Soccer, Red Heads, Dogs and more...



Barbara and Roman



We are just coming off a busy week and a half.



Friends of ours from Atlanta came to visit with their 2 kids, Roman -5 years and Beatrice -17 months. Both of their kids have red hair and I was able to lure them to Belgium to attend the Roodharigendag (Red Hair Day) in Breda, The Netherlands. It was definitely a site to see. There easily had to be 2000 red heads that gathered for a weendend long festival that included taking an aerial group shot of the attendees. Antwerp was also celebrating their liberation from the Germans in WWII all weekend with different events around the city. The four of us managed to get out 2 nights in a row without the kids for dinner, drinks and the Liberation Ball.



Getting ready for the group photo

On Tuesday night, we attended the Belgium vs. USA soccer game in Brussels. When Craig bought the tickets, he had to declare who we were rooting for because they seat similar supporters in the same section. It was clear that we were the visiting team because we had a seperate entrance that was far from parking and at the back of the back of the stadium. It was my first soccer game and the American supporters were able to fill up almost an entire section. We went outfitted with our USA soccer gear that Barbara brought from the US. Unlike the Belgian sections, the American supporters were standing most of the game and definitely demonstrated the proper way to do the wave when it reached us. We even had Captain America, the Statue of Liberty and Uncle Sam sitting by us. The US lost but it was nice that the team walked over to our section after the game and thanked us for our support.

The American Section

Colin and Chloe also started  school this past Monday. Like last year, I was the most excited for the beginning of the school year. This year, Colin is required to wear a uniform. They were both very happy when I picked them up at the end of the day. Colin was excited to let me know that there is a girl in his class from New Jersey named Lauren!

KG1 and Grade 1

Barbara, Todd and the kids left on Friday morning and we decided to have a low key weekend and rest up for the Bollekesloop 5K run we registered for on Sunday. If the name of the run sounds familiar, it's because it was hosted by the De Koninck brewery who also hosted the Bollekesfeest from my previous post. We met up with a group of friends and cheered on the kids as the completed the 1K Kids Run. Colin was giving it his all until he ran into someone and hurt his knee. He finished the run, but cried his way to the finish line. Craig and I ran the 5K and both completed it with record times - Craig 29:00  Me 29:13. You know you are in Belgium when at the end of the race you have a beer and a cone of fries instead of a banana or an orange.

Colin and his fellow competitors, Liam and Olive.



Runner #9222



We also had a surprise visitor for the weekend. Our friend Andrew's dog - Aussie! The kids didn't leave him alone all weekend, but I do think he liked the walk around the city we took.

Bollekesfeest

It was a big weekend in Antwerp with the Bollekesfeest here by our apartment. De Koninck is the only brewery in Antwerp and is a staple in most bars in the area. As with all beers in Belgium, De Konick is served in it's own glass designed to enhance the taste of the beer. The De Koninck glass is called a Bolleke. It is typical to ask for a Bolleke to get a De Koninck.

For the past five years, they have held a Bollekesfeest or Bolleke party. It is held in the parking lot by us that I previously posted about. It is huge and probably one of the biggest events I have seen set up. Unlike what would happen in the US, it is a family event with many childrens events planned. They also serve the beer in GLASSES! But that is typical Belgium-beer must be served in it's correct glass and NEVER plastic.

The opening got off to a rainy start but cleared up for the Horeca Bollekes Tandem Bike Race. About 13 bars participated having 2 of their bartenders carry 2 full Bollekes from Grote Markt to the feest while riding a tandem bike. Whom ever had the most beer left in their glasses at the finish line won. No one expected the boardwalk at the feest to be so slippery from the rain and a couple of them completely wiped out.

We were back the next night with two of Craig's colleagues. Half of the Bollekesfeest was set up with local restuarants. Even though they were set up under tents, each set up was elaborate and while you were inside, it felt as if you were in an actual restuarant. We made the most of it and had a sit down dinner, then stopped at another to have some pizza.

We were back again on Saturday with the kids and our friends Hugh and Tracie. Craig and Hugh both successfully attemped to pour the perfect Bolleke on the bar stage and left with an official looking certificate. We spend the rest of the day in the playground that was set up with climbing, cooking and play stations for the kids. It was a hot day here - almost 80 degrees!

The weather was looking great again for Sunday, so we were out of the house at 9:30 and went up to the Art Museum for the free breakfast. We were back at the playground until dinner when we went over to the Mosselfeest. We went to the Mosselfeest the first summer we were in Antwerp and never knew that it was part of the Bollekesfeest. It's funny to think about how little we knew then.

We have big things happening in the next week. I start my Dutch classes again this Friday and the kids start school this coming Monday. We are also having friends with their 2 kids coming tomorrow morning for a week. We have all kinds of things planned including the Red Hair Festival in Breda (boths their kids have red hair). I will be sure to post on that later!

Craziness in Antwerp

Crazy things happen in Antwerp.

Last week we saw that the city was preparing for an event in the parking lot a block from our house. The parking lot is commonly used to host events, especially in the summer. During June and most of July, it is used for the Sinksenfoor or carnival. Next weekend, it is being used for the Bollekesfeest or De Koninck beer festival.

While we were out to dinner on Saturday, our waiter told us that it was for an event called Antwerpen Zingt or Antwerp Sings. He also told us that they were expecting about 30,000 people. We thought is was going to be similar to an American Idol type concert with performers. Not quite.



The Stage



We went down to check out what was going on at about 8. The parking lot was already packed full of people. We were given a small newspaper by people standing at the entrances. Then the craziness happened. We were told to open our papers to the first song. There we found the lyrics and everyone started singing to the music. Yes, it was a huge sing-a-long. It was weird and crazy but fun and it was hard not to join in even though the first few songs were in Flemish. Then we sang the Beatles, Hard Days Night. More Flemish songs, then John Denver, Country Roads. And it went on and on until about midnight.

This events has definitely one of the strangest we have seen in Antwerp.

UK: Bath, Stonehenge and Longleat

A few weeks back, we made the last minute decision to head over to the UK for a long holiday weekend. We have covered about 75% of our Rick Steve's Best of Europe book and we had been talking about making the drive, yes, drive, over to Bath for a while. There are several ferries and even an auto train that allow you to bring your car with you across the channel. It is about a 2 hour trip to Calais, France where we picked up the ferry. The ferry only takes about 1 1/2 hours and it delivers you to Dover. It was a bit scary at first driving on the other side of the road but Craig did a great job. A friend once told Craig that it takes one good scare then you will be fine - not really comforting advice. Driving on the highway seemed very normal. Driving through the small towns and turned that was a little tricky.

Our first stop was Stonehenge. I find the theories about Stonehenge very interesting and was glad that we were able to see it.The weather was very windy and looked very stormy at times but it made for some great pictures.

Wow! Rocks!

Because we booked our trip at the last minute, we ended up staying at a bed and breakfast in Bradford on Avon. Not our first choice with 2 young kids. The owners were very accomodating and showed us their chicken coop where they get their eggs for breakfast. Colin was eager to check the coop everyday and one day found 3 eggs. We were surprised at how he knew exactly what to do and reached right in and got them.

The next day, we took the train from Bradford on Avon into Bath. Bath was first settled by the Romans and has since been know for it's warm springs which was used for many reasons including what was believed as it's healing powers. The Romans built a complex around the main spring which you are able to see. We also took 2 tours around the city. As a bribe, we told Colin that if anyone told him that he was a good boy, we would buy him a treat. After our first tour, he was complimented by another American tourist and he was able to get a large lollipop. We will definitely be using this one again. Bath was a beautiful city and we are already considering going back around Christmas time for their Christmas Market.

The Roman Bath

Sunday was all about the kids. We took them to Longleat Safari Park. Longleat was the first drive through animal park outside of Africa. Inside the park was like a small zoo and also had a few rides. The kids loved it. The first thing we did was drive through the safari. We could have stayed in the monkey area all day. We were screaming and lauging at the same time. I don't think I have ever seen the kids so happy. It is a good thing we have an old, leased car because we weren't too concerned that the monkeys were removing some of the rubber parts. We spent a few hours inside the park and decided to take one last drive back through the safari area before the park closed. Just as before, we were all laughing and screaming when the monkeys were climbing all over the car. It was also funny seeing all of the windsheild wipers left on the ground. The kids are still asking to go back even though Chloe had a nightmare that night about monkeys being in our room. She must not be too traumatized because she asks every few days if we can get a monkey on our car again.

This picture sums up our trip to Longleat.

It was a good trip, one I wouldn't mind repeating. It is comforting being in a country where you can speak the language. It was also nice to have had the car with us since we were able to stock up on things like Cheerios before we got back on the ferry!!

The Cinque Terre

Back in the beginning of June, we rented a villa with some friends in the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre is a stretch of coastline along the Mediterranean in the Northern part of Italy. It is also called the Italian Riviera and it is beautiful. Most of the coastline is mountains with only small sections beach. Although the beaches are great and the water is teal blue, the biggest draw to this area are the 5 towns the make up the Cinque Terre: Monterosso, Vernazza, Riomaggiore, Corniglia and Manarola.

The villa we rented was up on the hillside of the town Levanto. It had an amazing view and more importantly, we didn't have be concerned about the kids making too much noise. Colin loved it because he could explore the yard and look for bugs and lizards (or as he calls them, mini beasts). One night we even had lizards in the house! We spend a day as a group exploring a couple of towns. We then traded off the kids and were able to hike from the first town to the last on a path that ran through the mountains. The views were amazing and what started as an easy trail turned tough at times. The entire trail is a little over 7 miles in length.


View from the trail

We spent 2 days on the beach in Monterosso. There were some free beaches, but we found it was worth the money to rent a spot with an umbrella and 2 chairs. Our spot was along side a rock jetty where we found lots of snails, crabs and sea urchins. This is where Craig got a little too close to a sea urchin and ended up with several urchin spines in his toe. This is also where I saw a Asian tourist smash open a sea urchin and eat it with a fork. I think I was more shocked that she was carrying a metal fork with her than the fact that she was picking them out of the sea and eating them.

A couple of weeks earlier, Colin lost his first tooth. It happened quick; it was wobbly one day and came out the next. I don't think knew what to expect and played with it a bit too much. When it came out, it bleed and it hurt him a little bit. Within days, the second one was loose and he let it hang in there. Finally, he lost his second tooth while we were on the beach. So cute!

LOVE this picture!

Zomer Vakantie

Summer vacation has started off with a bang. We have been trying to keep the kids busy and have so far had them at the zoo, the Natural History Museum and the carnival.

On Saturday, we celebrated the Fourth of July by hosting a BBQ complete with hot dogs, hamburgers and potato salad. We had a house full of people that included the Dutch, British, Irish and Germans. The American were completely out numbered!

On Friday, we will be driving to the UK for a long weekend in Bath. We will drive to France where we pick up a ferry to take us (and the car) across the channel. I am a little nervous about driving in the UK, I am sure we will have plenty of stories when we get back.


Natural History Museum



At the Carnival



Goin' Fishin'



With the Penguins



Sketching using real life models

Let the Summer Begin!

The kids wrapped up their school year on Friday. I love seeing the comparison between the first day and the last day. I just wish I could get them to look like they actually enjoy going to school (which they do).
It is hard to believe that Colin will be in Grade 1 next year. I can't wait to see him in his uniform!


First Day of School September 2010



Last Day of School June 2011



Colin also finished his swimming lesson for the past semester. They city has criteria on which they test and award children for their swimming achievements. Colin passed his 25 meter swim this session and received a certificate and a patch. He can swim further, but refused to jump into the pool, which is part of the next round. We will have to work on it over the summer.

 

It ends up being a busy time with a lot going on. It was Beer Passion weekend here in Antwerp, which is always a good time. The parent and child group we are a part of also hosted a summer picnic in the park.
 

I also just finished up the second session of my Dutch lessons. My exam was Thursday and I will find out my score today. I need to pass it in order to move onto the next level, which starts in September.

I will hopefully follow up shortly with a post about our trip to Italy in the beginning of the month.