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.
Love the blog! Are you guys going to Vienna? If so, Sam and Ben would love the Catacombs under St Stevens!
ReplyDeleteAlso, When you go to Paris, make sure you buy a 2 or 3 day musuem pass at the Louvre. It is good at ALL the museums and will save you $$$ AND lots of time avoiding lines. You can buy the pass at the season tickets at the Louvre (don't wait in line).
The pass is good at the following places that I highly recommend for the family.
1) Versialles (get their in early morning and rent bikes)
2) Arch de Triumph (do this at night...10:00 for sunset)
3) Saint Denis Cathedral (San Denis), all the Kings are buried there.
4) The Louvre, (the kids would love Napoleans Apartment and the Egyptian and Mesopatamia ruins)
5) Notre Dame, climb the stairs.
Also, many of my work colleagues went to Normandy and said it was the trip of a lifetime. A absolute must do for any American. I regret not getting there, but will make a trip back.