European Road Trip: Dresden and Prague Day 5 - 8

We left Berlin and drove to Dresden, Germany, which served as a midway point to Prague. Once arriving in Dresden, we spent the afternoon seeing the historical city center. It was really cold and wet and made it difficult to enjoy what we were seeing. Craig was on the look out for commies who might still be lingering around. We suspect that the owner of our hotel may have been one.

The next morning we drove to Prague which was only about 2.5 hours from Dresden. We crossed the border into the Czech Republic on top of a mountain that was covered with snow. I am not sure how high up we were, but we were driving through the clouds. We stopped at the first convienence store to pick up a sticker for the car to allow us to legally drive in Prague. We realized a day later that the attendant charged more than the sticker cost. Ripping off tourists is very common in Prague. They are still not using the Euro, so it is very easy to get confused.

Our hotel was in the best location right at the base of the Charles Bridge. We wasted no time and walked the bridge and head into the Old Town Square to see the Tyn Church and the Astronomical Clock. Prague is probably the most beautiful city we have seen. It was one of the few places that was spared by WWII.

The Czech Republic would be following in Berlin's footsteps by celebrating the fall of communism shortly after we visited. There were displays all over the city describing the events leading up to November 17, 1989.

We had lined up a personal tour guide for Friday to show us parts of the city. She took us through the Little Quarter and on the tram up to Prague Castle.

We spent our last day in Prague seeing some of the things we missed the first 2 days. We really loved Prague and would recommend it to anyone.

Unfortunately this pictured turned out grainy and dark, but the Charles Bridge looks amazing.

European Road Trip: Hannover and Berlin Day 1-4

We are back from our road trip! We covered a lot of territory: drove through 5 countries, covered 1749 miles and saw 3 European capitals!

We left Saturday morning and drove about 4 hours to Hannover, Germany. We only planned to spend the afternoon and night there since it was a midway point between Antwerp and Berlin. It was really cold, but we liked Hannover and were surprised by its charming city center.

We drove to Berlin the next morning. It was cold again and I was glad I had packed our winter jackets along with the hats, gloves and scarves. We wasted no time and made our way down to see the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate. The perimeter of the wall is marked throughtout the city by a double cobblestone line. It is hard to believe that the beautiful Brandenburg Gate was in the no mans land and was not able to be enjoyed for so long. The last time Craig was in Berlin was in the summer of 1989, just months before the wall came down.

We made our way down Unter den Linden and to Checkpoint Charlie but turned back because Chloe went into full tantrum mode. She really lived up to her nickname - the Monster - that Colin has given her.

The next day we made a successful attempt at seeing Checkpoint Charlie and the Museum there. Later in the afternoon we went to see the Wilhelm Kaiser Memorial Church and walked to the main shopping street, Kurfurstendamm.

Tuesday we took the subway to the Wall Documentation Center and saw one of the few remaining sections of the wall still to stand. The subway station we got off on was previously a "ghost station" on the East side. Most of the sections left of the wall are chipped down to the rebar.

We were really lucky to have been in Berlin just a few days before the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall. It was neat to see the live news coverage going on while we were there. Being there made us realize how much the fall of communism has impacted Europe and how we have benefited from it today.

Haarlem and Halloween

Last Saturday we drove up to Haarlem in the Netherlands. Haarlem is right outside of Amsterdam and is very similiar with canals and architecture. The weather was not very nice and it was raining or misty the entire day. We walked around and visited the Grote Markt and church. We also went to visit the Corrie tenBoom house where several Jews were hidden during the Second World War. We joined the tour but were quickely kicked out because Chloe was screaming. They still let us walk around on our own to see the house. We saw a lot of interesting things including a working windmill and Craig's next car.

Halloween is not a big day here in Belgium. There is no trick or treating and not many decorations. It is also difficult to find Halloween costumes in the stores, so we brought Colin and Chloe's from home.

Last weekend, we went to the Antwerp Parent and Child (an English speaking group)Halloween party. It was packed with kids and there were lots of treats and crafts. Colin won best costume and was given a Lightning McQueen clock. He was very happy. He had way too much candy and had a good time. I even think Chloe was sneaking candy because she woke up the next day with red under her eyes - a clear indication she ate something she shouldn't have.

Tomorrow we are heading out on a 2 week road trip through Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria. I am sure we will have lots of good stories when we get back.

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Bruge and Amsterdam - George and Monica Visit

A week and a half ago, our friends George and Monica came to visit. It was so great to see them and show them where we live. Fortunatley, we were able to get a sitter for a couple of nights so were were able to go out for dinner and some jenever without the kids and spend some time with them.

Over the weekend, we all took the 2 hour train ride up to Amsterdam. Colin was convinced that we were going to Hamsterdam and that it was going to be crawling with hamsters. Our hotel was right next to the train and directly in front of the infamous 3 story bike parking garage. We spent a couple hours trying to navigate around the city and getting a bite to eat. We don't normally take pictures of our meals, but I wish I had gotten one of our lunch. We all had different varieties of a tradional Dutch meal - Stampot or a Dutch stew. It was so good.

We rented bikes to get around the city. The streets all follow canals that wrap around the city and it is easy to get lost. We spent most of the day dodging the rain before we packed it in for the night. George and Monica were able to see some of the nightlife. The next day, we cruised around, saw a few sites, took a canal cruise and stopped at a bar for some apple pie. The apple pie was recommended to us by Paul, one half of our Dutch Bike Repair Team. The apple pie did not disappoint and George made a friend on the way out.

While Colin was in school on Monday, we went to Bruge. We made plans to take a guided bike tour and ended up having the tour guide all to ourselves. The weather was crazy, it poured then the sun came out a bit before more ominous clouds rolled in. We saw a lot but did not have much time after the tour to see much before we picked up Colin. We did make sure we stopped at our favorite chocolate shop to pick up some chocolate covered rice krispies.

By the end of George and Monica's trip, both of the kids loved them. Colin called both of their names, non stop. Chloe was letting both of them hold her! I don't know how they put up with traveling with us and the kids.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber and the Rhine Valley

Last week, we decided to make the most out of Colin's 3 day weekend, so we got in the car Friday after school and drove 6+ hours to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. Craig had been there 20 years ago and had been wanting to go back.

Rothenburg was everything Craig said it would be. The town is surrounded by a wall that was built in the 13th century. Today, only residents and overnight guests are allowed to drive in. It is picture perfect and every building is immaculate. The entire town is walkable and was well worth the drive to see. Rothenburg is the headquarters for Kathe Wolfahrt (nutcrackers and smokers) so every shop is brimming with Christmas decorations.
Saturday night, we went on the Night Watchman's tour. Our guidebook describes him as a medieval Jerry Seinfeld, it was really funny. We decided that he must be the second wealtiest person in town(behind Kathe Wolfahrt)because the tour was mobbed. Sunday we drove to Bacharach in the Rhine Valley. The Rhine Valley was very much like the Mosel Valley. Craig found a youth hostel that was in a castle in Bacharch. We don't typically stay in hostels, but were intriqued by the castle. We had our own room and it was like a dorm. There were about 10 beds in the room and I think Colin was in all of them at least 3 times. The castle was awesome and kids loved it.
Colin was on his best behavior because he didn't want the king to put him in the castle jail.


Monday we drove up to St. Goar to see the ruins of the Rheinfels Castle. It never gets old seeing castles. There are so many castles along the Rhine.
We got back to Antwerp by late afternoon. We moved apartments on Tuesday. We only moved a few blocks down the street. The new apartment is bigger - 3 bedrooms and 2 baths!! We are all happy in the new place. Chloe has her own bedroom and doesn't have to sleep next to the front door anymore and Craig doesn't have to move tables out of the street to get to the parking spot.
Our new address:
Riemstraat 16 Bus 10/21
2000 Antwerp Belgium

Antwerpen AutoVrij Weekend

We have spent the past week or so getting our bikes set up with kid seats and having minor repairs worked on. I now have 2 child seats on my bike - 1 on the front and 1 on the back - and have been riding Colin to and from school everyday.

Friday, Craig was waiting for me in the garage when I walked my bike in after school with a flat tire. We were looking at it trying to figure out what to do when 2 middle aged men asked us if we needed help. They are both from the Netherlands but the one gentleman had his weekend home in the building next to ours. They were on their way out, but promised to call when they got back to help.

My phone rang around 6pm and when I answered it, I was told it was the Bike Repair Team calling. Craig met up with them and they patched my tire. My friend put it perfectly when he said that if you have a bike emergency, you couldn't ask for any better than to have someone Dutch come to your rescue.

Saturday, many of the main shopping streets were closed to cars. We were riding near the art museum when who did we run into, but our Bike Repair Team. Paul noticed that one of Craig's tires looked low and pulled out a full sized bike pump from his bag. We thought it was so funny.

Sunday Antwerp was auto free. It was great. We are continually amazed at the events and activites Antwerp has. There were different activities all over the city and the majority of the people were riding their bikes to get around. In 2 locations, they laid sod down on the cement and created a small oasis with chairs, hammocks and toy lawn mowers for the kids. One area had a small petting zoo. We met up with our friend Robert who is here finishing his PhD in Art History. His wife and son went back to the US in August, so he spent the day with us.

Sunday was also a day when the city allows the residents to sell things in front of their homes. We picked up so many things including a bike trailer for the kids to ride in.

I am still surprised by some of the things I see on bikes or how they are rigged up. Yesterday we saw a bike that was parked with a bird in a birdcage strapped to the back. The bike next to it had a box with live chickens on the back. Saturday I saw a woman riding her bike with an infant in a sling around her chest. To top it off, the infant was nursing at the time.

It was an awesome weekend and hopefully our Dutch Bike Repair Team will find us again in a time of need.

First Day of School

Wednesday was Colin's first day at his new school. We put him in Da Vinci International School. All classe are taught in English. Many of the staff and teachers are from the UK because it follows a British curriculum. Colin is enrolled in the pre-school and does not have to wear a uniform, but the rest of the school, K-12, does. We did have to buy and outfit for him to wear to PE on Thursday - I will post a picture when I have one.

Yesterday, Colin's teacher spoke to me about an problem she had with Colin not listening. She told be that he burped during snack time and would not say excuse me. Something tells me that is not the last conversation we will be having like that.