A Day in 4 Countries

I'm a little behind on my blog. There has been so much to do preparing for our move. Add a toddler and traveling to that and it makes it really hectic! I'm trying to enjoy my last days in Europe. I am going to miss it terribly. I love living here and I love my village. The people are so wonderful. I'm teary eyed just thinking about not seeing them again. That aside, we are having a great time with my dad and are so thankful for his presence during this time.

Last Saturday, the 25th, we were in four countries in one day. That's the great part about living where we live! We left Germany and drove through Belgium to end up at a factory store in France. The name of the factory?!?! Le Creuset!! I've wanted their enameled cast iron cookware for the longest time. A few weeks ago, Jason and I were wondering if they had a factory store in France that would be close to our house. Sure enough, it was only 3.5 hours away to Fresnoy Le Grand, home of Le Creuset since 1925.

I wasn't sure if their prices would offer a significant savings, but they did! I saved 50% off of the price of the exact cookware I could have bought at Williams Sonoma. The cookware was top quality too. It wasn't like some factory stores where they sell mostly seconds. No, these products were in boxes and ready to be sold. I was so excited! The store was jam-packed and small. There was only one person running the store and she did not speak English, but it wasn't too much of a problem.

We got there 20 minutes before the store opened. We took some pictures and kicked the ball around with Jackson. It amazes me that he can kick and dribble the ball so well. I love watching him. I cannot believe how much he's grown. It's going by so fast!

I owe a huge thank you to my hubs for encouraging me to restock my kitchen with brand new cookware. He is so supportive of my love for healthy cooking and was just as excited about the purchase as I was. (He does benefit from my efforts in the kitchen!) I decided to go with Le Creuset's original color - Flame. Since I spend a lot of time in my kitchen and absolutely love to cook and bake, I felt the cookware purchase was a very worthy investment. Thank you, Jace!

Here's a photo of me at home that night with my big purchase!

After 2.5 hours at the factory store, we headed to Verdun, France. Jason and my dad visited the Battle of Verdun Memorial while I stayed with Jackson who was napping in the car. The museum is located among the battlefields and remembers the commitment and suffering of the French, German and American soldiers who fought between 1914 and 1918.

This next photo is of the Monument of the Lion. It "marks the closest point of the German advance on Verdun, on 23 June 1916, and is built on the site of a destroyed church, the chapel of Saine-Fine." (I got that info from a tourist brochure.)

Notice the ground in the next photo. Artillery fire did that and the entire area looks like it.

More photos taken on the ground on which brave soldiers battled:

Jason and I wanted a few photos of just the two of us. My dad doesn't feel very confident with the camera, so we had a little lesson in photography...photography the Adrienne way, which isn't really sophisticated photography. Here I am trying to get him to see the focal points and how they change:

Way to go, Dad! Thanks for these photos:

After touring the battlefield, we went into Verdun to find a place to eat. It was still early and we couldn't find an open restaurant. We did find a pastry shop...I have an eye for those...and my dad bought his first French pastry - a chocolate eclair.

I opted for a pastry with mirabelle plums since we were in the Lorraine region. Lorraine is the only region with such a large number of mirabelle plum trees. They use the fruit for jams, pastries and brandy. I took a photo of Jason's pastry because I wan't familiar with the mirabelle plum until I got there. I thought you might like to see what it looks like:

After our stop at the pastry shop, we headed back to Germany. We had to pass through Luxembourg on our way home, which allowed us to be in four countries in one day. It was a great road trip and my child was an absolute angel. He continues to amaze me.

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Ryan and Meredith!

This post is a day late! I'm so sorry! Yesterday was Ryan and Meredith's 2nd wedding anniversary. I wasn't able to post anything because my dad and I were traveling all day; however, I don't want to miss the opportunity to rejoice with you all over the two amazing years of their marriage. Ryan, you could not be more perfect for Meredith nor a more welcome addition to our family. Your first two years together as husband and wife have been full of blessings and I know your third year will be blessed beyond your imagination when you hold your firstborn. I love you both so much and am dying to see you. Thanksgiving is going to be a super thankful time this year as we spend it all together. Thank you both for loving each other so much and for serving each other daily. I love your relationship and watching you guys relate to each other. It feels like you've been married forever!

Happy Birthday, Melissa!

Today is my big sissy's birthday! Yay!! She is so awesome and I hope she has a great day. Her hubbers is out of town for the day, and so she'll be home taking care of her wrecking crew of three boys. Say a prayer for her! The girl deserves a break!

Here's a photo of us at Ryan and Meredith's rehearsal dinner one month before Jackson arrived and two months before Colin arrived:

Melissa,
Happy, happy birthday big sister! I wish I was in Houston so that I could take the boys for the day and send you off for a massage, facial, mani, pedi and a really delicious lunch out! Doesn't that sound nice! I spend many moments of my day hoping that I'll run my household as smoothly as you do...when and if I have three children. Lord help me, I hope I can do it now with just one! You are a great example for me of the qualities of decisiveness and organization. You are an awesome homemaker and I am so proud that you are my sister.

Without even knowing it, you have encouraged me in so many ways to be a better person. I've tried harder in the kitchen, made it a priority to be organized and timely, and worked on learning how to stand up for myself because of your example. Goodness, I can't wait to live closer to you!

For some reason, I've been thinking a lot about our childhood lately. One thing that I've remembered with fondness and that keeps coming back to my mind each day is how you were never embarrassed to have me around and that you were more than willing to take me out to do things with you and your friends. You shared your friends with me and did not try to keep them to yourself. You were happy to have me around, which was uncommon with some of my other friends' older sisters. Thank you so much for that!

Melissa, just like Meredith and Ronald, I can't imagine my life without you. You bring so much laughter and smiles to our family. Thank you for making me laugh, helping me to not take things so personally, and being a wonderful example of forgiving and forgetting. I love you so much I can hardly stand myself!!

Only three weeks and two days to go!!!!

Castle Day

We had a grand day on Sunday touring two castles. We started our day in Cochem where I was pleasantly surprised to find so many shops open. I love going in and out of shops, looking for baby/kid items, and surveying the shelves of pastries at every cafe I pass by. I always feel like such a pig because I would honestly like to try every pastry I see. I never do. It's kind of like always wanting to order dessert at a restaurant but then never ordering it because I'm usually too full and don't need it. I need to find someone who shares my enthusiasm for these beautiful pastries and is willing to share a bite with me.

Here's a photo of Jace and Dad in the market square:

I never get the chance to shop for clothes and accessories for me. It's really my fault. I don't take the time to go and do it even though I really enjoy it. It appears that purple purses are in, and I've decided that I would love to have one...for the right price. Knowing me, I won't buy one. But it sounds nice. I did buy Jackson a yellow VW Bug. He picked it out. There were rows of cars and he kept choosing this one:

The yellow car has been a big hit. We now take it everywhere with us.

Here's a view of Cochem Castle, which was built in 11th century but rebuilt in the 1800's:

The climb to the castle is steep and we didn't think Dad would be able to make it on his knees. We took a bus part of the way, but then he did have to make somewhat of a climb. Mom, you would be so proud of him!

Here are some views of Cochem and the Mosel River from the castle:

And pics of the castle:

We took a tour of the castle but the tour was in German and not English. They had translations of the tour on paper, but I was primarily watching Jackson and didn't have time to read a thing. Here are pictures of the inside of the castle, but I really can't tell you anything about the rooms. I guess I should read the guide book!

In one of the rooms, they had a hidden treasure chest where the children could grab a piece of gold (chocolate). Jackson loves money, which sounds like maime out of his mouth, so I thought he'd be thrilled to reach inside and grab a coin.

I didn't think about the fact that he'd want to grab a handful! So I had to explain that he could only have one gold coin. He decided that none was better than one. I guess we'll have to work on that!

A few more pics at Cochem:

When I have a house, I want that all over it! I love it!

After Cochem, we shot over to Burg Eltz. My dad loved this castle. It was built in the 1100's and never destroyed. You get to see a lot more of this castle and the tour is in English, which my dad enjoyed. While we waited on our tour, we viewed the treasury. (Ryan, Dad thought about you when he was looking at guns from the 1600's!) It's so fun watching my dad see everything over here. He's very much into history and so impressed with some of the things he sees from earlier centuries. What a gift for me to witness this.

Here's a photo of my dad on our way down to the castle:

And one more photo while we waited on the shuttle to take us back up:

We had a fun-filled day and made it back just in time for kick-off. That's important in our home!

I have a message for my brother-in-law. It's in response to a comment made on the previous post: Ryan, Dad said that it appears you like the FILA sweatshirt as much as he does so he's already put it in his will to let you have the shirt. I hope you get as many years out of it as he has!

Cruising Down the Rhein

We've been having a great time with my dad here. Saturday, we took him to the Rhein River and did a riverboat cruise from Bacharach to Boppard. The weather was really beautiful, but it was cold. We enjoyed most of the scenery of the castles and vineyards from inside the boat because Jackson was too cold to stay outside. Here are some photos we took on the deck:

Jackson was happy to eat his granola while we enjoyed the views. This is actually a recent favorite of his and he's decided that he only wants to eat it out of a cup. It makes for a great travel snack!

I should mention that Jackson is wearing a bib in all of our photos because he's got a saliva faucet! Two+ teeth are coming in and the flow just won't stop. He soaks his shirts and it's really cold outside, so we have to keep a bib on him. I feel so sorry for him. The poor kid is almost two and he's toddling around with a bib on. I have seriously never met another child who drools like this one. In this department, he should have been my sister's kid! (I love you, Melissa!!)

This little boy is enamored with his daddy. Everything is about daddy right now. It's precious. Here's Jace and Jackson inside the riverboat.

The Rhein River at Boppard:

Waiting on the train to take us to St. Goar:

While trying to buy train tickets, the ticket machine stole my 20 euro bill! I hope I get the credit they promised me. Jackson had fun walking with Jason and watching the trains pass while we waited for ours.

This was a great opportunity to eat the sandwiches we had packed.

My dad's first European train ride...caught with a mouthful. I thought it was his first train ride ever, but he told me that he'd been on a train in the 6th grade. He remembered the ride because he was in love with a girl who sat next to him and she brushed his leg!

In St. Goar, we of course stopped at Stefan's Wine Paradise. Jackson got plenty of rounds of children's wine just like last time.

Here's Dad and Stefan after tasting ice wine and then brandies in every flavor imaginable - peach, blackberry, cherry, black currant, plum, raspberry, strawberry, mint chocolate, and magic cream (like Bailey's).

Me and my dad with Rheinfels Castle in the background:

In Bacharach:

Is he a giant, or are their garages just really small?

A photo we took of ourselves...not an easy task with our heavy camera but it was fun:

My dad did a lot of walking on Saturday. I'm so proud of him and eager to see the fruit of his hard work after being here for four weeks.