the majority of the experience from our memories. This year, at another Bazaar, we happened upon this Grandfather clock... and we just knew it had to be ours. We talked to the gentleman who was selling the clocks, and not only was this one even more gorgeous than the first, it was less expensive. Much, much less expensive. (Europe's economic troubles do have a bright side. Prices on certain items have dropped.)

Needless to say, the deal was done and our Christmas gift to each other was bought. Today, our baby was delivered. I have just 3 words for you: Uh May Zing! She's even more beautiful than I remember.

And she sings to me! Every quarter hour, she says a little "hello". On each hour, she sings such a lovely little tune that I almost want time to rush by, just so she'll do it again. In case you're wondering how lovely I'll find that same tune around 3 am, you don't have to worry. She has a setting, so she'll go to sleep with us at 10 pm and wake up around 7 am to start all over again. She's just that perfect.

How perfect, you ask? Just look at her pendulum. That's right. Neuschwanstein Castle. It's a match made in heaven. This is why we could never agree on an antique piece of furniture (or as Russ would say, "old, used stuff"). We were waiting for this lovely creature to come into our lives. And it was sooooo worth the wait. Ooooohhhh! It's time again. Shhhhh. She's singing...

Putting Up The Tree

With Thanksgiving in the back window, it's time to get ready for Christmas. Today was spent eating, putting up the tree, watching movies, and playing games. In other words, it was a perfect day. 27 days until the big event. Are you ready? I am most definitely not. But I'm getting there.

Santa's Starbucks Fix

Embarrassed by his Starbuck's addiction, Santa decided to use his stealth skills to sneak in and grab a Cranberry White Mocha to go.

Aachen Christmas Market

From November 18 to December 23, Aachen is home to Winter Magic. That's the name of this years Christmas Market, and "magic" is a perfect choice. Aachen, Germany, hosts one of my top 5 European Christmas markets. Wooden stalls start in front of the historic City Hall, wind down narrow streets to the Cathedral, and then lead you back up the other side.

The only sad part of our visit to Aachen was seeing our faithful friend being loaded up and taken away. This statue used to stand just to the left of the Town Hall, but the he's had it pretty rough the last few years. He is showing more than a little wear and tear, so the city passed him over to a company who will repair him and find him another home. I'm sorry to say that it won't be in Aachen. He will be greatly missed.

All of the local stores were all dressed up in their holiday best, and were definitely in the Christmas Spirit. The window of the Printis shop never fails to impress.

We had a fantastic time exploring the city with friends, and making a few new ones along the way as well.

I might have even picked up a Christmas gift or two.

There was so much to see, eat and do that it was almost overwhelming. Almost.

We had a fantastic day in Aachen, and couldn't have chosen a better location to kick off our season of European Christmas marketing. Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

The glass bowl sat quietly among the Polish pottery, certain that they did not sense anything out of the ordinary.

If your Thanksgiving was half as great as ours, then you are truly blessed. Happy Thanksgiving.

Saturday At The Eifel Bazaar

Each year, around this time, Spangdahlem AB in Germany hosts the Eiffel Bazaar. Three days filled with glorious European shopping, all contained in two gigantic hangers. Yes, it's amazing. The kids weren't that impressed with the possibility of watching Mom haul in more Polish pottery and antiques, so they bowed out of the adventure. Besides, they wanted to catch up on their beauty sleep. Russ and I woke up to a dark and foggy Fall morning, and took off on our treasure hunt.

We weren't disappointed. I was a good girl and passed by the pottery this time, but it took all of my will power to do so. They had Polish, Italian, and Spanish pottery, and it was all so tempting. They had antique furniture, new furniture, wine, cheese, tapestries, and just about anything you could wish for. We did bring home a couple of goodies. Won't these look lovely in our future castle?

And the second I saw these, I just knew they had to come home with me. They are huge and glorious (each around 7 -8 inches long). I'm starting to think that half our weight allowance will be made up of keys, but I just love them so much and they are a very inexpensive thing to collect, so what's the harm? Can you imagine what sort of doors they might open? I know. The kids didn't get it either. I'm fine with that.

The sun was setting as we headed back home. It was a long day, but lots of fun spent with my favorite person. This is one of the things that I'll miss most when we head back to the states. We'll just have to make the most of our time left in Europe... before we have to head back to reality. Did I mention that the season of Christmas Markets has begun?

Frost On The Flowers

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the candle is so delightful..." What? I don't have a fireplace, so you take what you can get. I was half listening to the radio the other day while running errands, and I heard something to the effect of "asffj werpoiusn cpaj wporu fjash SNOW askfj vjpuwt ghpia bhuw..." That one word came through loud and clear, so I started paying attention... but it was too late. The announcer was on to other things. Do you think we're in for a white and wooley winter? Could be.

By the way, I went to the bakery the other day and bought a couple of pies. Our entire conversation was in Nederlands (Dutch). I was so proud of myself as I walked out of the shop, that I almost went back in and bought a few more. It's the little things that make you smile. Tot ziens for now.

Reading Between The Lines - The Steel Chapel

In the little town of Borgloon, Belgium, there are a lot of hills. On top of one of those hills, lies a steel chapel called Reading Between The Lines. The Chapel was designed by Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh, and is constructed out of thousands of steel slats. The artists got the idea for the chapel from the church ruins scattered around the countryside. They wanted people to think about the churches from their past, and to appreciate them just a little bit more, instead of letting them fall into decay after being abandoned. They also thought it would be interesting to create a church that blended perfectly into it's natural surroundings. A place to commune with both God and nature, if you will. They did an excellent job. I can just imagine how the church must change and adapt to each new season. And let's not forget the view. It's spectacular! The church is 10 meters high, and is constructed of 100 layers of weathered steel plates. It was welded at another location, and only took one day to assemble on the hilltop of Borgloon.

If you're interested in seeing the church in person, then head on over to Borgloon. When you get to the intersection of Sint-Truidersteenweg and Grootloonstraat, look for a little paper sign with an arrow on it. Head up the tiny, one lane road (through the orchard) that the arrow is pointing to. When you reach the picnic table, you're there.

Trust me, it's worth it.

Couch To 11K In One Day!

So here's what went down. My loving hubby called me up and said "Hey, Ken is planning a run/walk for Veteran's Day here on base. Are you in?" Of course, my first question is how far?

"11 kilometers", he replied. I've never ran 11 kilometers in my life, and I was quick to point this out. "No problem", he assured me. "You can walk it. Other wives will be walking it." Fine. Sign me up. I've walked over twice that far in the snow (if you recall my Bastogne adventure last December), so I can handle it. Keep in mind that I haven't ran in around 6 weeks or so, and all I was doing then was 5K. I did 3 weeks of another workout program, but that skidded to a halt when we flew over to Scotland for a few days. That was 2 or 3 weeks ago. I haven't done anything since. That in mind, I showed up at the event: The First Annual Veteran's Day 11K Run/Walk/Bike ride. In case you were wondering, we started at precisely 11:11. (Nice touch, don't you think?) The two ladies I was walking with proceeded to start jogging. As did everyone else. Hmmmm. That's a little strange, but maybe they are just getting warmed up and will walk in a minute. By the 3rd kilometer, I had figured out that they perhaps were not walkers after all. At that point, I quit jogging and walked for a few paces. They didn't take the hint, so I jogged again. By the 5th kilometer, they were carrying on a lively conversation, so my wheezing must not have been quite as loud as it sounded to me. I revived just a little bit at the half way point to utter the phrase "Are you freaking kidding me? I've only gone half way?" Around the 10th kilometer, I waved them on. They offered to slow down so I could keep up, but I would have felt guilty for that. I walked and jogged alone for the next half kilometer, then I saw the hubby approaching me. He kept me company for the final bit, assuring me the entire way that he really did think that the other wives were walking this course. It's all good, though. I ran/walked 11 kilometers without puking or passing out. And even though I am the oldest female on our little base, I did not finish last. In all, it was a very good day. Whether I can get out of bed tomorrow, is another matter entirely. That said, Happy Veteran's Day. If you don't do anything else today, remember those that fought for your freedom. Some even died for it. The least we can do is remember them.

Date Day

Russ was off today, so we had a date day. He took me to the antique store, out to lunch and then to a furniture store. We weren't really buying, but it's always nice to get ideas. Check this out. Everybody loves FaceBook, even Belgium. And if you like the furniture store's page, you get special parking. That's awesome!

Weekend Go Karting

The menfolk went Go Karting with a group from our base this past weekend. Those blurs in the picture are the go karts. I'm not sure if it was their massive speed or the amount of testosterone that was in the air that made them all blurry. Either way, a good time was had by all. They've decided to make this a weekly event. As with all things that men do, it's turned into a competition. Let the games begin.

Belgian Birthdays

Belgians love to make a big deal out of Birthdays. They celebrate the ones ending with "0" with lots of crazy decorations, followed by a huge party.

And they love to decorate with bikes. Maybe it's because there are just so many here. Bikes, that is. Not Belgians. Of course, the choice of decoration could be in direct response to the amount of beer consumed while decorating. This fellow could consider himself lucky that he didn't wake up to find his car duct taped to his fence.

Fall

It's another gorgeous Fall day here in Belgie. Just makes you happy to be alive, doesn't it? It's the perfect weather to get out and enjoy a local market, so that's just what I did. Stolling around with friends, picking out fresh fruit and veggies while munching on a warm waffle... it doesn't get much better than this. Happy Fall.