When we signed up for our SHAPE Trips and Tours vacation to Lloret de Mar, Spain, there were 3 excursions on the list. 1. Marineland (discussed) 2. Medieval Dinner Theater and 3. Day trip to Barcelona.
Now, with a 4 year old in tow, and having read my last post, you can probably guess which one we thought would be most exiting for our son. Knights, horses, jousting and eating dinner with your hands?!? What's not to love? Well, let me tell you
Our guides from SHAPE had worked with a tour company in the Costa Brava region to get everything just so. The guides already weren't overjoyed with the Marineland experience. We had to go up from there, really. Again, the private showings of the animal shows were nice, but.....we could do better.
So, we all board the bus at 1945, that's right, 7:45pm, to drive over to the Medieval Dinner Theater. It's a beautiful night and we only took one wrong turn on the way there. (previous issues with directions and the Dutch drivers) We pull up to the castle, and, oddly, we're the only buses there. No, make that the only vehicles there. The show is to start in 30 minutes and no one is parked out front or on the sides. Perhaps another private viewing and all the performers are parked in back? Strangely, the sign in front now shows that there is also a cabaret show. Fun, but probably not family friendly.
Pictures are taken by the moat, and the front doors and the shields. Our son and his bestie had matching knight costumes, a birthday gift special for the trip to the Medieval Dinner Theater. We are ready for those door to open. Phone calls are made and someone shows up from the same company as the MDT and says we're in the wrong spot. No big deal, we'll load the buses at 2045 and follow the car to the right spot.
We pull up to what only looks like a scene from a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western and the wall says, La Siesta. Fake torches, old carriages, waterfall.....hmmm.... We are let in and seated at family style table and listen to a blond singer, that has entranced my son while we all try and figure out where the sword play and jousting will happen.
Quick back story: Earlier in the week, while perusing the Lloret magazine, I come upon an ad for World's Fastest Flamenco and IN JEST asked my husband if he'd be interested in that. "H#!! No," was the response I received.
Dinner is served, thank goodness, sangria was served and the show began. The blond was the warm up singer, followed by a thick set man with a thick head of hair singing in a decent tenor voice. CDs for 15 Euro were available. Then came the dancers. Warm up dancers before the main man came on stage and the place went wild. Not even kidding, wild. I knew immediately who this man was, I had seen his picture in the Lloret magazine, it was The World's Fastest Flamenco, or Ted Nugent's Spanish Brother, as he was to be called for the rest of the evening.
Now, I understand that there are many things that I'm not mature enough for, example, birthing classes. I, apparently, am not mature enough to take in The World's Fastest Flamenco and appreciate it for what it is. I'm just not. I accept it. Please, I dare you, check out this website and tell me that you are. http://www.lasiesta.net/en/artistas.htm There were tight white pants, flaming feet of fury, long hair flinging, and sweat flying everywhere. It really was just too much. Many in attendance at my table were happy for the free flowing, free refills of sangria. The same group was happy for children too darn tired to understand that we didn't get to see swords and horses and were almost asleep for most of the show.
All in all, it wasn't a horrible night. We took it the best we could. It was absolutely not our guide's fault that the MDT wasn't in season yet and so they rebooked us at their will and to keep our money at their other show, La Siesta. Culturally, it was a hit, a huge hit. Most of the other tables were on their feet, loving every minute of it. A few tables were ordering more sangria and staring blankly at the stage, I assume they used the same Costa Brava tour company and were suppose to be at the Medieval Dinner Theater as well.
In case you're interested, you can buy DVDs for the show, 15 EU.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Spring Break part 1
In February, the schools here had a full week off for pre-lenten break, or ski week as it's more commonly known. This month, the kids had 2 full weeks off for spring break. Yes, that's right, 2 full weeks. It began with a half day off before the 2 weeks off so the teachers could get the heck out of Dodge, I guess. Either way, spring break.
I had seen a flyer and heard the SHAPE Trips and Tours manager speak about the spring break trip that was going to happen way back in December, I believe. A trip to the Catalan coast of Spain, 8 days there total, 2 days of travel for a cost that we couldn't pass up, so I booked it right after the new year. We would go, along with our friends that also have a son about our sons' age.
Finally, after months of waiting, the day came. On April 5th, we headed out on a big 'ol double decker touring bus for 15 hours. We left in the evening and did a few stops along the way for the drivers, smokers and for dinner. That was the thing all of us adults were dreading, 15 hours on the bus with the young kids. Ugh.
It ended up being not too bad, actually. After a mini-melt down at the dinner stop (pre-packaged sandwiches and a coffee vending machine), we got back on the bus, watched a movie on the greatest kid entertaining invention ever, the iPad, slipped half a melatonin in some late night pudding and off to sleep. The son slept, my husband and I took turns with the little sweat machine all night and nodded off for a few hours each.
We stepped off the bus at about 1300 in Lloret de Mar , Spain, to rooms that were ready for us to dump our gear, grab some lunch and go exploring. Our "resort" was nothing fancy, and has officially turned my husband off to "all inclusive" offers of anything more than including the breakfast, but it really wasn't bad. We did save some money, having pre-paid in January for our dinners, and we ate there most nights because it was easier for us with our son.
The first day we walked down to the beach and checked out the Mediterranean Sea and found out that these beaches have sand the way most Atlantic Coast beaches have sand, glorified gravel. Not comfy on the bare feet, but heck, we were at the Mediterranean Sea! The little boys got to run in and out of the surf, climb rocks and finally talk in outside voices. The adults and kids got to walk the staircase up to the statue dedicated to sailors' wives. After the beautiful views from there, we hiked the coastline a little more until we found a lovely little place for gelatto and sangria. What a great first day!
Another day we had a planned excursion to Marineland that was just down the road from Lloret de Mar. The park was barely open, and most of the extra people working there were slightly irritable. The animal trainers were happy to have us there to practice their shows, birds, sea lions and dolphins, and the kids loved it. This being our first big vacation with our son, him being happy made us happy, so that was all that counted. The water park side was still closed and it was way too cold to have enjoyed that anyway. Our tour group had the place to ourselves, and the guides from SHAPE Trips and Tours listened to our pleas to shorten our day there so we could go back to the hotel and to more exploring from there.
The next free day that we had, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and hiked way up the coast to see what we could see. Even with sunscreen, we got a bit pink, but nothing horrible. All three of us got some exercise and we treated ourselves to more gelatto.
Spring Break blog will be continued soon.....
I had seen a flyer and heard the SHAPE Trips and Tours manager speak about the spring break trip that was going to happen way back in December, I believe. A trip to the Catalan coast of Spain, 8 days there total, 2 days of travel for a cost that we couldn't pass up, so I booked it right after the new year. We would go, along with our friends that also have a son about our sons' age.
Finally, after months of waiting, the day came. On April 5th, we headed out on a big 'ol double decker touring bus for 15 hours. We left in the evening and did a few stops along the way for the drivers, smokers and for dinner. That was the thing all of us adults were dreading, 15 hours on the bus with the young kids. Ugh.
It ended up being not too bad, actually. After a mini-melt down at the dinner stop (pre-packaged sandwiches and a coffee vending machine), we got back on the bus, watched a movie on the greatest kid entertaining invention ever, the iPad, slipped half a melatonin in some late night pudding and off to sleep. The son slept, my husband and I took turns with the little sweat machine all night and nodded off for a few hours each.
We stepped off the bus at about 1300 in Lloret de Mar , Spain, to rooms that were ready for us to dump our gear, grab some lunch and go exploring. Our "resort" was nothing fancy, and has officially turned my husband off to "all inclusive" offers of anything more than including the breakfast, but it really wasn't bad. We did save some money, having pre-paid in January for our dinners, and we ate there most nights because it was easier for us with our son.
The first day we walked down to the beach and checked out the Mediterranean Sea and found out that these beaches have sand the way most Atlantic Coast beaches have sand, glorified gravel. Not comfy on the bare feet, but heck, we were at the Mediterranean Sea! The little boys got to run in and out of the surf, climb rocks and finally talk in outside voices. The adults and kids got to walk the staircase up to the statue dedicated to sailors' wives. After the beautiful views from there, we hiked the coastline a little more until we found a lovely little place for gelatto and sangria. What a great first day!
Another day we had a planned excursion to Marineland that was just down the road from Lloret de Mar. The park was barely open, and most of the extra people working there were slightly irritable. The animal trainers were happy to have us there to practice their shows, birds, sea lions and dolphins, and the kids loved it. This being our first big vacation with our son, him being happy made us happy, so that was all that counted. The water park side was still closed and it was way too cold to have enjoyed that anyway. Our tour group had the place to ourselves, and the guides from SHAPE Trips and Tours listened to our pleas to shorten our day there so we could go back to the hotel and to more exploring from there.
The next free day that we had, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and hiked way up the coast to see what we could see. Even with sunscreen, we got a bit pink, but nothing horrible. All three of us got some exercise and we treated ourselves to more gelatto.
Spring Break blog will be continued soon.....
Friday, March 30, 2012
Dangerous Design
I can't remember if I've posted about out some of the interesting things in Belgium house design or not, but I'm going to do it again if I have.
The first interesting thing about Belgian houses is that, from what we've been told, is that it is against the law to refuse people a restroom. So, if someone comes to the door needing the toilet, you let them in. Because of that, every Belgian house we've been in has a small, airplane-like, bathroom on the main floor, and usually in the foyer. They usually have just a sink with cold water only and a toilet. I find this unusual, but, hey, if I'm out jogging and nature calls, I don't have to rely on using nature if I'm close to a house.
The Belgians must not be a big people, because the second interesting thing about Belgian houses is that they all have crazy stairs. We have stairs all over our place and they're all different sizes. They might just be a single step from kitchen to living room, or 2 stairs down to the garage. They may be 2 marble steps with vicious edges leading up to 12 narrow, steep, curved stairs going to the second floor. The stairs leading up are also short, my husband has to duck when using them, and if not paying attention, will bonk our son's head when carrying him. The steps themselves are very narrow, my size 6 foot is all that will fit on one. We have all slipped or missed a stair or two in the house, but this past week, the dangerous design took it's first victim.
Our buddy, Travis, came from his part of the world to visit us for a week or two. There were some European things that he was hoping to see and was going to use our place as his launching pad. The big event of the vacation was going to be a huge trance music festival in Holland that he was particularly excited about. After dinner and having a great Belgian beverage, our son took him upstairs to see his room. On the way back down, the combination of socks, a beverage after being in a dry country for months and our darn Belgian stairs took him unaware and pulled him down.
At first, it just was sore, so he had another beverage and we chatted around the table. The next morning it wasn't really swollen or discolored, but he was hoping to get some medicine to help with the pain. We headed to the closest hospital and found the "Urgencies Room." After getting to practice his French on the receptionist and the doctor practicing his English on Travis, it was determined that he had broken a small bone off in his foot. "It is not broken, but it is fractured, " is exactly what the doctor told me. They have him some of the half arm crutches and sent him away with some prescriptions and an appointment for the following week.
Now, he's been hanging around our place, alternately, working his way through the DVD library and enjoying the rare Belgian weather. He has a plaster cast and the orthopedist told him No Weight Bearing Activities for another month. This has put the kibosh on his awesome music festival and has greatly changed the vacation as a whole.
Let this be your warning when you come to Belgium, Beware the Stairs!
The first interesting thing about Belgian houses is that, from what we've been told, is that it is against the law to refuse people a restroom. So, if someone comes to the door needing the toilet, you let them in. Because of that, every Belgian house we've been in has a small, airplane-like, bathroom on the main floor, and usually in the foyer. They usually have just a sink with cold water only and a toilet. I find this unusual, but, hey, if I'm out jogging and nature calls, I don't have to rely on using nature if I'm close to a house.
The Belgians must not be a big people, because the second interesting thing about Belgian houses is that they all have crazy stairs. We have stairs all over our place and they're all different sizes. They might just be a single step from kitchen to living room, or 2 stairs down to the garage. They may be 2 marble steps with vicious edges leading up to 12 narrow, steep, curved stairs going to the second floor. The stairs leading up are also short, my husband has to duck when using them, and if not paying attention, will bonk our son's head when carrying him. The steps themselves are very narrow, my size 6 foot is all that will fit on one. We have all slipped or missed a stair or two in the house, but this past week, the dangerous design took it's first victim.
Our buddy, Travis, came from his part of the world to visit us for a week or two. There were some European things that he was hoping to see and was going to use our place as his launching pad. The big event of the vacation was going to be a huge trance music festival in Holland that he was particularly excited about. After dinner and having a great Belgian beverage, our son took him upstairs to see his room. On the way back down, the combination of socks, a beverage after being in a dry country for months and our darn Belgian stairs took him unaware and pulled him down.
At first, it just was sore, so he had another beverage and we chatted around the table. The next morning it wasn't really swollen or discolored, but he was hoping to get some medicine to help with the pain. We headed to the closest hospital and found the "Urgencies Room." After getting to practice his French on the receptionist and the doctor practicing his English on Travis, it was determined that he had broken a small bone off in his foot. "It is not broken, but it is fractured, " is exactly what the doctor told me. They have him some of the half arm crutches and sent him away with some prescriptions and an appointment for the following week.
Now, he's been hanging around our place, alternately, working his way through the DVD library and enjoying the rare Belgian weather. He has a plaster cast and the orthopedist told him No Weight Bearing Activities for another month. This has put the kibosh on his awesome music festival and has greatly changed the vacation as a whole.
Let this be your warning when you come to Belgium, Beware the Stairs!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Again with the Belgian Weather
The past two days it was wonderfully springlike. The morning started with fog, it burned off to beautifully sunny days in the low 60s. Absolutely perfect. Today we started off with a decently warm morning and partly sunny skies. Now the wind has picked up, the sun is gone and it's trying to rain. Good gravy, make up your mind!!
This doesn't seem to bother the pheasants, rabbits, moles, crows and other assorted wildlife that is scurrying about today. All the while, I keep looking at the sky giving it the "hairy eyeball" and waving my fist in the air.
This doesn't seem to bother the pheasants, rabbits, moles, crows and other assorted wildlife that is scurrying about today. All the while, I keep looking at the sky giving it the "hairy eyeball" and waving my fist in the air.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Spring!
Today is a beautiful spring day! It's about 56 degrees Fahrenheit outside, the sun is shining and there is all sorts of stuff to do today.
Currently, we have a classic car race speeding past our house. There are all sorts of cars, from Model T looking, to vintage Porches and a few that look like old VW rabbits and even a WWII Jeep. Some have roll bars inside them, some have multiple lights mounted to the grill. It's been fun to watch them speed past. Many of them have waved at us and given us quizzical looks as to which way to turn up at the corner. With my limited French, I could make out that some of the cars belong to a classic car club from Brussels. This is the second time since we've been in the house that there has been a road race go past the house. I'm amazed that anyone can even find our house, let alone have a car race go past it not once, but twice.
There have been a few groups of cyclists ride past as well. The opposite way as the cars, so that's good. You can tell that the drivers aren't excited to slow down for the cyclists, but you know the cyclists aren't going to ride single file in Belgium, it's just not their way. (or wear helmets)
We have our friend's dog, Miss Mo, for a few days, so we took advantage of the beautiful weather and took her for a hike around the woods behind our house. My son was excited to be outside, after some "encouragement" to get away from the fabulous AFN Sunday morning cartoons. My husband took the camera and got some nice pictures of the wild snowdrops and daffodils that are blooming in the undergrowth. Miss Mo got to go off leash and roll in some stinky stuff and get some exercise. We got to jump puddles and enjoy the sun and fresh air. We got to walk past the dairy barns and see the new lamb in the pasture on the corner. It's just been a wonderful morning so far.
This evening, we were invited over to a cookout. Now, I don't want to be too hopeful, but I feel pretty positive that the weather is going to hold out for us. This will be the perfect way to end this lovely spring day.
Currently, we have a classic car race speeding past our house. There are all sorts of cars, from Model T looking, to vintage Porches and a few that look like old VW rabbits and even a WWII Jeep. Some have roll bars inside them, some have multiple lights mounted to the grill. It's been fun to watch them speed past. Many of them have waved at us and given us quizzical looks as to which way to turn up at the corner. With my limited French, I could make out that some of the cars belong to a classic car club from Brussels. This is the second time since we've been in the house that there has been a road race go past the house. I'm amazed that anyone can even find our house, let alone have a car race go past it not once, but twice.
There have been a few groups of cyclists ride past as well. The opposite way as the cars, so that's good. You can tell that the drivers aren't excited to slow down for the cyclists, but you know the cyclists aren't going to ride single file in Belgium, it's just not their way. (or wear helmets)
We have our friend's dog, Miss Mo, for a few days, so we took advantage of the beautiful weather and took her for a hike around the woods behind our house. My son was excited to be outside, after some "encouragement" to get away from the fabulous AFN Sunday morning cartoons. My husband took the camera and got some nice pictures of the wild snowdrops and daffodils that are blooming in the undergrowth. Miss Mo got to go off leash and roll in some stinky stuff and get some exercise. We got to jump puddles and enjoy the sun and fresh air. We got to walk past the dairy barns and see the new lamb in the pasture on the corner. It's just been a wonderful morning so far.
This evening, we were invited over to a cookout. Now, I don't want to be too hopeful, but I feel pretty positive that the weather is going to hold out for us. This will be the perfect way to end this lovely spring day.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Gent, Belgium
Yesterday, we took advantage of the lack of rain and decided to go to Gent, which is only an hour and fifteen minutes from here. Gent is in the Flemish region of Belgium, which meant that any French that we had learned was out the window and better to speak English. We had heard that Gent is right up there with Brugge for beauty and canals, so away we went.
After a lovely dinner at a pizzeria, where the waiters spoke in Italian, we took off to explore. Gent has the largest car free city center in all of Belgium, which is wonderful when you have a crazy toddler that hasn't napped. After taking a picture of our cheesy son near a beautiful statue, we went into the cathedral of Saint Bavo. So far, in our travels, St. Waudru Cathedral in Mons has been the most impressive cathedral that we've stepped foot. Saint Bavo made Saint Waudru look small and amateur in comparison. First step inside, my son noticed right away that you could see your breath. It was a balmy 47 degrees outside, but we could see our breath inside. We looked at all the beautiful stained glass work and the little alcoves around the center chapel. Many of the alcoves, which seems to be typical, housed some underfloor crypts. Others, had more ornate coffins with carved tops of the person inside. One in particular, had a very oddly lounging Bishop on top. The marble and stonework was amazing. Much of the stone and wood was so well cared for that it shone. This place is hundreds to years old and it was shiny. They layers of wax and polish would protect the wood from anything.
Inside one of the alcoves they had a harpist playing. Though is little stand with CDs to sell was a little awkward, he had a sedate smile that when coupled with the music was quite soothing. I would have liked to look inside that alcove, but it was off limits while he was playing.
Another alcove housed The Mystic Lamb or Ghent altarpiece that is an amazing piece of artwork, arguably the most famous in all of Belgium. It was huge and very difficult to see since the doors were shut and you had to observe through the marble pillars and scroll work on the doors. There was a smaller replica displayed in another alcove that you could get closer to so you could see some details. And let me tell you, the details were amazing. Adam and Eve are on opposite panels and they look so real, it's almost like they could walk off the canvas. It was very interesting the differences between Adam and Eve. Adam is so modest in his panel, looking shy and almost hiding his chest along with his leaf area. Eve, on the other hand, looks bored and hardly modest enough to use her leaf. Her breasts are bare and she looks almost provocative in her panel. She is also is not holding an apple, but another fruit that is often referred to as, "Adam's Apple." The details on those two alone are spectacular, but the rest of the frames are equally detailed. You'll have to look at the link to read about it.
After our tour of the cathedral, we went outside to run the boy and look around. We found a lovely chocolate shop that is currently my most favorite Belgian chocolate. Ahhh, the creaminess is just lovely. Then we took off to find the canals.
We crossed over a pedestrian bridge and looked at some of the artwork atop the buildings. We saw the only dragon weather vane that I've ever seen on the Belfry. There was lots of construction going on at the Belfry, so we'll have to see inside that at a later time. My husband and I had a stressful stroll along the canal, with our son very excited to walk on the edge and look for ducks in the water. He spotted Poseidon with his spear in the middle of the canal and was bothered until he told me, "Mom, that guy in the water is only a statue." Then we saw the castle.
Gravensteen Castle has a nice little self-paced walking tour that takes you in all parts of the castle. This castle, the first one we've been in so far, was built in 1180. That alone is amazing. It isn't a large castle, in castle standards, but it does have the walkways and arrow slits, crazy, carved, curved staircases and the damp chill that you'd expect in a castle. If the displays and information boards have it correct, there were many, many executions and punishments performed at Gravensteen Castle. One display showed a mannequin stretched out on a cot with his hands and feet bound and stretched with a funnel in his mouth to pour water directly into his stomach. It left little to the imagination, especially when my son went over the pet the mannequin's wig like he was comforting him. (kinds creepy, right?) It does have the tingly feel that made my husband state that this was a place my step-dad would love to spend the night. Although, most of the time we were behind a tourgroup of 12 year olds, we enjoyed it.
We had a great day, despite a nap-deprived toddler. He thoroughly enjoyed the city square and running around the weapons and armor displays at the castle. I greatly enjoyed getting to see more of this beautiful country and my husband enjoyed having a weekend off from coaching so he could be with us. It was a lovely city, one that we'll gladly go back to.
After a lovely dinner at a pizzeria, where the waiters spoke in Italian, we took off to explore. Gent has the largest car free city center in all of Belgium, which is wonderful when you have a crazy toddler that hasn't napped. After taking a picture of our cheesy son near a beautiful statue, we went into the cathedral of Saint Bavo. So far, in our travels, St. Waudru Cathedral in Mons has been the most impressive cathedral that we've stepped foot. Saint Bavo made Saint Waudru look small and amateur in comparison. First step inside, my son noticed right away that you could see your breath. It was a balmy 47 degrees outside, but we could see our breath inside. We looked at all the beautiful stained glass work and the little alcoves around the center chapel. Many of the alcoves, which seems to be typical, housed some underfloor crypts. Others, had more ornate coffins with carved tops of the person inside. One in particular, had a very oddly lounging Bishop on top. The marble and stonework was amazing. Much of the stone and wood was so well cared for that it shone. This place is hundreds to years old and it was shiny. They layers of wax and polish would protect the wood from anything.
Inside one of the alcoves they had a harpist playing. Though is little stand with CDs to sell was a little awkward, he had a sedate smile that when coupled with the music was quite soothing. I would have liked to look inside that alcove, but it was off limits while he was playing.
Another alcove housed The Mystic Lamb or Ghent altarpiece that is an amazing piece of artwork, arguably the most famous in all of Belgium. It was huge and very difficult to see since the doors were shut and you had to observe through the marble pillars and scroll work on the doors. There was a smaller replica displayed in another alcove that you could get closer to so you could see some details. And let me tell you, the details were amazing. Adam and Eve are on opposite panels and they look so real, it's almost like they could walk off the canvas. It was very interesting the differences between Adam and Eve. Adam is so modest in his panel, looking shy and almost hiding his chest along with his leaf area. Eve, on the other hand, looks bored and hardly modest enough to use her leaf. Her breasts are bare and she looks almost provocative in her panel. She is also is not holding an apple, but another fruit that is often referred to as, "Adam's Apple." The details on those two alone are spectacular, but the rest of the frames are equally detailed. You'll have to look at the link to read about it.
After our tour of the cathedral, we went outside to run the boy and look around. We found a lovely chocolate shop that is currently my most favorite Belgian chocolate. Ahhh, the creaminess is just lovely. Then we took off to find the canals.
We crossed over a pedestrian bridge and looked at some of the artwork atop the buildings. We saw the only dragon weather vane that I've ever seen on the Belfry. There was lots of construction going on at the Belfry, so we'll have to see inside that at a later time. My husband and I had a stressful stroll along the canal, with our son very excited to walk on the edge and look for ducks in the water. He spotted Poseidon with his spear in the middle of the canal and was bothered until he told me, "Mom, that guy in the water is only a statue." Then we saw the castle.
Gravensteen Castle has a nice little self-paced walking tour that takes you in all parts of the castle. This castle, the first one we've been in so far, was built in 1180. That alone is amazing. It isn't a large castle, in castle standards, but it does have the walkways and arrow slits, crazy, carved, curved staircases and the damp chill that you'd expect in a castle. If the displays and information boards have it correct, there were many, many executions and punishments performed at Gravensteen Castle. One display showed a mannequin stretched out on a cot with his hands and feet bound and stretched with a funnel in his mouth to pour water directly into his stomach. It left little to the imagination, especially when my son went over the pet the mannequin's wig like he was comforting him. (kinds creepy, right?) It does have the tingly feel that made my husband state that this was a place my step-dad would love to spend the night. Although, most of the time we were behind a tourgroup of 12 year olds, we enjoyed it.
We had a great day, despite a nap-deprived toddler. He thoroughly enjoyed the city square and running around the weapons and armor displays at the castle. I greatly enjoyed getting to see more of this beautiful country and my husband enjoyed having a weekend off from coaching so he could be with us. It was a lovely city, one that we'll gladly go back to.
Friday, March 2, 2012
The Fog Light
European cars seem to have it all over American cars, in many different ways. For example, diesel engines over here are much more fuel efficient than in the States. Amazing, though few will realize it, gas is more expensive over here than in the States, even if it climbs to $5/gallon at home, it will be more expensive here. So, it is nice that the technology is used in fuel efficient engines, both for diesel and gas. Also, they aren't driving huge vehicles around. Our Prius is an average size car here, there are actually some parking places where it's a tight fit. Especially, if we're going to park in a garage, the mirrors are going to have to come in and we're probably going to have dings on the doors.
Those are good things, very good things, but my favorite necessity on the European car is the fog light. They are mandatory and we're way behind in getting ours installed. The fog light is, on most cars, installed along with the rear break lights. It's just a single light, and it quite bright, it would be like having one break light on. It might seem strange, but with all the fog here, it's quite nice to have. The light cuts through the fog for people coming up on your rear. And when you're cruising along at 150KMH +, it's nice to be seen through the fog. (No, we don't drive that fast.....generally) We're looking to get the light installed into the bumper so it looks more natural instead of the way most Americans get in installed, hanging under the bumper. Why is it that this handy safety item isn't a necessary part of all cars made. Toyotas sold in Europe have them, Fords sold in Europe have them, Porsches, Volvos, VWs, I could go on all have them installed in their European versions.
When we bring out little Prius back to the States, if it lives through the Priority to the Right laws and crazy drivers, I'll be more than happy to use my little fog light.
Those are good things, very good things, but my favorite necessity on the European car is the fog light. They are mandatory and we're way behind in getting ours installed. The fog light is, on most cars, installed along with the rear break lights. It's just a single light, and it quite bright, it would be like having one break light on. It might seem strange, but with all the fog here, it's quite nice to have. The light cuts through the fog for people coming up on your rear. And when you're cruising along at 150KMH +, it's nice to be seen through the fog. (No, we don't drive that fast.....generally) We're looking to get the light installed into the bumper so it looks more natural instead of the way most Americans get in installed, hanging under the bumper. Why is it that this handy safety item isn't a necessary part of all cars made. Toyotas sold in Europe have them, Fords sold in Europe have them, Porsches, Volvos, VWs, I could go on all have them installed in their European versions.
When we bring out little Prius back to the States, if it lives through the Priority to the Right laws and crazy drivers, I'll be more than happy to use my little fog light.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)