Where Globe-Trotting meets Beach-Combing
Halfway home from Paris, Isaac gasped, “I forgot my phone!” This was annoying. First of all, Isaac had summarily dismissed my repeated suggestions to use a backpack or bag to contain all the items he was juggling. Second, we were caravanning the 3+ hour drive home to Brussels with Hannah and her family, still jetlagged…
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…
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 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…
“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…
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…
(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…
