Brugge, Belgium

We had heard that Brugge was a pretty little town, just 5 hours away so we decided to check it out for Easter weekend.  We just stayed one night, but managed to do everything we hoped, except get to the WWI or WWII areas.  But, with the kids along, we decided it was more appropriate to take them to the beach.  All in all, it was a good weekend, but I wish I'd seen this sign in a shop window a few hours sooner:

  Sometime while we we wandering and shopping I got pickpocketed. I didn't have my "travel purse" because I had the dog bag. My wallet wasn't as deep in as it should have been because I was trying to hide a gift I bought Aidan way down low.  I was probably preoccupied with the dog, kids, and map and therefore an easy target for someone to reach in and feel around for a wallet.  Possibly, it was a team where one person stopped to pet the dog and distract me while the other reached in. The bummer is that I normally only travel with a change purse of basics, but this time I had my whole wallet with zoo passes, gift cards, and drivers licenses as well as a bit of cash and credit and debit cards! Thank God I didn't have passports in there! We have one credit card that only Jason carries so we aren't completely SOL. It's been fun contacting banking institutions in 3 countries though!   I'll be spending Tuesday at the bank ordering new cards, at the police station filing a report, and waiting at the German equivalent of the DMV.  The worst part is that the kids and I are going to visit friends in Vienna on Wednesday, and I'll have to go with out any plastic.  Luckily, Jason's ATM card still works so I can take cash!

No one was hurt and I didn't even realize it happened until sometime later, so that's something to be thankful for.  And the weather and atmosphere in Brugge was so beautiful it helped numb the pain.  It's just Murphy's Law-in Spain, Italy or France, I'd expect to be surrounded by pickpockets so I carry a tiny travel safe purse.  In Belguim,where we'll just be one night, I don't bother to downsize my bag thinking it's a safe little country.  Oh well.  Lesson learned.

Since Jason still had funds we went on sightseeing.  Here is the Belfort or bell tower in the middle of town.  We were going to climb it but the line was really long so we opted for the outside view only.

We did a boat canal ride which was a relaxing and fun way to see the city.

And since Belgium is famous for it's beer varieties, we had to stop at the Wall of Beer!

This was the time I realized my wallet was gone so we decided to head back to Markt Square for dinner.  Here are all the kids waiting while we decided on where to eat

Besides beer, Belguim is known for their steamed mussels fresh from the sea and fries.  Here's Jason's typical Belgium meal.

The next morning we wandered a bit more and made a photo stop along a canal.

Then of course had Belgian waffles for breakfast in front of the Burg!

The waffles were REALLY yummy!!

After checking all the boxes (chocolate, beer, fries, waffles, and mussels) we decided to say good-bye to Brugge and my wallet.  We headed to the beach at Oostende since the weather was nearly 80 degrees and sunny.  The beach was gorgeous and huge!  It was crowded but not jammed.  The kids had fun in the water and on the sand and Cinnamon is proving herself to be a good swimmer!

Chilling in the North Sea

A few notes about our pup.  She rocks!  So far, this dog is awesome.  She rode in the car wonderfully.  A friend of mine gave me a dog bag to carry her in, like a little suitcase with airholes.  She stayed in it without any fuss the whole car ride!  We stopped every few hours to walk her and feed her, but other than that she behaved better than the kids on the ride!  She's not yet housebroken completely, so this was a true test for her.  Then in town, she walked nicely on the leash until she got tired.  Then she was content to ride in my tote bag and sleep, like this!

At restaurants, she laid under the table with her bone or food and water and didn't bother anyone.  In fact, we almost forgot she was with us. 

The big test was in the hotel.  I had booked the Crowne Plaza before getting the dog and too late I saw it was one of the few no-pets-allowed hotels in Europe.  I was stressing about the pup whining at night, but she was great!  She slept better than Lainey, in fact :).  She stayed on the floor between our beds and just had one in the middle of the night pee-pee on the tile bathroom floor which was easy enough to clean up.  I would dare say she is poop housebroken now as she waited all night and until nearly 9 am before we could take her outside to do that business.  Not bad for a 9 week old!

At the beach, she proved again to be a super dog.  We let her off the leash and she stayed right by us.  She liked running on the beach and splashing in the water and rolling in the sand.  She came when called and was overall just really good and fun to have around.

I think she's found her place in our house and is truly one of the family now!



A Boy and His Dog

Leaving Maddy behind when we moved to CH was really hard on all of us, but especially on Aidan.  He was old enough to understand missing her and remember her clearly.  Each time we visited her when we were back in MI, he would cry and get upset all over again.  We told him when we moved back to the US we could get another dog, and he longed for the day we could move back. 

Then we moved to Germany instead.  Here, we have a house with a garden.  He started asking about a dog here.  We hemmed, we hawed, and then we figured it was a good time for a new family member.  In January, I started  looking for potential pooches.  Not an easy  job in a foreign country where I'm conducting interviews over the phone in Deutsch!  After a while, I sensed Aidan's interest in a dog waning.  I began to wonder if I thought he wanted a dog more than he really did.

I know see it was just his way of protecting himself if we didn't find one.  He is over  the moon in love with our Cinnamon!

He is the one who came up with her name, in fact.  He is proving to be such a responsible boy with her.  He works on training her, takes her out to potty, doesn't mind cleaning up accidents, has learned how to discipline and reward her.  It is so heart-warming to see what a great kid we've raised!  He is so empathetic, too.  The first time we put her in her crate, she whined -a lot.  Aidan started crying too, because he felt so bad for her!  Now he understands it's for her own good to be crate trained and he likes to be the one to take her out when it is morning or we return home.

Even though puppyhood is a lot like having a newborn, I think the kids will get a lot out of having a dog.  Aidan  especially, considering his age.  He is just the right age to learn to take care of something or someone other than himself.  He's learning to be responsible, to think of others, and to do important work.  And, in return he gets the love of an unbelievably cute and cuddly puppy. 

I do think every boy needs a dog at some point in his life.

Introducing Cinnamon!

The empty hole in our hearts left by Maddy's passing, I hope is beginning to fill!  Please meet the newest little Barnett: Cinnamon!

Finally, she has a name!

After looking around for 4 months, visiting shelters, seeing a few puppies from private owners, calling breeders, getting one sold out from under me, and other assorted issues with buying a dog in a foreign country, this week we found our new best friend.  She came to us by way of some online searching and a small leap of faith.  We bought her without seeing her mother, and trusting the seller's information because we were afraid to lose another one by waiting too long.  She looked healthy and was sure playful and good with kids and adults.  She came when the previous owner called and didn't run away from anyone.  As Jason put it, it was a bit of a gamble, but we'd take her to the vet right away and have her checked out.  Luckily, she is fit as a fiddle!  She is now the proud owner of a few more vaccinations, a microchip, and an EU Passport. 

She is really a good puppy so far.  She's just 8 weeks old, but has a pretty good idea of where to go potty.  We've only had a few minor accidents in 3 days.  She loves to play with toys and has gotten the hang of fetch and dropping.  She stays really close when walking, and walks well without a leash. She LOVES to cuddle and is napping on my lap as I type right now.  Needless to say the kids love her, and I have to warn Lainey to be gentle with her. 

 On Thursday, Lainey stayed home sick with a cold.  She and Cinnamon had some good bonding time over Cinderella and Barbie movies.

I've been crate training her, and she's doing pretty well.  The first 2 nights she slept through with no problem, last night she was a bit whiny in her crate.  I take her with me in the car and she LOVES the car (unlike poor Maddy).  She sits on the seat next to me and falls asleep or chews her bone.  If I have to leave her I bring the crate, but being Europe, I can bring her inside more places, which is kind of fun!

Napping in her crate.  We got a cool portable one that folds, kind of like a Pack and Play!

After a trip to the vet today, Cinnamon, Lainey, Aidan, and I met Jason in Wiesbaden for dinner.  Sleepy puppy just slept through the whole meal! 

Venice, better the second time around

We went to Venice on the same trip we last went to Croatia, about 2 years ago.  I was not impressed with Venice that time.  It was over-touristy, hotter than hades, and just plain crowded with people and cheap souvenirs.

This time it was totally different.  Yes, the tacky souvenir stands were still there, but there were a million less people.  The weather was perfect, warm and sunny but not blazing hot.  We arrived at Venice's port just before sunrise and had to be out of our cabin by 7:30, which is the only reason I was up at 6:30 to take these pictures of the Grand Canal and St. Mark's Square at sunrise.

These pics alone are enough to make me appreciate the beauty of this city!

After disembarking, waiting an hour for the shuttle bus to Piazalle Roma, then storing our luggage for the day, we hopped on a vaporetto boat and cruised the Grand Canal with no plan.  Since we'd been here before, we didn't feel the need to see everything again.  Instead we just had drinks along the canal, wandered all the alleys, and rode the boats.

Jason drinking a "Spritz", a very Venetian wine-cooler like drink.  I thought it tasted like Boone's Farm!

Super yummy strawberries from the market near Rialto Bridge

St. Mark's Square

Aidan taking our pic in St. Mark's Square

Overlooking the gondolas.  We decided not to shell out the money for that experience again.

One thing we didn't do last time was go to Lido, the newer beachy part of Venice.  It was a great day for a boat ride, so we took the 20 minute ride there.  Self portraits are always fun!

While on Lido, we rented this bike for an hour and toured the beaches and town.  Not much happening at this time of year and the public beach is a bit dated, but the kids loved the ride and putting their toes in the warm sand.

After Lido, we took the boat back to the main part of Venice and had just enough time for a quick bite before we had to pick up our luggage and catch the bus to the airport.

Arrivederci, Venezia!  You're not so bad after all ;)

Dubrovnik!!

Let me just begin by saying that Croatia is a hidden gem.  It is basically unknown as a vacation destination, I think, by Americans, but people, get to know this country!  It is BEAUTIFUL!  We spent time in the northern part (Split) 2 summers ago and fell in love.  Well, Dubrovnik is even more spectacular than Split, so what is stronger than love?  I don't know, but that's how we feel about Croatia!

Aidan's holding the map of the town, with the city wall in the background

Dubrovnik's Old Town, is all walled in, but you can walk on the walls, which we did later in the day. Here we are walking on the Stradun, main street of Old Town.  The streets are made from some kind of smooth stone, and it is SO clean, you can practically eat off it. There are all sorts of alley ways and little streets branching off invitingly for you to explore and just get lost.

At the end of Stradun, is the the Bell Tower and Orlando's Column where most of the "action" took place back in the day.  You can see this Bell Tower from everywhere when you are on the wall as it's the tallest thing in town.

Dubrovnik is cut into the side of a mountain at the Adriatic Sea's edge.  The water is just a cliff's drop away outside of the city wall.  Here we are at the old port.  There is quite the mix of sailboats, fishing boats, and yachts at dock here.

We wanted to find a restaurant/bar known to locals as "the hole in the wall" which Chris and Missy had told us about.  Unfortunately, being that it isn't peak season it's not open yet.  Not that there is really anything to open, as it's just a flat piece of cliff jutting out over the sea with holes in the ground for umbrellas!  We wandered the cliffs for a bit and enjoyed the view, and were actually happy the restaurant wasn't open, as we'd have most likely never left!

Entering the hole in the wall

We spent an hour or so on the city wall.  I think we took 50 or more pics up here, as the views just kept getting better!  It was so cool to see the Old Town from above and kind of understand the damage the war in 1991 did.  All the bright orange tiles are those replaced after the war, the darker brownish ones are originals.  Plus, you just can't beat the views of the sea and islands off the coast.

My attempt at an artistic shot

Looking down on Stradun

Of all the ports we visited on this trip, Dubrovnik is one we all want to return to and spend a lot of time at.  Aidan loved the Old Town, although he can't put into words why.  We bought a lovely painting of the plaza in front of the bell tower.  We'd love to someday sail around the islands too, as that is one of the major tôurist itineraries.  And, the best thing about Croatia, is that since it is Eastern Europe, prices are still pretty low here!

Next Stop: The Ancient Olympics!

Welcome to the Peloponnese islands, home of Olympia, Kalamata, and Sparta! 

We were only able to visit one of the three, so we went to see where the ancient Olympics were held for nearly 1000 years.  Here is what is left of the Olympic grounds, fields, stadium, and other buildings.

This used to be the gymnasium.  We learned tht "gymna" in Greek means "naked", and the athletes worked out here naked, hence the name "gymnasium"!

The highlight of the visit was the Olympic track field.  We all had fun racing each other on it.

This tunnel was the entrance to the stadium, much like today's stadiums are built.

We also saw where the Olympic flame was kept burning.  During ancient times, the fire was never allowed to go out.  Priestesses, who were the only women allowed at the Olympic site, kept watch over it for hundreds of years.  Nowadays, the fire is relit at the beginning of each Olympics and the torch is lit here and carried to wherever in the world the Olympics are held today.

The fire pit isn't much to see unless you read the plaque to see what it is!

After visiting the site, we did some shopping in town.  Jason and Lainey ate lots of kalamata olives and we did our Spartan duty by buying a big bronze Spartan helmet.  We almost didn't get it on the plane as security really questioned it, but luckily we passed.