Gray, light gray, occasional slate—this is Belgium’s color palate, I thought rather bleakly a few months ago. A faint blush warmed to pink. Then suddenly, the entire landscape was obliterated with green. It’s been shocking. This week’s predominant color combination is green and purple. Every walk is perfumed with lilac—I smell them before I see…
April Showers, Purple Flowers
Going Somewhere?
On quarantine day 11,579, a rare and valuable shipment of Starbucks coffee and genuine half and half arrived at the Krueger household after a shortage of some months. On this most glorious day, I may have overindulged a little. After my third cup, sweating and unable to contain my unfocused excitement, I embarked on a…
Out and About in Dînant
Dînant is one of the first charming little Belgian towns I visited a few weeks after we moved in. And also one of the last, since within a few weeks we’d all be in lockdown. My parents were visiting and we took the kids to see whatever there is to see in winter in Dinant!…
Je Suis Chez Moi
I’m at my place. The local stay-at-home campaign has different slogans up all over the neighborhood but “Je suis chez moi”—“I’m at my place”—that’s my favorite. We go to school at home. We go to church at home. We eat every meal at home. We slowly go insane at home. We enjoy the weather and…
Winter to Spring
Eloise has been riding her bike around with no wheels for a year or more, but always needed a boost to get going. The other day she was being super grumpy about riding her bike, even with help, so… I stopped helping… and she did it on her own! She was so delighted with herself!…
Quarantine Day 8,542
Longing for blossoms From the wrong side of the pane Coronavirus
Lockdown in Belgium
Move to Europe, they said…. So many opportunities to travel, they said…. One of the best things about Belgium—that it’s close to everything—is now one of the worst. My sister and I had plans to meet in Paris for her kids’ spring break Tuesday—the day France went into lockdown, one day before Belgium also closed…