Hicken-Phillips do Europe

Earlier this summer my parents came over to visit. They each had a place that they wanted to see....no where near each other....or Belgium. But we made it work.

My daughter and I drove up to London to meet my parents at the ginormous Heathrow Airport! We parted at extended stay parking and took the train into London to the hostel that I had booked for us. Prices in London are high and the exchange rate is NOT in our favor, so we opted for StaySafe Hostel http://www.safestay.co.uk/en/ and were able to get a 4 person room for a great price. Less than half of the "cheap hotels." The room had 2 sets of bunk beds and a bathroom/shower in the room. There were boxes under the beds that we could lock our stuff up in when we left. It worked great. The train was about 2 blocks from the hostel and was less than 10 minutes from the heart of the London attractions.

We took in all the big sights, Big Ben, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace. Some we just stayed on the hop-on-hop-off bus for and some we took tours of. My step-dad requested a Jack The Ripper tour , so we hit one of those as well. Our guide was wonderful and the tour was good. It was in the evening, but we were back at the hostel before dark, so all was well. On the way home from London, we took in Hever Castle, childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Our first choice was Stonehenge, but it was the summer solstice and the place would have been crazy the traffic heading away from the Eurotunnel would have been a nightmare. Both the parents were ok wit the decision, and we really enjoyed the trip out to Hever Castle. It is well maintained and was a nice way to spend the afternoon before w hopped the tunnel to come back.

Less than 48 hours after we got to Belgium with the parents, we were on a plane to Italy. My step-dad wanted to see Rome, see some family roots and all. We stayed in an apartment, that was not so convenient, but reasonably priced for the height of tourist season. We each had our own beds with a few bunks to spare and 2 yes 2 showers/toilets, plus a full kitchen. With my husband's great nav. skills we were able to maneuver around Rome and back to the apartment with little problems.

My husband, son and I have spent a small amount of time in Rome in 2011, but didn't get to see all the sights that we wanted too. With the whole family, we took our time and saw almost everything via the hop-on-hop-off bus. The highlight for my step-dad and husband was the in-depth tour of the ancient city/Forum/Palatine Hill sponsored by the USO. http://rome.uso.it/ It was suppose to be a 5 hour tour, but it was much longer than that. The guide was fantastic, very knowledgeable and funny in his own way. Mom and I were brain-fried, but my son was so good the whole day. He was able to run and climb and find rocks for Uncle Tom, so he had a great time.

Let's see, after we got home from Rome, we drove down to Paris. Well, we drove to Chantilly and hopped the train into Paris. I'm fine with driving in the big cities, but why bother when the train ticket will cost the same as parking?

We were too late for tickets to go up in the Eiffel Tower, but the parents were fine with that decision. Again, we did the hop-on-hop-off tour bus. Seriously, it is the best thing, worth the money. They take you to all the big tourist spots, and some of the small ones and you don't have to drive or worry about a language barrier. My mom was able to see Notre Dame Cathedral, and I, finally, got to see inside. We also saw Moulin Rouge, which has escaped me the other times we've been there. Mom also saw the big glass pyramid outside the Louvre, she was impressed with not only the pyramid, but the immense size of the Louvre. We didn't have time in the day trip to see the museum, I guess they'll have to come back.

I'm so happy that I was able to see London, Paris and Rome with my parents and daughter. We had a great time showing them some of the places we love and have been lucky enough to experience.

(if anyone has specific questions about places on our trip, let me know and I'll find the info for you)

Spring has not Sprung

As I sit at the kitchen counter to finally put an entry into the blog, on April 9th, the weather is a total wreck. The temp is hovering at around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, which is not a spring temp and it's been raining all day. Hold on, I exaggerate, we did have 8 minutes of sunshine about an hour ago.

About 3 weeks ago, I read an article from a Belgian newspaper (thank you google chrome) that said this has been the worst winter since 1873. I am hoping to be here for the record warmth or record number of days with sunshine before we have to leave.

This weather is also hurting the tourism economy in the area. The Keukenhof  Gardens are world famous for their beautiful tulip fields, they haven't bloomed yet. We were there last year at this time and it was row after row of color. Pairi Daiza, our wonderful zoo, is not having a good start to the season because of the cold, the parking lots aren't even half full. Other events have had little turnout because of it.

Our part of Belgium is also being hit agriculturally, the ONE day we had that was dry and sunny had all the farmers running out to the fields to begin discing so they can plant soon. Way past when they usually are in the field. Most of the farmers haven't released the cows yet. Our neighbors up the road still have their cows in the barn.  I miss the cows.

I know that this entry sounds grumpy, and it is. I haven't been taking my Vitamin D because we were on vacation, where I knew there would be sun. I also have another illness, another sinus, respiratory, cough all night until your sides hurt illness. Honestly, I have been sick more often these past two years than I have in the previous 36. My husband tells me he was the same way when he had his deployments to Iraq. Belgium and Iraq? Those two things shouldn't be compared.

Come on, Mother Nature, we need you to take some happy pills and get on with Spring, please.

Ski Filled Holiday in Avoriaz

This year for Christmas, we decided to go skiing in Avoriaz, France. My husband is a skier, and I've been skiing, but would not call myself a skier. Our son has had skis strapped to his feet for about 2 hours at an inside ski place in Holland. We were needing some mountains to try out, but with a good place for our son and I to get some lessons.
I started the search for a place in Germany, I looked all over the internet, but couldn't find a site that was giving me what a wanted, a good Family Friendly resort. Same thing with Switzerland, plus, Switzerland doesn't use the Euro and the dollar to their currency is really poor. It would cost us the price of a car to ski there. (ok, maybe not quite) Next, was France. France is closer to us than Austria, and we've had good experiences in France.
My first search was something like this: "Family friendly ski resorts in France," and the first thing that popped up was Top Ten Ski Family Ski Resorts in France, written by a British news site. Little did I know that the Brits love skiing. It was a great site, and with a minimal amount of searching on my part, I sent the website to my husband. After all, this was his idea, he might as well plan the vacation.
In no time, he had the resorts whittled down to two and we chose from there. Avoriaz for Christmas was our destination. Next, I had to find the ski schools for our son and myself. Village Des Enfants has lessons for children in half and whole day increments. We went with whole day lessons, they provide lunch and snacks, and after lessons are over at 4:00, they have a nursery (= playtime in my child's mind) and will keep the kids supervised and entertained until 5:30. When it is not a holiday break, they also have parent lessons that begin and end 15 minutes after or before the children so you can drop them off and pick them up without being late. Perfect. However, since we were there over a holiday, I had to find another place for lessons. I went for Evolution 2, which was conveniently located across the road from Village Des Enfants.
Our son loved his lessons and his instructor, Paul, for the first 4 days. For whatever reason, he decided to have a little fit on the last day, and didn't go until after lunch. He went without complaints at lunchtime and completed what he could of the final day's "tests." Paul was great with him and said that he was great at skiing, but "active" during the down times. Yep, that sounds about right. The school sold medals for the kids for 15 Euros, but our friend found a little shop that sold little items that you could personalize for 6. Much more affordable, especially considering that our active child would probably lose it before we left the resort.
I went with half day lessons, and mine started 30 minutes before the Wildman's. My instructor, Sylvain, at Evolution 2 was quite patient, and did a pretty good job with his English. Much better than my French. Good thing, too, because on Monday he had 2 Americans, 1 Brit and 3 Japanese ski students. Our lessons for the week were a lot of fun, but challenging, for him and us. (our group varied from day to day) There were some skills that I picked up on right away, and others that I still couldn't get right on Friday. Why do I need to turn and pick up my skis and walk in a semi-circle? I don't know. I didn't witness anyone else use this particular skill on the mountain, but hey, he's the teacher. Lessons were great and I'm so glad that I paid the money for them. They have me the confidence that I was looking for.
Most afternoons, the hubs and I went out skiing together or with a friend. We went on some crazy blue routes and some blue routes that were almost as gentle as the training hill. I still don't know how they are marked, but some were absolutely frightening for me. I made it down all of them, unhurt and proud of myself.
One morning the men went out and found their way down to the bottom of a Swiss ski lift. Both were very excited to ski in the Swiss Alps, a bucket list item for each of them. Compared to the routes that they were use to taking, they found the Swiss routes (in this area, anyway) to be crowded and very narrow. One thing that they both mentioned is how they compared to Colorado's ski slopes. Very minimal grooming goes on in France compared to the US, and that's all I'm going to say about that. I was so horrible in Colorado, it can't compare for me.
Skiing over Christmas, or anytime really, has been a major agenda item for my husband for years. He loves the sport, the snow, the mountains, the cold and wanted to share that love with me and now, our son. I am not particularly sporty, don't care for snow or cold but love the mountains. I have to say, the lessons have changed my mind about skiing. I loved it! Really, truly, loved it. My knees hurt, I was scared most of the time, fell every day and loved it.
Now, we're trying to figure out when and where we can go again. With both of us working, and my husband volunteering as a wrestling coach, I'm not sure when it will happen. At least not on the scale of this trip, but I can't wait. We NEED to find a way to get back on the slopes. (yeah, Mom, I loved it that much)

Another Christmas

We're getting ready to our second Christmas in Belgium and I couldn't be happier. We have our little artificial tree decorated, the Nativity set is out and the very fancy battery operated candle sticks are in the windows. We're all ready. Saint Nichola should be here this week, the son will either get some coal or maybe a little gift, it's touch and go really, and he's thinking of things to ask Santa for. Right now the only thing he can come up with is a transformer costume.
The Christmas markets have all started up and I am itching to get to some this year. Last year, with wrestling being so hectic, we didn't get to many. Today, the weather is yucky, but that can't stop me. As I've said before, if we waited around for nice weather, we'd never leave the house. On my agenda is the market in Lille, France. It's about 45 minutes down the road and has a great little website that has perked my interest. http://www.noel-a-lille.com/index_anglais.html
 We have some gifts to get still for the siblings back in the States and this year our theme is branching out from just Belgium to the European Union. I'm hoping to pick up some German and French items for the boxes, maybe Italian is I can wait until the 10th to send out the boxes.
Now, the big chore is to get the boys off the couch, dressed and into the car. Wish me luck.

Thankful for AFN

I can't remember if I've posted anything about Armed Forces Network (AFN) or not, but I'm going to again if I have before.
We do not have cable, or Skynet, or even any fancy stuff on appleTV, what we do have is AFN. Since AFN is funded by the government, we do not have to be bombarded by commercials, political ads and mudslinging nonsense.
When we first got here, my daughter and I were amazed at the commercials, some little more than high school communications class productions. Some were funny, some were informative, some were horribly done, but all were without bias. Unless you think it's OK to text and drive, not install child safety seats correctly or think that the hypothermia risks are overblown, you can't be turned off by these public safety announcements.
Let me tell you what I got to watch on TV since we moved last summer and the media circus heated up around this crazy election. I got to watch commercials on how to vote absentee, necessary information since I won't be going back to the states for that but feel that I need to vote. I got to watch commercials about how military personnel and DODs employees are not allowed to use their jobs or uniforms to campaign for someone. And, well, that's really about it. That's the extent of what I had to suffer through relating to the elections. Not bad.
The other thing that we get to bypass are toy commercials and fast food commercials, all aimed at stirring my already wild child into a frenzy about some cool new toy that he has to have to that we need to get a kid's meal somewhere because they have Hot Wheels toys this month. Thank goodness!! We watched about 30 minutes of regular TV when we were on vacation and the whole time I was bombarded with, "Mom! I HAVE to have this toy! Mom! Can I have this for Christmas? Mom! Come see this toy!" Good grief. Exhausting.
I can choose to read as much news this election season as I want, and it's not much because really, this much ignorance hurts my head. I'm getting enough of it from my facebook friends. I am so thankful that when I finally sit down to watch my 2 hours of guilty pleasure TV (SYTYCD or The Voice) during the week,  I do not have to listen to negative mudslinging that will not help me make up my mind about anything.
Thank you AFN for keeping us from this nonsense. Thank you US Army for sending my family away from the United States for the last 16 months so I don't have to listen to political rants and irritating jingles.

Housing Issues

We have our house through the American Housing Office at SHAPE. They are great people and they work hard for us. Any time we have an issue with a house, whether military housing or on the economy, we go there first. They are our advocates and help us with any and all issues. I think there is one American employee, the rest are Belgians with amazing English language skills. They are use to the way things are done (ha ha) in Belgium and I think they work as a cushion so we don't go all ape-crazy in and English speaking tirade that would do no good.
Here's just one issue that they get to deal with. Our heating system is run on mazout, which is like heating oil, and we have radiators instead of vents. So, I guess, the heating oil goes through the boiler and heats the water and the water heats the radiators. However it's suppose to work, the issue is that it doesn't.
We shut off the thermostat in March/April and my husband did something to the system in the garage, flipped a knob or something like that. It's been getting cold in our cement and rock house, so I finally gave in and asked him to turn it on last weekend. Nothing. The thermostat works, the batteries are good. The water heater works better than necessary and the mazout tank is full. My husband flipped the knob and nothing.
This past Monday I went into housing and told them about this issue. (and a few other things, but my fingers aren't strong enough for the others right now) They called both of the property manager's cell phones and the agency he runs. Nothing on the cell phones and an outgoing message at the agency saying that they'd be back from lunch at 1400. We waited until 1415 and called again. Usually this property manager lets things go to voicemail and calls right back, before I get out of the chair. Not this time. So, messages were left on cell phones one time and the agency two times, so four messages on Monday.
Nothing.
I go back in on Wednesday. The man at the office had not put away our file because it was still and open case. (great customer service) We called again, I purposely came in after 1400, and left messages. This is just a pain really. I left times that I would be able to be home for him to call and come by. Wednesday evening, Thursday evening, Friday after 1300-1500 and again after 1600 and Saturday morning.
Wednesday at about 1600 the property manager had called back and I got an email saying that he was given my cell phone number and he would contact me before he came over.
So, here is is Friday night, almost 1900 and I have had no contact with the property manager. Thank goodness we have a wood burning stove to heat up the kitchen and living room, but it does nothing for the upstairs.
 I'm happy that it's only been getting into the high 40's at night. I'm happy that my husband made sure that we had have plenty of wood and that I can start a pretty good fire.
I'm not happy with the property manager. I'm pretty sure if we were a member of his tricked out Land Rover family, that we would not be having this problem.

Autumn Leaves

We recently got the Nebraska Life magazine with the beautiful autumn cover showing the trees in all their vibrant fall glory. Autumn is my favorite time of year and one of the reasons is because of the leaves. People talk about the beauty of autumn leaves in New England, but I've always thought that Nebraska looks pretty good too.
With that being said, Belgium's leaves have just begun to turn. When I look out the kitchen windows, all I see are trees from the chateau grounds, and a few of them are turning yellow. It isn't the "brown and fall down" turning that Texas and Georgia had, but it's pretty close. The trees just don't have the vibrant colors that they do in Nebraska. There are very few that will be burgandy, orange or something in between.
Don't get me wrong, I still love it here, that hasn't changed, but that Nebraska Life cover made me miss autumn in Nebraska.