First Visitor

So November is flying by.  I guess that means we are having fun?   A few weekends ago we had our first visitor! My brother Andy came through Belgium on his way to India for work.  He was only here for about 48 hours but it was a great visit.  Luckily his main goals were to drink Belgian beers and eat some frites, both easily accessible in these parts.  We picked him up Saturday morning and started the weekend by heading to Mons to show him a little bit of where we live.  We did a little shopping for Sylvia and soon found a lunch spot before heading back to Soignies to finish the afternoon of Belgian beer tasting.  It was great for Rob and I to get out and explore our town.  We finished the evening with skyping with Sylvia and Stephanie before hitting the sack.  On Sunday we woke up and went the Soignies market and stocked up on fresh veggies, eggs, and chocolates. Note, when ordering a kilo of spinach, be prepared to feed about 20 people...lesson learned.  Andy made breakfast and then we headed to the Chimay Brewery about an hour away.  It was so much much fun.  We ate at the restaurant, and by eat I mean we tried the Chimay cheeses paired with the Chimay beers.  Both were amazing.  We headed home and made dinner with our fresh produce and again went to bed early like a bunch of old folks.  Andy left early Monday morning and Rob and I enjoyed two more days of the weekend since he had a 4-day.  On Monday we hung out at the house and on Tuesday I met with some friends from french class and went to Mons for lunch and shopping.  We ate at Boude de bleu (I think the site is messed up, or maybe its my computer, can't tell).  So, good, so so good. Putting it on the "take visitors there" list for sure.

  I don't have too many pictures from Andy's visit that don't include beer...ooops.

Chimay Cheeses and Beer

Chimay Grand Reserve

Enghien Noel Beer- Enghien is only a few minutes from us

Duval and Andy

Brasserie de Silly Beer

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! We will be feasting with friends that we have made here.  I am currently making homemade applesauce and dutch apple pie.  Our house has never smelled so good.  Oh and I started decorating for Christmas...don't judge. 

Garmisch, Germany

We got back from Garmisch about 10 days ago and I think I'm still recovering.  We kept referencing our week as "spring break" for adults, and we weren't that far off.  

As a practicing dentist you must complete at least 30 hours of continuing education each year to keep your license.  Fifty-six years ago the US Army started holding a week of continuing education in Garmisch, Germany for all military dentists stationed in Europe and this year was no different.  So Rob and the other dentists went to classes from 8-4 each day while the spouses got to play.  I met some awesome girls and got some much needed girl time over coffee and apple strudel. 

Our drive was about 8 hours and the last 2 hours were in the snow.  It was one of the most beautiful drives ever!  Garmisch is a ski town so they are no stranger to snow but I was still fascinated. 

Road to Garmisch

Road to Garmisch

My days were filled with shopping, sightseeing and eating delicious food.  Our nights were filled with planned dinners, monastery tours, karaoke and more delicious food.  

Benediktinerabtei Ettal Monastery and Brewery

The Ettal Monastery has been brewing beer for 400 years, so they must be doing something right.  They also  have a distillery, produce herbal teas and are active in local agriculture.  

Benediktinerabtei Ettal

Benediktinerabtei Ettal

Monastery monk who made our tasting experience one we will never forget 

Benediktinerabtei Ettal

Linderhof Palace

This palace was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria although he died before it was completed.  We weren't allowed to take pictures inside but you can go here and take a virtual tour of the inside which was incredible.

Linderhof Palace

Linderhof Park

Linderhof Park

Swarovski Kristallwelten

After visiting the palace we crossed the border to Austria and went to the Swarovski headquarters and museum.  It was pretty interesting and a little weird but the jewelry to purchase at the end was beautiful.  

Museum is inside the fountain

Swarovski chandelier

Bavarian Night

Toward the end of the week the conference sponsored a traditional Bavarian night complete with Bavarian food, drink, dancing and of course dress.  It was a super fun night we were excited to wear our new lederhosens and drindls. 

Bavarian Hall

Aren't we awesome?

Your Belgian dentists hard at work

After a long week of fun we drove half way home to Ramstein Air Force Base for the night.  We ate some mediocre American food and I went shopping while Rob watched Sports Center.  Both getting our American fixes.  

One of the best things about Garmisch is that we got to meet a lot of people that are stationed in Europe. We are planning to meet  up with them soon to do some traveling.   I can't wait to get back to Germany hopefully sooner than later.

Amsterdam

Oh, Amsterdam.  I love you. Our trip to Amsterdam was a MUCH needed weekend away to remind us of why we chose to live in Europe.  We picked Amsterdam because it was only a couple hours away and it was kind of last minute trip.  We decided to drive because the train was really expensive and we found a place to park that cost only 8 Euro per day...that is a steal. We considered it our "doggymoon" before our wild child arrived.  I can best describe our trip as eating, drinking and walking our way through Amsterdam. I forgot the memory card for my camera so we used our i phone all weekend so some pictures are better than others.

Thursday: Left our house at 11 and arrived at the Ajax Futbol Stadium which served as our parking lot.  Hopped on the Metro and took a 20 minute ride into the Central Station, Amsterdam's largest train station in the center of the city.  From there, our hotel was about a 5 minute walk- amazing location. We stayed at the Nh Barbizon thanks to Priceline and their last minute deals. We were asked if we wanted a room with a view, so we said yes.  Little did we know, we could open our window and step onto the canal dock.

view from room

view of room from across the canal

After checking in, we just started walking.  Literally, we picked a direction and walked.  Within 3 or 4 blocks we were in the infamous Red Light District. During the day, its fairly PG from the outside.  But there was a distinct smell...oh yeah, cannabis...everywhere.  No need to even go in the coffee shops, just walking by you get the idea.

The Bulldog coffee shop, and girl eating munchies outside

amazing doner and falafel sandwiches

Dam Square enjoying first and only dutch beers, the belgians got you beat there

After exploring for a few hours we headed back toward our hotel and came up on the oldest bar in Amsterdam.  Didn't know that until we walked in, the extensive beer menu is what actually caught our eye. LOVED this place.  Met some locals and our one beer before dinner turned into three.  This is when we realized that we really like Dutch people.

Het Elfde Gebod

Kasteel Cuvee du Chateau...I LOVE this beer

So after our happy hour(s), we went to a sushi restaurant for a late dinner.  And then visited a few more cafe's before heading back to the hotel. 

Late night canal stroll

Friday:  Started the rainy day with a giant mochachino at a cafe outside our hotel.  The crew sang and dance to Adele and made some amazing coffee and breakfast. Made the rain much more bearable. Then we started walking.  Our guidebook actually had a walking tour it recommend so we used that to get started.  We saw Dam Square, the stock exchange, flower market and ended at the Art Museums.  We did the Stedeliijk Museum.  The most modern of the museums, it was 85% awesome, 10% didn't get it but appreciated it, 5% WTF is that.  I have tons of pics that I will post in its own post later.

favorite pic of the weekend

loved the architecture

dream home

in front of Rijksmuseum

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the House of Bols.  They make Genever, which is what Gin was developed from.  The tour was fine, but the tasting at the end was delicious. I left there with yogurt flavored liquor, sounds weird but its so good.  Then we made our way to dinner and home for the night to people watch from our window.  

California Creamin'- Amaratto, Bols Yogurt liqueur, lemoncello and lemon bitters 

dinner spot- Pizzeria Azzurno- great food and quiet atmosphere even if they did have a cat walking around

people watching from our room

Saturday: Breakfast (same spot as day before) and journey home to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

So, all of you potential visitors out there.  We will be happy to take you to Amsterdam!  We already have an agenda of what we want to do next time. 

Follow me in Instagram: Jillianmast

Gale Force Wind

I chuckled when the BBC described last Thursday's weather as cool with "gale force winds".  Well,  look who is laughing now:

grill with propane tank in it- 0.  Gale force wind- 1.

Luckily, no major harm done and we have been grilling (pretty much whenever I don't feel like cooking) since then.  We took it easy this weekend in prep for our trip to Amsterdam on Thursday and more importantly, the arrival of Duke a week from Friday! We are so excited for him to get here.  It has been nice to get through the transition without having to worry about him too but laying on the couch is just not the same without my buddy keeping my feet warm. Anyone that knows Duke, can you imagine what he will be like after being in his kennel on the plane for approx. 10 hours?  We are hoping to video the scene.

Last night Rob dropped a bomb on me.  No, he's not pregnant.  He told me that starting Monday he is not drinking beer, not eating chocolate (including dark- I asked) and not eating fried food for 3 weeks.  Does he know what country we live in?!?  I have considered doing it with him, but I am NOT giving up dark chocolate. NO WAY.  And he didn't mention wine....

We finally got to sleep on the bed we bought in July on Sunday! Rob and our neighbor worked hard all weekend to break the box spring and put it back together after getting it up the stairs.  Good as new!

In french class yesterday, we had to get up in front of the class and have a conversation.  Good thing I was wearing layers so you couldn't see my sweat marks. Begona from Spain and I did pretty well discussing where we live, how many kids we have and what our professions are.  I felt exhausted after but glad that I got through it.  Maybe one of these days I won't freeze in the real world when asked questions in french.

Although a few hours late- Happy Birthday to my dad! Miss you!

Oktoberfest

Last Saturday we went to the SHAPE Oktoberfest celebration. We had a wonderful time drinking German beer and Kleiner Feigling, fig flavored vodka.  We also dabbled in some food including delicious Bavarian pretzels.  Can't wait to go to the real Oktoberfest in Munich next year!

so happy I can't keep my eyes open

all is good

Kleiner Feigling

German band, but don't worry they also played Michael Jackson

We leave for Amsterdam on Thursday. Apparently the transportation union is going on strike on Wednesday, hope they work things out quickly. 

Over the Hump

Whew, I am glad this week is over.  Rob came home Friday after being in Ramstein, Germany since Sunday.  Based on my last post it was pretty obvious I was dreading it.  Besides the fact that we couldn't talk on the phone (thank goodness for Facebook) and I swear something was trying to get in our house every night, it was a really good week.

Starting last Saturday, we went to a going away party for one of Rob's assistants.  I am actually really sad she is leaving because I think she would have been a great to get to know better. When half the room is crying at an army going away party (they happen all the time) you know she made an impact. The party started at the St-Feuillien Brewery in Le Roelux which is about 15 minutes from our house.  It was a great group of about 40 of us from army, navy, air force and Belgian civilians. The tour was 5 Euro which included 2 beers at the end.  Since Europeans are unbelievably laid back, it is pretty safe to say everyone had more than two beers.  But not everyone got behind the bar and started serving beers like this girl. It's probably time I work on my Belgian beer tolerance.

hhhhhoooppps

Couldn't stop staring at this staircase, pic doesn't do it justice

Round 1- Black Saison (newest beer) and Cuvee De Noel- my favorite

Me and the hubs

Behind the bar, Christmas pic? 

It was a wonderful night and we got to meet a lot of great people which I think we were both craving.  At some point in the night I agreed to wake up at 6:30 am on Sunday to go to the Waterloo Flea Market. I am SO glad I did! It was so much fun and there was so much stuff to see.  Getting up early was so worth it.  The experience was made complete by eating McDonalds breakfast, don't judge. So while I was busy buying us a new dining room table Rob was on his way to Germany.  Pics or what I bought:

New dining room table 

Hanging shelf with hooks for coffee mugs- hoping to paint soon

As weird as it sounds, Rob being gone kind of forced me to get out and do things on my own. So this week I drove to the Ikea in Brussels and spent about 2 hours there.  It had its challenges including employees that spoke french and others that spoke dutch. Its amazing that a country the size of Maryland can't pick a language. I also went to another furniture store down the street from us that was pretty cool- comparable to Crate and Barrel.  These may sound like easy tasks but when you don't speak the language and you are determined to try it is very humbling to go anywhere.  I also got a lot of stuff cleaned out of the house and started cooking and baking more.  I made Rob a "Thank the lord you are home, oh and look I bought a dining room table" dinner.  It was delicious and amazing how long we can sit and talk when we haven't in 5 days.  Ramstein sounds pretty neat and offers all the American things we will miss eventually...Taco Bell, Macaroni Grill, Chilis, etc. etc.

The weather is still great here.  It's been in the mid sixties with very little rain for a few weeks.  Soon the sun won't come up until after 8 am and will go down at 4- I'm not looking forward to that.  Here is a pic from our yard, I can't take credit for the flowers but I can take credit for not killing them, right?

View of back of house- the dirt patch is for our future garden

I finally feel like we have gotten over the transition hump and are starting to feel settled.  There is still plenty to do to the house but we are in no big hurry.  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend- Oktoberfest pictures to come soon!

Je donne ma langue au chat!

Translation: I give up!

While this is not the exact translation, it is a french idiom that I learned in class today and have said approximately 534344 times in the past 2 weeks.

It is hard to explain just how hard the last 2 weeks have been.  Locking ourselves out of the house was just the beginning of a string of "learning experiences."  A part of me wants to list everything that has gone wrong so that someone, anyone, can feel my pain.  But, I won't do that to you.  Just know there has been a lot of crying, cussing and then hugging it out between Rob and I as we blow up appliances, replace items lost and stolen, and learn how to do adult things like take care of a yard. Every single thing we do takes at least 3 tries to get it right...every single thing.

A few highlights from the past few weeks.  Unfortunately there are no pictures...my phone and camera were in the purse that got stolen.

On September 1st we took the train to Brussels (30 min each way and cost us 7 euro/ticket) for the Brussels Beer Weekend.  There were 250 Belgian beers to try and we got through about 5 before I looked down and realized my purse was gone.  We were having the time of our lives with our new British friends and then it all came to screeching stop when we realized I had my iphone, new camera, debit card, car and house key and train tickets in there. Luckily we had also met an American couple that drove to Brussels that day and they gave us a ride home and helped us break in our house...for the second time in 3 days. Back to the festival...it was SO much fun! Best day we have had since moving here for sure. Cannot wait to go back next year and catch some more festivals throughout the year. By far my favorite beer was The Pink Killer from the Brasserie de Silly.  It was sweet and delicious without being too much.  A perfect brunch or tailgating beer.  Rob loved it too so it wasn't too girly.

On Friday we took a day trip with Rob's team to Dinant, BE.  Rob and I are planning to go back soon.  Its a great little river town with little patisseries, shopping and live music.  It's know for being the home of Adolfe Sax, who created the saxophone.

On Saturday we went to SHAPE Fest.  It's the base's biggest event of the year.  Each country represented has a booth with native food, drink and items to purchase.  There was SO much food!  If you are wondering...we went to the American tent and they served chicken wings, burgers and hot dogs and Budweiser products.  Oh and Nelly was playing while we were there, representing the Lou.  The American tent was by far the loudest, because that is how we are.  You don't realize it until you aren't in US anymore, but we are loud. There was live music all day and carnival rides of those who have kids.  It was fun but we decided that next year will be better when we actually know a few people.

I started french class on Monday which I have been looking forward to.  Most of the people in there are American but there are also people from Spain, England, Sweden, Romania and Slovakia. It feels good to be in the classroom again for sure. Since being here I have a new found respect for those people living in foreign countries and not knowing the language yet. Side note: After class I met Sally-Anne from England and we realized that she has a 15 month old Labradoodle...Duke will have a friend when he gets here!

All of our household goods arrived, and nothing was broken and I think everything made it.  I can't tell if we got lucky or if Karma decided to give us a break.  Our next project is to break our brand new box spring to get it up the stairs and then put it back together again.  That probably won't happen for a few more weeks because Rob will be in Germany all week next week and I no longer touch anything in the house unless I know it works, I swear I mess up everything I touch.

We got cable and Internet at our house yesterday! Feels good to be connected again without sitting in a cafe.  Our wireless is great so we can facetime and skype regularly now. I have a feeling that me and BBC are going to be very close since that is one of approximately 8 English stations. But the french channels are good  to help us with learning the language.  Last night I came across MTV with the translated version of Jersey Shore, turns out there is no translation for "guido."

My plans while Rob is gone next week...french class, yoga class, baking, and maybe a trip or two to the some shops I have had my eye on.  I'm really not looking forward to him being gone. I would give about anything to have Duke here with me but I am sure it will be fine and go quickly.

And last but not least... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to this little one.  I hate that I am not there to help her celebrate but I plan to be there when she can remember her birthdays :)  Aunt Jill and Uncle Rob will celebrate in your honor from across the pond.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Oh, and I certainly drank more than one bottle of wine/week these past two weeks. No pics of the bottles but I have been hooked on German Rieslings lately.