Back in Maine, Time to get to work

OK, I have had my expat fun. I see that life for me is a party compared to life for MOST people. So, what to about it.  See "things to care about" list on the right. These and so many more.

My friend took her daughter yesterday, Nov 14th, to the mall to sit on Santa's lap. I started to complain about the ever-expanding holiday, the commercialism of it all, and then I realized...who the hell cares? You make the holiday what you want for you and your family and the rest, well....there are lots of other more pressing problems to complain about, or better yet, TACKLE!!

Yep, this is just the beginning.

Art Mind Blower!

Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring at the Mauritshuis Museum in the Hague.   WOW.  I'll never look at a print the same way.  This power of this painting is magical.  I have never seen skin so porcelain and soft!!    Double thumbs for the temporary Jan Steen exhibit.  A comical twist to a moral lesson in every painting.

Fun Spring Break From Amsterdam with Kids

• Easyjet to Barcelona. Great city!! Friendly airport.
• Car rental to Argeles sur Mer.  Definitely recommend April trip, huge beach, beautiful sand, water, valleys and mountains. Gorgeous- but probably too busy in the summer.  Great wind, plenty of kite and windsurf boards. Other fun activities here include road biking, mountain biking, rock climbing and hiking.  We hiked the trail of L'eglise de 12sme siecle.  Fun scrambing and great views.  http://en.argeles-sur-mer.com/
• Camping at Le Bois Fleuri. Loved it!! Definitely recommend it. http://www.bois-fleuri.com/
• Day trip to the medeval village, Villefranche, and nearby caves.  Grotte Grand Canalette- amazing!!!  Town website:http://www.villagesdefrance.free.fr/page_villefranche_de_conflent.htm  Cave website: http://www.3grottes.com/en/grotte-grandes-canalettes.html
• Then back to Barcelona for a quick visit.  Three ticks:


• Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's famous cathedral- still being completed...amazing! Nothing like it! 
• Siesta.....
• Magic Fountain, a nighttime spectacle, worth it! 
• Gaudi's Park Guell....just to cement the memory of Gaudi!! :)
• Stayed at the youth hostel Casa Gracia- thumbs up.

Three life lessons

...shared with me by my daughter, Sophie, as taught to her by astronaught Steve Smith:

1. Never let go of your dream.
2. Don't judge a book by its cover. It is what is inside that counts.
3. The earth is like a blue and green island in a black ocean. We need to be nice to each other because there is no where else to go.

 Thanks, Steve!!

Day in Paris w/Kids

• Thalys train from Schiphol, 3 hours, FUN!
• Bus #42 out in front of Gare du Nord, 1.80 euro pp.  Scenic tour of the city with a stop at the Eiffel Tower!
• Summit the Eiffel Tower at night with pre-reserved tickets (tried to reserve well in advance and finally got a time slot just the night before we left- so keep checking the website!)
• Crash in comfy slumber at Hotel de l'Exposition (Room 107 is actually 2 separate but attached rooms- great for parents looking for a good night sleep!) 
• After breakfast, back on the #42 to hit Galleries Lafayette and spoil the kids with a new outfit from Paris (a good reconnaissance for Mom).
• Number 7 Metro to Porte de Villete. Enter the Cite des Sciences (Science Museum) There are a few sections for kids, Cite des Enfants.  We saw a 3d movie Oceanosaurus in La Geode first and then visited the musuem for 7-12 year olds.  Very fun!! Kids part also has English descriptions & instructions. Don't miss the adult sections but bring someone who reads French! :)
• Quick bite at a cafe near Gare Du Nord and au revoir Paris!! 

Cocktail Party Hits

Key Lime Cookies YUM! http://homecooking.about.com/od/dessertrecipes/r/blcookie96.htm

Smoked Salmon on Chips, funny sounding but with rave reviews and no leftovers.  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Smoked-Salmon-Chips-242390

I feel sLOVEnia!

Bovec, Slovenia: Thumbs up!  Would be great for a summer vacation, too, but we were there for skiing at Kanin.  Rugged, high mountains with a drop into Italy for lunch....who can beat that!  Just prepare yourself for some exciting gondola rides and perhaps a mechanical failure or two which will keep you and your family perched high above the ground and bouncing for undetermined amounts of time, in our case, about 30 minutes! Yikes- yuckiest 'Mom moment' ever.

Next stop, Venice...can't get enough of Italy.  Hotel Tre Archi for a great, off the beaten track, location...and sweet rooms.  Right on a water bus stop and the cafe Marisa across the way is a must for a multi course classic homecooked Italian meal- different themes every night. We had 4 courses of seafood- kids get a gold medal for bravery! ha.  Note to self; it's great to be in Venice with the family, but it begs for a weekend with only your sweetie- SUPER romantic! It's with that late afternoon glow when the city wakes up......hora italica......

Italia, oh Italia!!

Great friends and Florence! The best recipe for a weekend getaway! We stayed at the Piaza della Signoria- the literal center of downtown. Can't speak to high-season. For off-season, this is a great location to access all the sights.  In the Duomo, we saw the 24 hour clock, running on hora italica, but I just read that it's 4-6 hours ahead-that one had us stumped!  February in Florence, I'd definitely recommend it.  And it's a great city to explore without too much of a plan.  Highlights for me: Botticelli in the Ufizi, Michelangelo's David, Palazzo Pitti and the art of wine exhibit, cappucinos, processo, exploring the outskirts in running shoes and views from Palazzo di Michelangelo.

 

Expat Wives Survival Guide: Tip #1

Ensure at all times that you have well stocked shelves as demonstrated in the photo.  Items range from least effective, on the left, to most effective, on the right.

New Year's In Berlin

OK, so it's not German, but one of the BIG highlights from our weekend in Berlin was the African restaurant, Massai.  Massai's Link  We looked on Booking.com and found a one bedroom apartment in Prenlauer Berg which turns out to be at least one of the happening neighborhoods in Berlin. Massai was around the corner....it was always full but we stopped in one day when they just opened and made a reservation...WOW!!

I was in Berlin 20 years ago on 'Unification Day' so this was an exciting return. I was glad I got a good whack at the wall when I did.  Anyway, I really did that for my Mom.  Ironically, the wall is behind a fence now...  We hope that seeing the wall and the outlines of its path along the city and Checkpoint Charlie has left an impression on our girls.  A fairly short but powerful and educational chapter of history.

Overall, Berlin is gritty and abuzz with real life....it's certainly not polished, like Amsterdam, but rather brimming with individuality and creativity. You have to like graffiti and it's place on any surface.  As I watched Alex and Sophie light rockets from a tipped over shopping cart half buried in mud and snow on a street corner it felt like a scene from some seedy movie....one of the rockets hit an awning a few stories up and came crashing down into the doorway of a shop but no one seemed to mind!

Happy New Year!!! 2011 here we go........