Vacationland

It's August in France and that means one thing - VACATION!  With an average of 5 weeks of vacation per year, vacationing is serious business.  People don't really ask IF you are going on vacation but rather for how many weeks. As an American, this abundance of vacation is pretty new. But that's not to say I won't take advantage of it. I love hearing stories of my hubby's road trips around Europe with his family when he was younger. So I am trying to make some similar memories for our own kiddos.

Most recently, we headed to Salzburg, Austria for a 4 day weekend.  The kids are real troopers when in comes to car travel which came in handy when a 5 hour drive turned into a 8 hour one because of traffic on the German highways. We have really started to master the art of highway travel with preschoolers - looking for trucks in every color or naming the models of the cars as we pass them (neither of which work well though in stopped traffic though!). I think we are also really getting the hang of vacationing with kids without going insane.  I am no expert but I will happily share my findings.

Could this picture scream "bored at museum" any louder?

So we started dividing the day into morning and afternoon chunks, designating one for adult activities and the other one for something of interest to the kids.  That way we aren't dragging cranky kids around museums for hours on end nor are we stuck all day at kiddy amusement parks.  It seems to strike a nice balance for both parties. Since the kids are still small, naps are a natural dividing point in the day. Although its tempting to skip them and get the most out of the place you are visiting, we have learned to respect the naps at any cost. While in Salzburg, we headed back to the apartment each afternoon to let the kids sleep a proper nap.  At the same time, we realized that this gave Jean and I the fantastic opportunity to sit and relax (yes, relax while on vacation with kids!). Truthfully, this break in the middle of the day allowed everyone to recharge.  It's hard to slow down on vacation but we've realized that we just can't pack in what we could before we had kids.

Sadly, three of the four days that we were in Salzburg it rained. While a bit frustrating at the time, the kids adored jumping in the puddles and hiding under umbrellas. We made the best of it - stopping for mid-afternoons snacks and coffee or ducking into churches we might have walked past otherwise. Its funny how the kids couldn't have cared less what the weather was like...they were just enjoying being out and about (and perhaps content that warm "apfelstrudel" break).  Note to self - their view of a great vacation is much different from ours.  Perhaps we could learn a lesson or two...

Thomas in Wiener Schnitzel heaven

All in all, we worked out the kinks and had an awesome family trip in the land of Mozart. I'm not sure if the kids will retain any memories of the trip but for me it'll stand out as the one that helped us find the balance needed to travel with kids as well as learning to appreciate your company as much as (or even more than!) the new surroundings.

"sprechen Sie Deutsch"

Ugh...long time no post.  Jean says its lame to state that because its what everyone says in their blogs.  So there - sentence ended.

For those of you that don't know, we live on the very border with Germany.  It's funny sometimes to think about driving for 10 minutes and being in a different country! And its pretty obvious when you get there because my non-existent German makes me stand out like a sore "Daumen" (Google translate indicated that meant "thumb" - I guess my vocab is now up to a whole 5 words!).  Truthfully, I haven't made much of an attempt to learn German quite yet considering that I'm keeping French as my main focus.  Nevertheless, it's crazy to have another language at our doorstep.

When we enrolled Audrey in school, we decided to take advantage of the bilingual programs offered - bilingual French/German that is.  And to my surprise, the class is REALLY bilingual with a 50-50 split between the two languages.  While I'm not thinking this will necessarily add a third language for Audrey, I do think that the exposure to a new language at such a young age is something really hard to pass up.  So in order to try and reinforce some of what she's learning, I planned a mom/daughter shopping trip across the border.  Its really the same shopping trip I normally do, just with her in tow.







First stop - DM...the place where you buy all your toiletry items for half price what you'd pay in France. Audrey got a kick out of the mini carts made for the youngest of shoppers.  Germans are much more kids friendly in many ways with this store for example having their own public bathroom, changing station (with free diapers and wipes) and a pretty cool rocking horse.

Next up, across the street to the bakery/coffee shop for a mid-morning snack.  Now here too you can see that you're not in France anymore.  Pastries are about 50% bigger and not as nearly fancy.  Just massive amounts of dough and sugar and a whole lot of consonants to go with that increase in size.  I use the universal pointing of the finger and saying of "ein" to indicate one of the cinnamon rolls is what we are interested in. I add on a Milchkaffee since as a coffee addict, my caffeine containing vocab is quite strong. We enjoy our pastry and soak in the German language! Oh, and one other great thing about the Germans? They're much more American taste in music as witnessed by Chicago's "It's Hard for Me to Say I'm Sorry" playing on their radio.  So not only does Audrey get a German immersion morning but a nice intro to classic 80's music as well.  Not sure if she realizes how lucky she is.

On my way out, I can't help but notice the berliners, or jelly donuts.  Come on people, no wonder JFK got blamed for the mix-up.  Seems like a pretty easy mistake to me...

In memory of Aunt Julie

Two days ago, my family lost a very special person - my Aunt Julie.  She was more than just the typical aunt. As my father's only sibling and with no children of her own, she was a part of our immediate family.  Hearing of the loss and being so far away has been incredibly difficult though I know this comes with the territory.

For our family and many others, the word "Aunt" was almost permanently placed in front of her name, as if she had Aunt Julie written on her birth certificate or something.  I think that speaks volumes about her.  She took her role of aunt seriously and it became a part of her persona.  She was always looking to spend time with us, welcome new family members and comfort us when we needed it.  In fact she laughed one time when she told me I had addressed a letter to her as just "Aunt Julie" (with no last name).  It still made its way to her with no problem as if the postman also knew just where Aunt Julie's house was.

I looked back at my last post about the trip home with the kids at Christmas.  I have to say that this Christmas was one of the best we have had in a long time.  And this was something Aunt Julie also said to me as I was leaving.  She was in good health the last time I saw her 6 weeks ago and I am glad that those are the last memories I have of her. She had been battling cancer but things were looking better and she was in great spirits. Aunt Julie was always so content to see all the family together and that is exactly what happened at Christmas this year.  I would do the solo flight with the kids a hundred times over if it would give me more day with her.  Nevertheless, going home for Christmas was one of the best decisions I have ever made and I am incredibly thankful for the wonderful memories.

Aunt Julie said she loved reading this blog.  Somehow I think she still will...

We love you and miss you Aunt Julie and you will always be in our thoughts.

I'll be home for Christmas...

Strasbourg is a truly magical place to be around Christmas.  The proclaimed "Capitale de Noel", Strasbourg boasts the oldest Christmas market (Christkindelsmärik) in the world dating back to 1570.  The entire month of December the whole city is impeccably decorated in lights and an evening stroll down the small winding streets can really leave an impression on you.

So not my picture but its had to really capture it all from the ground.  Credit given to www.travelfreak.com

So yes, I am incredibly spoiled to be able to spend Christmas with the kids in such a wonderful place. However, growing up in a large family in the snowy Midwest can be pretty awesome too as far as Christmases go. So I decided to spend the 25th here with Jean's family and head back to the States the day after.  Only problem is that Jean has used up his vacation time for the year and can't make it back with us. While this came as a bit of a blow, I knew I needed to go home, even if it meant another solo flying adventure with a preschooler and a toddler (see "Have Kids, Will Travel" for disastrous details...)  So without much hesitation, I decided that the pain and anguish of another trans-Atlantic flight with the kids is well worth spending the holidays with my family.

Christmas was always so magical to me as a child.  Even though my mom always said she dreaded it (having 8 kids may have that effect on a person) she had a way of making Christmas incredibly special for us and these are undoubtedly some of the most wonderful childhood memories I have. Its hard to imagine not sharing some of these memories with my own children.  Besides, word is its a white Christmas in Cleveland...

It'll be a long, tiring trip but nothing will keep us away! Wish me luck!

French Country Living

French Country Living...Sounds like the name of a Martha Stewart magazine, no?  I have to say that at times I feel lucky enough to have a permanent feature article in it.  We live some 15km north of Strasbourg (with a decently sized city center of 275,000 inhabitants).  However, we are just far enough out to be snack dab in the middle of the country side.  The house that we are renting is fantastically located so that our backyard overlooks a huge corn field.  Yes folks, I was born and raised in Ohio but I have never been this close to corn in my entire life! We moved in last a August when the field was a vibrant green and plants towered above our heads. To my surprise, a few months later, a massive harvester came and showed leaving us an empty field to overlook just a few hours later.

I realized how I (and the kids) literally had the planting and harvesting cycle in our backyard.  It made me think of that sped up video I'd see on Sesame Street when I was a child of a plant growing and then viewed at super speed to see the whole life cycle in some 20 seconds.  So it inspired me to chronicle the various stages of planting and harvest between February of this year until now.

Then, a Saturday night a few weeks ago, I walk into the house to see the kids glued to the french doors (or as we say in french - "doors") overlooking the back deck. A massive harvester was making its way though the field.  Perhaps Saturday nights in French countryside are at a slower pace than the big city - but I'll take it any day.

*Disclaimer - So,  you might be asking yourself  "Why are they harvesting corn in late November?"  Truth be told, this is not "human" corn but instead destined for pig feed. So the corn pretty much dries on the stalks and is then harvested much later than a sweet corn variety. So, yes - I guess this gives me and the kids a better view of both the crop cycle AND insight into the raising of livestock.  Sort of a twofer (of you put a spin on it the right way...)

I mean come on, the pork for a traditional alsatian "choucroute garni " doesn't grow on trees.

No tricks, just treats

There's no denying it - Halloween is just not the same here in France.  While you'll see a few decorations here and there nearing the end of October, its far from what I grew up with.  As a child, I remember the whole neighborhood being lit up with front porch lights, yards converted into make-believe cemeteries and that house or two that went all out with Thriller music playing and a ridiculous amount of effort going into scaring the crap out of trick or treaters.

The Halloween atmosphere here is much - well, quieter.  No celebrations at school and no real Halloween themed parties.  Its made me realize how there are many aspects of my childhood that will not be the same for my children.  While its not a huge thing, its a strange feeling to not be able to pass on similar traditions.  I did my best by having Audrey watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" on YouTube and having her participate in a Halloween party for the American association that I am involved with.  I thought I had done enough until she came to me a couple days before Halloween and said, "Mama, I want to ring someone's door bell and get candy".  It's funny - she said it with such a sad tone that it was almost as if she was saying she wanted to walk on the moon or something.  It broke my heart to have such a simple childhood memory for me seem like an elusive dream for her.

So I got to work.  I asked around and apparently the neighboring village has a handful of families that buy candy and welcome trick or treaters.  Luckily, Jean has childhood friends (now with kids of their own) who live in the town so we decided to give trick or treating a shot.  We stopped at a good 8-10 houses and the kids were welcomed with handfuls of candy and big smiles.  Even thought the ambiance was much different from what I remember as a child, there is something intensely Halloween about walking in the crisp, dark night while leaves crunch underneath your feet.  I'd like to think that my mission was achieved - Audrey had such a huge grin on her face all evening.

I am now realizing how different her childhood will be from mine because of where we grew up.  Thank goodness for Charlie Brown holiday specials to try and bridge some cultural gaps ; )

So what was our little tricker treater dressed as?  We looked up Halloween costumes online and she passed through page after page of princesses and butterflies and stopped the moment she saw the hula girl...

Actual appearance (when living in Northeast France!)

Amazon.fr portrayal of outfit

Irish (and Dutch) breakfast

Although we moved to France more than a year ago, we have yet to really take advantage of being able to travel as much as we'd want to.  In fact, Strasbourg is often called the "Crossroad of Europe" because of its somewhat central location on the European continent. Jump in a car and we are actually just a few hours from a handful of countries.  Those few hours in a plane could pretty much get you to any European country at all.  Not a bad situation to be in.

Truthfully, with the big move and Jean concentrating on his job search we really haven't had time to travel much - until now. When we got an invitation to attend the wedding of Jean's former colleague in Galway, Ireland, it was hard to pass it up.  After a harrowing transatlantic trip alone with both kids, a mere 3 hours plane ride with an accompanying parent made it a total piece of cake.  So we packed our bags and set off on our first European family vacation.

It was short, just 4 nights, but we got to see a good amount of sights (also considering we had to work around cranky kids and nap schedules!).  We flew into Dublin and had dinner that night at the house of Jean's second cousin, along with his wife and two boys. The morning after, we took in the city of Dublin with a walk in the city center and stop by Saint Patrick's cathedral (and next door park with a playground).

         


I was not at all up for the whole "driving on the left" thing so the next morning, Jean bravely drove to the two hours from Dublin, due west to the beautiful city of Galway.  We met with the love birds at a reception for out of towners the night before the wedding and got to explore Galway a bit.  The day after the wedding we headed out to the Connemara coast for some incredible scenery.  Despite some minor meltdowns, the trip was a great success.    

     

  


On our way back - we missed our tight connection in Amsterdam.  Although I was pretty
upset at the time, it somehow was made easier by a free night in a 4 star hotel with dinner and a huge breakfast buffet included. Okay, KLM, I'll let this one slide.