11 Feb-- After learning that our friend Christi was in early labor, we loaded up the car and headed out for Landstuhl GE to be there for the big event!  While we didn't get there in time to meet him on arrival, we were very pleased to make the acquaintance of Joseph Timothy--healthy and sleeping soundly.  Baby Cho (Lexie's name for him) is certainly a cute little man!!

Early Jan--A week in Bavaria!!  We were ready to go...ski pants, gloves, hats, and everything...except snow.  Yes, it was an unseasonably warm January in Bavaria, so when we made our way there, the mountain scenery was beautiful, but it was green.  While Johnna spent her days at a course at the NATO School, the boys, Lexie, and Clay investigated Oberammergau (the local town) and the surrounding area.  We had the pleasure of staying in a nice little vacation house--rather than hotels, usually if you travel with family you can rent a little apartment for almost the same cost.  Ours was very nice...

During the evenings, we explored the town and ate new and exciting kinds of foods.  Our first evening there, Crockett tried Currywurst and Frites (a kind of hotdog like sausage with mild curry sauce and french fries) while Clay and Asa had pork schnitzel (a lightly breaded thinned  cutlet) and spaetzel (somewhere between pasta and potato in taste) with cheese.  On another night, we decided to try the Tex Mex restaurant...while the margaritas were pretty authentic (bottles of Cuervo behind the bar), the fajitas were a little different than what we used ot find at our favorite place in Helotes TX...we called it fajita stew...

Since there was no chance of skiiing, we took advantage of the local waterpark.  There were water slides, an in-pool fountain connected to another pool that went rhrough the wall to the outside!  There was a wading pool and little slide for Lexie and a jacuzzi for the grown-ups...what a great time!!

Mid-way through the week, we had the opportunity to take advantage of a trip offered to Neuschwanstein Castle...this is one of the castles commissioned by Kng Ludwig, although he died mysteriously before it was finished.  The boys abnd Johnna rode a horse drawn carriage up the switch-back road to the castle, while Clay carried Lexie in a back-pack and hiked up.  While he was exhausted at the top, we found the trip was well worth it!!  Although there are only 20 or so rooms completed, they are beautiful and opulent...filled with motifs of swans (his favorite) with tapestries and lots of gilding.  The throne room contained a giant chandelier and an incredible mosaic floor.  All in all, it is no wonder that after visiting this place Walt Disney modelled Cinderella's castle on it--it really does look like the profile we're used to as the iconic Disney symbol!

On the way to castle, we also stopped at Bayern Chapel...a peaceful little shed-sized chapel built in the 1800s by a Munich socialite who promised that if God spared one of her injured friends from paralysis, she would change her socialte ways and use her wealth to build a church.  He recovered, she built this small chapel and then later the town also built a much larger church just up the hill.  The church was still decorated for Christmas and was lovely (if very cold).  Only Johnna, Asa, and Lexie visited the church...

Clay, Lexie , and the boys also visited Garmisch GE.  There is a US Army installation there, so they took the opportunity to get gas and but some milk.  Clay also looked around a little at some of the older buildings since this is where his Dad spent some of his time while in the Army.

1 Jan 07 -- It was a big day all around!!  It actually started late on the 31st of December...watching the preliminary New Year's Eve shows (we were WAY too early for Dick Clark) and sitting down as a family to watch a movie...the boys were determined to stay up until midnight, but no one made it.  We woke them at 5 til so we could all have a toast (sparkling cider all around)...well, lets just say that Crockett had no desire to stir, even for juice at midnight.  Asa was only coaxed off the couch by the oohs and aaahs Clay and I provided while watching the fireworks that peppered the sky over the chateau in the distance...then we played Auld Lang Syne (Billy Joel version from the Millenium Concert version), and went to bed.

On New Year's Day morning, we got up early and had a quick breakfast and then gathered our stuff for our big adventure...

A train trip to a new city and an Ice Sculpture Festival!

For the boys, the chance to actually stand on a platform and get ready to ride a train was a great way to start the trip...we waiting excitedly on the platform trying to decide if we should run at teh piller just outside the door to see if it was like Platform 9 3/4 from the Harry Potter books...we decided it was probably a bad idea.




After a little delay because Mom and Dad couldn't read the train schedules and transfers fast enough, we finally arrived in Brugges. It was nearly lunchtime and a very nice day, so we decided to walk into town for lunch (about a mile or so maybe).  What we didn't count on was that Brugges was still recovering from New Year's Eve, so many of the restaurants and cafes were closed or cleaning up.  The places that were open were full...it looks like we never finished this update...so we'll post a few pictures from the Ice Festival on the front page this time.

28 Oct 06--  Today, Clay and Johnna had the rare chance to take an entire day for just the two of them and decided to take advantage of a pre-arranged tour to Paris.  The bus left SHAPE around 7am and after a stop midway for a croissant and hot chocolate, the group arrived in downtown Paris.

Because the theme of the trip was "Haunted Paris" the guides had armed us with descriptions of "haunted" places and a map of the city.  Because we were free to do whatever we wanted as long as we met the bus back on time that evening, we took the suggestions into consideration then sort of built the day as we went.

Our first adventure was riding the Paris metro out to Pere Lachaise cemetery. 

Although there are a number of photos below, the one you see first is the grave of Jim Morrison of The Doors.  Clay listened to the The Doors a lot in his teen and early adult years, so for him it was a little trip back in time to stand for a few minutes at Morrison's grave.  There were a number of people there along with us.  Some older than us, some much younger.  Many standing in silence, hugging the ones they had come with, many with tears in their eyes.  It was a silent communal vigil for the talent and energy that was extinguished way too soon.

This is a beautiful cemetery full of awe inspiring grave art.  The graves are packed very close together and it almost seems a little morbid at times.  however, the leaves were changing colors, the weather was perfect, and there was a calm and reverence there that made it a wonderful place.  This cemetery, as many in Europe, practice family burial.  In essence a grave site, crypt, or mausoleum does not enshrine one person, but an entire family.  This not only saves space, but keeps entire families together.  Additionally, many of the graves have small chapels erected over them--really they are about the size of a phone booth and only have enough room for one small chair and maybe a narrow altar for flowers or candles.  Nonetheless, the entire place was wonderful.  We spent almost 3 hours there (much longer than we had planned).

   

  

A man's arm and a woman's arm
reaching out to hold on to each
other beyond the grave...
Not sure if its beautiful or spooky...

After deciding it was time to go, we headed back to the Metro and moved towards the Paris Sewers (its Haunted Paris, remember?).  This sewer system spans the entire subterranean area of Paris and actually mimics many of the streets.  There are even street signs at the major interscetion of the sewers to tell you where you are in reference to the streets above.  Unfortunately, when we arrived at the entrance, the line was probably 200 people long, so we decided to eat some lunch instead.  Although there was a McDonalds immeidately across the street from us, we thought it would be very sad to go to Paris and have lunch at McDonald's, so we decided to explore.  We walked a few blocks, turned down a side street and found an ecclectic market street.  There was a fishmonger, butcher, vegetable stand, frommagier (cheese maker), coffee shoppes, and various cafes and restaurants. 

We walked back and forth, not be able to decide where we wanted to go.  Eventually we settled on a cafe on the larger street.  Clay had a small steak and I had a boeuf burger (sort of like a hanmburger but more coarsely ground, with no bun, and with a fried egg on top...I let Clay have the egg).  Add in some very good frites and glasses of wine and it was a nice meal.  Add to that the fact there was rugby on the television inside at the bar and we were pretty happy.  After the meal, we confirmed the sewers were a no-go and decided to have some gelatto from a little Italian dessert stand in the market ally.  Yum.

From there we jumped back on the Metro, connected to a local train, and found ourselves on Ile de la Cite (the small island in the middle of the River Seine).  This small island is the home of Notre Dame.  Not only was Notra Dame very crowded, but there were huge lights on stands in preparation for a televised gregorian chanting concert later in the evening.  But there was a smell of incense and candle wax in the air, beutiful art on the walls and ceilings, and the unbelievable feeling of being able to walk over put out your hand and know you are touching stones set in place over 800 years earlier.

After we walked thorugh the catherdral itself, we came back outside to find a ceremony of some type in progress.  At first we thought it was a funeral, because it looked very much like a New Orleans style funeral with men dressed up and carrying a playform on their shoulders, rhythmically swaying back and forth with each step while a brass ensemble played accompanying music.  However, we determined that the celebrants were either Spanish or Hispanic and that it was more likely a remembrance ceremony instead of a funeral.

Once we watched the group process to the cathdral doors, we walked to the edge of the square, Clay called his Mom, then we decided to head for the Eiffel Tower.

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15 Sep--  This evening, we attended our very first SHAPE social activity.  Brigadier Simon Porter, British Army and my Division Chief, hosted a garden party at his home.  We realized we we're in Kansas anymore when we read the invitation and saw that the attire was listed as "lounge suit".  Not being up to date on British social attire, we had to ask what that really meant.  For ladies, its pretty simply (fon once)--a nice pantsuit, skirt set, or dress...basically church clothes.  For gentlemen, "lounge suit" means a dark colored jacket and pants (preferably a suit) with a tie, but no vest.  Well, we managed to dress appropriately, Clay dropped the kids off at a sitter and met Johnna at the event (Johnna came straight from work with some co-workers).

    The weather was pleasant and the open back garden behind the Brigadier's home was lovely.  We were greeted by the Brigadier's wife, offered champagne or wine by the wait staff, and had the opportunity to mingle with people from other sections as well as meet family members.  All the while a lovely four-piece ensemble played serenely off to the side.  The wait staff circulated with hors d'oeuvres and additional beverages.  It was truly a delightful evening.

    Best of all, just as the gathering was coming to a close, we noticed that the string quartet had stopped playing.  When we looked up to find out why, we noticed that the entire group was moving towards us and clearing out the large opening in the garden.  In a moment or two, a British military band marched in in full regalia.  After several pieces, the band then started into a series of patriotic pieces ending with "Rule Britania" and finally "God Save the Queen."  Clay and I realized at that point that we probably needed to remind the boys that we live in an international environment now, so if they hear that tune, they should see who is playing it before launching into "My country 'tis of Thee..."

Once the garden party concluded, we decided to go have a late dinner with our new friends Jeff and Jane. 

Since they are also new to the area, we did not really know of a good place to go so we decided just to stop at a place that looked good and see what we found...well, what we found was a place that looked like a nice little quiet restaurant.  There was an open fire for cooking your own meat from the buffet (recommended to be cooked on kebabs) as well as pastas, salads, and vegetables and breads.  Once we sat down with our initial serving from the buffet, the wait staff brought this very bizzarre toxic green colored drink that was probably alcoholic, but was so sweet I couldn't say for sure.  Well, we skewered our meat, cooked it on the grill, and were having a lice evening taking our time, when all f the sudden the lights went out, a disco ball turned on, and a DJ's voice came through a speaker immediately behind us.  Apparently the nice retaurant turned into a dance club at 10pm...and apparently the nice groups of people we saw having dinner were not just a few groups of ladies having a nice social dinner...one group was a birthday party and the other was a bridal shower (yes, the sense of foreboding you are having is justified...keep reading).

After a weird mix of French, Belgian, Dutch, English, and American dance music had been playing for a while (some of which has accompanying choreography that everyone there knew), we were entertained to hear a Belgian vesion of the Chicken Dance and then...no, we're not kidding...the place broke out into a dance re-mix version of Y.M.C.A.  Everyone joined in (except the confused Americans and Brits) and seemed to have a good time.  Next the DJ started a song called "You Can Leave Your Hat On..."  At this point, a young man (we never could decide if he was a friend of the bridal group or simply a performer) began dancing and stripping...once he took off his pants, we all got very worried, but it stopped there and everyone seemed to enjoy the rest of the song.  It was truly one of the most interesting, run-the-gamut-of-situation kind of evenings I think I have ever had.

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1 Sep-- Today the USNMR (US National Military Representative) hosted a picnic honoring the nations of the Parnership for Peace.  Since my office works directly on military cooperation with these nations, we were all invited.  We picked the boys up from school and then headed over to the picnic area.  We found a traditional American picnic spread with burgers, hot dogs, and brisket (much to Clay's pleasure)...all cooked by Belgian chefs and presented with beautiful plates of cheeses and garnish vegetables.  We ate an early dinner and had the opportunity to meet some of the families in Johnna's section.  We also found out that the son of the Lithuanian officer Johnna works with is in Asa's class!  Additionally, we met the family of the Azerbijiani officer (with very tall children!)  We also had the pleasure to meet the wife of the new British officer in Johnn's office.  They have been married less than a year and have no kids, but Clay and Jeff share a sense of humor and an interest in rugby so that's a very good thing.  The boys played in the inflatable bouncy house until they were tired out.  Although we weren't at the picnic very long, we had a great time, had some great food, and made more friends.
 
Clay, the Salters (British) and the Luskas'                          The boys' favorite--a
from Lithuania with Asa finishing his burger                             bouncy house

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18 and 21 Aug--  It took two tries, but Johnna finally got her visa from the Russian Consulate.  The upside of the situation was that it gave us an opportunity to see a little of Brussels.  We had been warned that driving in the city would be something like driving in Seoul, Korea.  However, we found that while there was a good bit of traffic, and the presence of streetcars, pedestrians, construction, and narrow roads made for a situation that ensured youhad to pay attention, there wasn't the constant fear that we remembered from our time in Seoul.  However, we did take one photo to begin to suggest the sensory overload that sometimes happens...just outside the photo, there is a signpost filled with additional information...one lane over to the left was a streetcar lane and the intersection was actually the convergence of 5 roads.  San Antonio, eat your heart out!

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17 Aug 06-- After realizing that the place on post that was supposed to provide passport photos no longer did, we learned that a local store offered the service so we went on an expedition...we left the house and headed towards the huge theater and Pizza Hut nearby.  Just down the road after passing it, we passed the Mons Expo and continued to the Grand Large (yes, that's really what its called...the Big Big).  It basically a mall...there is one large anchor store called Carrefour (sort of Target-esque) and dozens of small boutiques and shops with clothing, perfume, shoes, gifts, etc.  There is even a little carousel and train for the kids.  We got the requisite photos and then headed off to explore the Grand Large and see if we could find a suitable place to have some dinner.  There was a fabulous "food court" although not in the American sense...this was a collection of sit down restaurants all grouped together in one area.  The posted menus showed fresh fish and shrimp, grilled filet mignon, crepes, salads, and even omelettes du frommage (for those of you who have heard Clay say it, these were the first French words he learned...cheese omlette).  However, based on our timeline, Lexie's "attitudinal" tendencies of late, and our reluctance to have a big expensive meal just before going to Brussels for the day, we opted for a small, more "traditionally mall" pizza place called "Pizza Titantic"...no, not kidding.  In any case, Johnna managed to order for everyone without much crisis and soon the boys were eating their chesse pizzas, Johnna had a small helping of lasagna, and Clay had a boule du riz avec frommage et jambon (a ball of rice, cheese, and ham lightly breaded and then toasted).  While not fabulous, it wasn't bad either...Lexie, however, was...so we ate quickly and then left.

We moved on to the Austrailian ice cream shop where the boys each had a cone of mango gelatto, Clay had a cone of mocha ice cream, and Johnna and Lexie split vanilla.  If you look at the picture below and the one on the home page, you can see the remnants of the mango ice cream (with sprinkles) on Crockett's face.

 

After leaving the mall, we decided to drive by and take photos of some statues we had seen earlier.  These statues are dispersed over about 3-4 acres of ground surrounding the shopping center, Expo Center, and theater complex...we're still not sure why they are there, but they are very detailed and very interesting.

On our way back home, we decided to take the route through the center of Mons instead of the highway.  We wound our way through the central part of town and were able to drive more slowly to look at the buildings since there was much less traffic (everything shuts down at around 8 pm or so).  We eventually stopped at Place du Parc, a nice park near the local university and business district and took some pictures.  There was a beautiful memorial to WWII war-dead  that said "Les citoyens du Mons morts pour la patrie" or "The citizens of Mons who died for their fatherland (nation)".  There were statues, a lovely church, all with a centerpiece of gorgous flowers.  There was an elderly couple spending time together on a bench, a younger couple nearby, a group of young men playing basketball, and a bunch of guys playing guitar while sitting in the grass.  It was very peaceful and comfortable...even the boys commented that they thought it was a nice, quiet place.  After Lexie made a run for the young couple on a date, we decided we should give everyone a little peace and headed back to the car.  After a quick stop for gas, we headed home and put everyone in bed...

                                                     Sites driving through Mons...

On the path that leads to the church, there is a statue of Antoine Clesse...the inscription on the side of the statue's base reads

Let us be joined Flemish, Walloon..these are only of sur names, Belgian is our family name!

These words were written by Clesse and sung by WWI soldiers from all over Belgium in 1914 while sitting together in the trenches waiting for the Germans to attack.

The other side of the statue has a quote that says " A plein verre, mes bons amis, il faut chanter la bière du pays !" ...its something about singing and beer of the nation, we think.  We'll go back and investigate another time. 

Clesse also lends his name to one of the town's famous dishes "truit Antoine Clesse"...from what we can figure it is trout salted, stuffed with herbs and vegetables and cooked in beer...we haven't had it yet, but will report back once we do.

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6 Aug 06 --  Yesterday we took our first trip to Germany.  After a three-and-a-half hour trip that took us through Luxembourg as well, we arrived in Kaiserslatern, near Ramstein Air Base.  The weather was overcast and rainy, so pictures weren't successful, but a few of the highlights for the boys were the long tunnels and the giant windmills...Johnna of course was excited to pass by an IKEA only an hour and a half from home.  The trip was our first opportunity to visit a large base exchange (since the one near us is very small) and fill in some of the gaps we've found while setting up our new home.  However, the real reason for the trip was to visit our friends Tim and Christi who live there.

We ascended the mountian to their house and were amazed by the switchbacks and step drop-offs (we later learned there was a much easier way, but our GPS wanted to be adventurous I guess).  Once we arrived at the house, we stopped for a few minutes, let the kids play a while, and then headed off to Ramstein.

After a late lunch at Chili's (which took much longer than we expected because the head cook had apparently been fired on the spot just before we arrived), we headed over to the exchange and the CHAOS began.  The air conditioner was broken so the shopping was limited since the kids were a little cranky.  After picking up a few things, we headed over to Vogelweigh, an Army post near-by which is home to the furniture and electronics stores.  They were near clsoing so we looked around a little, made a note to return another day, got gas, and headed back to K-Town (Kaiserslatern).

Before leaving to head home, Tim and Christi took us to their favorite ice cream shop, just at the base of the mountain they live on (there is a trail that makes the trip much easier than it would seem from looking at it).  The boys and Clay each had a cone of ice cream, but Johnna felt a little adventurous.  She ordered "ice cream canaloni" off the menu.  There was also ice cream lasagna and ice cream spaghetti (which Tim and Christi both had).  Basically, the ice cream goes through a ricer to make it look like pasta, strawberry sause looks like tomato sause, and shaved white chocolate looks like parmesean cheese.  It was REALLY good and a wonderful way to end the day. 

Clay, Christi & Lexie in Kaiserslatern                   Outside the ice cream shop

Clay's ice cream cone was REALLY big                 Ice cream canaloni & spaghetti

       The town at the base of the mountian where Tim & Christi live

After chatting for a few minutes near a park fountain, we said our good byes and got back on the road.

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12 Jul 06--
Today was the first big adventure outside of the local area.  Clay, Asa, adn Crockett accompanied the local youth services program to Bellewaerde, an amusement park in the northern part of Belgium about one hour away.  Check out their website (in English)...

They were allowed to participate based on the youth sponsorship program that is designed to help kids adjust ot their new environment.  The group split into age appropriate groups, however Crockett was given the choice of staying with Asa and the the third graders or going with the first graders and he chose to stay with the big kids.  Asa instantly clicked with a little boy named Russell.  Except for the blond hair, Clay said they were carbon copies of each other.  The only bad news is that Russell is only here for the summer and will be returning to the States at the end of the summer.  Asa did, however, also meet a little boy named Fernando who will be going to school with him next year, but we couldn't really get any details out of Asa.  The boys rode lots of rides, and Clay found out that Asa really enjoys thrill rides (even more than Clay does).  Asa was the only one who chose to ride El Volador--a huge ride where the riders sit facing outward around a central pole...not only do they then spin around and go up into the air, but the cetral pole (topped by a Cookaburra's head) tips back and forth.  Asa thought it was the greatest!


Crockett really enjoyed El Toro, a ride sort of like the Teacups at Disney, but instead of riding in teacups, there are bulls and it goes a whole lot faster!  Crockett was very proud of the fact that he was the first one to get to the "chocolate milk cow" (all brown).  The group also saw lots of animal exhibits including Cappucin monkeys, elephants, lions, tigers, and an animal park with petting zoo.  The big hit of the afternoon was the Bengal Rapid River (Crockett's favorite)r, a ride on the water that allows riders to see some of the park, and occasionally get splashed with a little water.  Top the day off with Pirate Boat ride and some cotton candy and the day was a success!  most importantly, it allowed the boys to get out of the hotel for a while, meet some other kids, and see some new things.