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.