New Year in Chinatown

Today we saw the big celebration in Antwerp's Chinatown to ring in the Year of the Pig according to the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac animals. For the record, I'm a Dog, JieJie is a Horse (and how!) and MeiMei and John are both Sheep.

Jiejie and MeiMei loved their new Chinese dresses, which of course look fantastic on them. I tied my Chinese silk scarf around my neck and we headed out. About 2:20 or so, the girls and I headed down to Van Wesenbekestraat on the tram so we could get a good spot for the 3pm Lion Dance parade and ceremonies. I'd never been to one before so wasn't sure what to expect, but there was a big arch by the Sun Wah Supermarket so we just parked there so we could get a good view of whatever was about to happen. VanWesenbekestraat has a tram line running right down the middle, so every so often we all had to pause to let the trams through, which was kind of funny. They went very slowly, thank goodness!

As we waited, we saw several families that look like ours, presumably adoptive families. It's always so great just to make eye contact with the parents and get that knowing smile, that we've been through the same thing and we know how blessed we are. International adoption from China is common in Belgium. There's a little girl from Hunan Province at the girls' school, so that's 3 girls out of a 200-student population.

Just as the girls were getting antsy, the last tram passed by and then I heard cymbals from the other end of the street. I could see red and black banners and people were stepping out into the street to get a look, which meant that we lost our good spot unless we stepped out too, so we did. The arch by the supermarket had cabbages hanging from it and also a rolled up banner, so I knew something was going to happen there.

When the lion dance parade got to our end of the street, the dancers crouched down in front of a long rope of firecrackers, and crowd control people urged us to back up. There was no way the girls would be able to see with all the commotion, and I didn't want to lose hold of them or have them get trampled, so I put MeiMei on my shoulders and held JieJie as high as I could so they could see (it's ok, my back didn't go out this time...).

What a great explosion of color and movement ensued! You can see in this photo that about half of the firecrackers have popped (that's the red paper all over the street), and the rest of the string has yet to go. They were SO loud! MeiMei was crying a bit but clapped by the end. The lion dancers were very skilled, jumping at the firecrackers and shimmying in the smoky street. They climbed ladders, "ate" the cabbages that were hanging from the archway (an offering?) and unveiled a Happy New Year sign before going into the supermarket to bring it good luck for the next year. "Gong Xi Fa Cai" is the happy new year greeting, but it actually means "Hope you make more money next year" so it's an appropriate thing to say to a store owner, eh?

After the lions went into the store, I thought maybe things were over and a lot of people were leaving. The girls said they were hungry so we popped into Bakkerij De Kort, one of the few non-Chinese businesses on that street, and got chocolate croissants. I was hoping there would be some Chinese food being sold from carts or something, but not today.

We were about to leave when we realized that the procession was coming right toward us. I looked at the business next door to us, a Chinese Dim Sum restaurant, and noticed a suspicious cabbage hanging from above the doorway. And framing either side of the property, a long string of firecrackers! The noise of the firecrackers is supposed to scare away bad luck and/or evil spirits, so that's where that tradition comes from. The lions ate the offering, the firecrackers blasted away, and the lions went into that business to bring good luck. As I looked down the street, I saw several more sets of cabbages and firecrackers, but realized that we should probably head home. You know how it is with kids - best to leave while nobody's having a fit!

If you are reading this as a real aficionado of lion dancing, my advice would be not to worry about the big introductory dance as far as fighting to get close in. The longer the ceremonies go on, the fewer people were left, so you can probably get closest to the action by being patient.

As for me, I'm more determined than ever to spend Lunar New Year in China someday. It must be something spectacular. And speaking of spectacle, I can't wait til the 2008 Olympics opening ceremonies in Beijing. We're going to get Chinese satellite tv channels so we don't have to have Bob Costas interrupting us to tell us what we're seeing (shut up, Bob! Please! If you want to describe everything to your audience, that's called RADIO. You should check into it.) We will be in China next summer, but we'll be leaving just before the Olympics begin, though it would be tempting to stay.

The Aalst Carnaval

Click on the title bar of this post, and you will see three onions dancing to a bad cover of Meatloaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light." It's the 2007 Aalst Carnaval website, and it gives you a teensy tiny sense of the gargantuan party we dropped in on this afternoon.

We had come to understand, over the past few days, that Carnaval is a Big Deal in Belgium.

CLUES:

1. JieJie's classmates wore funny hats throughout their studies this week.

2. I saw a "Carnaval Kit" while shopping at the Carrefour, which contained confetti, a mask, noisemakers, streamers and silly string.

3. On tv lately, there have been shows on the local station that feature a strange hybrid of the Big Joe Polka Show and a crazy Halloween party.

4. The schools are all out this coming week, and Friday afternoon there was a party-like atmosphere in the public squares as people began the late winter holiday.

5. BIG CLUE: While walking around Thursday, John and I saw an entire school group in costumes (one teacher was Minnie Mouse) parading toward the town center. If we'd been in the US, I would've said "oh, they're all going trick-or-treating."

So we were starting to get the picture. We had our choice of two places to go for Carnaval festivities today. Aalst is west of Brussels, and about 1.5 hours by public transportation. Binche, whose Carnaval celebration is on the UNESCO world heritage list for notable cultural events, is further south of Brussels, getting close to the French border. At first we were leaning toward Binche, but The Green Guide (a very helpful series of travel guides, I must say) said that Sunday's events begin at 10pm, so that was out and Aalst was in.

Caught the 11:40 train to Brussels-Zuid (south) but it was delayed, so we missed the direct train to Aalst. We found an alternate, though it was a local. It stopped everywhere on its way so we didn't get to Aalst until almost 2. On top of that, Genius Mom forgot to pack food because I assumed all the trains had snack carts rolling down the aisles, but this is not so. Lesson learned--no train travel without just-in-case food & water. You'd think I would know this by now. Anyway.

We were wondering whether we would know where to go from the train station to see all the festivities. THAT IS A REALLY FUNNY THING TO WONDER WHEN GOING TO THE AALST CARNAVAL because before we even got off the train, we heard the raucous music and crowds and we could see the parade, already underway, from the train overpasses. All the streets were closed, and this town was kicking off a three-day binge that culminates on Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras). But it was a family-friendly binge. Of course. Just like the beer on tap at Pirateneiland Fun Park.

So we started to zigzag through the crowds and follow the giant floats that depict Belgian politicians in caricature through huge groteque statues. That's the hallmark of this parade: it's a chance for the hoi polloi to make fun of the movers and shakers, and they take their job very seriously! There were lots of song parodies with tunes I recognized, like "Love and Marriage," "Downtown" and "Jailhouse Rock" to name a few, but all sung in Flemish with lyrics that I'm sure were skewering the local politicians. One of the Belgian princes is in a bit of trouble right now over the financing of the large addition he's putting on his home, or something like that. His picture was upside down on a mirror being manipulated by a skeleton on one float. That one seemed the most serious of the floats we saw though...the rest of them had certain features in common:

1. Cross-dressing men, bonus points for a huge "bumsie" as we call it. Faux breasts optional, but if you use them, bare them!

2. Depict the politician in question in some phase of using the toilet. Bonus points for flushing noises.

3. Choreographed dances that spotlight huge bumsies emitting huge flatulations are sure to please.

4. The louder the music, the better the float!

We watched the parade (which lasts 5 hours if you want to see the whole thing!!!) from several different vantage points, and the work that goes into the floats and costumes is just amazing. It's like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Tournament of Roses Parade and whatever parade you can think of all rolled into one and multiplied by fifty. And it's not just a holiday for performers! Many of the spectators are all dressed up in detailed colorful costumes, and they have huge bags of confetti to throw. Lots of the men we saw today were in hilarious drag outfits...latex groteque breasts seem to be a cottage industry somewhere - we saw so many today, we got blase about them after a while.

The girls had a blast today! I wish we'd gotten there earlier. If you're reading this wondering whether to take the kids, definitely go. We saw people of all ages today and it was a totally kid-friendly event. There are food booths everywhere, rides, games, and of course the main event, and people are in this great festive mood, throwing confetti on complete strangers and laughing together. The girls didn't want to leave when we had to head for the train (which we had to approach several times by different roads because the crowds were too thick to navigate with The Stroller). They loved the parade, had great fun throwing confetti on each other and on us, and even got to ride on a carousel with REAL PONIES - whoa! We were so busy watching the parade and festivities that we barely ate, just hot dogs and bratwursts, with plenty of onions.

What's the deal with the onions? Well, I don't know why, but tomorrow's festivities in Aalst include throwing onions from the tops of buildings. I'll see if I can find the story behind that one, but this carnaval is an old tradition, so who knows if anyone can even explain it anymore.

Tuesday there's another parade there, with more cross-dressing hilarity. And probably more beer drinking. Of course people along the parade route were drinking. I saw cans of Jupiler (the Budweiser of Belgium) in many hands today, and people on the balconies along the parade route were toasting mightily while their kids threw confetti on the merrymakers below. But what's more, there were floats in this parade specifically designed to dispense beer from not-so-concealed taps as the costumed participants went down the 5-hour parade route. Party on, Garth!

Three days of Bacchanalia and rule-breaking, and on Wednesday we will be reminded: you are dust, and to dust you shall return. In the meantime, to quote the Mary Tyler Moore show, "a little song, a little dance, a little selzer down your pants." Or Jupiler, in this case.

Holiday Pileup

As many families do, we have layers of holidays to celebrate through the year. There's a layer of church-based holidays, national holidays, personal holidays like birthdays and anniversaries, "Hallmark Holidays" as my dad likes to call Mother's Day and Father's Day, and on and on.

When we adopted our daughters from China, we added Chinese holidays. Now in the fall, we mark the Moon Festival and the Lunar New Year, and added two personal holidays, our daughters' adoption days (aka Gotcha Day).

Now that we're in Belgium, we have yet another holiday festivity to add: Carnival, the crazy few days before Ash Wednesday begins the more sober, contemplative Lent season.

I wonder how JieJie and MeiMei are taking all of this in, because it's all happening simultaneously! Wednesday was Valentines Day. Last night at midnight the Chinese community here rang in the Year of the Pig with fireworks down in Chinatown. Our apartment is decorated with hearts (thanks Mom - your beautiful handmade mobile got here all in one piece) and red and gold Lunar New Year decorations, and now there's Carnival confetti spilled all over the carpet from when we got back from a Carnival parade and took our coats off (I have a feeling there will be more confetti on the floor when we change into our pj's - lots of confetti in the air!).

And after this all dies down, it will be JieJie's 5th birthday!

Saturday Market in Antwerp

Saturday morning, John had some errands to run for the university, so I took the girls to the Saturday market, also called the Bird Market. One of the things we love to do back in Harrisonburg is walk down to the local farmers' market on Tuesdays and Saturdays, so I figured once they saw where we were, they'd know just what to do.

What I hadn't anticipated was just how amazing this market would be! The best market by far that I've ever been to, just for the size and sumptuous food, is the Mercato Centrale in Florence, Italy, but it was as though about 1/8 of that market was flown to Antwerp and arranged outside in a beautiful plaza. We walked all through the market, intending to purchase our choices on the way back. I wanted to make sure I didn't spend all my money at the first stall only to see even better things later.

There were so many varieties of fruits, vegetables, meats, cheese, nuts, breads, and other specialty items...and then the regional specialties: food wagons for Italian, Greek, and Spanish cooking, and then we found a little cafe area in one corner where there was an ESCARGOT WAGON!!! I kid you not. Hey, it's just like Harrisonburg, right? (not).

I paid 2 euro for a small bowl of escargots in broth. The broth was chicken broth with lots of pepper and also some celery chunks cooked in there. The escargots were firm and delicious. I let each of the girls try one, and they really liked them, so I just crouched down next to the stroller and we shared, taking turns. I figured out how to put the escargots in their mouths in just the right way so I could grab the little remnant of shell before they ate it. It was getting chilly, and the broth was still steaming as we took turns sipping it to warm ourselves. Yum! I notice you can get a glass of white wine there, and you can also get escargot already coated with herbed butter in the shell for preparation at home. I wanted to mention that none of the foods being served at the market were served in throwaway containers. Besides being more ecologially sound, the more important message seemed to be Sit Down and Enjoy...What's Your Hurry?!

So we did. After the girls chose their raspberries, we sat down at some tables near what I thought was a Greek place, since there were several varieties of baklava. We got some different kinds (almond, hazelnut, mixed nut) and then got hot mint tea in a glass, not a mug. That was when I realized, this was Moroccan food. It's so neat to see all the different places the vendors come from.

The girls loved the tea, and we went home to tell John about the market. He went back later in the afternoon and said it was just mobbed with people, so much that he couldn't possibly have bought anything, but now we know: if we're here on Saturday mornings, we will be doing our shopping first at the Bird Market, and filling in from the SuperGB, not backwards.

Oh--and remember the PTA Rave Party? While we were at the market, I heard "Hey!" and ignored it, because who the heck knows me here, anyway?! I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was the husband of the couple who so nicely drove me home that night. He does some marketing on Saturday mornings while his daughter is in ballet. It was nice to see him, and just nice to have the very familiar feeling of running into someone I know at the farmers' market. Next time we go, I promise to take pictures.

Thanks to the F family

A quick note of thanks to D&D F (they know who they are) for the microwave popcorn from home for us and the Hershey Kisses for the girls, since they were yearning for familiar chocolate (hey, more of the good stuff for us!). It was very thoughtful of you to bring the treats.

A BIG PLAYGROUND!!! YAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!

Friday afternoon was GORGEOUS weather, up in the high fifties, sunny, not too breezy, so we headed out for a stroll, all four of us. MeiMei had complained that her shoes were too tight, so she and I went to Torfs shoe store near the Super GB grocery store on the Groenplaats and she picked out the most adorable sneakers I've ever seen - baby blue Chuck Taylor All-Stars decorated all over with butterflies and flowers, with pink laces. Love 'em!

We caught up with JieJie and John on the Groenplaats. Since it was not only a beautiful Friday afternoon but the day before a week-long holiday here, the plaza was filled with people enjoying a drink and snack at the outdoor restaurants.

It was so nice out, we figured we'd try taking the tram under the river to the other side to see what was there. We got off at the very first stop after the tunnel, as we'd heard that there was a nice park area overlooking the Antwerp skyline. Indeed there was! At last, big expanses of green grass and loads of fun playground equipment. It's so easy to get to from here, I'm sure we'll be very familiar with it before we head out of town in April.

The girls yelled Yippee! and ran ahead to explore. In no time they were crawling, sliding, see-sawing and JieJie even made a friend, a little boy about her age. It's out of character for her to be so outgoing, but maybe her experience at the new school has changed her a bit in that regard. John and I turned around to see her see-sawing with this curly-haired adorable boy, both of them laughing and shouting.

Poor MeiMei...this is really the first time I've seen her get thrown over for a peer, and she was pretty heartbroken to lose her best friend, even for a few minutes. I helped her climb around on things until her big sister came back for her.

They wanted to see what else was in the big park, so we walked along the riverside path with its spectacular view of the downtown until we came to an open-air nautical museum featuring various anchors, buoys, bells, that kind of thing. Little tiny flowers were blooming and the girls picked a whole bunch for me.

My mom-spidey sense was just beginning to tell me that I should scout out a bathroom should the need arise, when all of a sudden MeiMei said "oh no! I need to go potty!" and I looked over to see the inseams of her pink pants turning darker as she wet herself and her brand new Chuck Taylors, which are now drying in the windowsill after a tumble in the wash mashine.

She was a great sport about it, we rode home (MeiMei always insists on being in my lap on the tram but in this case she stood, thankyouverymuch!) and got the girls into their pj's in time for the babysitter's arrival.

Another reason to go back to that park: The Sint-Annatunnel, a PEDESTRIAN tunnel under the river that kids love, ends up there too. And there's a restaurant adjacent to the playground that sells Antwerp's signature dish: mussels and frites. Some warm afternoon we'll have to have some and then let the girls go play while we watch them from the patio of the restaurant--it's all fenced together so there's no danger of the girls going too far away.

Antwerp American Club

Last night was a night we had been looking forward to. It was the "Valentines Day" meeting of the American Belgian Association or Antwerp American Club (the plates were engraved ABA but I think we were actually meeting as the American Club). To read more about how the club was founded, click on the title bar of this blog post. It's quite a story.

The sitter arrived about 7, another of our lovely students, and our hosts, Mr. K and his wife, Ms. van H, arrived at 7:30 to walk us over to a beautiful old building on Venusstraat where the club's dinners are held. The club used to have the whole building at its disposal, but the membership dwindled so much that they finally sold the building to a restaurant with the caveat that monthly meetings could continue to be held in a sumptuous back room in the building.

At the beginning of the evening, the assembled members and their guests (about 11 in all) gathered at the bar for drinks and chatting. I was the youngest person in the room by at least ten years, so I can see the concern about dwindling membership. Everyone was sparkling, excited about a great evening ahead. I had a Kier Prinse, which is a Kier Royale with sparkling wine that's not from the actual Champagne region. Next, a lovely cream of broccoli soup was served from the bar in espresso-sized cups. I'd never think to do this as a run-up to dinner, but it was delicious, a convenient way to serve a first course too! The second course was also served at the bar: tiny bowls of escargots in a cream sauce. Each bowl was enough to fit just two scrumptious escargots, which happen to be one of my favorite "luxury foods."

We adjourned to the dining room and stood behind the chairs surrounding the round table to figure out who should sit where. Nobody was allowed to sit next to a spouse, so I ended up between C, the president of the club, and J, a very interesting man from the Canary Islands who has worked extensively for the European Union. We had a fascinating conversation about the differences between Americans and Europeans (he has visited America and is married to an American, so he speaks from experience). We both agreed that sometimes the differences can be surprising because our assumption might be that because we have some shared cultural heritage that we would be more alike. In reality, there can be big differences in how people approach social situations, how they define what is private and what can be shared, that sort of thing. Obviously it differs from person to person within both cultures--anyway, he recommended a book by an American expat called "Understanding Europeans" that sounds worth a perusal.

Dinner was great, a carpaccio of beef followed by a plate of two kinds of fish in a lovely sauce, with vegetables and a bit of mashed potato. Dessert was a sampler of apple tart, a chocolate/sponge layer cake, and a small scoop of homemade ice cream. Then there was coffee and (guess what?) chocolate.

When we got up from the table, I assumed the evening was over. Ha! Back to the bar for cordials! I had heard of this Elixir d'Anvers (Antwerp elixir, a liqueur) which they didn't have, but they did have Elixir de Spa, from the town of Spa in Belgium. It had notes of citrus and licorice and was a nice thing to try once, though I don't think I'd run out and buy a bottle. Too strong--40% alc. by vol.! Anyway, I chatted with C, the president of the club, and we have been invited by him and his wife to visit them at their farmhouse (ca. 1740) in a village not too far from here. I hope we do, as his village sounds like a beautiful place, a place the girls would certainly enjoy. The city is fun, but it's nice to get out into the countryside occasionally.

A Pleasant Thursday

Mornings had gotten increasingly contentious. By the time we left the apartment, always about 10 minutes after we should have, we'd all be cross and cranky, and stomp our way down to the tram stop. About a block from the tram stop, we'd see a couple of trams go by that we should've been on in order to get to school on time. A couple of days in a row, the girls' classroom doors were already closed when we arrived. That's just no way to start a day!

Thursday morning, we tried getting up a half-hour earlier to see if that would help, and it really did, so from now on it's 6:30am on school days. What a difference a half hour can make - we skipped happily down to the corner, had our choice of trams, and arrived at school with enough time to get settled and have a chat with the teachers and other parents.

With the whole day ahead of us (since the girls stay til 3:30 on Thursdays), we decided to see a movie. We were hoping to see "Borat" but it wasn't playing any longer at the 18-screen UGC Cinema downtown. We chose "The Illusionist" instead, with Edward Norton. Our friends J and G had seen it and recommended it highly - music by Philip Glass, too, whose work I very much like. What a great movie! We both loved it. The 11am matinee was only 5 Euro apiece and we had the whole theatre to ourselves, too. We noticed that for 14.90 Euro we can buy a movie pass that gets us into unlimited movies for a month. Tempting!

We parted ways after the movie, John to his office hour and me to lunch (at the U. of Antwerp cafeteria, not bad for 3 Euro) and errands.
After lunch, I decided to go to Sun Wah Supermarket for Chinese New Year decorations. I found some beautiful paper decorations depicting orange trees (round foods are often served for the New Year, like citrus fruits and dumplings) and a Fu(2) for the door (the 2 means as you say it, your voice goes from a low to high pitch, like asking a question--this is to differentiate it from other meanings of the syllable "fu" which would be written with different characters). I also got the girls red envelopes for their lucky money, a triplet for the door (three red and gold placards with New Year sayings on them) and some red tassels. The big find: silk qipao dresses in hot pink and red. Sun Wah Supermarket is on Van Wesenbekestraat, in the heart of Antwerp's Chinatown.

Next stopped at UNIF school uniform store on Quellinstraat to get MeiMei an extra shirt, since she only has one. We've lucked out so far with spills, but I want a backup! The saleslady there was so nice, very helpful, and even offered to try and fix the red knit sash we have that is fraying. I may take her up on it this week while the girls are out of school.

Raced to get the girls, and showed up at their school just as they were starting to excuse the students, phew! On the way to the school I noticed the BBC WORLD English language book store, so we'll have to get back there one of these days.

We took the tram(s) home and I have to say, the girls are getting quite sophisticated about the whole process. They now do things without really thinking about it, like making sure they have a handhold as soon as we get on (learned that the hard way!) and they stick close by me. They know how to get ready to get off and wait for the last little back-lurch when the tram finishes stopping. They love the trams, so we are not really using The Stroller for school right now. When the weather's nicer, perhaps we will again.

On the way home, the cellphone rang and it was John, calling from right behind us on the block! He and Mr. H, the dorm counselor for the program, were coming back to the apartment to have a glass of wine and chat. We all came up together and enjoyed some late aftenoon tv & snacks.

Thursday night was a dinner with some of the students--THIS time we had a sitter! We made dinner for the girls and the sitter, then headed back to that rib place I wrote about in January. The students loved the all-you-can-eat delicious ribs and the fun atmosphere. It was a great evening and we truly enjoyed the students. Many of them had just been to Stockholm last weekend. It was fun to hear about their adventures, though they did say it was really cold, and the airport offering the low fare was 1.5 hours outside of Stockholm by bus.

The students had gotten lost on the way to that restaurant - John and I decided that we need to start scheduling these student dinners a bit farther afield to force the students to see a bit more of Antwerp than the university neighborhood where they're spending most of their time.

A Pleasant Thursday

Mornings had gotten increasingly contentious. By the time we left the apartment, always about 10 minutes after we should have, we'd all be cross and cranky, and stomp our way down to the tram stop. About a block from the tram stop, we'd see a couple of trams go by that we should've been on in order to get to school on time. A couple of days in a row, the girls' classroom doors were already closed when we arrived. That's just no way to start a day!

Thursday morning, we tried getting up a half-hour earlier to see if that would help, and it really did, so from now on it's 6:30am on school days. What a difference a half hour can make - we skipped happily down to the corner, had our choice of trams, and arrived at school with enough time to get settled and have a chat with the teachers and other parents.

With the whole day ahead of us (since the girls stay til 3:30 on Thursdays), we decided to see a movie. We were hoping to see "Borat" but it wasn't playing any longer at the 18-screen UGC Cinema downtown. We chose "The Illusionist" instead, with Edward Norton. Our friends J and G had seen it and recommended it highly - music by Philip Glass, too, whose work I very much like. What a great movie! We both loved it. The 11am matinee was only 5 Euro apiece and we had the whole theatre to ourselves, too. We noticed that for 14.90 Euro we can buy a movie pass that gets us into unlimited movies for a month. Tempting!

We parted ways after the movie, John to his office hour and me to lunch (at the U. of Antwerp cafeteria, not bad for 3 Euro) and errands.
After lunch, I decided to go to Sun Wah Supermarket for Chinese New Year decorations. I found some beautiful paper decorations depicting orange trees (round foods are often served for the New Year, like citrus fruits and dumplings) and a Fu(2) for the door (the 2 means as you say it, your voice goes from a low to high pitch, like asking a question--this is to differentiate it from other meanings of the syllable "fu" which would be written with different characters). I also got the girls red envelopes for their lucky money, a triplet for the door (three red and gold placards with New Year sayings on them) and some red tassels. The big find: silk qipao dresses in hot pink and red. Sun Wah Supermarket is on Van Wesenbekestraat, in the heart of Antwerp's Chinatown.

Next stopped at UNIF school uniform store on Quellinstraat to get MeiMei an extra shirt, since she only has one. We've lucked out so far with spills, but I want a backup! The saleslady there was so nice, very helpful, and even offered to try and fix the red knit sash we have that is fraying. I may take her up on it this week while the girls are out of school.

Raced to get the girls, and showed up at their school just as they were starting to excuse the students, phew! On the way to the school I noticed the BBC WORLD English language book store, so we'll have to get back there one of these days.

We took the tram(s) home and I have to say, the girls are getting quite sophisticated about the whole process. They now do things without really thinking about it, like making sure they have a handhold as soon as we get on (learned that the hard way!) and they stick close by me. They know how to get ready to get off and wait for the last little back-lurch when the tram finishes stopping. They love the trams, so we are not really using The Stroller for school right now. When the weather's nicer, perhaps we will again.

On the way home, the cellphone rang and it was John, calling from right behind us on the block! He and Mr. H, the dorm counselor for the program, were coming back to the apartment to have a glass of wine and chat. We all came up together and enjoyed some late aftenoon tv & snacks.

Thursday night was a dinner with some of the students--THIS time we had a sitter! We made dinner for the girls and the sitter, then headed back to that rib place I wrote about in January. The students loved the all-you-can-eat delicious ribs and the fun atmosphere. It was a great evening and we truly enjoyed the students. Many of them had just been to Stockholm last weekend. It was fun to hear about their adventures, though they did say it was really cold, and the airport offering the low fare was 1.5 hours outside of Stockholm by bus.

The students had gotten lost on the way to that restaurant - John and I decided that we need to start scheduling these student dinners a bit farther afield to force the students to see a bit more of Antwerp than the university neighborhood where they're spending most of their time.

Happy Vawentimes Day

What a great place to celebrate such a chocolate-intensive holiday. We didn't want to make a huge deal out of Valentines Day, because I would rather stress the heartfelt, homemade gestures that children can share in. The girls each made cute cards at school. One says "JieJie loves mummy and daddy" in her teacher's handwriting and has a beautiful flower made of hearts that JJ lovingly glued to the paper. MeiMei's has a butterfly that she drew and it says "Liefste mama en papa, ik zie jullie zoo graag!" (I'm thinking it means Dear Mom and Dad, I love you so much!"

Dinner was salmon (hey, it's pink!) with various sides, and then for dessert I rolled out my surprise: a chocolate layer cake with marzipan flowers from Goossens, a bakery that has been around for over 100 years here in Antwerp. And it was REAL marzipan too--we've been alerted to the fact that much of what the world thinks is marzipan is mostly coconut, a cheap imitation of the rich almond paste that comprises the real deal. The marzipan banner across the little cake said "Valentijn."

John and I gave each other a nice bottle of red wine, and the girls got John some chocolates. The girls got cards from us and some strawberry candy. Why not chocolate? Don't read this part if you are easily shocked. JieJie "doesn't like Belgium chocolate." She says she likes Harrisonburg chocolate better because it tastes better.

SACRILEGE!

But it's ok. It just means I get to have hers when she tastes it and doesn't like it, heh heh heh.

Weather continues to be in the 40's and rainy off and on. Beats the snow and ice storm that has paralyzed our home town - JMU is closed today for the second day in a row!

weekend trip to Amsterdam

Saturday morning, we took our time getting up and around as the weather was chilly and rainy. We had tickets to go from Antwerp to Amsterdam-Centraal by train, but train tickets are not for a specific train, just the route. We could go at 8:27, 9:27, 10:27, etc.

We packed a backpack with essentials for an overnight, got The Stroller out (it's been resting a lot lately as we do more tram riding and walking) and walked over to the train station at about 10am. We got there with about 10 min. to spare til the train departed. Antwerp-Centraal train station is really a beautiful building, built in the days when these transportation hubs were treated as temples to progress. The station is undergoing a lot of renovation right now but you can see plenty of majesty in the marble, the gilded decorations on the ceiling, and the fairy-tale staircases that reminded me a bit of New York's Grand Central Station.

The train came, we got on, sat down in our seats and JieJie, still sleepy, said "can I have my buddy (the thing she sleeps with)" and MeiMei said "yeah, I want my buddy too." I looked at John and said "did you pack the buddies?" He looked at me and said "There wasn't enough room in the backpack. I thought you packed them." We looked at the girls, whose eyebrows were starting to scrunch up in the middle, the corners of their mouths turning down into pre-cry frowns.

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! How could we forget the buddies?! How would they ever sleep at our friends' house that night without their buddies?! You have to understand, JieJie has NEVER fallen asleep without her Buddy, and she also has a second buddy, Buddy Zoltar from a parallel universe 30,000 light years away (hence the amazing similarity). MeiMei's buddy is a pink blanket with her name on it, and she also likes to sleep with Woofy the Dog. Moment of panic. I offered to get off at Antwerp-Zuid, go back and get them and catch up with them, but we quickly realized the total insanity of that idea.

We thought for a couple of minutes, and then John or I (can't remember who) came up with the suggestion that we find a toy store in Amsterdam and find substitute Buddies just for that night. I knew they would never agree to that and they'd just keep crying and crying and screaming and flailing until they graduated from high school, and the conductor would come and say I'm sorry we don't allow crying in the trains, you'll have to find some other way to get to Amsterdam...we'd walk off the train past fellow passengers, none of whom have ever had children (or if they did, their children never ever cried), and they would spit on our feet and mutter "stupid spoiled Americans" as we slinked past them, stepped down onto the cold, abandoned train platform and watched our train disappear to the north.

But wait--JJ and MM stopped crying, sniffled a moment, brightened up and agreed to the Temporary Buddy Plan!!! Soon the Snack Man arrived with his cart, JieJie ordered her little can of Pringles, MeiMei got her Waffel Suiker, we had some coffee and enjoyed the rest of our ride to Hamsterdam, as MeiMei calls it. Not many people know that the Dutch actually invented Hamsters. True story.

We got out at Amsterdam-Centraal and walked through hordes of Birkenstock-wearing young backpackers with dredlocks and dilated pupils going from the nearest Coffee Shop (a colloquialism meaning Marijuana Den) to the Sex Museum to the souvenir shop to Madame Toussaud's and then back to the Coffee Shop. It's too bad that Amsterdam has become the new Haight-Ashbury, but in a few blocks we arrived at the Dam (central square) and turned down a side street toward the beautiful Old City with its quaint canals, bridges, boats and shops.

It was cold and drizzly as we walked down Herengracht and Prinsengracht looking at all the beautiful rowhouses, which are kept up so nicely. Antwerp has neighborhoods like this too, but Antwerp is earlier in its gentrification process, and there's still lots of graffiti and broken windows compared to Amsterdam.

We found a cute little toy store and there was a bin of soft stuffed animals. MeiMei picked a pink pony right away, and JieJie, always the discriminating shopper, lined up all the stuffed dogs and cats so she could choose the best one. She had so much trouble picking, she asked for a countdown. After I said 3...2...1...pick! she chose a soft kitten and promptly named it Meowy (are we surprised?). The girls were content with their Temporary Buddies and we headed for lunch.

We found a pizza place on the Elandgracht (Napoli Restaurant) and ordered what has become our usual: a frutti di mare for the adults and a Margherita (tomato sauce & cheese) for the girls. They were good pizzas, though we think Blauw Water in Antwerp is still the best we've had here.

Next we walked the old town. It's such a great place to spend time, just so different from any other city we've been to. We worked our way toward the Rijksmuseum with its amazing collection of Rembrandts and Van Goghs and tried to figure out whether a museum visit was a possibility or not. Based on the girls' restlessness, and the fact that it would be 4pm by the time we got to our friends' in Mijdrecht, we decided to put it off til another time. The neighborhoods around the Rijksmuseum are worth a walk too--GORGEOUS 19th-century houses, truly grand. I bet it's spectacular there in the spring.

We waited at Museum Plein for our bus, and it soon came. The big wide doors opened and we noticed that there wasn't a big wide opening for the stroller, as we'd assumed. The opening was cut in half by a railing--oh, no! We tried to fold down the stroller but one part was stuck. After a short while, the bus driver gave up on us and left. No matter, the next one would come in 15 minutes and we'd be ready this time.

We rode the bus to Uithoorn, going from central Amsterdam out to the 'burbs, through a sweet town called Amstelveen before heading to Uithoorn. Our friend R soon arrived with the car and we rode to R&M's house for an overnight. We enjoyed a relaxing evening, more great pizza and sandwiches, a movie (Brassed Off) and bed. The girls did ok with their stand-in buddies but I ended up sleeping with MeiMei and we put JieJie in with John so if they woke up in the middle of the night they'd have a parent nearby.

Sunday morning we just relaxed and visited. R&M's son was supposed to have a soccer game but it was canceled because of rain. After lunch, it was time to go back to Antwerp. R drove us to Amsterdam-Schiphol station, which is in the lower level of Schiphol Airport.

It's really great how integrated the air/train/tram/bus systems are in Europe. I haven't missed the car at all! It would actually be more trouble than it's worth in the neighborhood we're in. It's really amazing how quickly we've adjusted to doing everything on foot or by public transportation, and we've realized how everything around us is set up to support that way of getting around. Take shopping for example. At home, we drive our car to the grocery store, fill a cart to overflowing, then fill the trunk to take it all home. Once we're home, we have a big refrigerator to put everything in, an extra freezer for overflow, and a pantry for dry goods.

Here in Antwerp, we walk/tram to the grocery store with our little rolling grocery carrier in tow, fill a hand basket with a few days' worth of groceries, tow the groceries home in the handcart, and once we get into the apartment, we have a very small refrigerator (comes up to just below my shoulder) and freezer and two cupboards for food.

Because the system is set up this way, our food is fresher when we get it and meant to be consumed within a few days. It has fewer preservatives and fewer things are made with hydrogenated oils, so the food is healthier too. I don't often think about my shopping patterns as a product of a larger system of food delivery, but when I think about how difficult it would be to shop this way at home, it's clear that larger circumstances in society determine the menu from which we make our personal choices.

Flemish PTA Rave Party

Last Friday night was a benefit dinner for the parents' association that supports the girls' school here in Antwerp. We received a lovely invitation a few weeks ago and decided to buy tickets. Tuition was so reasonable, it was the least we could do, and it sounded fun. What a great opportunity to get to know some other parents and go to a restaurant we'd never have found on our own.

The invitation was intriguing. The location of the party was Barcelona at Hanger 26. Hadn't heard of it, and it's an unusual sort of name. Then at the bottom of the invitation, the English phrase "Bring your dancing shoes." To a school benefit attended by parents, teachers and school administrators? This I gotta see.

Our university students are sometimes able to babysit, but this past weekend they scattered to the four winds, taking advantage of their time here (and good for them!). Some went to Florence, some to Cologne, and some to Stockholm--brrr! What is it that makes young American men so curious about young Swedish women?? Anyway, the night of the benefit arrived and we had to choose which of us could go. Since John had gone to a fancy function earlier in our trip, it was my turn.

I got dressed up and caught a bus to Barcelona, which turned out to be a multipurpose room with catering facilities overlooking the River Schelde. The room itself is beautiful, with wood floors and huge expanses of white walls that make the room look very modern, like an art gallery. Long low white benches and black tables went along one wall, with candles and little bowls of munchies scattered around. A couple of lights were projecting artsy blue and red overlapping cog-like shapes on the walls that were turning slowly. I saw JieJie's teacher and went to her to chat. Everyone was dressed up, looking very sophisticated, and waiters came around with champagne and hors d'oeuvres.

More parents arrived around 8pm and people were very nice as far as introducing me around. There were some people whose response to meeting me was, "ah yes, the American. We've heard about your girls. How do you like the school?" and similar small talk.

Dinner was served about 9:30 and it was delicious. The buffet featured a huge bowl of calamari, some chicken yakitori, some vegetables, lamb, Chinese dumplings, and wrap sandwiches among other dishes. I pulled up a stool to a high table and sat with a couple whose daughter is in MeiMei's class. He's British and she's Flemish, an architect here in Antwerp. Their American friends were with them, a couple from the Philly area. Small world - someone tell my friend KH that the man from Philly has a friend from Hudson, Wisconsin!

We all chatted over dinner, there was more wine and beer served, and sparkling water to maintain a bit of equilibrium(!) and soon it was time for a raffle. Iena, the architect, said to her husband, "Hey, you've got a winning number already! Whoever gets #802 gets to marry Iena B!" Don't you know, the first item they drew for was a HUGE stuffed gorilla, and they picked #802!!! We laughed until we cried as her husband went up to claim his "bride." The stuffed gorilla sat on a barstool for the rest of the evening, observing.

About 11:30, the first of two dessert courses came around, little mini eclairs and raspberry tarts, and I went to sit with the couple who had offered me a ride home. We sat near MeiMei's teacher, so I got to check in with her too about how things are going. She said MeiMei had told her "I love you" last week. For the more formal Belgians, this is a bit much, and even for us huggy-huggy Americans, we've been trying to teach MeiMei the difference between saying "I like you" and "I love you." I told her teacher that it's fine with me if she helps reinforce the distinction--the teacher, Miss Y, said "oh, I just thought it must be an American way of expressing yourself." Yoix! Everything in the U.S. apparently seems like one big Casual Friday from here.

By this time it was after midnight, and I can safely say I was in a room full of some seriously inebriated parents! There was this wonderful air of carefree mischief to the evening. I loved seeing this side of people I'd known only as so-and-so's mom or dad. The final dessert course came around--Belgian chocolates of course!--and some people started saying their goodbyes, heading for taxis, while others made their way to the dance floor. The head of the parents' association was fully lubricated and started the dancing off with ABBA's "I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do." Next thing you know, moms and dads were throwing themselves into the dance melee with abandon, and the gym teacher was doing the jitterbug with one of the single moms I recognized from rainy morning drop-offs. I was glad to be heading out, since my dance partner was back at the apartment. I wonder when things finally wrapped up? Betcha it was 2am.
What a party! And not one I'm likely to see repeated among the more staid parents I know back home, at least not when we're all coming together for a school function (which is funny considering the stereotype of Americans as being so informal with one another...we're downright Puritannical when it comes to our Public Parental Duties!)

Snowy Thursday in Antwerp

We woke up Thursday morning, got ready for school as usual, and walked out onto the cobblestones with light dusty snow falling. The girls were so excited at the prospect of a snowy day, they forgot their usual whine-all-the-way-to-the-tram-stop fussing and instead focused on catching snowflakes on tongues.

By the time the tram arrived at the school stop, big fat flakes were flying and there was that wonderful clean fresh feeling in the air. The girls' teachers had plans to cancel morning lessons and give in to the children's need to get out there in the courtyard and play in the snow, hoping that they could attempt some lessons later in the morning. JieJie told me later that indeed they did all go out into the courtyard, playing in the snow and throwing snowballs at a designated wall (which was more than I was allowed to do at school lest you think this sounds strict!).

The snow got in the way of a planned trip with our unversity students to Antwerp's main art museum, famous for its collection of over-altar paintings by Rubens (a famous Antwerper), also a few original works by Memling, van Eyck, Titiaan, Modigliani, Magritte, the Brueghels and others. We waited by the main U. of Antwerp entrance and I snapped some photos of the campus in the snow (see above--John and the one student who showed for the tour are in the doorway).

JieJie's teacher had assured me the beautiful white stuff would all be gone by the end of the day, and she was right. As we got to the Museum Voor Schone Kunsten the temperature was rising and the sidewalks were getting shiny.

The museum is just wonderful. It's big enough to satisfy several visits, but small enough to feel that I could find the works that might appeal to my mood on that particular visit. I got an audio guide. The narrations are very well done, though the works that are narrated seemed to be barely a quarter of the collection. I found myself wanting to know much more about certain works after being reminded how many stories there are in each painting and sculpture.

My favorite work was Jean Fouquet's Madonna with Seraphims and Cherubims because of the vivid colors and an unsettling oddness. Mary in this painting seems somewhat cold, the baby old beyond his years, but something about the whole composition really grabbed me.

I will definitely wander back to this museum when I have some time to spend. If you visit Antwerp, be sure to allow some time to stop in and meditate on the amazing treasures within.

On that note, one of the children's books we checked out of the library is Degas and the Little Dancer which gives the background of the famous sculpture. When I told JieJie tonight that the statue is in the Louvre in Paris and that we can see it in person, she seemed really excited. Gotta do my homework for these trips so they feel like scavenger hunts, eh?

We picked the girls up from school Thursday and they had so much to tell us about a fun day in the snow with their teachers and classmates. We are looking forward to another good week this week, and hoping that JieJie's little friend Sarah will return from her trip with her family.

My First Belgian Snit

For a few weeks now, my dry, frizzy hair has been making me crazy. Today, I finally had a snit. That's Dutch for "haircut." That's my chair->

We dropped the girls off at school and went to the Central Station to get train tickets for this weekend (we're going back to Amsterdam and Mijdrecht to visit M and R on Saturday/Sunday), then stopped into the Delifrance on the Astridplein for coffee and an almond croissant. We are becoming quite the experts on who has the best coffee, best chocolate on the coffee saucer, and best, freshest, flakiest croissants. So far The Bistro on The Wapper gets my vote, but XO near the Grote Markt was good too.

We hopped on the 10 tram to head back to our neighborhood but after John hopped off the tram, I stayed on and went toward Melkmarkt near the Grote Markt. There are some sweet little cobblestone streets tucked between the Grote Markt and Hendrik Conscienceplein where I'd seen an Aveda salon called Elements with (for Aveda) reasonable prices. They're right near a sweet little restaurant (photo at right) called Aurelia, one of my favorite girl names. I know, I know, she'd get called "areola" in junior high school. I'm being theoretical.

I showed up for the appointment and decided on a whim to tack on a spa treatment to repair damaged hair (which always reminds me of that great line in the play Proof where Claire says to her fluffy sister, "you can't make hair healthier. It's dead." Her sister's reply? "Whatever. It has Jojoba."). Little did I know I had signed myself up for an hour of aaaaaaahhhhhhh. By the way, more info is available at http://www.zone03.be/shopping/detail/nl/1542/Elements%20Hair-Body-Care.html if you're interested.

My experience with restorative hair treatments was heretofore limited to a V05 hot oil treatment. This thing was to V05 what a Maserati is to a pogo stick. Serum was massaged into my scalp as I sat in a massage chair . Magic aromatherapy goo was wafted under my nostrils and then massaged into the frizz. To give the magic goo time to work, the salon lady-in-waiting massaged my head, neck, shoulders and back, shiatsu-style.

The lady-in-waiting (Natasha...of course) rinsed my hair in the usual hair salon sink with one crucial difference: the chair I sat in was a shiatsu massage chair. It lifted me into the ether as Natasha did whatever-it-was to my hair (who cares if it was mayo from the frituur on the corner??). Next I was offered coffee (a chocolate on the saucer...need you ask?) and a seat in the chair you saw at the top of the post. While my hair rested in hot towels, turban-style, Natasha gave my hands some sea-salt exfoliating treatment with lovely Aveda lotion to finish it off.

Next, the stylist wafted into the scene and we had a discussion about my poor hair. I had told John before I left that I hoped whoever cut my hair was opinionated, because I've been feeling wishy-washy. He was! This was no haircut. I was pruned like a shrubbery and am now sporting a European asymmetrical up-to-the-moment slightly spiky (but not frizzy) new 'do. It was lovely.

Got back to the apartment, lunch and quiet time while John went to office hours with the students, and then Adventure #2 began. We've read the heck out of our growing collection of books, and I'd just gotten detailed instructions on how to get to the central Openbare Bibliotheek (that's public library) from here. A cinch! A quick tram to the Astridplein (see Aquatopia post) and we were looking at the Chinatown lions. We popped into the Sun Wah Supermarket--gotta get back there for Chinese New Year decorations and other fun stuff--and were just about to buy something when MeiMei pulled a false potty alarm. Drat!

We found the library, no problem, and obtained a library card for five euro. In the children's section they have a shelf of English books and also lots of VHS and DVD shows for kids. We chose two VHS tapes (Pingu and Race for your Life, Snoopy!) and four books, including my new favorite, How Tom Beat Captain NAJORK and his Hired Sportsmen" by Russell Hoban, which is an absolutely silly story about how a boy whose guardian, Aunt Fidget Wonkham-Strong, thinks he fools around too much and calls in Captain Najork and his hired sportsmen to teach him a lesson. They play three games: womble, muck, and sneedball, with hilarious results. The girls love the story and the way the boy outsmarts the stodgy grownups who think they are going to teach him a lesson.

Once at home, we watched Pingu while keeping the girls awake til 6 for our Wednesday dinner at 't Injaske. I had reservations (ew, pun, sorry) about taking them to a restaurant meal at the end of a long day, but we crossed our fingers and walked over. They insisted on sitting next to College Students, Not Mommy and Daddy, and did pretty well. They were served their dinners right away, but the restaurant was understaffed and really busy tonight, so unfortunately I had to leave with the girls and ask John to bring my dinner later because they were getting restless and the rest of us weren't getting our food. Much better though to leave before a scene, don't you think? And my moussaka was just as good later at home. I tucked the girls in and they were soon asleep. I can't believe how well they're doing. How much of this will they remember? Time will tell.

So that was today. Tomorrow: Koninklijk Museum Voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen!

It's snowing in Antwerp

Light snow has begun falling. The girls are begging to stay up late enough to build a snowman. I tried to explain that the most we can make tonight is footprints, unfortunately.

SN Brussels Airlines is having a fare sale right now from Brussels to all sorts of European destinations for 49 euro one-way. I'm trying to see whether I have any family members who might be interested in a week somewhere in April when the girls have Easter break. More on that as the plans solidify.

I may attempt to take them myself if nobody takes me up on the offer, especially considering the alternative...two weeks with no school when the weather is still iffy!

They liked staying for lunch!!!!!!!

What a great, great day. And it could have been a disaster.

We decided to try having the girls stay at school for lunch, playground time, and afternoon class til 3:30 with the rest of their classmates (nobody else comes home at 12, so they've been missing out on whatever happens after they leave). We dropped them off this morning with their little lunches packed in Princess lunchboxes from the Super GB and crossed our fingers.

What to do with all that time? First we found a new cafe, near the school, for coffee and croissant time. Nothing much is open before 10am as far as shops are concerned, so there's not much else to do but enjoy a leisurely coffee and croissant while perusing Belgian interior design magazines. Pain and suffering, I tell you. Next we took the 7 tram to the starfish neighborhood and got bread at Goossens. I love that little shop!

Then we took the 8 tram all the way to the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp (www.kmska.be) to check it out for a JMU student tour we have planned for Thursday. It's so easy to get there, and the building itself is beautiful. I can't wait to see the exhibits on Thursday! There's a visiting exhibit from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam because of a renovation project. I noticed that they have audio guides too--I really love to see an exhibit with the audio guide at hand. It makes such a difference as far as the richness of the experience. Our group of students seems interested in seeing the cultural offerings while they're here, so it makes us all the more eager to sleuth out the possibilities.

Came back to the apartment for a while, read the International Herald Tribune, then headed to a soup restaurant in the University of Antwerp neighborhood. John had onion soup and I had a sort of cream of leek soup with pieces of salmon in it--delicious.

After John went to hold his office hours, I suddenly realized I had two whole hours to myself. Occasional solitude is essential to my mental health. Two hours with nobody calling my name...better than chocolate.

I decided to take my book of the moment, Dave Eggers' What is the What, and go to Verso, a cafe that I'd noticed as we rode the trams day after day. I knew that it was part of a high fashion boutique, and that it had a fire in the fireplace. How much could coffee be?

As it turned out, this was just the place for a languid afternooon. (www.verso.be) I perused the menu and ordered "Koffie Kompleet"--only 2 euro more than a Pellegrino water, and so much better! Koffie Kompleet is a cup of coffee accompanied by two Pierre Marcolini chocolates, four shortbread cookies, a scoop of the most delicious homemade vanilla ice cream ever, and a tiny cordial cup of Bailey's Irish Cream. I put a bit of the ice cream in the coffee and nibbled/sipped at my little table of treats for a good hour and a half til it was time to wrap it up.
Before I left, I decided to wander through the verso boutique itself, since I never go in that kind of rarefied atmosphere. The shirts in there cost more than I make in a semester of teaching. I sniffed the perfume testers at the cosmetics counter, scents with names like Jasmine & Cigarettes, Divine Angel, and Hotel Slut.

Took the 7 to the 8, popped into the Proost Supermarket to make sure the girls had an afterschool snack as soon as they got out, and walked up to meet them. The moment of truth had arrived. If they came out crying and clinging, the party would most certainly be over. If they had a good day, the possibilities for February and March are greatly expanded, for all of us.

We heard the announcement for "Familie Arndt" and came to the door. JieJie and MeiMei came out neither too sad nor too relieved, just normal. It was the best possible outcome. JieJie had learned to make newspaper hats today--an essential life skill!--and MeiMei had had gym this morning. They played tag at lunch recess with some kids who speak English, and enjoyed the rest of their day. We'll try it again on Thursday, which means I get to go to the art museum too.

Tonight JieJie asked if they could be sure to get to school early in the morning because that's what "her school friends" do. a good sign indeed.

I don't mean to give the impression that I'm trying to put my kids in storage all day, but really what is there to do in the apartment between 12 and 3 that's as fun as school? If they are happy there, it's probably the best use of that time, given the weather and our urban locale. If they were miserable though, I couldn't enjoy the free time it affords us with a black cloud of Mommie Dearest guilt hanging over my head.

I am thankful for this promising development.

I'm Not Pollyanna

If you have been following the notes from this Antwerp adventure, perhaps you have noticed that I tend to like where we go, enjoy the food we taste, and find most people I encounter to be more or less pleasant. I wonder whether you think I am really seeing everything around me...I mean after all, how can anyplace be this great?

I do tend to be a glass half-full sort of person by nature, it's true. And I love to travel, I love meeting people, trying new things, getting out of the comfort zone of the same-old same-old at home. I love learning new languages and turns of phrase, and seeing things from a different perspective. This time we have been given here is truly a gift for which I am beyond grateful, and I know John shares this feeling. We both loved Art Buchwald's last column...he mentioned wanting to eat as many eclairs as he possibly could in his final days, and regretted denying himself so many on doctor's orders. Life is a gift to be enjoyed, and the world is a big place--so much to see in so little time.

Do I like Antwerp? Absolutely! Would I move to Antwerp permanently? Nope. I think I like it more because I know we won't be here permanently, as odd as that may seem. It's been about a month now, so I feel a bit more comfortable making a Big Pronouncement like this. There are things that are easily dealt with for a short while that I think would begin to wear on me over time, and they're all parenting-logistics type things.

What things, you ask? Lack of elbow room for all of us, and lack of an easy way to get some mental elbow room while parenting young children. We are on the third floor of an apartment building that is a far walk from anything like a playground (thank goodness we found the school so they have a place to play with other kids!). At home in Virginia, which appears in my imagination impossibly green even though I know it's freezing cold and stark there right now, the girls can run out the back door and play in the yard while I do dishes, so we are together but I have a bit of mental space. Just before we left, big sister JieJie had gotten old enough to go play at her friend's house up the street without me along.

At home, they had dozens of ways to entertain themselves and were getting more and more self-sufficient for increasing chunks of time. In this apartment, our parent-child relationship is different. If they are bored, they call my name. If they are happy, they call my name. If they are tired of playing with their sister, ...well you get the idea. It's as though they are more dependent on me here, and on John of course, though he is infinitely more energetic and playful with them between 3:30 and 5pm than I seem able to be. The need to make sure they don't get too loud for the neighbors is always there too, though JieJie and MeiMei have really adjusted well, considering. But their "In case of boredom break glass" tactic is to screech like starving baby eagles. Yikes.

So we go outside, but still the girls have to exercise restraint. At home we have the yard, plenty of sidewalk to draw on or ride tricycles. Here we have pavement, cars, trams, buses, bicycles and lots of pedestrians to consider. Some buildings in Antwerp have nice courtyards with trees or private gardens, but the courtyard of our building is where people park bicycles and bring recycling, so that's not an option. As you know, we are going on lots of walks and other outings, but that's a double-edged sword. It's a temporary fix, but once we get back in the apartment, there we are again and they're more tired than before.

To end on a positive note (see? I can't help it), it is neat to travel with the girls, to see things through their eyes and see how people become playful when the girls are there. In the tram home today, a whole section was playing high-five games with the girls and laughing, and there was such a nice sense of warmth and friendliness.

So I am certainly not Complaining, by any means. I just wanted you to know I haven't overdosed on saccharine, if everything seems too happy-happy for you. How about this for a negative comment: there's doggie-do everywhere! It's true! The girls call out "DOG POO!" about once a minute so we don't run over it with The Stroller. I've started to guess at each dog's breed and general health by the size of the turds. Is it too much to ask to pick up after your dogs, people?!

Still, you can step in that stuff anywhere. Except maybe Disneyland. Bottom line--pun intended--the dead of winter is a tough time for parents and young children (and anybody I suppose) to be cooped up together. It will be lovely when spring comes.

5th Birthday Preparations

JieJie will turn 5 in just over a month. Time does fly. Sometimes when I sneak a peek at her when she's not looking at me, I can still see the baby JieJie in her expression, the way she concentrates when she's looking at a toy or the way her eyes squeeze tightly when she's happy. Still, she's getting so tall all of a sudden, and so grown up. The dress we bought for Santa photos is barely at her knee already.

To celebrate her birthday, JieJie had asked to go back to Samoerai, the teppan-yaki place overlooking the Steen. We know that we will be back at Samoerai for a JMU student dinner about a week before her birthday (March 9) so we are hoping just to ask for the fireworks dessert that night and do that part a bit ahead of schedule.

For the actual day, though, we happened upon a great present: custom-made princess dress-up clothes. My friend M in The Netherlands has a friend MJ who started her own business, http://www.prinsessenjurken.nl making beautiful dress-up clothes. She has shoes and tiaras too (and she came up with the brilliant idea of renting out trunks of dress-up clothes for parties). I just placed an order for two dresses, two pairs of shoes, and two tiaras, with one tiara more fancy than the other so we know who the birthday princess is. I am sure the girls will play with these dresses long after March 9th has come and gone, and they will be easy to take home with us too. There's always that "can we fit it in our suitcase on the way home" question.

Since the clothes suggest a theme, perhaps I can find a horse/carriage ride in Antwerp just to make the whole day extra-special. Of course there will be no problem finding a delicious cake, we can get some balloons, all that fun stuff. Her birthday is on a school day too, so she can celebrate with her classmates. I love birthdays.

Our friends T and K will be here then too--they are like grandparents to the girls, so it will be so special to have them here. My parents will visit later in April and no doubt will make up for lost time as soon as they get over jet lag, if not before.

I know JieJie will wish she could see her friends from Virginia on her birthday, but it's shaping up to be a special day in a different way.

Kid Stuff in Antwerp

The girls had Friday off from school, and we stayed put this weekend, so I can now tell you about great things to do with kids in Antwerp because we've done some of the major ones in the past 72 hours. I hope the girls have had enough fun and rest that they're ready for another week of school. We know it's challenging for them to keep diving in every morning at school. They are really trying so hard, really hanging in there, so when there's downtime, we are trying to have lots of easy fun.

Friday: Pirateneiland (www.pirateneiland.info) play park (see last post). An easy ride on Bus 1 down to the docks that Napoleon developed long ago. This old warehouse district is being gentrified from sleazy strip clubs to upscale apartments and family-friendly entertainment, and we could see the Flemish National Ballet headquarters a bit further down.

Saturday: Aquatopia (www.aquatopia.be is a GREAT website for kids) at the Astrid Park Hotel, Tram stop Astrid on the underground. What a fantastic place! This is by far one of the best places to take kids that I've ever been to. The attention to detail in this giant aquarium complex blows the mind. As someone who appreciates the theatrical skill needed to create an environment that truly transports visitors out of their everyday experience, I was in extra awe. Aquatopia is a three-story "zoo" specializing in fish and other aquatic species like turtles, frogs, coral, anemones, octopi, and also a few swamp-dwelling reptiles (snakes and iguanas).

Admission was quite reasonable. MeiMei was free because she's not 4 years old yet. The director of the JMU program gave us a coupon from the McDonalds on DeKeyserlei to get JieJie in free, so it was just 12,45 euro for me. What a bargain! We spent two hours in there and could've stayed longer. In each different environment, the lights, sound, surroundings, and even the temperature taught us something about different aquatic biomes. Our favorite was definitely the mangrove swamp because, in order to demonstrate how fish move among a mangrove tree's roots, we got to crawl (yes, me too, on my hands and knees) through kid-size tunnels under the fish tanks and climb over giant "roots" as though we were little fish. The girls also enjoyed the coral reef exhibit and the shark tunnel, where sharks and rays swim right over your head. We'll definitely go back there.

After our visit to Aquatopia, we passed through the stone lions that mark the entrance to the heart of Chinatown, Van Wesenbekestraat, looking for a place to eat lunch. We chose the City Palace Restaurant. It was a promising sign that I was the only person of European descent in the place. I also noticed that many of the tables were round with lazy susans in the middle for sharing dishes, another good sign. Our waiter asked where JieJie and MeiMei were born, and I answered Chongqing. As usually happens, we heard a flurry of conversation near the kitchen, with the word "Chongqing" sprinkled in, and then several other waiters and kitchen staff showed up to bring various items to our table and have a look at the girls. MeiMei smiled at them and said and said "uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco!" and big sister JieJie scolded "say Ni Hao!" What a world.

The waiter asked where we were all from and when we said the United States, he mentioned things about New York's Chinatown. Had he been there? I asked. No, just heard about it from friends, but he had worked in London's Chinatown before coming to Antwerp. So he knows at the very least four languages, because I heard him speak Dutch, Mandarin, and Cantonese in addition to English, and he likely knows another dialect of Chinese based on our (granted, limited) experience.

I wasn't sure what to order, since the menu was in Chinese, Dutch and French, so we asked them to bring a variety of dim sum and really enjoyed the variety of dumplings and meatballs and noodles. The hot and sour soup was fantastic.

At one point, MeiMei leaned back too far in her chair and fell over backwards. She was startled and started to cry, and immediately several people rushed over with candy for her (poor JieJie is getting tired of watching her clumsy little sister get all these sympathy treats when she herself gets nothing for just doing as she's supposed to do). I was scolded for my negligence in letting her sit wrongly in the chair (see the China entries--this is par for the course and I take it as par for the course).

After lunch we stopped in a Chinese supermarket. I want to try to find some New Year cake to make--Year of the Fire Pig starts on the 17th! I didn't find it Saturday, but the girls found some marshmallow candy so we got that. I swear our eating habits have gone down the tubes...but when we get back to Virginia we can just say "we only eat chocolate every day in Belgium, sorry girlies!" ;)

We caught the tram home, had our quiet time, and then walked to the Super GB to get lunch boxes. Tuesday afternoon we are going to give it a try (lunch and staying til 3:30). We'll see how it goes.

John got home about 7pm having had a great day in Brussels with the JMU students. We will definitely go back as a family later this month, but he felt we'd made the right decision to stay behind.

Today we slept in til 8:30 (believe me, this is LATE for us) and after breakfast decided to try the Antwerp Zoo (www.zooantwerpen.be), which is a block from Aquatopia, right next to the Central Station. It's a beautiful, park-like zoo, a welcome green space in a city that feels very paved and sooty this time of year...I have to remind myself that there are bare trees all around that, when they bloom, will transform the city. For now, though, most greenery is hidden away in private courtyards. From a pedestrian's point of view, it's all roads and buildings, very little sign of nature, so the zoo's green lawns and hedges were food for the soul.

The zoo is really expensive though! With the exchange rate, it was about $60 for the four of us to get in, and we wish we'd used our money toward an annual pass--it would have paid for itself after two more visits. Since the zoo is only a ten-minute walk from the apartment (like most things, actually), I could see going there just to give the girls a place to run and play on a nice afternoon. Ah well, live and learn, eh?

The zoo has an impressive group of birds from around the world, including condors, parrots, and these gorgeous owls that live in the northern parts of North America and Asia. For each species of bird and animal, the name plate also featured a map showing the region of the world where the animal's natural habitat is found. JieJie is a real map lover (she takes after John) so she loved calling out the names of the continents as we looked at each animal.

We left the zoo just after lunch time as it was turning chillier and the girls were hungry. Thank goodness for The Stroller--they'd have never made the walk home after all that fun at the zoo. This afternoon, we thought we'd try a trip to a Carrefour, which is like a French Wal-Mart. The only other Carrefour I'd been to was in China, actually. Our guide took us to buy baby supplies at a Carrefour in Chongqing the day we adopted MeiMei. (Am I the only person who thinks all these international overlaps are funny? At lunch in Chinatown there were so many interconnections I thought the universe might turn in on itself and create a black hole right there at City Palace). We hopped on the 3 tram and rode it to the end of the line in Merksem. It's neat to see the beginning of the 'burbs of Antwerp.

As with many things in this area, Carrefour was closed today (Sunday) so we let the girls play at the indoor playground of a Quick fast food restaurant (so like McDonald's you truly can't tell the difference, looks-wise anyway...we didn't eat there, just had Cokes). We took the tram back into central Antwerp and got off at the Groenplaats (Green Place) where there happens to be a Sunday afternoon flower market. For a measly 1 euro I bought a cute little primrose in a little pot that is now sitting in our kitchen window sill next to the miniature banana JieJie got from a classmate's birthday party. Next Sunday I'll bring more money--we need some greenery in the apartment.

This evening we got the sad news that John's maternal aunt Eileen passed away early this morning. She was a wonderful, kind, gracious lady. She lived in Kentucky but had visited us in Virginia and had met both girls, which we're glad of. She was 86. Our thoughts are with John's cousins M and B and their families tonight. Amen.

Not Going to Brussels

One of my requests, as someone whose main duty on this semester abroad is to look after the interests of my almost-5 and 3 1/2 year olds, is that I be given a copy of the itineraries for any out of town trips. I want to know where the potential trouble spots are.

Last weekend's trip to Gent and Brugge was ideal. Minimal time on the bus, lots of walking tours in beautiful locales, and just one short tour that needed an alternate plan (the Gravensteen in Gent).

When I got the itinerary for today's trip to Brussels, two major alarm bells went off. First, after a 45-minute bus ride just to get to Brussels, the itinerary says "two hour bus tour with guide." This means the girls would be on the bus, having to be quiet, with no access to food or a potty for two hours at the most active time of their day. Not a deal-breaker...I could always just ask to be let off near the town center which I've visited before. But then strike two: an hour and a half guided museum tour during the part of the afternoon when they're used to curling up with a quiet toy, a book or their LeapPads. Basically this would mean spending most of the day away from the group, ambling around Brussels in The Stroller.

It just didn't make any sense whatsoever, so we're staying put and we'll see hubby/daddy at dinner tonight. Our next trip, in a few weeks, is to the Ardennes and Western Germany and we're definitely going because it's a 3-day, 2-night jaunt. More on that later in February.

So what will we do with our day? The weather seems cooperative, so we have a choice between two different spots, both within walking/easy tram distance: Antwerp's famous zoo, with its Art Nouveau gates and buildings, or Aquatopia, a huge indoor aquarium complex. Both of these places are adjacent to Antwerp's Chinatown, so perhaps we'll get lunch there. I would love some good Chinese food, and it's also interesting to see how Chinese cooks adapt their recipes to suit the tastes of the locals. You will find Chinese restaurants all over the world, but depending upon where you are, the dishes are not ever prepared in a truly authentic way unless you're in China proper. The "Ristorante Cinese" in Italy is heavy on noodles. American Chinese Restaurants do a lot of breaded and fried stuff and lean toward sweeter recipes.

I look forward to hearing from John about the tour of Brussels. We've already decided that we'll do a family daytrip there on one of our free days coming up. Frankly, I've got a touch of bronchitis so I'm thankful for the rest too.

Yesterday the girls had a day off of school so we took them by bus to Pirateneiland (Pirate Island), a huge pirate themed indoor play park with plenty to climb on, crawl through, slide down, and bounce around. And since we're not in sue-happy liability insurance land anymore, they actually had some FUN things for kids to play on! And they have an interesting take on what parents might do while the kiddies are climbing around saying "ahoy, mijn hartjes:" there are three kinds of Belgian beer on tap! Stop hovering, mom and dad--chill out by the window with a pint! The bar wasn't open on Friday morning, because that's when school groups come through...I suppose it would be bad form for the teachers to knock a few back while the 100+ kids that they've just spent an hour on the bus with run around like crazy gnomes. Ya think?

Since there's a food theme lately I will of course share what we had for lunch: JieJie had a croque monsieur again (hot ham and cheese), MeiMei had a grilled cheese (croque monsieur with no ham), John had boeuf bourguignon (sp?) and I had a traditional flemish beef stew in (what else?) beer sauce. We all shared a bowl of frites (fries) with the Belgian condiment: mayo. The girls didn't ask for ketchup, and they're starting to say "ja (yes)" and "nee (no)" regularly. Wonder how long it will be before we hear an entire phrase in Nederlands (Dutch) pop out of their mouths.

School: To stay or not to stay (all day)?

We have been so happy with the school we found for JieJie and MeiMei, and they clearly feel at home there too. Of course it's not been without the predictable bumpy moments as they adjust. JieJie says some kids don't let her ride on the few tricycles they have at playground time (they block her like a tiny little traffic cop), and she reported that some other kids were pulling MeiMei by her arms (we wonder if they were just fighting over who would play with her and got carried away) but we haven't heard more stories like that this week...I think/hope it is just normal kids-testing-each-other stuff, and trust that we'd have heard if there were problems that merited our involvement. It will be better for JieJie when her little friend is back.

The teachers and staff are very firm disciplinarians but clearly very loving and kind. JieJie's teacher went out of her way to find out how her preschoolers could learn to make their own snow globes, since they're studying winter this week. They turned out so well! We were asked to bring in a jelly jar (actually it was an empty red cabbage jar). Yesterday, JieJie made a snowman out of dough. The teacher took all the little snowmen home and baked them, brought them back, and then the kids assembled their snow globes with water and glitter, and it works just like a real one. JieJie's creation is proudly displayed on the mantel in the apartment. It may be the only "snow" we see this winter, very mild weather we're having.

Since things are going well enough after three weeks of school, we're starting to think about having them stay for lunch and the early afternoon which usually consists of art or music or some other fun activity. They seem curious to see what happens when their classmates head in the opposite direction at noon when we pick them up. Probably best to try just one day next week and see how they react.

If you look at the big picture, it might be good for them to spend longer days in school. They won't really have a ton of days in school, between school vacation days and our side trips cutting into the weeks. Between now and the end of April, they'll be out for four weeks total! There's a week off in February (that's when our program goes to Germany), then we're gone the last week of March to Luxembourg/Strasbourg/Paris, and then the school takes the first two weeks of April off for Easter...then they have only 8 more days of school til we leave. I can see why some people who bring older kids on a semester abroad choose to home-school them through online courses. If the girls were in first grade or beyond, they would miss a great deal of school, though travel is of course very educational.

Food again - Bakkerij Goossens etc.

Just a P.S. to yesterday's post, the dagmenu at 't Injaske did not disappoint. I was almost going to order Moussaka but decided to try the dagmenu (menu of the day). It just said something in Dutch about a plate baked in the oven. They make great comfort food there - sounded like casserole to me. It was like au gratin potatoes with ham and leeks, with some cheese sprinkled on top and put under the broiler to make a crackly crust. It was served with some squash soup as a starter. Yum.

This morning we wandered around looking for a cafe after the girls were safely ensconced at school, and ended up at Monaco on the Meir. Cappucino was good there. We read a London Times and watched the traffic go by.

Next we decided to try Goossens Bakery. That's the place I'd found in the "starfish" of pedestrian streets just off the Meir, on Korte Gasthuisstraat, the one with a line out the door. I found out why there's a line out the door--what scrumptious stuff they have there! I got some whole grain bread, sliced, a coffee cake type pastry with frangipane filling for tomorrow's breakfast, and six koekjes (cookies) that are like pinoli cookies sandwiched around a pistachio filling. Yum! I hear they make bread with apples every Friday morning...we'll have to stop by there again for more scrumptious treats.

Finally we stopped into a bookstore called Standaard Boekhandel. They have a good children's book section and a good English language novel section, but we didn't get anything today. I'm still working on Dave Eggers' What is the What and after that is Claire Messud's The Emperor's Children. The girls have a small but growing collection of English language books (the one thing we could've brought more of--hard to find here!) thanks to my mom and aunt, who have so generously mailed a few at a time.

Got back to the apartment and hung out til John went to get the girls. I made lunch while they were on their way back. No school tomorrow, so we're looking into a daytrip of some kind.

Foodies Rejoice!

Today has been a great day for eating amazing food.

Breakfast was our usual whatever-people-want, with MeiMei's Choco-Muesli, JieJie's dipping eggs, John's coffee, and my Special K with red berries.

Uniforms on, school bags packed, and it's off to the #7 tram, switch to the #8, get off at our stop on Lange Leemstraat and head to school. Remind MeiMei to kiss & hug because she's already showing her new headband to her teacher. Peel JieJie's hands off my thigh as she makes a big show of wanting me to stay (same thing at her Virginia school--we see the giggle in her eyes now when she does it, so it's not a concern).

John and I walk back toward our place, stopping at a nice cafe on the Wapper, a few doors down from the Rubens museum. We've been here before and like the Boulanger, which includes two individual pots of coffee, with little chocolates of course, and a basked of croissants, butter and strawberry preserves. This has become date-time, this period between drop-off and 10am when stores open. We don't do dinner and a movie anymore, it's leisurely breakfast and it's great!

This morning we decided to go to the National Maritime Museum at the Steen castle on the Schelde River. It is a really nice museum, and all museums are free the last Wednesday of the month (today) - what luck! In the museum we enjoyed a fine collection of all things having to do with the history of the Port of Antwerp, from paintings to artifacts to the many many many models they have of different types of ships that have docked here. In the most impressive room toward the end of the exhibit halls, you start by looking at a dugout canoe from the earliest recorded history here, and end up looking at a fascinating cross-section model of a luxury steamship operated by the Red Star Line between Antwerp and New York. My dad in particular is going to want to spend some time there, as his dad was in the U.S. Navy and my dad has always liked boating-related stuff.

On the way back to the apartment, we went through the always-impressive Grote Markt with all the guildhalls overlooking the square and the Brabo Fountain. I hope I never take that view for granted. We wanted to grab some chocolates just to have around, but little did we know we were going to get an education about Belgian chocolates!

It was 11am when we walked into a chocolate shop just off the Grote Markt. We were the only ones in the shop for the next half hour and the shopkeeper takes such pride in what he sells, it was a truly amazing shopping experience. I asked if he had an assortment. He asked if it was a gift--I said sheepishly no, it's for us, just to have some in the house. He got a gleam in his eye and started asking about our tastes. Did we like dark, milk, or light chocolate? Did we like marzipan? Nuts? Nougat? Caramel-butterscotch? Marshmallows? Grand Marnier? Cognac? Were we American, French, ?? We answered the questions and said we were American. He said "I know what you want" and started throwing all kinds of chocolate into a small bag. I'm thinking it's going to get expensive, but I was too interested to care.

Along the way, he handed us all kinds of samples. Here--try this dark chocolate with cocoa powder...Americans like it. Here--try this framboise and taste how the flavors bloom one at a time, chocolate, raspberry, cinnamon, and chocolate again, and never too sweet. Here--try this thin slice of dark chocolate that children like to melt on their toast. No don't eat it yet--hold it to the light first and see how it shines. That's how you know it's good. Do you like this? It's a crunchy caramel--toffee, I said we called it. He told us about the amazing eggs that will appear on his shelves before Easter, Picasso eggs he called them. And hollow eggs that you hang by ribbons. and eggs filled with candy confetti. And on and on.

Finally, the piece de resistance. He turned the radio off in the shop so it was totally silent and held up a cube that he said was dark chocolate covered mocha marshmallow. Listen! he said. And he broke the marshmallow--I swear you could hear tiny air bubbles popping right there in the shop. We tried the candy (John is NOT a marshmallow person) and agreed it was just heavenly. The girls would love a strawberry one. I can't wait for Easter!

The damage for the whole big huge bag of assorted chocolates, enough to last us til next payday, was only 15 euro. The shopkeeper talked a lot about how Americans think they are buying Belgian chocolates but that what we are getting is made so that it lasts a year, and "real" Belgian chocolate is only good for a month. He kept using the word "fresh," a word I've never heard associated with chocolate. You really can taste the difference though, and you can tell that there's real cream and butter in some of the fillings, which would make the "fresh" idea make sense. I believe we now have a favorite chocolate shop. If you go to Antwerp, go chocolate shopping at Chateau Blanc on a quiet morning when you have time to be spoiled with enough samples to fill you up for the day!

Lunch was with the girls, at the Frituur Die Witte near their school. A Frituur is a place where you can get all different kinds of fried things, especially french fries--ahem, Belgian fries. We had a mini order of fries (a kleine is huge) with curry ketchup, my new favorite condiment, and also a breaded hot dog called a currywurst, and a chicken/onion kebab deep-fried and sprinkled with spices. The girls raided the fries till there were none left, and JieJie had a second currywurst. Not something we're going to do a lot of--they use beef lard in the fryer so it's delicious but extra-unhealthy--but it was a delicious treat for a Wednesday afternoon.

Tonight's dinner will be at a neighborhood restaurant called Eetcafe 't Injaske. I'll probably order the Dagmenu (menu of the day) because it's a great way to get a good value and try a regional specialty. Last time the dagmenu there was trout wrapped in salmon in a cream sauce with leeks and mashed potatoes and it was yummy.

We've also learned how to order beer Antwerp-style. You can order a "Bollecke" (BOWL-uh-kuh) which is a kind of beer DeKoninck makes, or you can order a "Pintje" (pinch-ya) which is a small glass of the house beer. I'm not a huge beer drinker but when in Antwerp...

Our DeLijn 3-month Passes

De Lijn is the company that runs trams and buses that serve the entire Flanders region. We've started to learn which trams and buses take us where we need to go. If it's bad weather, instead of taking The Stroller, we can walk down to the end of our street, catch the 7, transfer at a number of points to the 8, and get off at the end of the street our daughters' school is on. Timing can be tricky. Depending upon how long it takes to get that first tram, and how far behind the 7 the next 8 is, it's taken us fifteen minutes to get the girls to school, and it's also taken an hour (twice as long as walking) because of traffic. Since the trams run on the regular streets without their own lane much of the time, they are affected by traffic lights and rush hour just as the cars and buses are. Still, it's a fun way to see the city and a pretty effortless way to get around.

What we decided to do, with part of our transportation allotment from the university, is buy a 3-month pass on De Lijn. It will expire the day before we leave Antwerp--perfect! It costs 75 euro for the pass, but once you have it, you can take any bus or tram in the region at any time.

To buy a pass for DeLijn, bring your money and your passport to the DeLijn office on Franklin Roosevelt Plaats (it's in one of the low buildings in the midst of all the buses at that depot area). You should also be prepared to write down your local address, which goes on your pass. The pass itself is just a slip of paper in a plastic holder. We keep them in our passport holders, since if we are ever checked for our passes, we'd need to show our passport at that time as well.

It's kind of weird getting on all these buses and trams and never showing anyone a ticket, but we've been told that sooner or later a conductor will spot check us, so we'll make sure always to have it with us.