Ahhh...

Greg is in Germany for a few days for work and rather than hanging around Luxembourg and wishing I could afford to shop there, I decided to take the crew to La Bresse, France. Good decision, thus far. It is beautiful. I have to admit, after; 3,300 cathedrals, 9,212 pieces of art and inhaling 800 tons of second hand smoke, I was ready to head to my comfort zone...the mountains. Ahhhh, I feel like I can breathe again. Don't get me wrong, I've loved most every minute of our adventures in all of the cities, but I'm a mountain girl and I needed a break.

Today was spent at a beautiful lake, playing cards and swimming. The kids loved the play time and I loved the fresh air and cold water.

Tonight we roamed the small town and tried to find a suitable food situation for all of us. I haven't blogged nearly enough about our food "hunts," because I'm actually quite embarrassed about it. I love my kids/husband dearly, but when it comes to finding an agreeable restaurant/cafe, we nearly come to blows. This is how our food dilemma breaks down:
1. Ben won't try anything new and is super picky.
2. Mackenzie tries some things, but doesn't like most things.
3. Sam tries and usually likes everything.
4. Greg likes and tries everything.
5. And me...I'll try to be honest here...I like to eat healthy, but will try most things. So, if you read between the lines on this...I don't like fried food and nearly everything comes with some sort of fried something or another.

I'm sooooo sick of the food.

Anyway, tonight wasn't any different. We wander out of the hotel, happy and optimistic. The first restaurant where we sit down only serves desserts and salads. So, we bail without even telling the staff. The second restaurant (I think there are only 4 in the town) serves mostly fast food. "Yep, this looks good," says Ben as he sees they serve chicken nuggets and fries. Ugghhh. I agree and we proceed with our order, in French. Well, apparently, Cordon Bleu (Nana's order) with an American accent, sounds a lot like a local beer. Our food comes and Nana gets, Diet Coke and a beer...no Cordon Bleu.

We finished the evening with a trip to the scariest and most disgusting traveling fair. I can't stand those kind of places, so our kids have never been to one even in the US. Needless to say, I think that experience may have been the highlight of their trip to Europe. I'm seriously not exaggerating. Nana treated them to a round on the bumper cars. It was a lawsuit waiting to happen. At one point, there was a car that sparked and then started smoking. I don't think the kids will ever be the same again.

So really, if I honestly look at our day...I could have:

1. Brought the kids to Lake Sammamish.
2. Bought them a couple of croissants.
3. Drove down to Puyallup.

Top of the morning to ya!!

Top of the morning to ya! As it turns out, no one in Ireland actually says this saying...so, of course, as soon as we find out the phrase is more American than Irish, we can't stop ourselves from saying it!

Our trip to Ireland was fantastic! Of course, I'm a bit biased, having a bit of Irish blood in me!

Our journey to Ireland was more of an epic traveling experience than anything else. We woke up at 3:15 am and drove two hours to Brussels. The drive would have been uneventful, except our car holds 5 people and we're currently traveling with 6. Which means, "double buckling." For those of you unfamiliar with this term (courtesy of Jacobsen family), it means you buckle two passengers into one seat belt. I drew the short straw and shared a seat with our youngest, Ben. He doesn't even remember sharing the seatbelt with me, he slept the whole time.

We did make it to the airport on time, thanks to Maggie 2 (GPS). I'm not sure we would have had such a positive result without her. About 20 minutes outside of the airport the cars/trucks came to a complete stop on the highway. After sitting on the highway for 20 minutes we started to get nervous about making the flight, so, Greg expertly put the car in reverse and drove about 200 yards backwards to the previous exit. It worked. Maggie 2 managed to help us navigate the side roads of Belgium and got us safely and on time to the airport. We were all elated and singing Greg's (and Maggie 2's) praises...but, we were quickly hit with the reality of making it to the check in on time. You see, we were flying on Ryan Air. I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with Ryan Air, but they are a low fare/no frills airline. One of their policies is to have all of the "check in" luggage checked in 45 minutes prior to boarding. We had 10 minutes to park the car, get the kids dressed and make it to the check in counter for our one piece of luggage. Panic set in...

Hail Mary full of grace, help us find a parking place... we found a great spot with some ease. Next was to get the three sleeping kids up and changed in the parking lot. Ben and Mackenzie snapped to attention and were fully aware of the time crunch. Sam, however, was not quite aware of our desperate situation and was still in the car and in his pjs when we were all off and running. After counting heads, I noticed we were short one and stayed back with Sam to help him adjust and change. He was not so happy about being rushed...needless to say, threats were made and tears were generated. Another not so high parenting moment...

As it turns out, the manic situation I had created with Sam was not necessary...the line to Dublin was long and not progressing quickly. We did eventually make it to the plane and enjoyed an uneventful and short flight to Dublin.

After unpacking and eating, we met up with some Irish friends of ours and enjoyed a great afternoon sightseeing and visiting their home in Dublin. Because we were all a bit zombie like by the afternoon, we needed to cut the visit short and head back to the hotel for some R & R.

The following day Greg played golf with some customers and the kids, Nana and I made our way to Dublin. Our only goal for the day was to make it to Dublin and visit the National Leprechaun Museum. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the museum. I was basically trying to check off the kid box at this point. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised with our experience. It was amazing! Like I've previously said, I'm a bit biased, having some Irish blood in me, but it was truly great. The museum was established to honor and pass on the Irish folklore and myths. We not only learned all about Leprechauns, but also other Irish legends. The story telling was enchanting and all of us could have sat there all day and listened to the stories. Please, please, go visit this museum when you are in Dublin...with or without kids, I think everyone would find it to be a great learning experience and a ton of fun.

Thursday was spent playing on the beach and relaxing. I think after so many packed days, we all needed one day to hang out and play in the water. When I say "we", I mean the kids...the kids played in the water. For dinner we went to, Malahide, an adorable village on the water. Ok, so I have admit, I thought it was an exceptional place because they had...Starbucks. A moment of silence, please.

Greg took Friday off from work and we all headed to Dublin for some more sight seeing. Again, I had my goals for the day and I was pretty determined to accomplish them, despite the whining from my family. I wanted to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College and the Guinness Store House. In my mind, I had let everyone get what they wanted on the previous days; golf and Leprechaun Museum, so now it was my turn. The first box to check was the Book of Kells...I managed to get everyone to Trinity College only to find a huge line. The kids did a great job waiting, only because Greg had brought his phone and they were all engrossed in some stupid game on it. After about 20 minutes of waiting we managed to make it into the library to see the Book of Kells. Within about 5 minutes, Ben grabbed my hand and announced, "You wasted your money on this." I tried so hard to ignore his complete disinterest in it and tried to read the displays with some sort of attention. However, having the boys continue to grab me and convey their utter disappointment with the display over and over again, did begin to get under my skin and I was forced to threaten, yet again.

After the Book of Kells, we were ushered into the library. I literally gasped at the sight of it. Over 200,000 of Ireland's oldest books are carefully stacked and displayed in this part of the library. While I gasped in amazement, I think my family groaned with boredom. Ok, so the morning wasn't exactly kid friendly, but I do think they managed to learn something from the experience, despite their moaning.

Our afternoon was spent touring the Guinness store house. I'll go out on a limb here and say, not exciting, but the free pint of Guinness at the end might be worth it for some folks. Because I can only drink a sip or two of Guinness, Greg enjoyed 2 free pints. So, if you ask Greg about the tour, I'm fairly certain he'll tell you it is worth the visit.

Now for my least favorite part of traveling...souvenirs. The kids had an idea of what they wanted before we even entered into a store, but it still seemed like a long, torturous process to me. Sam wanted a "good luck charm" and found just the right necklace that displayed it. Mackenzie wanted to spend her Euro on a sweatshirt and found one within her budget. And, Ben...he, as some of you know, collects snow globes and has been collecting one from every place we visit. Ben is now the proud owner of 13 snow globes (most are at home). We think he has now surpassed Mrs. Harris' collection of snow globes. I'm not sure Mrs. Harris even knows she is competing with Ben in snow globe collecting, but ever since Christmas of 2008, Ben has been talking about Mrs. Harris' collection. Game on!

We finished the day eating dinner at an Irish pub at Temple Bar. Greg really wanted to have the authentic Irish pub experience, so we all indulged him for the evening. Unfortunately, the Irish music didn't start until after 9:30 at most of the pubs and we weren't willing or able to make it past 8 o'clock. We were knackered.

Our journey home was long...really long, but we managed to make it back in one piece and marriage in tact. So, all in all, another successful adventure.

Online again!

Whew...I don't even know where to start. Where did I leave off? After Bruges we went to Amsterdam. Greg, unfortunately, had to go back to Luxembourg for work.

As soon as we arrived in Amsterdam, we dropped our bags off in our super cool house boat and headed off to Anne Frank's house. As we stood in line for the Frank house, we tried our very best to explain what we were about to see to Sam and Ben. They didn't get it at all. Sam couldn't get beyond her name..."Why does she have two first names?...Is that why she is famous?" Mackenzie has read the book several times and absorbed every minute of the experience. She left there and said, "My body isn't tired, but I feel tired." The whole experience was very emotional for her and I think she really did get it.

Our second day in Amsterdam was spent walking around the city. We visited the floating flower market and made it just in time to watch the closing of a flea market. The afternoon was spent in the main city park playing frisbee and people watching. I think the highlight of the kids' experience was our dinner at the famous Amsterdam Pancake House. The wait was well worth it. The kids had huge crepes topped with powdered sugar and syrup. Yes, this was their dinner. Nana and I split a Caprese pancake, which was arguably, the best thing I've eaten in Europe.

The next morning we headed back to Luxembourg to celebrate Mackenzie's 11th birthday and Greg's 40th. I have to admit, both days were pretty uneventful and I'm certain, quite disappointing for both them. We planned to go water skiing on Greg's birthday, but it was raining, so we spent the day wandering around Luxembourg.

Which brings us to Thursday of last week...Thursday, the kids, Nana and I drove to Langres, France where we met up with the Lewis family. The initial plan was to meet at a campground, set up camp and then find a hotel for Nana. However, Nana, didn't want to miss out on the fun and decided to brave three nights of sleeping in a tent with the Chapman family. I'm not sure who suffered more, Nana, sleeping on the ground or the rest of us, dealing with Nana's snoring! Regardless, I have to say, we were all pretty impressed with Nana's fortitude.

I've asked the kids what has been the highlight of their trip so far and they have all said, Langres, France. I'm not surprised. First of all, the campsite is no ordinary campsite. With the exception of having to sleep in a tent, it would rival most 4 star hotels. There was a pool, restaurant, store, ping pong tables, kids' club, etc. We could even get fresh bread every morning. The kids were in heaven!

Our first day was spent exploring the town of Langres, walking around a market and trying to use our limited French. We enjoyed a perfect French lunch of baguettes, cheese and fruit under a tree next to a beautiful wheat field. I couldn't believe I was sitting there with the kids in the perfectly French moment.

That evening we picked up Greg from the train station and enjoyed a BBQ and lots of great French wine.

Saturday was a day for the kids...it was spent playing at the lake. We had planned to try and go water skiing, but for 25 Euro/person for 15 minutes, we decided to rent a paddle boat instead. A much cheaper option.

Greg and Nigel were in charge of the paddle boat and picked up all five kids at the beach. The kids were having a blast jumping of the back and having diving contests until an upset Frenchman approached them in a small motor boat to tell them they were exceeding the two person limit on the boat. They were also not allowed to beach the boat. Greg and Nigel had managed to break 2 of the rules within about 5 minutes of renting the boat. Of course, the dads both decided the best way to handle the situation was to pretend they couldn't understand what the man was saying and went on with business as usual. After two hours of boating, they dropped the kids off on the beach and Karen helped Nigel paddle the boat back to the dock. As soon as they approached the dock an angry Frenchman pointed to them and said, "You two, come with me." He gave Karen and Nigel the business. Karen and Nigel handled the situation perfectly and pretended they didn't understand a thing.

Sunday afternoon we headed back to Luxembourg, but stopped by a couple French towns on the way.

Which brings me to Monday...today. Today we have done laundry and started packing for a trip to Dublin. We are leaving at 3:30 am to drive to Brussels to catch a flight to Dublin. I'm so not looking forward to the journey. I can't wait to get to Dublin, but the morning could be long. We'll be in Dublin Tuesday through Saturday. I hope to bring my computer, so I can blog from there.

Ugghh...I feel like I've left so much out. I just wanted to get the main info down, so I don't forget what we did and where we went. I can't believe how much we've seen in such a short time.

Off to Amsterdam...

We've had a great visit in Bruges and are sad to leave, but excited for the next adventure in Amsterdam. Sadly, Greg is heading back to Luxembourg for work. Nana, the kids and I will be in Amsterdam until Tuesday morning and then we'll make our way back to Luxembourg to celebrate Mackenzie's 11th birthday.

I won't have my computer in Amsterdam, as we are staying on a boat in one of the canals, so we'll be out of touch for a few days. Our plan in Amsterdam is pretty loose, the only thing I really want to do is make sure the kids see Anne Frank's house. Mackenzie has read the book a few times, so I think she will get the most out of seeing it. Although I've tried to explain Anne Frank to the boys, they still don't have a clue.

If you are ever in Bruges, we highly recommend Tine's Guesthouse: www.tinesguesthouse.com. It is perfect for a family...great price, 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms, bumper pool, common area and a super breakfast.

Burger Nazi...

Before I tell everyone about the past three days, I need to get our most recent experience documented. Most of you will find this unbelievable, but everything I'm about to write is true.

We met the Burger Nazi. Yep, we did. I think the Seinfeld producers would find enough material with our experience for an entire season of shows.

I'll back up a bit, before I tell you more about the Burger Nazi. Right now we are all in Bruges, Belgium (Friday) and I have to agree with my new crush, Rick Steves (Bob Costas and Anderson Cooper are still my favs), that Bruges is one of the 'Best of Europe.' Nana, the kids and I drove here this morning and Greg met us this evening after work. (Oh, yes, Mackenzie is now here...more on that later.)

Once we finally met up with Greg, we decided it was time for dinner. As usual, there was a lot of disagreement about what to eat. The kids wanted pizza margherita (usually a safe choice for the pickiest of eaters), but the adults wanted to explore and try something different. After about 20 minutes of reading various menus and arguing, I spotted a small corner restaurant which advertised "Hamburgers and French Fries." Score. Or, so I thought.

It didn't take the kids, but 30 seconds to choose their foods. Mackenzie and Ben were quick to choose chicken strips and then Sam, said, "Burger." This is where things went seriously sideways. Innocent enough, right? Well, apparently, the greasy, toothless cook behind the counter has a SERIOUS problem with American kids ordering burgers. As soon as Sam spoke, the cook started in..."Burger? You can get a burger anywhere. What is the point of traveling to new places if you aren't going to try our food? Burger and ketchup. Burger and ketchup. You can get that anywhere." At this point, I think, he has got to be joking. Apparently, he wasn't. He went on for about 2 minutes on this topic. "What is the point of traveling and bringing your kids for these experiences if they aren't going to try different foods?" He even said, "But...if you want to raise your kids like that...then what can I do?" After this caustic conversation, I asked Sam, "What do you want?" Sam, replied sternly, "Burger."

It was now my turn to order and I really wanted a chicken burger, but was now afraid to order it. Instead, I order some kebabs and fries. I was convinced the cook had now spit in our food and I lost my appetite, so I ate a few fries and called it good. Greg, however, had no problem taking down the deep fried kebabs and a few fries.

More tomorrow...we have another story about the most expensive bathroom use...ever....!!!

Hi everybody it is Mackenzie writing this paragraph... all of the things that my mom said are true. I was a witness. When Sam was ordering i was laughing sooooooo hard.
I think that was one of the funniest, weirdest experiences of my life. I think that I will remember this for a very long time.

Lost in translation...

Ugghhh...I just bowed out of the most intense game of Pictureka. Sam and Ben were coming to blows over the rules and who put a card down first. I couldn't handle the testosterone anymore, so I excused myself under the ruse of needing to write the blog. Greg is now patiently refereeing the game...we'll see how much longer he will last. I'm betting...2 minutes.

Our day was spent running around doing errands and getting ready for Nana and Mackenzie's arrival. I had a few goals for the day...groceries, laundry and haircuts for the boys. The first two tasks were easy enough to accomplish, but haircuts proved to be a little more interesting than I anticipated. First, I need to explain that in Luxembourg people speak one of three languages; French, German or Luxembourgish. And for those of you who think everyone speaks English in this part of the world, I'm here to tell you, they don't. In fact, most people in the day to day situations, don't speak any English. The retail clerks, cleaners, hairstylists, etc...usually live in France or Germany because the cost of living is significantly lower and thus, speak their native languages. Greg's day to day interactions in the business world are in English, mine, however, are in French, German or Luxembourgish. I understand a bit of German and can manage when I absolutely need to, however, we happen to live very close to the French border and most of the people I encounter speak...French.

I have a French/English dictionary my friend, Karen, kindly donated to me...however, I didn't bring it today. Which brings me back to the haircuts...

The boys and I were looking for a barber vs. a salon, but we could only find salons. We finally settled on a salon near the grocery store. The boys were seriously apprehensive about going in, but I assured them I wouldn't let the stylists put anything "gross" in their hair. I also had to convince them that boys DO come to places like this and it is OK. Sam and Ben's experience to date, with haircuts, is a stool on our front porch and the clippers I bought at Costco.

By the time I got the boys in the door, I was a bit frazzled and not thinking very clearly, or, maybe I wasn't hearing things clearly because the bill came to $38 Euro. Which in US dollars is $49, plus the tip put their experience at the salon well over $50.

I managed to avoid revealing the cost to Greg for about 2 hours after he got home. For a guy who will not pay more than $12 for a haircut, this news didn't go over well. Greg's response was, "Did they at least wash it??" I cannot tell a lie, "Nope. They just shaved their heads."

Napoleon complex...

I didn't have the energy to blog last night, but I'm now feeling good after my run on the trails near our apartment and am ready to write about our past 2 days.

Sunday morning (yesterday) we made our way to Belgium. Our first stop was Waterloo, the sight of Napoleon's final battle. I thought we were going to last for 1 hour...tops...but as it turns out, we stayed for over 3 hours. We watched two films on the Battle of Waterloo and then walked over 200 steps to a monument in honor of the battle. If you ever find yourself near Belgium, take the time to visit Waterloo. It was well worth the time...besides, the boys were able to get a picture holding real swords.

We spent the night in Brussels...I didn't sleep a wink, but all three boys were out all night. So during the night, while everyone was sleeping, I had time to think about our trip thus far. You see, it has been me and the boys for 3 weeks straight...24/7 (Mackenzie gets here on Wednesday!!!). I've never had this much one on one time with them. Yes, it has been trying at times and yes, it is completely exhausting trying to keep up with them, but I've had so much fun just hanging with the boys. Sam and Ben have been amazing little travelers and I feel so blessed to have had this quality time with them. While Greg is working during the week, Sam, Ben and I are on our own to travel around whichever cities we happen to be in at that time. I'm pretty sure what they will remember about traveling with Mommy vs. what I remember traveling with them will be entirely different.

The boys will likely remember:

1. Stairs vs. Elevator competitions ...race to see who reaches the top first.
2. Army crawling in the dark halls trying not to set off the sensors that turn on the lights.
3. Eating ice cream.
4. Trying to sneak into the bathrooms without paying.
5. Making their way through the London underground without any guidance from Mom.
6. All the free candy they seem to accumulate.
7. All you can eat breakfast at the various hotels...and, switching around all of the signs indicating the various foods and drinks and then running out as fast as they can.

I will remember:

1. Holding their hands for hours on end as we make our way around the different cities.
2. Sam holding my right hand and gently rubbing the inside of my arm, until it was raw, with his other hand.
3. Watching them watch 'Oliver.'
4. Listening to their funny conversations...ie.
Sam: "What would happen if I ate baking powder and drank vinegar? Would I foam at the mouth?"
Ben: "I don't know, but it would be cool. You would look like you have rabies."
5. Ben singing all of the Veggie Tales songs as we walk around London.
6. Sam giving every street performer we see some of his own money until he ran out.
7. Getting continually smoked by Ben playing Monopoly Deal.

It has been a great experience for all of us and I can't wait to get Mackenzie here and bring her into our traveling fold.

Now back to today...the boys and I spent the day, while Greg was in meetings, touring Brussels. Brussels is a great city, but I think one day of seeing the sights is definitely plenty.

You can take the boys out of North Bend, but you can't take the North Bend out of the boys...

I think this is the first Saturday we have spent in Luxembourg...of course, we didn't sit around and relax, we were on the move. We spent most of the day exploring Vianden, Luxembourg. It is a beautiful old village set at the bottom of a valley. We took a chair lift up to a castle and then made our way down winding cobble stone streets. I was in awe of the beauty and could picture the Tour de Luxembourg cyclists making their way carefully up the narrow streets. As usual, the boys, and Greg, had very little interest in listening to me and they spent most of the time looking at the flea market and watching the fish jump in the river.

Our evening was another attempt at exposing our kids to culture...a jazz festival in the old downtown of Luxembourg City. Again, I was in awe of the beauty and people, and the boys (Greg included) were more interested in eating the food and watching the fish jump in the river.

We're off to Brussels tomorrow (Sunday). Greg has business in Brussels on Monday, so the boys and I are tagging along. I think Greg's idea of having the family travel with him on business is more fun than the reality of it. He says, "I have business in Brussels on Monday." And I say, "Great, we've never been to Brussels, sounds fun." I don't recall ever getting the invite, but how can he possibly say no to us???

On the road again...

We have one more day in London and then head back to Luxembourg tonight. It is going to be a long night.

The boys and I walked a lot yesterday and enjoyed the fun people watching. We spent most of our day in Covent Garden where we were entertained by the most bold of street entertainers. The boys loved it, but I was a bit shocked by how most of the entertainers didn't mince words when asking for money after each show. They asked for a minimum donation and told the audience not to bother if it was less than a pound. At first I thought they were joking, but I'm pretty sure they were serious.

Eventually we made our way to Piccadilly Circus where I had my first conversation with the boys about cons. Ben is naturally suspicious of people, which seems to be serving him well in a big city. However, Sam, my bleeding heart, wants to help everyone and share everything he has. I finally had to put a stop to Sam's generosity when we were approached by a woman who was selling a book she apparently wrote. Sam was eager to tell the stranger all about how she could improve her sales through selling her book at stores or online. He then told her how I love to read and would probably buy a few books. Oh, Sam.

You've got to pick a pocket or two!!!

Sorry everyone for being out of touch for a while (big sorry to Mackenzie), we've been on the go...

As I sit here eating spoonful after spoonful of the delicious combo of peanut butter and Nutella, I think the best way to catch you up on our adventures is to go back to Saturday.

Saturday we woke up at the crack of dawn and drove to Brussels to catch the Eurostar to London. Apparently, Greg said the drive was 2 hours, but I swear it was only 10 minutes...I may have slept the whole way. Our trip to London was only two hours and I have to say, taking the train is a super relaxing way to travel. The boys read and played cards and I slept...again. I'm not sure what Greg did to pass the time.

The very first thing we did when we arrived in London was to make our way to King's Cross Station and visit the infamous 9 3/4 platform! I have to admit, I got a little misty eyed seeing the boys attempt to push their way through the wall to catch the Hogwarts' Express. I think that was the first time the boys really understood and believed in the magic of London.

After our photo shoot at platform 9 3/4 we boarded another train to Bath to visit our friends; Karen, Nigel, Faye and Vanessa Lewis. We had an amazing visit to their home town, Midsommers Norton. Have you ever seen the movie, 'The Holiday?' Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslett? The Lewis' home is an adorable cottage very reminiscent of the English cottage Cameron Diaz lives in during her visit to England. The garden was a kids' paradise with climbing trees and an infinite number of places to hide. Ben even claimed he thought their house was "way better" than ours.

I think the highlight of Greg's trip was Saturday evening (I stayed back to handle the boys)...I won't be able to do it justice, but I will do my best. There was an annual town festival going on that Saturday and apparently it brings out all of the local color. I can sum it by saying that Greg declared it was the "craziest pub experience I've ever had." I'm sure Greg will be able to give all of you details, but this is the info I got...Lady Gaga with a thong, punk rockers, toilet paper rolls and rough cider. Please feel free to use your imaginations on this one...

Apparently, Sunday morning came rather quickly to Greg and was a bit painful as well. I was feeling great, in fact, it was the best sleep I've had since we've been in Europe. Since I was feeling so good, I wanted to do something active and decided to hike down the side of a gorge to Cheddar (home of Cheddar cheese). During the hike, I had a chance to chat with each of the boys and explain to them we were in the very forest King Arthur and his knights rode their horses and protected the local people. At one point, we could even see the abbey King Arthur had built. Thankfully, at the bottom of the gorge was Cheddar which provided all of us with some great local food and more libations! Our hike back to the car seemed a bit longer...the kids were just fine, but I think all of the parents were dragging a touch.

We did finally make it to the car and were eager to rest our sore feet and aching backs during the relaxing ride home. As most of you know, the Chapman family has not had the best of luck with cars and we may have brought our curse with us to England. Not more than 10 minutes into our beautiful drive through the English country side did the car start to rattle something serious. Shortly after the rattle came the smell and after the smell came the...stall. Yes, the car started to break down. Ugghhh....I felt for Karen and Nigel, as I intimately know the feeling of watching the car die before your very eyes. Fortunately for us, the Chapmans, this created more opportunities for touring. We ended up visiting Wells Cathedral, which, for those of you readers, was the inspiration for 'Pillars of the Earth.' Another tear...yes, I did get a bit misty eyed at this sight. Karen, despite what she believes, is an unbelievable guide and delighted us with bits of information about the cathedral. For instance, Wells, is the smallest city in England and a bishop still lives in the bishop quarters built hundreds of years ago. There is one thing, however, that Karen did share with us that I'm not quite ready to believe...she said the swans in the moat are trained to ring a bell when they are hungry. I saw a swan, I saw a bell, but I didn't see a swan ring a bell. Karen, I know we were all a bit tired, but really...a swan ringing bells? C'mon mate!!!

We were sad to leave the Lewis clan on Monday morning, but eager to make our way to London for some more adventures.

As soon as we arrived in London, we dropped our luggage off at the hotel (Greg went to work...sorry, Greg)and made our way, via the underground, to the Tower of London. We stood in a lot of lines, but managed to see all the biggies...Crown Jewels, torture chamber, etc. I treated the boys to yet another ice cream treat after the Tower of London...I'm pretty sure they've had ice cream every day since we've landed in Europe. We sat outside the walls of the Tower of London and ate our ice cream while looking over the Thames river and watching the crowds on the London Bridge.

After a lot of walking, we made our way back to the hotel to freshen up and get ready for our big night on the town. We surprised the boys with a fun Italian dinner followed by the musical, 'Oliver.' Everyone, please remind me of this night, when I'm feeling hopeless about my boys' cultural sensitivities...I want to remember the night when they both declared their love for musicals. It was a magical night.

Which brings us to Tuesday...today. Whew...I think we walked all over London today. We started with the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Ok, for those of you have never done this, don't do it. I spent the whole time holding Sam and Ben up on a gate, so they could catch a glimpse of the guards. I think they had more fun pretending to rock climb on the gate than watching the actual procession. As for me, I didn't see squat. We then walked from Buckingham Palace to Big Ben. My big Ben was so excited to see "his clock." I'm pretty certain, my Ben is convinced he is named after the clock.

Our final tour for the day was a ride in the London Eye. If you are planning a trip here, this is well worth the wait and the money. The kids absolutely loved it. It was the first quiet and calm thing we've done since we've been here and I think we all needed it.

A day in Luxembourg...

An uneventful day by Luxembourg standards, but always a learning experience for the Chapmans!

The boys and I visited the International School of Luxembourg to watch a soccer camp and decide if it would be worth sending the kids for a week. After watching the camp for an hour, we decided it probably isn't worth the euro. The camp was just like any other camp in the US. We'll find another activity for the kids...

The interesting part of the day happened at a pool. The pool was nothing special and was actually kind of gross, but it was so hot and we were desperate for some cold water. Everything was going smoothly until Sam saw what I was anxiously trying to hide from his sight...a topless woman. Apparently, the public pools are tops optional facilities. Ugghhh...it wouldn't have been so bad if Sam knew how to whisper and not point. Unfortunately, he is lacking the social nuances of most people and was not being subtle about his new discovery. Once he got over the initial shock of seeing her, he was then legitimately concerned about her well-fare..."I hope she has sunscreen on."

Thoughts from the Autobahn...

I just spent 2 1/2 hours white knuckling the steering wheel as I drove from Heidelberg to Luxembourg, as the boys comfortably watched episode after episode of Gilligan's island (by the way, the best money I have ever spent on DVD's...thanks J's!). To ease my anxiety a bit, I started thinking about how I would like to remodel our kitchen, what I would do if I were Lindsay Lohan's parent and how incredibly efficient and well-planned the Autobahn really is. Which led me to think, would the Autobahn work in the US? My conclusion...no...and this is why - The Autobahn works so well for the Germans because it assumes the driver will obey the rules of the road. For instance, during the stretch of road where the speed limit is 130 km/h, 98% of the drivers go 130. As soon as a 60 km/h sign appears, everyone immediately slows down to 60. Given the chance, however, to go as fast as one wants, the Germans drive like bats out of hell. If everyone obeys the rules, and thus can be trusted to drive as fast as they can, in areas where appropriate, it works. I'm not so sure Americans could handle it, we're not rule followers like the Germans. I now understand why the Germans go crazy when on vacation...they need to let off a bit of steam. Being so efficient and obedient is exhausting...

Let the drinking begin...

We're back in Heidelberg and I'm fairly certain that half the population is already drunk and the other half are working on it. People are decked out in their finest football attire and preparing for the big game tonight. A German baker asked Sam this morning who he was cheering for and Sam replied without hesitation, "Spain." I didn't know if I should have taken him and run or laugh. So, we all laughed and tried to pretend the moment wasn't at all awkward.

Our day has been a bit lazy, my plans to have a romantic boat ride on the Rhine were a bust. I came all the way back to Heidelberg just to have my boat ride, but only to find out I was about one hour late...all the boats were booked. I tried to play the, "Oh, but the kids..." card, but the ticket guy wasn't biting. Instead, we spent the day walking around and enjoying the street performers. I've discovered street performers are seriously cheap entertainment for kids. Sam likes to try and get a look at how much money they are making. He isn't very subtle about peering into their boxes and swinging back to report to me the earnings. So far, Sam has concluded that puppeteers seem to make the most money, while performers who only play one instrument and by themselves are really suffering financially. Ben thinks all the performances look easy and he could make more money than all of them.

Getting a little culture...

You will not believe me when I say this, but the Chapman boys like opera. Yes, opera. We spent 3 hours today sitting in a beautiful public garden watching opera singers perform. I don't know if it was the endless supply of gummi bears and cookies that kept the boys interested, but whatever it was, my boys were mesmerized and didn't want to leave.

I'd like to tell you all of our experiences have been full of culture, but most of our European culture revolves around a fierce game of "Smart Car" and "Mini Cooper." Yes, it's a punch for every Smart Car or MC you see. And, in Germany, as you know, every other car is a Mini or Smart Car. I now have bruises all over courtesy of my loving boys.

The boys and I are off to Heidelberg again and Greg will be heading up to Hamburg. It could be another interesting (and when I say 'interesting', I mean scary) evening in Germany tomorrow as Germany plays Spain in the World Cup. I'll make sure we are safe and secure in our hotel before the game starts...I don't want the kids anywhere near the streets in the off chance Germany loses. It could get ugly.

We came, we saw, we fought, we cried, we survived...

The past 3 days have been a bit of a blur...but, after 13 years (yes, 13 years today) we have figured out that humor is the absolute best way to handle the most ridiculous and stressful situations. Of course, trying to find humor in the same situations can be a bit of a challenge.

My synopsis of the past three days is best conveyed using bullet points:

- Long walk up to castle.
- Long wait to see castle.
- Short tour of castle with a creepy guide. Ben quote: "For 18 euro we should have had a longer tour."
- Long run down from castle in pouring rain.
- Drive to Munich.
- Get lost in Munich.
- Dad and Mom exchange words about navigational skills.
- Find hotel.
- Dad not happy about hotel.
- Mom and Dad open a cheap bottle of wine.
- Mom and Dad happy again.

The boys have been great and are really rolling with everything...the food has been a bit of an issue for Ben, but we're working on it. Currently, Ben's diet consists of:
yogurt, Pringles, Nutella, french fries and ice cream. Sam, on the other hand, is loving the food: sausage, sausage and more sausage.

World Cup Chaos!!!!

Our day started off a bit stressed, as we discovered Maggie 2 doesn't cover Germany...and we were heading to Germany. I have no problem using a good old-fashioned paper map, but apparently, Greg doesn't really trust the archaic method of traveling and was a little more than stressed about the situation. I tried to assure him that we weren't traveling in the Middle East and getting lost Germany isn't really a big deal. He didn't buy it.

Our goal was to first get to Trier, Germany, the oldest town in Germany. It is right outside of Luxembourg, so it shouldn't have been a big deal to find. However, we quickly found out that not having a GPS and relying on a partial German map does make it more difficult. We did manage to make our way to Trier and enjoyed every minute we had there. We visited Porta Nigra, ancient Roman ruins and a massive cathedral, where we asked God to help us survive this trip without getting lost too many more times or risk ruining our marriage!

After our time in Trier, we hit the Autobahn and headed for Heidelberg...I drove and Greg managed the navigation. Greg was squirming in his seat every time a Porsche or Audi passed us going about 90 mph...I think he was feeling less than masculine as I was driving at a safe and comfortable speed the entire way to Heidelberg. I really don't understand what he was so worked up about:)

We did make it to Heidelberg with Greg's masculinity in tact and visited an amazing castle which was built in the 1400's. The boys loved it, but they really loved trying to catch lizards in the fountain just outside of the castle walls. We actually spent more time trying to catch lizards than we spent in the castle.

We wrapped up the day walking around Heidelberg and enjoying the festivities of the German's victory in the quarter finals. Europeans love their football!

I'm not helping with the French relations...

We spent the better part of the morning trying to find an outdoor public pool - never found one, much to the boys' dismay. In lieu of the cool water, I took the boys to the Luxembourg Cathedral. Don't laugh...they actually liked it. The bottom of the cathedral is the tomb where the royal family is put to rest. A little creepy, but super interesting. At one point Ben was banging on a sculpture because it was making a great echo sound. I finally walked over to see what he was doing and noticed it was a commissioned sculpture from the 1600's. I quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed the cute American boy using the sculpture as a percussion instrument and high tailed it out of there.

Ok, now I'll explain the title of this blog...you might not want to let the kids read it...kind of PG-13.

I was in a small parking lot trying to find a spot and the boys were reciting, "Hail Mary full of grace, help us find a parking space." After a couple of minutes circling the lot, a gentleman walked towards his car and I happened to be right there ready to take his spot. As I was waiting there with my blinker on, a car slammed into reverse and stopped right in front of me. I was sure this person wasn't going to take the spot that was rightfully mine...wrong. As soon as the spot was available, the mystery car pulled in before me. Four French business men stepped out of the car with jackets slung over their shoulders, lighting cigarettes and casually sauntered by my car, as if they had every right in the world take the spot. One of the Frenchies even had the audacity to smile and shrug his shoulders at me and thus, I felt compelled to communicate as best I could to those men. I rolled down my window, thrust my hand out and gave them the international hand sign for peace (minus a finger). I'm not proud of what I did, but it sure did feel good. I may have also insulted their World Cup team...

Day 1

Ha! Our first full day here and we have already seen some adventure...

We started our day off by driving Greg to work, which you would think wouldn't be so difficult. Wrong. I knew we were in trouble when after driving around narrow, cobblestone streets for 20 minutes Greg finally told me he didn't "exactly" know the address of his office. There was a point on our excursion where, I'm pretty certain, we were driving on a walking and biking only road. I say this because there were no cars and at one point we had to stop the car to make sure we would fit through the narrow opening. After Greg's blood pressure was up to a dangerous level, we decided it would be best to just let him out to make is own way to work. Apparently, he made it.

After letting Greg off in some alley, the boys and I were on our own to make it back home and then to a grocery store. Thank goodness for GPS! We even have the voice with an accent - we call her the Maggie 2 after our beloved Maggie (Magellan GPS) at home. The boys are convinced that the Maggie 2 is far better than the US Maggie - I think they just like her accent. We eventually did make it home and to the grocery store. After each accomplishment we were all high-fiving like we had just finished the Tour de France!

The grocery store, oh, the grocery store...now, potentially, my new favorite place in Luxembourg. I was a bit stressed when I eventually found The Cactus (store), but I was quickly distracted by the circular bar in the entrance of the store. The bar was like a God send - not only does the bar serve cheap espresso drinks, it serves wine! All day! I think I actually jumped and clapped my hands. After frantically shopping in the Cactus, I made my way to the bar and the boys ran up and down the escalator. It was a good moment.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the Casements, which are underground tunnels built in the 1700's to protect a fortress. The boys loved exploring every nook and cranny of the dungeons and tunnels. We spent a couple of hours pretending we were defending our fort. We even picked out our rooms where we would torture our enemies. Sam, of course, came up with some pretty creative ways to torture the enemy. Although they loved the casements, they couldn't get over the injustice of paying .50 Euro to use the bathrooms!

Words from Ben:

Favorite part of the day: Going to the casements. And I liked the tunnels in the casements.

Worst part of the day: Not eating enough candy.

Words from Sam:

Favorite part of the day: Going to the casements. I liked seeing the cannons.

Funniest part of day: Maggie 2 making Mommy go to a dead end.

Worst part of the day: Paying to use the bathroom.

Things I've learned flying internationally with kids...

1. I should have drugged the boys.
2. I didn't need to pack a 20 lb backpack full of books, workbooks, games, etc. The endless supply of movies and tv kept the boys plenty entertained. I think they watched 4 1/2 movies - it was a flying movie theater!

We made it! We just arrived at our apartment in Luxembourg. Right now we are concentrating on keeping the boys up for a few more hours. They didn't sleep at all on the flight and are now seriously suffering.

We're off to get some groceries and take a look around the area.

Count down has begun...

As part of the kids' summer work, we are going to be journaling and blogging our experiences in Europe. We're hoping this will be a great way for us to keep in touch with our friends and family back home. Blogging is a new thing for the Chapman household, so it could be interesting!

Bon Voyage!!!