Provence et Le Côte d'Azur - ç'est magnifique!

In case the translation of my title isn't apparent, I'll state in English that our first visit to the south of France was wonderful, and I wasn't ready to leave!! It's a big region with so much to offer, and the five days we spent there barely felt like enough to scratch the surface. I'll try to sum it up by day so I don't forget anything, because we really did see a lot.

Day 1: We arrived in Nîmes late Thursday night, so Friday was our first day in the region, and that was the day the Tour de France passed through town. I'll post some stuff about the tour tomorrow, but before the tour events we had the first part of the day to explore the city. Nîmes was an important city in ancient Rome, and as a result it has some very old and well-preserved Roman ruins. We visited two of the three big sites (Maison Carée and Tour Magne, pictured), but unfortunately we ran out of time and didn't get to go into the Arena. It was quite a hike to the Tour Magne, but the view over the town, and the gardens we saw on the way there were well worth the effort!


Day 2: We picked up the car first thing in the morning and drove to Pont du Gard (pictured), the site of one of the largest and best preserved Roman aqueduct bridges in the world. It's a popular site (translation: touristy!) and gets crowded during the day, but we arrived just before 10 AM and left just as the crowds were arriving - smart move!
After that we headed towards Antibes/Juan-les-Pins, twin coastal towns a few miles west of Nice and our home base for the next three nights. We arrived in mid-afternoon, got settled into our lodging and headed for the beach in Juan-les-Pins, followed by a leisurely evening in town. It's a nice beach town with good dining and nightlife, but the beach left a little bit to be desired - it was sandy and attractive, but also narrow and crowded.

Day 3: This day we walked over the hill to Antibes, and checked out its cool Old Town, Picasso Museum (we had no idea at the time, but it was the first day it reopened after being closed for well over a year for renovations - as a result we got in free!), and a great little uncrowded beach tucked into a corner of the Old Town. The weather wasn't ideal this day, with clouds and a few showers, but we still got some sun and enjoyed a bit of R&R. (Pictures: beach in Old Town, looking into Old Town from the beach)

Provence et Le Côte d'Azur - ç'est magnifique! (Part 2)

Day 4: "Drive the coast day". In a single day, we visited Nice, Monaco, Ventimiglia (Italy) and Cannes, and drove every stretch of coast in between! I don't know whether I'd recommend doing this to others or not - for us it was okay because we had a limited amount of time and didn't mind spending a decent part of the day driving. However, the amount of distance we covered meant that we only got to spend about 1 1/2 hours in each place (except for Cannes, where we went for dinner followed by a fireworks display that was part of a competition - it was cool!), and it was a long day. Still, it was a great way to get a small flavor of each place, so that if we go back we'll know which places we'll really want to linger and spend some time (more on my thoughts there in a moment). (Pictures: rocky beach in Nice, view from the drive from Nice to Monaco, Cannes sunset view)





Day 5: We checked out of our lodging in Juan-les-Pins and spent the day driving back to Nîmes. We headed west, past Cannes and into the smaller beach communities that lie between Cannes and Saint Tropez. The drive along the coast is slow going, with windy roads that go through the center of towns with their accompanying pedestrians and local traffic, so we only made it part of the way to Saint Tropez before we headed inland and caught the Autoroute (highway) so we could get back to Nîmes in time to return the car. We stopped in a great little town called Anthéor (pictured), a beautiful spot with red cliffs, sandy beach and low-key atmosphere, where we spent our last few hours on the beach and had a nice lunch. We arrived back in Nîmes around 6:30 PM, and our train back to Brussels was the next morning. (Pictures: two views of Anthéor)




Observations:
-The French Riviera has a little bit of everthing; beaches (sandy and rocky), hills, modern cities, old towns, high fashion and a lot of seriously rich people!
-As a general rule, most of the beaches east of Antibes (Nice to the Italian border) are rocky, so if you're looking for fine sand, look to the west!
-The well-known towns/cities in the region (meaning practically every inch of land in between Cannes and the Italian border) are CROWDED!! If you know that going in you'll enjoy all the different flavors of each city, but if you go there expecting an idyllic, relaxing beach vacation you'll probably be disappointed.
-If you ARE looking for said idyllic, relaxing beach vacation, head for one of the small, lesser-known communities west of Cannes. After all the hustle and bustle of Nice, Monaco, etc., this part of the coast was refreshing, and was a surprise favorite for me. The air and water are clearer too, as a result of less people and traffic!
-Ventimiglia (just across the Italian border) was unfortunately a dissapointment. The town wasn't terribly attractive, the beach was super rocky (killed our feet to go in the water!) and absolutely crawling with hawkers trying to sell you stuff. Seriously, we were on the beach for maybe 30 minutes, and we had at least six different people trying to sell us hats, jewelry, sunglasses, you name it...really annoying. The water also got deep REALLY fast, with relatively strong currents to go with it. Ayzsha had some gelato which she said was great, but other than that it was not worth the drive.
-Off the beach, the inland towns and cities of the region have a lot to offer as well. We only had time to visit Nîmes and the Pont du Gard aqueduct, but there are innumerable cities, hill towns and natural sites, enough that I'm not even sure a few months would allow time to see it all!
-If you like good food and wine, you will LOVE it here! We had some awesome meals, and I tried some of the local wines, which were very good as well. The inland area around the city of Grasse (just north of Antibes) is also famous for fragrances and perfumes.

We need a miracle!!!

We got back from the south of France yesterday (which was GREAT by the way - more on that tomorrow, including pictures - I promise!), and Carl's niece Ayzsha flew home this morning, so we are at home and by ourselves again, with the due date for Carl's dissertation quickly approaching. Seventeen days and counting!!

I haven't mentioned much lately about our status here in Belgium, partly because I didn't have anything definitive to report, but also because I didn't want to jinx an opportunity that had recently presented itself. Carl had a job interview a few weeks ago, with a trade association here in Brussels, much like the one he worked for in his internship. We just found out today that he he did not get the position (their loss!), and although both of us have applied for a number of other jobs, we don't currently have any other imminent prospects. That means that we must now begin making preparations to return to the United States in a little over a month's time. We can legally remain in Belgium until the end of October, but our dwindling resources make it rather imprudent to do so. We're disappointed for sure, but by no means does that mean we're giving up on our hopes of remaining in (or perhaps coming back to) Europe. We're continuing to think positively, but we're also prepared to accept that perhaps it just wasn't meant to be...and if that's the case, that'll be okay. Still, keep your fingers crossed, pray, think happy thoughts - whatever you do to bring good things, maybe send a little bit of it our way!

The Latest Happenings

I gave my first "on my own" English lessons today - three of them to be exact. They went very well; teaching is actually easier than I thought it would be! Obviously I know the subject matter, but knowing something and knowing how to teach it to someone are two different things. I'll admit that I was a bit nervous about whether I'd be able to explain things clearly, come up with good examples to practice with the students, and generally think on my feet. I feel pretty confident now though, and I think I'm going to enjoy the experience.

It's interesting, the perspective you gain on your own language when you teach it to someone else. You start to notice all the idiosyncratic, non-intuitive things in English that you've never really thought about, because you just take them for granted as obvious...for instance, why is the plural form of knife 'knives' and not just 'knifes'? Anyway, its interesting to see the things that people find difficult about learning English as a second language, and did I mention the money's not bad either?

So on to other happenings...Carl's niece has been with us since Saturday, and we've been having a great time showing her around the country (we even took her into Germany a bit on Sunday!) and introducing to some of our friends here. Tomorrow evening we're off to France, first to Nîmes and then Antibes/Nice. I couldn't be more excited to get some warm weather and water, and also just to get back to France! We'll be there until next Wednesday, so look for a trip report by next Thursday at the latest. Au revoir!

Bad News for Belgium

Hi everyone! I'll write more tomorrow about what's going on with us, but for now I wanted to tell you about some big (and unfortunately not good) political news out of Belgium today. I copied the following article from the BBC website...

Belgian PM offers his resignation

Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme has tendered his government's resignation to the king after failing to carry out political reforms. Mr Leterme had set a 15 July deadline to push through measures to devolve more power to the regions. He took office in March - after nine months of political deadlock - as the head of a coalition of Dutch and French-speaking parties.
King Albert II has yet to decide whether to accept the resignation. The government coalition includes Mr Leterme's Flemish Christian Democrats from the north as well as Socialists from the French-speaking region of Wallonia in the south.

The prime minister was due to present a state reform deal in a speech to parliament on Tuesday. Before last June's general election, Mr Leterme had promised his supporters even more devolved powers for regional governments in a country that is already Europe's most decentralised state. In French-speaking Wallonia - where unemployment is higher and the economy sluggish - there are fears this would leave their region worse off. "It appears that the communities' conflicting visions of how to give a new equilibrium to our state have become incompatible," Mr Leterme said in a statement. He added that "state reform remains essential".

His French-speaking coalition partners said they hoped the government could be kept together. "I think we still have time to find a solution in the hours and next few days within the framework of what we already have," said Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders. "Otherwise we'll have to look for something else." "The king now has to be given time to consult a number of people. It's far too early to say what will happen next." The newspapers reflected the atmosphere under headlines like "Total Chaos". "No one can predict what is going to happen now," said the centre-left daily De Morgen.

Belgium's Dutch and French-speaking communities seem to exist side-by-side, but with little interaction, says the BBC's Dominic Hughes in Brussels. No single party bridges the linguistic and geographic gulf between Belgium's two regions. Traditionally, the prime minister comes from one of the majority Flemish parties.


DIVIDED BELGIUM
-Three federal regions: Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north; French-speaking Wallonia in the south (which has a German-speaking minority); Brussels, the capital, officially bilingual
-Federal state has national responsibility for justice, defence, federal police, social security, nuclear energy, monetary policy
-Regional governments oversee education, employment, agriculture, transport, environment

Summer Runnin'...

had us a blast!! :-)

We did have a good time actually, as the pictures kinda show. We went to Bruges/Brugge on Sunday afternoon, to run in the "Guldensporen 10 Mijl van Vlaanderen" (sorry but the link is in French and Dutch only). The race was at 3:00 PM, which was nice because it's an hour long train ride to get there, so we fortunately didn't have to get up really early! Our friend Margaret ran as well, and we did pretty well - all three of us finished in the 95-97 minute range, which means we ran between 9:30 and 9:45 per mile. Not very fast, but respectable, and we're pretty happy with it!

Our running "calendar" is now empty as we wait to figure out where we're going to be come September. If we stay here we have our eyes on an early November marathon that runs along the coast from Nice to Cannes in France...I know, another one already?!?! I was a little reluctant to do another so soon, but the opportunity to run in such a beautiful place isn't one I can turn down easily!

Oh, and a follow-up on the 4th of July party last Friday. It went well, we had a group of about 20 turn out and there was lots of food, beer and Wii Guitar Hero (yes, thanks to the generosity of Carl's sister we now have a Wii - more on that in a later post). I was a total lame-o of course and took only a couple of photos, none of which really turned out. Sorry to have fallen down on the job there!!

We're having a...

PARTY!!!!

(you didn't think I was going to say "baby", did ya??) :-)

In honor of American Independence Day tomorrow we are hosting our first party here in Brussels! It seemed appropriate since we've attended quite a few get-togethers hosted by others...we figured it's our turn to host! Our place isn't large but I think it'll be fine for the 18-25 people we're expecting. Everyone is bringing something so I don't have to do too much cooking, and we also have a good-sized balcony on which we'll be able to cook with a borrowed hibachi grill. Should be fun!!

So between prepping the apartment, buying all the stuff we need and going to our three-hour French class tomorrow morning, the next 24 hours are going to be VERY busy! We're also attending a birthday picnic on Saturday afternoon, and running in a 10-mile race in Bruges on Sunday afternoon...what were we thinking when we scheduled that?!?!

Other upcoming events: Carl's niece Ayzsha arrives next Saturday! She'll be here in Brussels with us until Thursday, when the three of us board a train to Nîmes, in the south of France. We'll be there two nights, then we're off to Antibes (just west of Nice) for three nights, then one more night in Nîmes before taking the train back here on the 23rd. We're so excited, especially because one of the nights we're in Nîmes the Tour de France will be stopping there! So if you watch the coverage, look for us in the crowd at the end of the stage on July 18th!!

Carl's internship ends on the 17th (the day we head to France), so when we get back and Ayzsha departs, it'll be time for him to focus, FOCUS, FOCUS on finishing his dissertation! It's due August 11th and he's got a decent start on it already, so it shouldn't be a problem...it's still a lot of work though! During that time I'll have several students going with my English teaching as well, so it will be a busy month. My dad and his wife Cathryn arrive the same day that Carl's dissertation is due too, so it'll be nice to celebrate this milestone with them!

Needless to say we've got a busy two months ahead of us...it's exciting though, and we're enjoying every minute of it!!

Spain wins

Well we've just finished enjoying our first Euro football (soccer) tournament - it came down to Germany and Spain in the end, but much to the sadness of our German friends, Spain managed to win the Final. It was fun to get involved and get caught up in the excitement - and believe me, despite the fact that all the matches were held in Austria and Switzerland there was plenty of excitement here! This tournament only happens once every four years, staggered vs. the World Cup so that Europe has a major international football tournament every two years.

This was also the first time I've worn another country's flag on my face - we joined our German friends at the pub to watch two of the games, and both times I ended up with the German flag painted on my cheeks! I figured what the heck, I like Germany, and Belgium didn't qualify so why not support Deutschland? There is photographic evidence but it's not on my camera, so I'll have to see if I can get a copy to post here later.

Happy (slightly belated) Solstice!

We've never lived this far north before, so the extremely pronounced differences in daylight between summer and winter have been very noticeable here! We're at approximately 50°50' N, which is about the same latitude as Calgary, Alberta. So when the summer solstice came around yesterday, we marveled at the over 17 hours (!) between sunrise and sunset.

Unfortunately yesterday was overcast so I couldn't get a good picture of the sunset, but tonight I got a pretty decent photo of it from our bedroom window. I couldn't figure out how to get the time to display on the photo so you'll just have to trust me when I say that I took it at exactly 9:55 PM, about five minutes BEFORE sunset! You can't see the sun because it had already passed behind the church down the street, but from the color of the sky you can definitely tell that the sun is still around! It's 10:27 PM as I write this, and there's still light enough to see. It's really nice in summertime, but after experiencing the flip side in winter I can tell you that that end of the pendulum isn't nearly as pleasant!

Anyway, we're very much enjoying summertime here in northwestern Europe, and we hope all of you are having a great summer as well! Happy barbecuing!

Working for a living

Recently I met the wife of one of the PhD students at Carl's school, and she asked me if I would be interested in helping her out with some of her English students. She's taught English for years and has a thriving "practice" of teaching to individuals here in Brussels, generally on a one-on-one basis. I think she's getting a little burned out and wanted to reduce her schedule for the Summer, and since it pays €25 per hour I am happy to help!

I met the first student yesterday afternoon, a six-year-old Japanese boy who does quite well with English considering how young he is. I'm taking over a half-dozen or so students of hers, but only a couple of them are kids - ALL of them are Japanese however! I guess she started out with a couple of Japanese students in the beginning, and her name quickly circulated through the Japanese community here, to the point where she had all the students she could handle!

Anyway, she's going with me the first time I visit each of the students, to make the introductions and fill me in with regards to where they are in terms of ability, what materials they're using, etc. They all have their own books and other materials, so basically all I'm there to do is to make sure they understand the concepts being introduced in their books and help them conversationally - basically just talk to them, ask questions, stuff like that. I was a little nervous at first at the idea of doing this because I don't have a teaching background, but I think one-on-one instruction is a great way to start out, and I'm definitely excited at the prospect of having a little money coming in! I start teaching in earnest in early July, so I'll let you know how it goes!

The fun and fabulous pub quiz!

I've been meaning to mention this for a long time, but somehow I keep forgetting! Since late last Fall we've been taking part in a weekly pub quiz, every Monday night. It's mainly a British phenomenon and has been around for some time, but while I'm told it's catching on in the U.S., I don't recall seeing it there before we left last year.

So for those of you who aren't familiar with the concept, here's a quick overview: it's a team game, with teams of up to five permitted. There are eight rounds in total. The first is a "picture" round, with photos, drawings or cartoons that must be identified. In this category we've seen everything from celebrity mugshots to album covers to serial killers to cartoon ducks! Rounds 2-6 and round 8 are standard trivia questions (general knowledge), while round 7 is music. Generally this means that a short clip of a song is played, and teams must identify the artist and song title (though there are sometimes variations on this, such as identifying movie theme songs or guitar soloists). Each participant pays €2.50 to play, and the top three teams win prizes. In the case of our venue (De Valera's Irish Pub) that means free dinner for the winners, a bottle of champagne for 2nd place, and a free drink for 3rd. I am proud to say that we have assembled a formidable team, and in addition to a number of 2nd and 3rd place finishes, we have also won 3 times!

The reason I finally remembered to write about pub quiz is because we've been missing it lately - with the Euro 2008 football (soccer) tournament in full swing, the pub is packed every night with football fans. As a result the pub quiz was cancelled last week, and will be cancelled again tomorrow. Strangely enough though, we will be at the same pub tomorrow night, watching the Germany-Austria match with our German friends - Geh Deutschland!!

Protests at the Commission

Carl spent a good part of this past week at the European Commission, working an exhibit booth for his employer at the "Green Week" event. It was a good experience for him as he got to meet a number of interesting people, but there was some unanticipated excitement when on Wednesday a protest outside the Commission building (a number of European fishermen were protesting high fuel prices that threaten to put many of them out of business) turned a bit violent. You may have even seen news coverage of the protests - I'm not sure if it was mentioned in the US or not, but our CNN International edition here covered it quite a bit.

He and the other event attendees were safe inside so there was never any danger, but as you can see from the photos he was very close to the "action" and could see everything. Fortunately he arrived before the bulk of the protests began and didn't need to leave until after things calmed down. Even if he had been planning to leave he couldn't have, because they had the building secured and the transit routes in and out of the area were shut down completely! Brussels definitely has its share of demonstrations; we're on the US Embassy's e-mail list so we get a message from them alerting us whenever a protest is planned, and there's usually one every week or so, particularly now that we're getting into the Summer months. We usually steer clear of them for safety reasons, so this was something unusual that we thought we'd share with you. Democracy at work!

Sidenote: the first picture is of Carl and his boss at their Green Week booth. Also, the banner being held up in one of the pictures translates to: "0.40 at the pump and nothing else" - referring to the maximum price the fishermen are willing to pay

Origins of the French/Belgian? fried potato

In one of my earlier posts I mentioned the famous "pomme frites" of Belgium, and how despite the English using the word "french" to describe them, they were actually invented here. The Belgians in fact cringe whenever they hear their claim to fame food associated with the French, but as I've learned more on the subject I've discovered that there is some debate as to the origin of the famous fry. It's a pretty interesting story actually, so I thought I'd share a bit of the history of the potato and the famous fry.

The potato was originally discovered growing wild by the Incas of South America, and they have eaten them for centuries. The Spanish Conquistadors were the first Europeans to come into contact with the spud, and they brought some back to Spain with them in the 1500's. The Spaniards didn't take to them however (they called them "edible stones"), and neither did successive groups of English colonialists, who also brought back samples on their ships. In fact, only the Irish, who were going through a difficult period of famine and discovered that the potato grew beautifully in their climate, were actually willing to eat them. Others thought they were suitable only for livestock and prisoners, and some even thought they were poisonous.

It wasn't until Frenchman Antoine August Parmentier came along that the potato began to gain some acceptance in Europe. He was held prisoner in Germany during the Seven Years War, and during that time was fed only potatoes. Upon his return to France he evidently hadn't had enough spuds, and so made it his mission to convince the French of the potato's usefuleness. Through some rather sly tactics he finally convinced the French that he was right, and by 1813 the potato had been accepted as edible, even appealing by many Europeans.

Soon after this acceptance, someone who to this day remains unknown decided to slice up a potato and drop the pieces into a boiling pot of fat, and the fry was born. The French and the Belgians both strongly insist it was one of their countrymen, and historians who have studied the subject remain divided as well. Whoever it was, the creation became wildly popular in both countries as early as the 1830's, but it took another hundred years before Ray Kroc perfected his own version for McDonalds and made it a staple of American fast food. That means that while the Americans perhaps get some credit for helping the fry gain worldwide popularity and acceptance, we don't get any credit at all for its existence.

So there you have it! As for me, I'm inclined to give credit to the Belgians for the creation of the frite, because the French already get credit for so much in the culinary world, and the fry seems just, well, a little too un-refined to be theirs! So Belgium it is - that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!! :-)

In case you haven't had enough of the frites story, click here to read more. This article served as my source, but I definitely ommitted some interesting stories involving Thomas Jefferson's love of the potato and Marie Antoinette's love of potato flowers (yes, really).

Burning questions

People are naturally very curious about our decision to leave our jobs, sell our townhome and come to Belgium this past year. I can't blame them, because it's a rather unusual and bold thing for two established individuals in their 30's to do! For the most part I have been asked the same handful of questions by everyone, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to address some of them here, for those of you who are curious but haven't asked!

"How did you come up with the idea of going to Belgium in the first place?"
It started with a web search for graduate schools overseas. We didn't know much about Belgium so it was really the University of Kent program that attracted Carl to come here. We were both thrilled at the idea of living in another country, so it came down to which school offered the best program for the money. Kent had the right program at an attractive price, so Belgium it was!

"How can you afford to do this?"
Well we certainly aren't independently wealthy (unfortunately!), so this move has come at a sacrifice. Our funding comes from various sources, but generally speaking it's a combination of (non-retirement) savings, profits from the sale of our property in the U.S., student loans and small amounts of income earned here. We've put ourselves on a tight budget, but we're still having a great time and will have some cash left over at the end to re-establish ourselves once this is all over.

"What do you do with your time (directed more at me than Carl)?"
This is by far the question I've been asked the most. I think perhaps it's because we all wonder at least a little bit what we would do with ourselves and our time if we didn't have full-time jobs and/or family responsibilities. As for me, I've kept reasonably busy, but I'm not the type-A personality who always has to be doing something. As a result, some days I've been content to simply curl up with a good book or read up on a topic I don't know much about. My knowledge of the news and current events has improved dramatically, and I've become quite good at our weekly "pub quiz" trivia tournaments! I've also spent time studying both French and Dutch, editing papers for Carl and his classmates, training for and running a marathon, as well as planning several trips on a rather tight budget (planning independent budget travel is really quite time-consuming!). I am reaching the point where I look forward to "working" again, but I am very grateful to have had this time to take a step back from my career, explore new interests and get to know myself better! Such a hiatus obviously comes at a risk, but for me it has been more than worth it!

"Where are you heading next?"
We're really hoping to stay here in Europe, whether in Brussels or elsewhere. We've both applied for jobs in Paris, and Carl also has applied at an organization in Switzerland. We're focusing mainly on French-speaking regions because that's the language we're both most comfortable with (with Spanish being a close second for me), but for the right opportunity we would consider going anywhere. If nothing comes through job-wise here in Europe we will be returning to the USA around early September, most likely to San Diego (Carl's family lives there), to continue our job search from there. After that I have no idea where we'll end up, but I'll be sure to let you know as the situation develops!

"Do you miss the USA?", "Do you want to come back?" and various other iterations of the homesickness question.
Well, not really. Sometimes I think longingly of Chipotle burritos and the ease of being able to communicate in my native language, but I've adjusted pretty well to the European lifestyle and I think if we go back I will miss just as many things about here as I do about the States. I'll be a little bit sad if we can't stay here, but the USA is still my home country, and of course I wouldn't be upset to return there.

Got any other questions? Add them as a comment to this post and I'll do my best to answer them!

Whirlwind tour of Eastern Germany

The former East Germany is a really interesting place, and in just five days we managed to cram in visits to Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden, Meissen, Leipzig and Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Needless to say we took full advantage of the time we had!

Berlin is a big city, and because of its having been separated into East and West for so long, it's very spread out. We only had one day there, so to see as much as we could in a limited time we decided to do one of those hop-on, hop-off tour buses. Carl and I have never done one of those before, and I'll confess that in the past we've made fun of them and swore that we'd never set foot on one! :-) Oh well, I guess there's a first time for everything, and in fact I think it ended up being a good choice that enabled us to get around quickly and at least get a glimpse of the major sights. As for Berlin itself, it's an interesting blend of old and new, it's "cool", and it's actually quite affordable for a city its size. It must be a great place to live!

Potsdam is kind of a suburb of Berlin, and is a very pretty town. Unfortunately we didn't have time to see one of its main attractions, the Sanssouci palace and gardens; we were there to take a cruise among one of the many lakes (many of which are linked by rivers and canals) in the area. At this point I'll also mention that with the exception of one day we had really beautiful weather, which made some of these outdoor excursions even more enjoyable. Europe's been having some nice late Spring weather, and we've really been enjoying it!

Dresden and Leipzig are the two big cities in the former East Germany (besides East Berlin). Both were heavily damaged in World War II, but both have also been completely rebuilt and are quite attractive. It was really sobering to see some of the pictures of what these places looked like after the war, as compared to now. We also didn't know what to expect in terms of aesthetics, given the former East German government's penchant for building Soviet-style apartment blocks, but we were pleasantly surprised to find some beautiful places along the way. The infrastructure is very good as well, and we had no problem managing on our extremely limited German. The people in both cities were friendly, the prices very affordable, and there's quite a bit to see! If any of you are looking to stretch your dollars when it comes to European travel, I would really recommend checking out this part of Germany.

Meissen and Lutherstadt Wittenberg are two towns you've probably never heard of, and neither had we! Lutherstadt Wittenberg was just a quick stopover on our way to the airport, to check out the church where Martin Luther reportedly nailed his 95 theses in 1517, starting the Protestant reformation. The church where the first Protestant services were held is there as well, so we stopped to pay a quick visit to both of those. Meissen, on the other hand, is known mainly for its fine (and very expensive!) porcelain. Meissen is where we based ourselves for the last three nights of our stay, and this town was a surprise favorite for all of us! It's in a stunning setting right along the Elbe River, topped by a cathedral and castle that are perched on the top of a steep hill. It was absolutely beautiful, the people were very warm and friendly, and the food we had there was great! It's only a matter of time before word gets out about this charming town, and I only hope that greater notoriety won't ruin its charms.

One last word on this trip - we had some excellent meals in this area, particularly in Meissen and Dresden. There's a lot more to German food than sausage and sauerkraut, and even though I'd been to Germany before, I found the cuisine here to be about the best German food I've had anywhere.

Photos:
#1: Carl and I at the Brandenburg Gate
#2: One of the many old castles and palaces we saw on our cruise from Potsdam
#3: The view from our dinner table one evening in Meissen - it was even better in person!
#4: Central square of Dresden; the Residenzschloss is on the left, the Hofkirche on the right
#5: The church in Leipzig where Bach was cantor (the guy in charge of singing and music) from 1723 to 1750

I'm still here!

It's been a REALLY long time since my last post - my apologies for the lull, but I've been busy showing my Mom and stepdad around Belgium and also traveling to Eastern Germany with them (they return to the U.S. tomorrow). We've had a great time visiting with them and seeing some new places, but after three trips in the past 3 1/2 weeks I'm looking forward to some time at home!

Be on the lookout for a report on the Germany trip - I also have a few non travel-related posts planned, so be sure to check back for more over the next few days!

The Grand Tour of Normandy

It's taken me a few days to get this post published because we've been quite busy since we got back, but last weekend we took part in a group bus trip to Normandy, France. We left early Thursday morning and returned Sunday night, and despite the long drive we had time to see a lot of different aspects of the region. We aren't normally big fans of the bus tour concept, but it was being led by our French teacher, who is Belgian and also a professor of Art History, and her husband who is American and a professor at Carl's school, so we had very knowledgeable guides. At only €190 per person (all inclusive!), it was also the deal of the century, so we just couldn't turn it down!

We visited many of the sights associated with D-day of course, such as Omaha Beach and the American cemetary, the German cemetary at La Cambe, Pointe du Hoc, Arromanches and the Memorial Museum at Caen. To walk along the very same places I've read about, studied and seen in movies was really moving, and the near perfect weather we had every day except Thursday made the setting beautiful as well. The Normandy landscape is scenic to say the least - rolling hills, wide sandy beaches, jagged cliffs, and postcard perfect countryside complete with cow pastures, apple orchards and fields of yellow rapeseed flowers (it's used to make canola oil).

This region is also full of history from other time periods, particularly the 1100's to the 1400's. The Norman invasion of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror was launched from here, and is commemorated in pictures in the Bayeux tapestry, which we saw in Bayeux. We also visited the square in Rouen where Joan of Arc was burned in 1431. Additionally, we saw several impressive cathedrals in Beauvais, Bayeux and Caen, and the ruins of the Château Gaillard near Rouen.

No trip to the region can be considered complete without seeing the massive and beautiful Mont St. Michel, topped by a beautiful abbey and surrounded by tidal sand/mud flats that can be walked on during low tide, but flood quickly at high tide and over the centuries have claimed the lives of many unwary visitors. The rock formation upon which the abbey is built just seems to rise up out of nowhere, making the place that much more striking against the relatively flat landscape that surrounds it. It's a very popular place to visit so it was very crowded and more than a little bit touristy, but even that couldn't take away from its appeal. It's a definite must-see if you visit Normandy!

Finally, our historical and architectural tour was broken up by visits to a cheese making factory and an apple orchard. The cheese factory, Isigny-Sainte-Mère, makes some fabulous Camembert and Pont l'Evêque cheeses for which Normandy is famous, and which we were able to sample and buy. Beverages made from apples, including alcoholic cidre, calvados (apple brandy), and pommeau (a blend of the cidre and calvados) are also famous in this region, and visiting the orchard was a real treat. The place we visited was a very small production, family-run business, and their products were just amazing - we brought home several bottles of cidre, pommeau and also regular apple juice, in additional to a fabulous jar of confit (very sweet, honey-like consistency spread often used as a marinade).

In case it isn't apparent already, Normandy was just AMAZING, and we had a really wonderful time. If you ever have the chance to visit there, definitely do so!

Picture #1: Looking off the cliff above Arromanches, towards Pont du Hoc. The large objects you see on the beach and out in the water are the remnants of the artificial harbor built by the Allies after the D-day invasion
Picture #2: Looking up the hill from Omaha Beach. This is what the soldiers who came ashore that morning had to climb - under heavy fire, of course.
Picture #3: The remains of the German defense post at Pointe du Hoc. An elite group of 225 Army Rangers, with fire support from ships offshore, had to destroy the powerful guns and concrete fortifications that were here in order to disable the strongest German coastal defense and allow the invasion to go forward. They succeeded, but upon completing their mission less than half of them were alive and unhurt.
Picture #4: view of Mont St. Michel.
Picture #5: The Abbaye aux Hommes (Abbey of Men) at Caen, built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century; 80% of this city was destroyed during the war, but this church was spared because the Allies learned that residents were holed up inside for protection.

Lausanne, Fribourg and Geneva, oh my!

This post is a few days late in coming, but I've been incredibly busy this week trying to help Carl finish his essays for school, along with editing the essays of two other students. We leave for Normandy first thing tomorrow morning, but before doing that I wanted to tell you about our time spent in Switzerland last weekend. Here goes!

First of all, Switzerland is just as beautiful as the pictures and postcards make it look! We spent three nights there, one each in Lausanne, Fribourg and Geneva, and we lucked out by having beautiful weather in all three places. The lake setting of both Lausanne and Geneva, with the French Alps as a backdrop (the other side of the lake is France, after all!), was absolutely stunning, but Lausanne was definitely our favorite of the two. It's smaller, quieter and is perched on a hillside, so you can get great views of the lake from almost anywhere! The hills also mean lots of huffing and puffing, but it was worth it for the view - and as an overnight visitor you get a free transit pass, so you can also take a tram or bus if you get tired. We visited the Olympic Museum in Lausanne too, which was really a treat!

Fribourg is a little off the tourist trail, and so is less crowded and touristy, but no less beautiful. We had a blast there getting to know my blog buddy Miz K and her hubby - who else? - Mr K! They were excellent hosts, and showed us Fribourg's beautiful Old Town in the afternoon, followed by an authentic Swiss raclette for dinner - yum!! Thank you both for your hospitality, we had a wonderful time and can't wait to show you around Brussels!

Pictures:
#1 - Lake Geneva and ferry, viewed from the Olympic Museum in Lausanne
#2 - Another view of Lake Geneva, from the lakefront in Lausanne
#3 - Geneva at night - the giant soccer ball (or football if you hail from this side of the pond) is in anticipation of Euro 2008, the European Football Championship being held in Switzerland and Austria in June
#4 - The Old Town riverfront in Fribourg
#5 - Another view of the Old Town, Fribourg

Gearing up

Spring has finally come to Belgium, in the form of warmer weather and leaves on the trees. Today is by far the nicest day we have had all year; mostly sunny and a high of 17C (63F). It's just beautiful!

We also have a busy month coming up...Carl is working and writing the essays for his second term courses; they're due on May 5th but since we're traveling both this weekend and next, he doesn't have a whole lot of time left to get them finished! I'm also keeping busy helping him review and edit his writing, editing papers for a few of his classmates who aren't native English speakers, planning our upcoming travels and getting ready for our next visitors (my Mom and stepdad Joe), who arrive on May 7th.

This weekend we're headed to Geneva, Lausanne and Fribourg, Switzerland, next weekend to Normandy, France, and a few weeks after that we're taking Mom & Joe to Berlin and Dresden, Germany. It's all a bit overwhelming, but we felt we ought to take full advantage of the opportunity we have, and see as much as we can while we're here! As always, check back for more trip reports!

As far as the future is concerned, the job hunting has begun! We are really hoping to be able to remain here in Europe, so we are both searching for work here. Prospects are limited due to our US citizenship however, so if necessary we will begin preparations to return Stateside around late August. This year is going by so fast, it's almost unbelievable!

Photo finish

I finally received the picture I ordered of me finishing the marathon. The photographers took several but this one was definitely the best, and since they charge a fortune for them (15 euros each!), I only ordered the one. I knew I was being photographed of course, so the huge smile and the arms in the air was a little bit for the camera, but the emotion was the real thing! The feeling of crossing the finish line was awesome, and I'm so glad I lucked out to have a photo that conveys it so well!

The second photo is of all 35,000 of us at the starting line - they provided us with a small electronic version of that one for free at least! Just to give you an idea, Carl and I were near the back of the pack, on the left side as you look at the picture.

Paris and marathon stories

We returned from Paris yesterday, and we had an absolutely wonderful time - and finally our legs feel normal again! I now also have an idea of how the French - or the Parisians, at least - are able to eat and drink like they do and not (generally speaking) get fat - it's all the freaking stairs they go up and down on a daily basis! I don't think I would have realized it had I not been as sore as I was, but geez they have a lot of stairs there, especially in the metro system! I must have elicited some laughs those first few days, gingerly hoisting myself down the stairs with lots of grunting and grimacing!

Still, we couldn't let sore legs stop us from enjoying our first visit to the city of lights. There was just too much to see, and too little time to spend there! We did manage to make it to the big sights, places like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe (both of which we climbed via stairs too!) Versailles, Notre Dame Cathedral, Sainte Chappelle, the Louvre, and the Musée d'Orsay. We missed out on Montmartre, the Sacré Couer, the Catacombs and several other sights though, and in general we didn't feel like we had enough time to just soak in the culture and enjoy the café and dining scene. I guess that means we'll have to go back! :-)

Before we went to Paris we had heard for years about the famous Parisian "attitude", and had prepared ourselves for the occasional rude individual. Well, maybe we over-prepared for that, or maybe we've adjusted a bit to the French attitudes since we live in a heavily French influenced city, but I must say that we didn't have even one bad experience. Everyone we encountered was polite and patient with our far-from-perfect French, and a few people were so friendly that it frankly caught us a little off guard! Regardless, the charm of both the city and its people definitely makes us want to return, and soon!

Now for some marathon stories...I'm not going to give the usual run-down of how my knees hurt at mile or kilometer such-and-such, but rather focus on my impressions and things I saw and heard during the race, because that's the stuff I think you'll enjoy reading about, and it's definitely the stuff I really want to remember!

First up is all the trash. The race had approximately 35,000 people participating, and that adds up to A LOT of trash! Just trying to get to the starting line was a challenge, stepping over all the discarded junk from the 30,000 or so who had already run over that space. We started pretty much at the back of the pack - it took us nearly fifteen minutes just to get to the actual starting line! - and I guess a lot of people decided early on not to wear the plastic bag "rain jackets" the organizers had been handing out (it hardly rained at all). Anyway, all along the course there were discarded water bottles, banana and orange peels, various empty sports gel packs and who knows what else. It was amazing though, by the time we finished the race and made our way back to the start at the top of the Champs Elysées, it was entirely cleaned up! I don't know whether it was volunteers or the city workers who did it, but they did an incredible job!

Next up is the scenery - I'm embarrassed to say that after a while, and particularly towards the end, I kind of stopped noticing it. This is pretty funny - at our celebratory dinner I mentioned to Dan, one of the other people from Carl's program who ran (we all finished by the way!), that I had somehow missed seeing the Eiffel Tower during the run; Carl nodded with me, because he hadn't seen it either. Well Dan looked at me like I was nuts and said "It was kinda hard to miss - we practically ran right past it!" To my blank look he says "Uh, it was to your left around kilometer 30?" Yeah, oops, missed that one! I guess in the latter stages of the race I was too focused on getting to the next kilometer mark to pay attention to what was beyond the street I was on.

Now what I did notice was all the people cheering us on, the bands who came out to entertain us, and also the other people running with me. First the spectators: our race bibs had our first names on them, so throughout the race I had people cheering me by name - that was great! I'll never forget the first person who cheered for me - a little girl about 10 years old who yelled "Allez, Jennifer!", pronouncing my name with the cutest French accent...totally made me smile! There were easily tens of thousands of people out there, and it was everybody; little kids holding signs to encourage their mom or dad, elderly residents of the city, families of the runners, tourists taking a break from sightseeing, and firefighters from at least a half-dozen different fire houses. Oh, and for you single ladies out there - the Parisian firemen do NOT disappoint! :-)

Now for the entertainment - we heard a pretty good variety of music, including steel drums, disco and a mini-orchestra, but the one thing that really sticks in my mind is the thought that every brass band in Paris must have been out there! Some were better than others - I remember thinking that the small band of horns playing around kilometer 38 sounded about like I felt at the time - but the fact that they all came out there to entertain and motivate us was awesome.

Last up, the other runners. Although I ran the race pretty much alone and only briefly conversed with a few people, because of the sheer number of people participating I was still surrounded by fellow runners the entire time. As a result I saw and heard a few things that were memorable in one way or another. One was a young woman towards the end of the race who ran past me, repeating out loud to herself over and over, "There IS no wall, there IS no wall". I imagine you've probably heard of the infamous "wall", but in case you haven't, it's basically the point at which the body runs out of its stores of glycogen ("instant energy") and has to begin burning its own stores of fat in order to continue. The fat stores don't provide energy as well as glycogen does, so when that switch happens it can produce a pretty severe fatigue - "the wall". As for me, I kinda bumped my head into the wall a bit, but fortunately I didn't hit it too severely!

The second "fellow runner" story is a little gross, but too funny to not share with you. Somewhere around kilometer 30 I came up behind a guy I hadn't seen yet in the race, with long, graying hair down to about his shoulders. I was directly behind him when all of a sudden I started hearing noises. At first I didn't pay much attention, but it continued, and after a few more seconds I was pretty sure the guy was farting! I looked around at the people to my left and right to see if they'd noticed, but if they had their expressions didn't give it away. Well as if I needed further confirmation, I then started to SMELL it! Meanwhile he's STILL letting 'em rip - it was unbelievable!! Needless to say I was pretty grossed out and managed to find the energy for a little burst of speed that got me past the guy...and thankfully I didn't see or smell him again!

Okay so there you have it, an extremely long post of Paris and marathon stories. Hopefully I haven't bored you, but I really wanted to get some of these memories written down before I forgot them! Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Pictures:
#1 - Catherine, Dan, Carl and I under the Arc de Triomphe just before the start of the race.
#2 - The Eiffel Tower at night, viewed from the top of the Arc de Triomphe - it's lit up like you see here for the first fifteen minutes of every hour, and it's beautiful!
#3 - Unusual but pretty view, looking up at the Eiffel Tower
#4 - The south side of the Notre Dame cathedral - the circular stained glass window is absolutely stunning from the inside!
#5 - Napoleon's casket - now I fully understand where the term "Napoleon complex" came from!

The Results

Okay this is going to be short because we're both exhausted and want to squeeze in a nap before our celebratory dinner this evening, but I promised I would let you know how we did. Well, WE DID IT!!! We both finished successfully, and while we're a little worse for the wear and hobbling around like we're 90 years old, we're okay.

We're still waiting for the official chip timer results, but based on the time we kept on our watches, I finished in just over 4:35, and Carl in 4:39. I am ecstatic because I was aiming for under 5:00, and the pie-in-the-sky goal was 4:30, so I almost made it! Carl is a little disappointed with his time, but he had a really painful problem in the arch of one of his feet that came up around kilometer 28 (the marathon is 42.2 km), so by the time he neared the end of the race the pain was just too much and he had to slow down. Still, sheer determination helped him finish despite the constant pain, so without a doubt we are both happy with the results - especially considering that neither of us had ever done something like this before!

I'll post more once we get some rest, and hopefully we'll get some good photos from the race photographer that I can share with you as well. Till then, nighty night! :-)

The Final Countdown

Wasn't that an 80's hair band song??? Well it's also the thought on our minds at the moment, as we sit in our apartment here in Paris (we rented a small studio apt. rather than stay in a hotel so we could make our own breakfast and have a little more privacy).

The start of the race is just under twelve hours away, and to say that we're nervous would be a bit of an understatement! We just got back from the Marathon Expo where we checked in, picked up all our stuff and had a pasta dinner. While eating our pasta we were watching a video of last year's race, and I think that's when it truly sank in for me - I am actually going to attempt to complete a MARATHON! Will I be able to finish? I think my body would have to completely give out in order for me to give up and not finish after all this training, but everyone has a point where they just can't continue, and I just hope I don't reach mine!

No matter how exhausted I am tomorrow, I promise to update this blog by 4 PM Paris time (that's GMT +1) to let you all know that we finished (we will!), and what our times were. It will probably be a short post, but I'll be sure to log in and at least tell you that much! Keep your fingers crossed and think happy thoughts for us! :-)

Atomium pictures

I've been a bit slow in getting these added, but here are some pictures from Saturday, when Chuck, Sue, Carl and I went to the Atomium. I mentioned it in a previous post about things to do in Brussels, but basically it's a HUGE model of an Iron crystal that was built for the 1958 Expo, or World's Fair. It's magnified 165 billion times, and it really is big. The neat part about it is that the whole thing is accessible inside (though at €9 the admission isn't cheap), and it has some nice views of the northern part of the city. The "tunnels" that go between the large circular areas leave you feeling a bit "off balance" because you're moving at an angle, but that kind of adds to its futuristic feel. If the Atomium were to be built today it might not be considered spectacular, but in 1958 this must have been an incredible sight; even the elevator was the fastest in Europe at the time it was built!

Anyway, it's another item we can check off our list of things to see, and we can now tell our visitors about it and let them decide for themselves whether they want to go in, or just admire from the outside! Thanks Chuck & Sue, for helping us add to our tour guide qualifications!

More snow

I mentioned in the last post that I took a picture from our back window after last night's snow. Well here it is!!

Dinant, Namur and Let It Snow!!!

Yesterday was a holiday here in Belgium (Easter Monday), so Carl had the day off from work. Chuck and Sue are in Wallonia right now, so we decided to take a train south to Namur, where the four of us met up and together went to Dinant for the day.

Dinant is a small town in the southern Ardennes region of Belgium. It's in a beautiful setting, nestled between the Meuse River and the surrounding cliffs and hills - this is the hilly part of Belgium! At the top of one of the cliffs is the Citadel, a large fortress originally built in the 11th century that overlooks the town. We climbed the 408 steps to the top (there's also a cable car, but we decided we could use the exercise), where there are incredible views of the valley and guided tours of the Citadel grounds. It was a really interesting place, and has been the setting for some pretty brutal battles stretching all the way from the 1400's up to World War I.

After the tour and a "beer break" in the Citadel's café, we took the cable car back down the cliffside, where we went to one of the brasseries in town for a late lunch. The food was GREAT, one of the better meals we've had in Belgium in fact. While we were eating it also started to snow, and it has been snowing off and on from then until now, in Dinant, Namur and Brussels! In fact, it's snowing even as I write this! Last night we got about 1 1/2 inches (close to 4 cm) after we got home, and it was one of those really pretty snows that coats everything. I took a picture of the view out our back window this morning - so pretty! This is the first (and probably will be the only) time we've had accumulating snow this winter, so even though I'm ready for Spring, I'm glad we got one good snow before the warmer weather arrives.

Anyway, after lunch we returned to Namur and walked around a bit, and of course took one more beer break. With all these beer breaks you might think that we were getting a bit saucy, but we were definitely pacing ourselves and savoring the excellent beer! In each region of Belgium there are distinctive beers that are often available only locally, and since all four of us are amateur beer connoisseurs, we really enjoyed sampling the local offerings and sharing them amongst ourselves.

After our final beer break we walked back to the train station - in heavy snow of course! - and took the train back to Brussels and home. Chuck and Sue have one more day in Wallonia, but tomorrow they'll be here in Brussels until they fly home Sunday morning. I think they're having a really good time despite the weather, and we hope it will continue here in Brussels!

Pictures:
#1: The town center from across the river, with the Tower of Notre Dame (the big church) and the Citadel in the background)
#2: No, Carl and Sue aren't performing an acrobatic feat here - this is one of the bunkers in the Citadel that was bombed during World War I, and as a result was shifted a good 23-30° off center. It's a very odd feeling to stand in there, throws off your balance entirely!
#3 and #4: Views from the Citadel, overlooking the town and Meuse River
#5: Chuck, Carl and I playing in the snow in Namur!