Christmas Market Mugs—this is a 2021 addition to our Christmas celebration. At the Brussels Christmas Market in 2019 BC, we got used to paying four euros for a cup of gluhwein, then turning in your cup to get the one euro deposit back. I heard people remark on what boring cups they were and how…
Christmas Market Mugs
Masking in Venice
We decided it was high time to don our masks and board a plane to visit the source of much mask wearing culture—Venice!!—where masks and plagues have battled for centuries. Masks: so hot right now. With COVID cases on the uptick in Belgium yet again, mask mandates are back. Ok, it’s a pain to wear…
The Amboise Conspiracy
The Chateau d’Amboise was Eloise’s favorite castle! It’s perched on a hill alongside the Loire River and overlooks the town. We could see our apartment from the battlements. The castle itself is beautiful, the view from the walls is charming, there are real suits of medieval armor inside, and the gardens were perfect for running…
Autumn at the Market
“How do you like to prepare them?” I asked the Flemish guy at my favorite produce stand at the Stockel Farmer’s Market. Their veggies and fruit seem the freshest and last the longest. “Just cook them in a little bit of butter, not too long, that’s it,” he said. We were talking about the chanterelle…
Real Life in Belgium
I’ve been limping around to various degrees for a couple years now so I made another doctor’s appointment to see what the deal was with my foot. “Yeah, it must be about three years now since I got this splinter in there,” I told my doctor. “I remember standing by my front door in Hawaii…
Chenoy Winery
(I organized and led a tour for the NATO International Club a couple weeks ago. Our group included ladies from Estonia, Spain, Canada, Lithuania, Australia, Scotland and the USA—it was really fun and everyone was very punctual. I wrote the following for next month’s newsletter, but you read it here first!) As with any planned…
Wake Up in Amboise!
We woke up to the bells of Eglise Saint-Denis tolling the hour as the sun broke through the mist to shine on Chateau d’Amboise across the rooftops. I booked this apartment for the view, and it did not disappoint. Out another window we could see the tarps of market stalls and flashes of the Loire,…