More personally this weekend

Back to a more personal note. The weekend was low key and our focus was on giving Aris some fun.
On Saturday we set out to Hassalt about 45 minutes away to Plopsa- an indoor amusement park. We had been here before and on a somewhat dubious weather day it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Well we were wrong. The place was busy enough but for the wrong reason. One company had booked out the entire place for their Christmas party so we were turned away. So off to Leuven where Aris enjoyed playing in the indoor playground at the swimming pool.
Sunday we decided to follow my suggestion (for Saturday) and go to the Planetarium which is right near the Atomium. Usually I wouldn't drive there but since we have been going to the Botanic Gardens we found that the drive is not difficult. Parking is a little more difficult but street parking was free on Sunday and we actually parked our car practically under the Atomium and only had to walk a little to the Planetarium.
Nice surprise they were doing a special day and it was free. Not only that they had some crafts for Aris which included making a rocket out of a plastic bottle which we then went out into the car park to launch.

Funny!

First funny story is one which I forgot to tell when I blogged about our visit to Basel. On our way back through security my backpack was screened and then I was asked to open it for a search. Now I knew I had nothing in there that I wasn't allowed to carry so I was not concerned. I was asked what it was that I had at the bottom of my bag to which I replied a bag of flour. That is funny in itself that I should be carrying a one kilo bag of flour in my backpack back to Belgium. They have flour in Belgium right? I hear you ask. Well, yes, they do but this was special German flour for making Spaetzle a type of noodles that Miranda loves to eat.
Naturally there was a language barrier because I spoke English or German to them telling them I had flour, Mehl in my bag. Naturally all they wanted to speak was French and not knowing the word in French  (Farine) I had to take the bag of flour out of my backpack to show them. Satisfied that all I had was flour they let me proceed through security.
I thought nothing of it and why would I? I am an honest person, however, I later realized that they thought I was smuggling drugs, but honestly it would be pretty stupid to try and carry a kilo of cocaine through in your hand luggage.
The lesson learnt though was to be careful with what you pack.
I was going to post my blog yesterday but felt a bit tired and also ran out of time doing my other chores and just as well because otherwise I wouldn't be sharing this other funny story with you.
At around 2pm yesterday there was a loud noise out on the main road next to our street and a number of police cars flashing their lights. I went to take a closer look out the window to be confronted with a procession of around 50 tractors travelling at high speed. This is very unusual as tractors usually only travel at 25km/hr and it is painful to be stuck behind one.
Not only that some of the tractors were carrying fiberglass cows on trailers.
Last night the same thing occurred with another twenty or so tractors racing past the house. I was curious why but not sufficiently enough to research why. Lucky for me as I channel surfed I stumbled across the news (in Dutch) about the protest by the milk farmers over the unfair deal they are receiving and their protest to obtain increased milk prices.
As it turns out about 1000 tractors from across Europe have descended on Brussels to protest. The police have been sprayed with milk (better than other substances; at least their skin will be nice now!) and the tractors are standing outside the European Parliament in protest.
This afternoon they returned past our house so I quickly went out to take some photos. Unfortunately for the moment I have passed my storage limit on picasa and can't upload. Stay tuned for further photoes when I sort it out

Cologne with Barnaby

We made it to Cologne this weekend. It is a very easy drive of just over two hours from our house. We actually had a visitor to our house this weekend in the form of Barnaby Bear, the year one resident bear who is billeted out on weekends to the children in the class. This weekend it was Aris' turn to host Barnaby and what luck for Barnaby to be able to take a trip to Germany.
Barnaby came to us with his own bag filled with clothes, a sleeping bag and identity card/passport. We all piled into the car and set off!
Once we got the doctor appointment out of the way (see below) we headed to the hotel and then to find some lunch at the nearby bakery. Apparently Barnaby likes raspberry cake.

The Weckmann is a traditional bread baked for St Martin's Day. Naturally Aris was more interested in the lollipop than the bread.

Then for my serious business of shopping! Off to DM (like CVS) to get our fix of German bubble bath for Aris and other necessities.

Aris decided he wanted to go back to the hotel and since it was nearly twilight hour I sent George and Aris back to the hotel to go swim in the pool while I took the car virtually across the road to the grocery store to stock up on cheaper and more interesting items. It was a shame that we were not going back home the same day because there are so many items which need refrigeration which I would love to buy, from cheese to yogurts to cold cuts and meat. Cologne will be a regular trip from now on and will be a day trip so I will have my chance soon.

Sunday, unfortunately, was rainy so we made our way into the center of Cologne to check out the cathedral where mass was being held and which made it impossible to look at the relics of the Three Magi

Apparently St Helena found their remains in the Holy land and brought them to Constantinople.
Then, the three mummies were taken to Milan, the presence of the three Wise Men's relics in Milan may be the origin for the celebration of Epiphany. The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick moved the Magi to Cologne in AD 1164 where they rest until this day.

Outside the Dom

                                                  A wet, wet day

Too dark for a good photo but you can see the top of the spire is covered in mist

Even though it was so dark and grey outside the stained glass was still magnificent.

Have you even had the fear of losing your car? Well technically we knew where the car was but because we walked around we lost track of the carpark entrance. Usually I am very careful to notice where we come out of carparks but today, maybe it was having Barnaby with us which distracted me I lost all bearings. We did eventually find an entrance to the carpark and I was back on track to finding the car. What a terrible situation to lose your car in a foreign city.
So we aborted plans to go to the zoo and to ride on the cable car but I am excited to return with Miranda and check out the Christmas markets which are said to be some of the best in Germany.
It was onward home with Aris and Barnaby playing happily in the back seat.


Side note:

The main purpose of this trip was for George to go and see a doctor about some treatment. He has been here before and instead of discussion he ended up having hyperthermia treatment for two hours.
This meant that instead of having lunch and enjoying the afternoon sun we were committed to two hours of sitting around in a very nice hospital style room while George had his liver and pancreas "fried". Hyperthermia is a heating up of the body temperature which in turn helps kill off the cancer cells. If you are interested in learning more about this treatment and where we were take a look at the link: http://www.medical-center-cologne.com/

St Martin's Day

Yesterday was St Martin's Day. Not hugely celebrated in Belgium but it signifies the end of wheat sowing for Autumn. St Martin was in fact a Roman soldier who is mostly known for tearing his cloak in half and giving half to a beggar in a snowstorm to stop him from dying. He apparently then dreamt of Jesus wearing the half and saying to the angles "Here is Martin, he has clothed me."  Martin later became a monk.
But for us it was all about the lantern. In Germany this night is huge. Kids walk around singing songs about Martin and about lanterns. For Aris it started earlier in the week when he made a lantern after school on Tuesday. So we had to wait until Sunday night to walk with it.

Yep, that's me with my life vest jacket!!!

        Even though this photo doesn't show it, thanks to my camera setting, it was about 5.15pm and already getting dark

     .........by 5.30 it was already dark. And finding our car later by walking through the dark forest was scary!!!

Aris after being asked if he enjoyed his day said "Yes, but it wasn't what I expected."
That afternoon he had no desire to go out but we had other plans. We wanted to go back to the botanic gardens to collect our membership card and go and see the bee hives we missed last time.

               George and Aris were having a lovely conversation with this gentleman who apparently was very cold.

                                         So cold he had turned to stone

                               Climbing the gnarly roots of this enormous tree

                                      Amazing that some flowers are still managing to bloom

 This cute little building is actually just a refuge from the rain

                        This silly bee came out into the cold.

               While these ones stayed warm in the hive.

                   Just a pretty place to walk.

      Aris was smiling but George was feeling the cold so it was a quick walk around the park, after all it was only 8 Celsius.

So although it was not the day we expected, we also raked up all the leaves in our yard. Although it was sunny at home and the botanic garden was foggy, we still had a lovely day out.

Just to update about George he seems to have fully recovered from his gastro, we found out that many families were sick during the break so it may not have been the food which affected him.

This coming weekend we are off to Cologne- hopefully this time we make it and I get to go shopping!!!!

So that was Basel?

What a lot or a lot of nothing can happen in a week. Much anticipated holidays crash around us as last Saturday night George took ill from what we think was food poisoning. Lunch last week at a restaurant in Tervuren seemed tasty at the time but that evening George was sick the entire night. The trip to Cologne cancelled as he struggled to even get out of bed.
Monday he seemed a little better and was able to drive an hour to see the doctor he had made an appointment to see regarding a new type of injection he wants to try. However, the moment he got home he was ill again and took to his bed.
We had booked a trip to Basel and we took the flight as scheduled.
Arriving in Basel is a little confusing as the airport actually services three countries. Yes, you read that right. You get off the plane and find you have to make a choice as to which country you want to enter. Switzerland? Germany? Or France? So we walked out to the Swiss side only to realize that our hotel was in fact in Germany and we needed to find a taxi who would take us there.
So at information we asked which taxi we should use.
"Oh go upstairs in the French sector and take a taxi from there."
So that is what we did. Naturally the taxi driver shrugged (the French love to give negative signals) as we told him the address but loaded us into the taxi just the same. Driving along and a U turn later we were sure the driver had no idea where he was taking us. The atmosphere started to get heated. George trying to point out the hotel. The driver wanting to know the number and telling us he was a French driver and did not know this hotel but knew the street it was on but the road had been blocked due to traffic works. I told him that if he did not know where his fare wanted to go he shouldn't pick them up.
In the end we arrived and he did give us a discount. Pleasant surprise the room had a kitchenette and a large bedroom with windows that actually opened. Not so pleasant was that it was so hot in the room and the window had to stay open. Unfortunately, we also found there was no pool (which would have made the next few days better for Aris and myself).
That night.....
George was sick again. He hadn't eaten or drunk much over the past three days.
Wednesday he stayed in bed.
Aris and I went exploring.
We walked to France.

                                         Across this bridge

In the middle of the bridge is the border of France, Germany and Switzerland.

                            Aris loved the playground across from the hotel, after all when did he ever get the chance to spend as much time as he liked at a playground?

Aris especially loved the flying fox (zip line).

....and the motorbikes



Fortunately for me there was also a shopping mall under the hotel with a fantastic grocery store. What a shame we fly here and only ever take hand luggage. Anyhow I did find that the same store is in Aachen so I will soon go and check it out and buy all the stuff I coveted.

We also found the most amazing pet store with snakes and lizards and rabbits and birds and fantastic fish tanks.

                             Wow this snake could move.

                 Aris was fascinated by the lizards in this tank and wanted to see them eat the crickets.

So Wednesday night I was really starting to get worried about George who had not eaten anything significant or drunk much water- I had even bought electrolyte for him. Worried enough that I found out where the hospital was and asked for a taxi and took him to emergency where they put him on a drip and gave him pain and anti nausea meds. Amazing the difference that hydration and meds made.

Hopeful that he would be better the next day going home.

Alas he wasn't and worse still the stores on the German side were shut for All Saint's Day. I couldn't even get to the pharmacy which was open because Aris wouldn't walk that far, there was no bus or tram in sight and I would have had to take a taxi.

Again Aris and I played at the playground, sat in the sun and had a snack at the café and enjoyed ourselves as best we could.

Finally Friday dawned to drizzle but we were going home. Checked out as late as possible, sat at the airport for three hours.

Luckily Aris and I had been to the toy store in the morning and found him something to play with.

I can't believe that my son chose a cross stitch but it proved to be a good choice as it took him the entire time we were at the airport and the 50 minute flight to complete it.

Safely home on Friday we were all glad to be back in our house with our own beds and space to move.

You would think that was the end of the story but George was still sick. Vomiting again in the middle of the night.

So you guessed it I took him to emergency where they put him on a drip again with meds and ran some more tests. Again amazing how much better he was when we collected him six hours later.

Friday he goes in for an endoscopy- not sure if there was something on the x-ray but this is the best hospital in Belgium so we will trust they aren't just doing this just for the sake of doing it.

The system is so much different that in the USA - less test doing and it is little wonder that you wait so long in the USA in emergency because they do diagnostics which aren't really necessary before you even get to see a doctor.

So the saga continues.....

Will update when I know more or if George improves.



Botanic Garden

What a peculiar week weather wise. On Monday we were wearing T-shirts because the temp got up to 24C. Then by Thursday we were shrouded in fog. Friday brought a day of rain. Saturday was freezing cold- the morning temp dipped down to -1C but with brilliant sunshine.

Since it was such nice weather today, despite the cold, we headed off to the Botanic gardens which are about 24km away or 25 minutes. Amazingly we only had to cross one set of traffic lights to get there. Now I had checked out this as a place to take Loizos and the in-laws but alas they didn't manage to get there (rained the last day).
Well it took us by surprise that it was such a pretty place with such diverse vistas. We only saw a small portion because by the time we were making our way back towards the café it also started to rain. We did, however, get an annual pass for 40 euro which allows me and 3 others access for a year plus kids under 12 are free so I think this might be a good place for visitors and outings with friends.
Most of the photos speak for themselves:

                                               Yes it is Autumn

                                             Exhibition in the castle called Autumn Leaves

                                              Beautiful fretwork on the door

                                       Taken through the bubbled glass of the above door

                                                The castle on the lake

                                            Sculptures throughout the gardens

This was called "Free Thinking"

                                 Inside the glasshouse they had a sample of rice growing. I have seen rice paddies before but never to the point of it being ready to harvest. I had always thought the rice was in the water underground (like peanuts) but no it looks just like wheat. Amazing to reach my age and not know this- embarrassing huh?

         As I took this photo a man was waiting patiently for me to finish so that he could take a shot.

 Back in Tervuren where we stopped for lunch we found that Aris was hardly taller than these pumpkins. I wonder if they would be edible.

Aris amazed me on Friday when he came out of school first he told me he got a head teacher award (Principal's award) for painting an excellent self portrait. Apparently he was the most accurate in reproducing an image of himself. When I get the chance I will take a photo of it but for now it hangs in the classroom.
Next, as we were walking to the car he said to me "You know when we were making up descriptions of days of the week?" They have Wow Wednesday which is extra craft and learning activities (Workshop on Wednesdays) and we made up Marvelous Monday, Terrific Tuesday etc.
"Well do you know that that is alliteration?" Wow what are these kids learning at five years old.
Friday was a huge day for Aris. He also had another piano lesson and swimming lesson. I was especially proud when he was one of the only kids in the group of seventeen to be able to lie on his back on the mat and kick from one side of the pool to the other.
So now we have half term and some lovely trips lined up. Photos when we get back!
Oh and happy Halloween!

Good-bye but Hallo Amsterdam

This weekend was a weekend of good-byes. First George's parents left to go back to Cyprus on Saturday morning after spending an interesting week with us. After George drove them down to Charleroi Airport an hour away and then back again we were off to Amsterdam. Once again a trip that should only take a couple of hours saw us at the end of a traffic jam and having to detour 40 km just to avoid standing in the traffic for hours.
We did make it up to the hotel near the Schiphol Airport in time for dinner and a swim in the pool for Aris and a sauna for George and Loizos.

The next morning we drove into Amsterdam and were lucky enough to find a parking garage just near the Hermitage where the Van Gogh museum had been moved while they renovate.
We spent a bit of time taking photos near the Amsterdam sign and then took in the Van Gogh exhibition and the Impressionist exhibition. Aris had a great time doing the treasure hunt and was rewarded with a sticker and postcard for completing the hunt. One woman was most impressed with Aris' reading when he read the name of one of the paintings "Flowering Plum Orchard".                      We were lucky we arrived early, by the time we left the queue was out the courtyard and around the building on the street. Here was me thinking that Paris was a place to avoid in the Summer it must be just as bad here in Amsterdam.

Aris and Uncle Loizos

Naturally we took a ride along the Canal looking at the interesting architecture and all of the houseboats. Apparently 2,500 houseboats are home to people of Amsterdam.

                                        A rainy day but we managed to avoid most of it

Interesting sky lines   

                                   

The locks are used to control the water into Amsterdam and are opened three times a week to flush the water in the city canals.

The railway station like in many cities is one of the best buildings.

On the "Dam", Aris waited for the pigeon to land on him. One actually tried to peck at his face!

And for Miranda I spied.....

Spiderman taking in the view. Even he needs an umbrella in the rain.

Then it was back to the Hotel to say good bye to Loizos and to head home. A long day and George did an amazing job driving back in the rain to get us home safely by 10pm.