tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89203353401597758012024-02-19T08:06:14.778-08:00The Vlach SixOur Family Adventure Continues....The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.comBlogger376125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-16772702522445462992017-12-04T12:01:00.001-08:002017-12-05T20:32:10.424-08:00Reframing the Hardships of Moving into Great Stories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've been transferred from Western Europe back to the States, and while parts of every move are exhilarating and hope-filled, sometimes we need to call other parts what they really are: stressful at best, and totally crappy at worst (right?). But it's amazing how quickly the things that seemed so hard can become hilarious in their retelling with a little time and reframing. We all need to cry before we can laugh though. When the dust finally settles and the challenges are a blurred memory, the stories take on a life of their own and become comic relief -- a great story at a dinner party!
Now that we're looking back....</div>
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I'll tell about how I got a new phone number on our US cell plan, and then kept getting voicemails from an area correctional facility, asking if I would accept an inmate's call. Special thanks to my number's former owner....<br />
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Or about how the very night before we boarded our transatlantic flight home, John's fingers got trapped in the hinges of a heavy hotel door and we heard the crunch of bone. Cue the ambulance, the Luxembourgish ER and a summer cast. (What I'll remember is that John flirted his head off with his nurses, who loved him, and that all he really cared about was whether he'd get a lollipop like the other kid getting a cast at 9pm.)</div>
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I'll tell about how we lived out of suitcases for 10 weeks over the summer, changing locations eight times, each move requiring a full day's packing, cleaning and resettling.....where I started using Rob's deodorant and our 6-year old son wore his big sister's underwear to bed one night as pajamas because I. Couldn't. Find. Anything.<br />
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<b>Or how for weeks on end, Rob and I made GIANT life decisions from two different cities via text after a roller coaster ride that began eight months prior.</b><br />
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I'll tell about how the only available rental house in Peoria, which was to become home while we awaited our closing date, had a smelly flooded basement with ripped up carpet and exposed tack strips. Rob broke cobwebs with his face on a walk-through. So two days before the kids and I landed in Peoria from New Orleans, we logged another unexpected week with Rob's incredibly gracious folks in Chicago while Rob scouted hotels within our school district's boundaries, which was necessary for enrollment. We made a hotel home for three weeks (no extended stay was available in the district), feeding a family of six with a single hot plate that we bought on Amazon, a mini-microwave and a college dorm-sized fridge. <b>One night I steamed fresh broccoli…and made the entire second floor of our hotel smell like a fart. Rob said it even smacked him in the lobby when he got "home" from work.</b><br />
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Maybe we'll mention our mad-dash house-hunting trip only days after touching down from Europe -- seeing 20 houses a day -- and how in the midst of negotiations, our builder changed his mind and decided not to sell, then woke up with a change of heart and said it was ours after all. When we set down earnest money and started remodeling, we learned the school two blocks away (which inspired our home-purchase) was over-enrolled and may bump us elsewhere. (We were overjoyed when we received acceptance email in early August!).<br />
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And how in the midst of our gigantic transition, we discovered we had....wait for it...<i>lice</i> and spent a quick grand on professional remediation, calling in the pros. (Cue the humbling texts to everyone we'd visited in case we'd left them an unexpected gift). Our personal lice SWAT team met us at our hotel and worked her magic until we got the "All Clear," which required daily checks and multiple nights sleeping with olive oil on our scalps. I can't imagine what the hotel staff thought of our towel situation.<br />
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I'll tell about finding out our Carmax Suburban wouldn't be delivered for four weeks. When the long-awaited family car finally arrived from South Carolina, it smelled like wet dog, had petrified French fries under the seats and a frenetic rattling window. So after all that, we caravanned <i>back</i> to Bloomington for the second time in five days with all four kids (two hours round trip and a couple of missed naps) to return it to the dealership.</div>
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Now we can laugh about how our air shipment, which should have arrived within 10 days of our flight home from Lux, arrived four weeks later with some critical pieces missing, including Rob's <i>entire</i> work wardrobe.
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In the midst of it all, we had a grand total of seven ear infections between the four kids (and Bitsy slept in a rather large bathroom closet for several weeks).<br />
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Hey, it isn't all glamorous. No one ever said it would be. We're tired and weary and we’re suffering from SDF (Severe Decision Fatigue). We're squeezing what could be years-worthy of life decisions into a month.<br />
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<b>But almost all of these experiences register somewhere between a mild to major inconvenience. Nothing more. And more importantly, there is a <u>formidable</u> flip side to each of these stories...these soon-to-be punchlines...these "hardships" we survived (because when I think of </b></div>
<b><i>true</i> hardship, these do not even qualify).
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<b>Each and every time we packed up and moved locations, we landed with a different family member who welcomed us with open arms, filled my children's hearts with love and security, and did everything humanly possible to make us comfortable and welcome. They filled our tanks and talked us through whatever big decision we were making at that point in time. They let me ugly-cry. They made up beds and made us laugh; we made incredible memories.</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We loved our wonderful time in Bay St. Louis</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We visited my 94-year-old Grandma Madeline</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rob's family hosted us over and over and over again!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andi opened her home to us and we had so much fun!!</td></tr>
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Little John never once complained about that cast. As we boarded our flight home the morning after his accident, the pilot of the international jumbo jet in London came back and found us in our seats, inviting our entire family to meet him in the cockpit when we landed, where he signed it.
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<b>Now THERE'S a story we'll tell forever.
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Each silly car rental (as we waited for our ill-fated Carmax delivery) helped show us what car to actually buy. And each time I felt stranded without wheels, I thought of all the hardworking folks who are building beautiful lives with so much less. Our jet-lagged, hyper-speed home search gave me confidence in our ultimate selection. I feel so blessed that we have the space to host family and friends after three years away, and that we landed on a cul-de-sac with fabulous built-in friends.</div>
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Receiving our late admittance into the children's school made me even more excited and grateful to be able to live in a walkable neighborhood. Sitting on that bubble for a while gave me empathy for the families who were likely bumped within the district to an equally wonderful school in a less convenient location.<br />
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And those three weeks in a hotel? I was touched and even flattered by all the friends I haven't seen in 10 years (and in some cases much longer) who reached out, inviting us for play dates, pool outings and family dinners. And while at the time, I thought I might lose my mind in what started to feel like a hunter-green-carpeted prison, our kids will only ever remember the hotel swimming pool, the waffle maker at our breakfast bar and not having to make their beds. I certainly enjoyed piles of fresh towels each morning. The staff was kind and helpful. When we finally moved into our completely <i>empty</i> house as we awaited our sea shipment, a friend and fellow "Cat Wife" stopped over with sleeping bags and pillows, a tent and lanterns, a gigantic Johnny-sized teddy bear and words of encouragement. Her family's similar transition was only a few months behind her. I hope to do the same for someone one day.<br />
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<b>We each have our moving war stories, where we're in the trenches and we feel our stamina puttering out. But how I love arriving at that point when we can laugh, revel in how far we've come, and appreciate how lucky we are. THAT's a moment to celebrate and absorb for awhile. Guess what? We're finally there.</b><br />
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<b>I feel so grateful for these hard decisions we've made, because each one has allowed us to design the next stage of our life. To dictate what is most important and to fill our calendars, home and hearts based on what we've learned about ourselves.</b><br />
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Life is pretty darn good. In fact, it’s way better than that. It’s amazing....and we’re only getting started.<br />
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(Now I just need to to block a certain incarcerated caller).</div>
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The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-76575410489803747092017-06-09T17:28:00.000-07:002017-12-05T07:52:06.997-08:00John John Turns Six!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy birthday to our John John! This kid makes us laugh SO hard! He basically never wears shoes anywhere (clothes are optional) and his raspy voice and buck teeth (from sucking on his blankees) go perfectly with his spunky humor and pure <i>awesomeness</i>. It's so fun to be his mama! He's so easy to please -- even though we were in complete move transition during his birthday and living in the Novotel, he declared, "This is the best birthday I've ever had!" when he woke up to something as simple as balloons on his hotel room floor. Oh, how we LOVE you, John Thomas!<br />
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Rob and I were tying up move related details until late at night, but we wanted John to be able to bring Dunkin Donuts (his request) to his class on his celebration day, so Rob crossed the border to Belgium at 9pm to pick them up for our early morning.<br />
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Come Saturday -- our last day in Luxembourg -- we opened John's family gifts in our hotel room, and then headed over to ZigZag, a Luxembourgish indoor playground that specializes in birthday parties. It blew sweet little John away. He invited all his friends from around the world, specifically Cecaelia, his German bestie. It was a <i>blast</i> to watch him feel so special and celebrated!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John, Cecaelia and daddy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John's last day at the International School of Luxembourg</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John, Zade and Tyler</td></tr>
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Later that night, just as we were zipping the final suitcase in preparation for our early morning transatlantic flight, poor Johnny stuck his fingers in the hinged-side of a heavy hotel door as it swung shut. We heard a terrible crunch and knew he needed to go straight to the hospital. An ambulance raced John and me to the Luxembourgish ER, where they determined his middle finger was broken and put him in a cast. He was so tough -- what a STUD!! He left with quite a souvenir of Lux, and never complained all six weeks while he couldn't jump in the swimming pool with his siblings.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little ladies man!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pilot signing his cast on the jumbo jet from London to Chicago</td></tr>
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The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0Luxembourg City, Luxembourg49.611621000000007 6.131934600000022349.44698600000001 5.8092111000000219 49.776256000000004 6.4546581000000227tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-69719822940254519992017-04-13T17:12:00.000-07:002017-12-05T20:40:32.594-08:00Iceland...A Trip of a Lifetime!Iceland.<br />
<br />
Wow.<br />
<br />
It sounds terribly cliché to say it left me speechless -- especially for a Journalism major -- except that I've been flirting with the first sentence of this blog in my head for <i>days</i> and still just can't put to words how this startlingly beautiful and eerie, windswept land affected us. It felt like we vacationed on Mars...like we had discovered an unknown planet.<br />
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Iceland wasn't even <i>on our radar</i> as a potential place to visit before we moved abroad. But it quickly rose to the very top of our list; we took a family vote and it was everyone's #1 place we wanted to visit before Caterpillar moved us back to America....a transfer we knew could come at any time. Charlie's very best friend, Sólon, is Icelandic, and I had befriended several Icelandic women. So when the first whispers of a transfer home started to surface, we dug deeper than we ever have before and decided to fly to Iceland from Helsinki -- a direct flight -- at the end of <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.com/2017/04/cruising-baltic-sea-st-petersburg-russia.html" target="_blank">our Baltic Cruise</a>. For me, this meant I would travel through seven countries and travel across the Atlantic twice in a matter of two weeks.<br />
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I'm so glad we did.<br />
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We landed in Reykjavik, the northernmost capital of the world. It was a long travel day. I caught Bitsy's barf in my bare hands and Rob lost his coat (eventually retrieved while I circled the parking lot for an hour!), but it was worth it. The two-hour drive through the Icelandic wild to our Airbnb in Ulfljotsvatn, near Selfoss and the Golden Circle, was other-worldly....steam vents, lava fields, wild Icelandic ponies, snow-covered mountains, gushing streams and ice cold lakes that glittered against the stark volcanic landscape. I read my lovely friend, Kate Ballbach's blog post about their trip to Iceland (read it <a href="http://kateballbach.com/blog/2015/10/7/summer-in-iceland" target="_blank">here</a>), and took her advice to heart: The beauty of Iceland is in its wild. So at greater expense and output of effort, we struck out from the capital (where you can take all sort of day trips on tour buses...a tempting option with four young kids) and instead, opted for a house on a lake in the middle of nowhere.<br />
<br />
We loved it.<br />
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The first thing we did was jump into our swimsuits and take a geothermal hot tub on our back deck. The water filtering out at our feet was literally bubbling from the center of the Earth and it was HOT.<br />
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The next morning was Easter Sunday. The kids were delighted that the bunny found us! After opening their baskets and waiting for Bitsy to wake up, they searched for chocolate eggs throughout the house (not outside for fear that they would blow away!). The Icelandic church we tried to attend was locked for both posted services, so we enjoyed His majesty in the natural world around us. First, we hiked into the Kerio Crater, walking alongside the upper rim and then right down into the groundwater-fed lake.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved the Icelandic flag on this church we tried to attend.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking the upper rim. You can't tell how high we feel here!</td></tr>
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Next, we drove to Thingvellar National Park, where we straddled the Continental Divide, a huge gash in the Earth where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly ripping apart a few centimeters a year. I can't wait for the kids to see these pictures when they're old enough to understand how COOL this experience was!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Straddling the Continental Divide!</td></tr>
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The next morning, we drove to Hveragerdi, a sweet little town known for its hot springs. We enthusiastically began the <i>steep</i> hike past steam vents and mud pools, charging forward to the point at which two streams meet -- one cold and one practically boiling -- the perfect place for a swim and views all the way to the ocean. We started early because we knew a storm was predicted for the afternoon. Well...that storm moved in FAST when we were about 1 km up the mountain! Charlie and Madeline put their arms out, laughing at how the wind carried them....and at that moment, Rob and I realized the situation was potentially dangerous. The storm got stronger and stronger as we safely and quickly doubled back down the mountain -- Bitsy was crying in her Thule backpack as sharp icy snowflakes pelted her face. We made it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We tied John's change-of-clothes around her face!</td></tr>
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After a nice long hot cocoa break, we decided to go check out Reykjavik. We parked and were careful not to let our car doors smash into other cars and people with the whipping winds (this is a big thing!). Rob found a stylish grass-roofed restaurant named Rok, directly across from Hallgrímskirkja (the famous Lutheran cathedral that looks like a rocketship), where we ate traditional Icelandic dishes like reindeer, Plokkfishur (fish pie) and fried cod.<br />
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The wind gusts were so strong that a red-bearded, 6-foot tall local told us he wouldn't dare take the southerly road along the Atlantic back to our house. We followed his advice, especially after watching a car go off the road earlier that day. I didn't know it at the time, but both of my Icelandic friends wrote, telling us to take care as they watched the news from Luxembourg! Our new friend told us it was safe to take interior roads (which are more sheltered from the wind and ocean torrents) to the geysirs at Haukadalur. They were steaming and sulfurous, and fired off so suddenly that I dropped my cell phone!<br />
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We kept seeing the same people as we made our way to Gulfoss next, a thundering waterfall that disappears into a 105 foot crevasse.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The volume was deafening! We could barely hear each other. </td></tr>
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On our final day, we drove to the famous Blue Lagoon through a lava field along the Atlantic Ocean. It was fabulous! We checked into the spa and entered the 100 degree bright blue waters, churning out of the Earth from 6500 feet below, rich in silica, algae and other healing minerals. We soaked for hours, rubbing the muds on our faces until our skin stung and we were wrinkled prunes.<br />
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And that was a wrap. Spring Break 2017. As we waited for our flight in the airport, I noticed bumper stickers that said, "I Survived Iceland" -- the adventure of this place was off the charts, and though we made safe decisions across the board, I COMPLETELY agreed that we <i>had</i> survived Iceland. I hope to survive it many more times. What a trip it was!<br />
<br />The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0Reykjavík, Iceland64.126520599999992 -21.81743919999996764.0156806 -22.140162699999966 64.237360599999988 -21.494715699999968tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-15089033495048973832017-04-12T09:26:00.000-07:002017-12-05T10:46:57.620-08:00Cruising the Baltic Sea: St. Petersburg, Russia!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We woke up in RUSSIA after a beautiful few days in <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.com/2017/04/cruising-baltic-sea-stockholm-and.html" target="_blank">Stockholm and Helsinki</a>. We were so eager to explore!</div>
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After a two-hour disembarkation process through passport control (gigantic mob, no lines, zero crowd control or assistance, and <i>extremely</i> thorough and intimidating guards), we finally stepped onto Russian soil in St. Petersburg. Weather reports predicted it might be a little rainy and in the 40's, but WHOA! It was snowing hard with driving winds and freezing cold temperatures.<br />
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We pushed off in our less than adequate clothing and started our adventure after a bit of a bumpy start. While the masses waited for a tiny shuttle, Ning found us a couple of taxis, who dropped us off at St. Isaac's Cathedral...not exactly where we thought we were going, but all the sights seemed close enough (or so we thought). The wet snowflakes drove into our faces, freezing tiny fingers, running mascara and truly shocking us with its ferocity as we walked down Nevsky Prospekt until we finally made it to the imposing and vividly <i>turquoise</i> Winter Palace, which sits in Palace Square -- big enough for 50 battalions to march in formation. We were the only people on the entire square (which is saying something!), besides one random hot dog vendor, and you better believe we bought the kids a Russian hot dog to help get them to our next destination!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russian hot dogs? Sure, we'll take it!!!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We hid on this corner while we gained the strength to run across the square</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Alexander Column</td></tr>
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We continued on towards the river. Then, like a beacon of light, we saw a doorman wearing a Russian fur hat, and I asked if there was a restaurant in the hotel he represented<b> </b>so we could get out of the cold and dry off. We zipped up a warm elevator to the 9th floor, overlooking St. Petersburg's rooftops for an elegant, upscale Russian lunch of caviar, beef stroganoff and Venison Pelmeni. Other than Charlie getting locked in the bathroom (we <i>thought</i> he seemed gone for a long time....), it was absolute perfection. They handed us buttery hotel madeleines as we walked out the door, preparing ourselves for the whip of wind that greeted us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caviar</td></tr>
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We braved the snowstorm as we made our way to our <i>intended</i> destination, the Church on Spilled Blood, which was absolutely worth the effort! It was splendid with its colorful onion domes and resplendent mosaic interior, depicting scenes from the Bible.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church on Spilled Blood</td></tr>
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Outside of the church was a year-round, all-weather outdoor market selling matryoshka dolls, hand-painted chess pieces and fur hats. Vendors would quickly roll up their stand as they saw us approach. We bartered for a few fun souvenirs before jumping in a cab and paying way too much for home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of bartering....</td></tr>
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We had ballet tickets to see Swan Lake in the Hermitage Theater that night, but sadly, we just couldn't rally. Early dinner, early bedtimes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John and Bitsy walking to our table in the dining room</td></tr>
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<b><u>Russia Day Two</u></b><br />
Svetlana, our fabulous Russian tour guide, picked us up and took us around St. Petersburg with our driver, Alexander. From the warmth of our car, we learned about the Admiralty building, St. Isaac's Cathedral (again! ha), Peter the Great statue, a Russian submarine and the first ice breaker, before piling out at the Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace. When the Czar's of Russia were building this palace and collecting its art, they hoped to surpass Versailles and the Louvre. It was magnificent with its gilded gold interiors, ornate columned staterooms, gigantic green malachite vases, paintings by every master through the ages and ancient Egyptian artifacts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going in.....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She fit right in!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reenacting the painting behind us!</td></tr>
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We walked from the Hermitage to the Belmont Grand Hotel Europe for Russian tea. We were served caviar and warm blinis on three tiered trays with salmon finger sandwiches, tiny Russian meat pies, and of course, two pots of tea in gorgeous traditional china. There were four real bunny rabbits in an Easter-decorated pen besides our table, to the kids' absolute <i>delight</i>!<br />
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We stopped by a souvenir shop on the way home to pick up a few more matryoshka dolls as gifts, then hopped in a cab after a very full day. That night, the adults had "Negroni-fest," and caught part of a pretty hilarious and entertaining live show where Ning and I danced on stage when the audience was invited. We had a friendly debate about whether the performances were lip-synched or real. Rob and I finished the night with a competitive round of air hockey.<br />
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The next morning, we let the masses push and shove their way off the ship while we had a leisurely breakfast. We reflected on our <i><b>incredible</b></i> trip so far, and laughed at several hilarious moments....like John hanging out with a group of co-eds in the ship's hot tub (little tiny ladies man) and Bitsy's funny run-in with a Russian trucker (our cruise served as a ferry) who exclaimed, "Danc-ee, danc-ee," as she spun to the music piped over the ship's audio system.<br />
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Coming out of passport control, we found ourselves in an industrial and out-of-the-way part of Helsinki. As we fumbled to figure out Finnish Ubers for our large group, a deluxe taxi van pulled up out of nowhere and asked if we needed a ride. We could hear angels singing! First, we dropped off my dad and Ning at their Finnish sauna spa where they would spend the next day until they pushed off for Tallinn, while we went on to the airport for our departure to ICELAND!!!!!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bitsy napped on the go this entire vacation! Bless her little heart!!!</td></tr>
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The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0St Petersburg, Russia59.9342802 30.33509860000003859.4248817 29.044205100000038 60.443678700000007 31.625992100000037tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-82968126225686461352017-04-10T07:42:00.000-07:002017-12-05T07:44:57.577-08:00Cruising the Baltic Sea: Stockholm and Helsinki After my special trip to <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.com/2017/04/an-amazing-girls-weekend-in-paris.html" target="_blank">Paris</a> and <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.com/2017/04/a-whirlwind-trip-to-boulder-to-meet-my.html" target="_blank">Boulder</a>, I hopped a flight to Stockholm. While I was on a layover in London, Rob, my dad, Ning and all four kids flew directly from Lux to Stockholm. Our flights landed in Sweden within an hour of each other -- we couldn't believe it actually <i>worked</i>!!<br />
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<b><u>Stockholm</u></b><br />
While my dad and Ning checked into their hotel, we taxied over to our <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3428394" target="_blank">Airbnb</a> in a cool downtown area of Stockholm called Vasastan (nicknamed Little Paris for its architecture), which was owned by a florist named Ninni -- we adored her! Rob took the kids to a nearby playground while I took an hour to rest from US jetlag.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzr9Z-Jp9TUjyA731QkWh02tVTV63ywQbG_drzqkjOqgIhD2rabx_DYZ0rsQM3KdmP9r-CYn1O9RX5fgmDJm2xWZ78HznhFOmlzrVIZxI8M9cwCpoCMWuLNDwh_ICXVWU20kfI9MzPSU/s1600/IMG_2273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnzr9Z-Jp9TUjyA731QkWh02tVTV63ywQbG_drzqkjOqgIhD2rabx_DYZ0rsQM3KdmP9r-CYn1O9RX5fgmDJm2xWZ78HznhFOmlzrVIZxI8M9cwCpoCMWuLNDwh_ICXVWU20kfI9MzPSU/s320/IMG_2273.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of our Stockholm rental home.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sisters and I must have worn this jackets as babies. I found it in my mom's things!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqRMesBly8yrN1f4K-77Dk6fSflyyN2wi_4E2KXd_On9tyvdVOHjVKv6WffFuPIgZYBY1_ut4ed02EWvYrfaUw0eDiyT3Lndulr32GDjLEAK6iYJsZwmZtO-hV8ZLmFSX_ZK9oMLNQGg/s1600/IMG_2245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqRMesBly8yrN1f4K-77Dk6fSflyyN2wi_4E2KXd_On9tyvdVOHjVKv6WffFuPIgZYBY1_ut4ed02EWvYrfaUw0eDiyT3Lndulr32GDjLEAK6iYJsZwmZtO-hV8ZLmFSX_ZK9oMLNQGg/s320/IMG_2245.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Then we all met up with my dad, Ning, and my lovely Swedish childhood friend, Linda Murray, at the Grand Hotel's Veranda for a traditional Smorgasbord. We sat overlooking Stockholm's beautiful view of the waterfront and Royal Palace. It was much more than a meal...really an experience! To be there with my dad brought my beautiful childhood memories of Sweden into focus. Linda guided us through Swedish customs as we drank house-made beer and Aquavit with caviar, herring, lingonberries, meatballs, anchovies, salmon, elk and so many other traditional foods. Man, I'm not sure there's anything that delights me more than seeing my four kids licking their fingers as they eat pickled fish like it's a pig-in-a-blanket or Kraft Mac-n-Cheese.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhox3vJCHIKsEb3ziW3yT6XvBMcZnQzUZZVDYo-FKIoQzTIng-1vimTiG1C8eLrEixSeUmZ-nFH0zSEe2m0HVHAs8pihX-ZR80NLIasIC8QY-_DT1rbxEozVPJ5i08e_ay2OxD0MqK1Rt4/s1600/IMG_2271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhox3vJCHIKsEb3ziW3yT6XvBMcZnQzUZZVDYo-FKIoQzTIng-1vimTiG1C8eLrEixSeUmZ-nFH0zSEe2m0HVHAs8pihX-ZR80NLIasIC8QY-_DT1rbxEozVPJ5i08e_ay2OxD0MqK1Rt4/s320/IMG_2271.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A traditional Swedish smorgasbord at the Grand Hotel.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating from Pippi Longstocking tableware.</td></tr>
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The next morning, all the ladies went to Junibacken, a playland bringing Astrid Lindgren's (author of Pippi Longstocking) characters to life in such a whimsical, imaginative and FUN way. We met Linda, her two daughters, and her mother, Christina at the playhouse, then met up with all the boys for lunch...they came from the the Swedish History Museum, where they studied Viking artifacts. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda gave the kids GORGEOUS Easter eggs filled with traditional Swedish treats!</td></tr>
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Before we knew it, we were saying goodbye, packing up and meeting at the Princess Anastasia cruise ship, operated by the St. Peterline. We walked into the ship's lobby....a simple carpeted vestibule with elevators, and Charlie said, "Wowwww! This is FANCY." I love these kids. He went on to say this was his "Number One" several times -- his way of saying this was his favorite trip of all the trips we've taken as a family during our three years abroad.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boarding!!!</td></tr>
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We checked into our rooms. Madeline and Charlie shared; Bitsy and I were together and John and Rob were third in line with Poppa and Ning at the end of our hallway. We immediately went out onto the chilly deck to watch the beautiful Swedish archipelago -- 30,000 islands, skerries and rocks for 80km -- pass by our ship as the sun set.<br />
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<b><u>Helsinki, Finland</u></b><br />
The next morning, we docked in Helsinki, Finland! We walked through Senate Square -- the oldest part of the downtown -- and milled around an outdoor market by the south harbor where locals sold reindeer hide and antler, and had a fabulous Finnish lunch at <a href="https://rosterhelsinki.com/#eat-and-drink" target="_blank">Roster</a> (wow). Afterwards, we ate Finnish cinnamon rolls at the Old Market Hall, which has been serving food since 1889. Then leisurely headed back to our cruise ship to relax before is disembarked; Rob even figured out how to use public transportation!<br />
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We went to sleep positively GIDDY that we would wake up in Russia!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of Old Market Hall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDj9DqW72k4zlFYuPo-B_vBt8q5hYXf86PAJMzZH-TPJvkrVTqqQWMB7Sf46JWHiOT9fu7bXkcgSil9EpdXJ2m9DHVAf8lBUPfXTW2lqJMZC4RHwxdb9eJvYGEYk7JrsLsSEP5vbfwTX8/s1600/IMG_2371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDj9DqW72k4zlFYuPo-B_vBt8q5hYXf86PAJMzZH-TPJvkrVTqqQWMB7Sf46JWHiOT9fu7bXkcgSil9EpdXJ2m9DHVAf8lBUPfXTW2lqJMZC4RHwxdb9eJvYGEYk7JrsLsSEP5vbfwTX8/s320/IMG_2371.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful harbor</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhKNdRfuxgJnGITfBE9Xqh2RZ6wAZzI0f7VR3zHbN_T1zGWKbF_hA6DR0q2O2lHqZ_Ky4m7gvHV1GSHPk2inJ0wm0LBW7XRhGClBTJpuh0ca-WSAwrQKovVA0rMIqAChbaiXhRHTU-qI/s1600/IMG_2348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhKNdRfuxgJnGITfBE9Xqh2RZ6wAZzI0f7VR3zHbN_T1zGWKbF_hA6DR0q2O2lHqZ_Ky4m7gvHV1GSHPk2inJ0wm0LBW7XRhGClBTJpuh0ca-WSAwrQKovVA0rMIqAChbaiXhRHTU-qI/s320/IMG_2348.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helsinki Cathedral in Senate Square</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5V99jbg3hzEeAVwLt0YRsROCELuKkzJpuElVEoYpnqakO_DOTRv2eBnF1zWc_1LUpG3eN40ACSPJ8Vhmm8TyUADi8AE7Dmc6uWrV8q5pwYJPO-ZmaCP_DfAW06oFbeSDN8B0XTx8l1c/s1600/IMG_2351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5V99jbg3hzEeAVwLt0YRsROCELuKkzJpuElVEoYpnqakO_DOTRv2eBnF1zWc_1LUpG3eN40ACSPJ8Vhmm8TyUADi8AE7Dmc6uWrV8q5pwYJPO-ZmaCP_DfAW06oFbeSDN8B0XTx8l1c/s320/IMG_2351.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking to the harbor. I loved these flags!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0L3F0GJI0ROXt9NWdGyKiqxs14n4EnQdDAFYQ-VMmiH2rCN75_WRDQ85Uv4lPRhmUacXHEmahaEGuyDZNBzLhFypUS6PVq32_-y1TSU6CBBD_RSvosRzO9vS1PHqv5r_pPQpQt00lz98/s1600/IMG_2352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0L3F0GJI0ROXt9NWdGyKiqxs14n4EnQdDAFYQ-VMmiH2rCN75_WRDQ85Uv4lPRhmUacXHEmahaEGuyDZNBzLhFypUS6PVq32_-y1TSU6CBBD_RSvosRzO9vS1PHqv5r_pPQpQt00lz98/s320/IMG_2352.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie loved all the ships</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFA4iG1mUd3bS0HsWsmIhIOVsDll2afay6eKqCO440sOJnXWzLvAYeOOA041OjMi-_VVMS2io1BZKKOCirQgWfS6fS_qJkCHILx3nLvivex7XlYMYP-J_t3jw6kK5-u9MPfWMzWFvHMk/s1600/IMG_2353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFA4iG1mUd3bS0HsWsmIhIOVsDll2afay6eKqCO440sOJnXWzLvAYeOOA041OjMi-_VVMS2io1BZKKOCirQgWfS6fS_qJkCHILx3nLvivex7XlYMYP-J_t3jw6kK5-u9MPfWMzWFvHMk/s320/IMG_2353.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Market Harbour by the sea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAelVFTeCOZ9B4UYFEN6-9YISpiKw2RCikeDspE8jmBN1TO3kl-Bb6JiaPu2XEkPYIx85AJxd4hvlD8E8BmRXZUQ-bVYwX3gI1soF1BTo6Y0tdgmGz3WXzy9gXQdvgwk1yTIYvdSdyNM/s1600/IMG_2357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAelVFTeCOZ9B4UYFEN6-9YISpiKw2RCikeDspE8jmBN1TO3kl-Bb6JiaPu2XEkPYIx85AJxd4hvlD8E8BmRXZUQ-bVYwX3gI1soF1BTo6Y0tdgmGz3WXzy9gXQdvgwk1yTIYvdSdyNM/s320/IMG_2357.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a lunch!!! Thank you, Dad and Ning!!</td></tr>
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The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0Stockholm, Sweden59.329323499999987 18.06858080000006359.07010549999999 17.423133800000063 59.588541499999984 18.714027800000064tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-61971153271520661122017-04-08T13:01:00.000-07:002017-12-05T07:53:49.069-08:00A Whirlwind Trip to Boulder to Meet My New Nephew, Anders Jackson!!After a <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.com/2017/04/an-amazing-girls-weekend-in-paris.html" target="_blank">special weekend in Paris</a> with Ning, Madeline and my friend Emily, the girls headed back to Luxembourg on the TGV and I flew to Longmont, CO to meet Mollie and Kenny's new baby, sweet Anders Jackson!<br />
<br />
My sister, Andi, arrived from Indiana and we had an amazing Sisters Weekend as we watched beautiful Mollie <i>nail it</i> as a mom-of-two. Evie and Anders are so lucky to have Mols and Kenny for parents! They are so fun, patient and generous. We had a beautiful long lunch in downtown Boulder one day; Andi and I did our very best to figure out Mollie and Kenny's super fancy espresso machine while she and Anders slept in a bit the mornings to offset the long nights. Lots of late night giggling. I think I'm so sleep-deprived as a mom, I barely noticed the jet lag.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggei63T_tzvxOu5WMeVXwJWnQoVL_ot8d-fH6rJrPRBtJpo2FoL_1D-xp_XdltevKXxmv_9jHg4wdVLRwr1yyaEPAaMESPyIHQh2rV68VaU4UoGs31VWFKoZvitqk3E2cHDTKJcNEPTDA/s1600/IMG_2234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggei63T_tzvxOu5WMeVXwJWnQoVL_ot8d-fH6rJrPRBtJpo2FoL_1D-xp_XdltevKXxmv_9jHg4wdVLRwr1yyaEPAaMESPyIHQh2rV68VaU4UoGs31VWFKoZvitqk3E2cHDTKJcNEPTDA/s320/IMG_2234.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Introducing Anders Jackson! And his sweet big sis, Evie...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My GIRLS. Love love love my sisters. Aren't they gorgeous?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1_g98wkhQpnB7dbTjbYlOqSisLm-wdOPj064FEJ-QQg78it9xBxqxTEJD3rKRTnNF3nvbB57I3Bx1PFogCHKAb6Lcehwd49ZbMq48b0YUojVf2ahcBDSWjX4x6eKQ5R_lCqUYputnDw/s1600/IMG_2144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1_g98wkhQpnB7dbTjbYlOqSisLm-wdOPj064FEJ-QQg78it9xBxqxTEJD3rKRTnNF3nvbB57I3Bx1PFogCHKAb6Lcehwd49ZbMq48b0YUojVf2ahcBDSWjX4x6eKQ5R_lCqUYputnDw/s320/IMG_2144.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Taking Anders for a walk in beautiful Longmont, outside of Boulder</td></tr>
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After a few amazing days, I hopped back on a flight and flew to Stockholm via London to meet up with my family and kick off our INCREDIBLE Spring Break 2017!!!The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0Boulder, CO, USA40.0149856 -105.2705455999999939.820449100000005 -105.59326909999999 40.2095221 -104.9478221tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-26864675268130654992017-04-03T12:25:00.000-07:002017-12-04T13:19:02.383-08:00An Amazing Girl's Weekend in Paris!My dad and Ning flew to Luxembourg to help with the kids so that I could head back to the States to meet Mollie and Kenny's baby boy, who was due April 1st. As plans were still being shaped, I found out that my dear friend Emily, as well as her daughter Megan (one of Madeline's girlfriends in Whitefish Bay), were going to be in Paris, only two hours away. So Ning and I put our heads together and came up with the perfect plan.<br />
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Ning, Madeline, Bitsy and I boarded the TGV to Paris for a <i>very</i> memorable weekend!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catching up on her current events....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside our 5th Arrondisement Airbnb</td></tr>
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We met our dear Wisconsin friends in the Jardin du Luxembourg, ate a Parisian picnic lunch and sailed toy boats -- such a happy reunion! Then we slowly ambled back through the streets of Paris -- gelato in hand -- to our Airbnb to meet Ning and sleeping Bitsy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dear friend, Emily!</td></tr>
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Later that afternoon and evening, Bitsy rode in the carrier as I wandered our neighborhood, stopping in boutiques and snapping photos while Ning and Madeline had a special adventure of their own riding the carousel! As I wandered back to our rental home, I heard familiar laughs -- it was Ning and Madeline on the same street about 200 yards in front of me. We ate crepes for dinner. Parfait!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buying vintage French ads along the Seine. I loved this guy -- he complimented my French!</td></tr>
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The next morning, we had quite an adventure catching an Uber, just barely getting to the train on time (and only because it was delayed). Once again, Ning and I conquered the impossible! Then I traveled on to the Airport for a whirlwind trip to the States to meet my new nephew, Anders!</div>
The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0Paris, France48.856614 2.352221900000017748.6894645 2.0294984000000178 49.0237635 2.6749454000000177tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-23518885437850335222017-03-19T05:05:00.000-07:002017-12-05T07:54:28.633-08:00Madeline Turns Double Digits -- Happy 10th to our Girl!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't believe Madeline is 10 years old. We've been parents for a decade! When she was 2, I used to say, "Do you know what you are?" And I taught her to answer, "Delightful." Because she was then, and she is now too. It is amazing watching her grow, mature, learn. She is a lovely young lady.<br />
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The Friday before her birthday weekend began, she brought strawberry cupcakes with homemade frosting to share with her class. I love how she's old enough to feel self-conscious -- she said, "Mom, do I have to carry my cupcakes to school in a giant plastic tub?" (She's never cared before). Ah! To be back in 4th grade! So we borrowed a cupcake container from a friend so she could deliver her treats in style.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia88sxIMhl890uG_VRtaBAf28Do-MMf0TZWwBeZvg2MorMykJ-9f5XFdE121f2wk2aY3tVBid-wO5wunSjyyHcU3OdehWMcloJFVObcAmLGz-tlso0oubnlQFKoV-d55o3464K4jL2wds/s1600/IMG_1809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia88sxIMhl890uG_VRtaBAf28Do-MMf0TZWwBeZvg2MorMykJ-9f5XFdE121f2wk2aY3tVBid-wO5wunSjyyHcU3OdehWMcloJFVObcAmLGz-tlso0oubnlQFKoV-d55o3464K4jL2wds/s200/IMG_1809.JPG" width="150" /></a>On her actual birthday weekend, we celebrated as a family. She woke up Saturday morning to a brand new bike! (Which Bitsy accidentally knocked down a few hours later, mangling the brakes...but daddy to the rescue!). Sunday was March 19, and Rob gave Madeline her traditional birthday bouquet of flowers. He's never missed a year. We stuck a candle in EVERYTHING all day long. Bitsy sang Happy birthday on repeat, though it took until about 4pm before she said Madeline's name instead of Charlie's. These things are confusing. The boys ADORE Madeline, and they showered her with love and affection. Charlie used his allowance to buy Madeline an art kit, and I'm still finding little "I love Madeline" notes from John, who is learning how to write. Right after breakfast, Madeline opened her gifts from family -- she felt so special! We had fun baking a cake, which Madeline loved decorating.<br />
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The following weekend, we celebrated with Madeline's best friends (minus one, who moved back to Seattle in January). It is a joy for me to plan these parties not just <i>for</i>, but <i>with</i> the kids now -- Madeline researched fun Harry Potter theme ideas on Pinterest, and we bought darling handmade invitations from the local British bookstore in town, Chapter One. On the day of the party, all the little girls found out from their moms that it was actually a surprise slumber party! Madeline's first!! Mimi (who has asked that we only call her by her nickname at home as a family), answered the door in her Halloween Hermione Granger costume (Hogwarts wizard robe and Gryffindor tie), and promptly drew a Harry Potter scar on everyone's forehead using my kohl eyeliner. Even Bitsy, Rob and I were decorated. (Which reminds me that Madeline chose my party outfit -- yellow and red Gryffindor house colors).<br />
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The girls and boys made magic wands, played freeze tag (the tagger was Voldemort), concocted elaborate potions with pretty hilarious names, used Quills to write spells, pinned the Scar on the Harry (which Madeline expertly sketched, to her friends' delight!), played Harry Potter bingo, burst open an owl piñata and ate tiny chocolate snitches (gold Lindt balls with feather wings). We sang happy birthday to Madeline and she blew out the candles on her Snitch cake, but everyone was too full to eat any.<br />
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And then the slumber party began! The girls changed into their pjs and we set up a Pizza Hut carpet picnic in the playroom, which we transformed into a movie theater, while they watched the first Harry Potter film. Meanwhile, the boys watched Star Wars in the family room so they wouldn't have nightmares. We popped popcorn and everyone received their own bag of movie-theater candy.<br />
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Midway through the movie, we Skyped with the missing fifth in their group of friends, Madeline Person -- the girls were squealing!! After the movie ended, there was a lot of giggling. (A real lot). It was adorable. But at midnight, I gently laid down the law, knowing that the Euro clocks were changing and it was actually 1am. (Sadly, an hour later, Madeline woke up vomiting. We were sure it was from eating too much candy! But then the following night, Rob wasn't well and we realized it was a 6 hour bug. The crazy thing is....her friends never knew, and she felt great in the morning (which is another reason why we believed it was from sugar overload).<br />
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The next morning, we decorated Belgian waffles with fresh fruit and whipped cream, rolled up sleeping bags, and said goodbye to Julia, Ofir and Lior. As they left, everyone received a favor bag filled with a tiny Hedwig owl, Bernie Botts Every Flavor Beans (known to us muggles simple as jelly beans), and a framed photograph of the five besties. Charlie and John's picture frames had a photo of the four Vlach kids apple picking.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The twins singing Madeline "Happy Birthday!"</td></tr>
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God blessed us with such a sweet, thoughtful, intelligent, kind, dedicated, absolutely LOVELY girl for a daughter. Sure has been a great ten years. In ten more, she'll be 20! (Ahhhh, please please stop time!). We love you, precious Madeline May.The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com5Luxembourg City, Luxembourg49.611621000000007 6.131934600000022349.44698600000001 5.8092111000000219 49.776256000000004 6.4546581000000227tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-62718115552465040722017-02-23T19:00:00.000-08:002017-12-05T07:58:12.700-08:00An EPIC Swiss Alp Adventure!After our gorgeous stop in fairytale <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.lu/2017/02/a-lovely-stop-in-fairytale-colmar.html" target="_blank">Colmar</a>, we pushed on for the second half of our Carnival vacation in the Swiss Alps...<br />
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An adventurous, breathtakingly beautiful, quirky and hilarious surprise awaited us at our Airbnb rental home in the mountains north of Lauterbrunnen (not too far from Interlaken). Our minivan seemed like it might not make it up the steep narrow switchbacks, and after an episode with snow in the Vosges Mountains where the tires wouldn't grip the road, we figured we might not make it (cut to me frantically writing our host to ask if we needed tire chains). We <i>did</i> make it, though I was white-knuckled and deep-breathing the entire time, particularly as I looked at the avalanche shelters every 100 feet alongside the road.<br />
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The natural beauty around us was INCREDIBLE. Everyone should see it once in their lifetime! Our noses were pressed to the car windows as we counted alpine waterfalls and absorbed the charming mountain town of Lauterbrunnen (which means "many springs"). We knew we were on the right track (based on an directional Youtube video our Airbnb host sent us) when we approached a small metal bridge, which our large minivan cleared with about 2 cm to spare on either side. I love to exaggerate, but on this, I promise, I'm not. At last, we unloaded our bags and hiked to our lodgings. All part of the adventure. We put the kids to work, trekking down a steep path, over a rushing river and up a sharply inclined, snow-covered hill to our 100-year-old iron miner's cabin, which was obviously built for short, stocky fellas from a different era (and not my 6 foot 3" husband)! The kids felt right at home, building igloos in the snow and greeting the llamas that looked in our front windows.<br />
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Axel, one of the young dudes who works on what we soon learned was a vegan commune, casually shared with us that <i>our</i> particular house had never been raized by an avalanche (<i>so that's good</i>), and that there was zero risk until Sunday, when a heavy snow was forecasted. I took this news in stride (pushing all the yellow avalanche warning signs out of my mind for a few days until an airplane flew overhead (invisible to me in the heavily falling snow). Then I calmly FREAKED OUT as I heard the roar out my window. Axel also let me know that our house guests wouldn't be arriving until our final night, which I found rather confusing because I thought I had rented the whole three-bedroom house! He suggested that maybe the kids would want to sleep in sleeping bags in the snow? And the adventure continued....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avalanche or airplane? </td></tr>
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Our first morning, we woke up early and hiked down part of the mountain into town below. The kids broke icicles and proudly announced that they were carrying a waterfall (technically true and pretty cool!). We reached the Piz Schilthorn station on foot and boarded the cable car, riding 2000 feet in a matter of minutes to Gimmelwald, which Rick Steves describes as tiny traffic-free town nonchalantly hanging off the edge of a cliff with more cow troughs than mailboxes. We loved it. Rob showed us the hotel where he stayed on his post-college travels. The kids threw snowballs and we admired the Swiss cowbells lining the barn where happy cows lived. We waved to people "driving" down the street on their skis. <br />
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We hopped back on the very next cable car (having been told by a friendly attendant that the high winds may stop the cars from running as the day progressed) and we made our way all the way up to the tippity-top where we could see 200 peaks, including Jungfrau and Eiger.<br />
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After taking in the stunning views, we had a fabulous lunch in a revolving restaurant. As we ate, we had a slow-moving 360 degree view of the surrounding peaks. We watched tiny kids on miniature skis hurtle themselves over the edge of an almost vertical slope and ski straight down with their parents. The experience was incredible.<br />
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<i>On her Majesty's Secret Service</i>, a James Bond film from 1969, was shot on location, so of course, Rob and I popped a bottle of red and watched the film as part of our vacation research leading up to the trip! We visited the mountain-top Bond Museum with the kids before riding the cable car back down to the Mürren, which we could see lit up on the mountain side at night from our cabin way below. It was so charming and so SWISS! I couldn't stop snapping photos of the kids in front of every red-and-white Swiss flag with dramatic snow-covered mountains and granite cliffs backdrop. We continued on down the mountain all the way home. Everyone slept so well that night.<br />
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Later that evening, we received the BEST news!! My sister and brother in law, Mollie and Kenny, welcomed their son and our newest nephew, Anders Jackson!! We were SO happy and even found a hotspot in the cabin where I could Facetime with Mols!<br />
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The next morning, the snow started falling bright and early, exactly as predicted. After three days skiing in the Vosges Mountains and our epic alpine adventure the day before, we were so excited to nestle into our cozy cabin and have a relaxed play day. Rob taught the kids to play chess (which we still play regularly), and Bitsy had a nice long nap in her bed (after several days sleeping on the go). I made "Kitchen-Sink Lentil Soup," using up all the rest of the veggies and sausage we'd carried up the mountainside with us. That evening, our house guests checked in -- a very considerate German couple named Sonja and Angelika. We stayed up talked after dinner, laughing and telling stories until we accidentally woke up all four kids!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Later that night, Rob carried several suitcases down to the car, which was parked in the town below. (We knew we would never be able to drive the van down in all the forecasted snow, so we parked it there are very first night). When he hiked back up in the pitch dark, he had two Feldschl Osschen Swiss beers and a slice of Black Forest cake.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">We silently snuck out the next morning, bundling up for our familiar hike to the car with the kids. We left our new friends a note in German (thank you Google Translate) and a bottle of wine. They wrote this <b><i>fabulous</i></b> note back to us:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">
</span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Dear MegRob,</span></span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Thanks so much for your kind words in German and the wine, we will finish this evening! We appreciated so much to let us know your perfect team, YES YOU ARE!! Love your family from the beginning!!</span></span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Haven't heard you in the morning, wonder how you managed it. After you a group of Seven Chinese came and we made it like you, having food and a douche as quick as possible, to get through in time (<i>note: douche is the french word for shower</i>). We laughed a lot and wondered who will came next, because they stayed just for one night. Now we are in the hotel in which Rob, the Superman bought the cake and enjoying it very much!!!</span> </span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Hope you landed well at home, very pleasured to have met you!!!</span> </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">God bless you and your perfect Team!</span></span></span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Sonja & Angelika</span></span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Just to top off the fun, we coordinated a fabulous visit with our expat friends, the Marinis, who were not far off our route home in their darling town of Schaffhausen, Switzerland, right on the German border. They were amazing! Shortly after we arrived, I accidentally dropped our car keys in a 6 foot deep storm drain. The boys went straight to work, attaching kitchen utensils and a GoPro camera to a hockey stick. After they retrieved it (Hallelujah!!!!!) we went to a fabulous fondue restaurant in the city centre. On our walk home, the Marini family helped us pick out our very own Swiss fondue pot, one of our favorite mementos of our time in Europe! Vicki, Marc and their darling three kids -- Sophie, Vin and Juliana -- have become special friends we really enjoy. In fact, a few months later they visited us in Luxembourg!! </span><br />
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To say it was an amazing trip is an understatement. This one was epic. What. An. Adventure. All of our travel over the past 2 1/2 years prepared us for this one gigantic adventure.The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0Switzerland46.818188 8.227511999999933344.0360805 3.0639379999999337 49.6002955 13.391085999999934tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-79164501417944049822017-02-22T07:41:00.000-08:002017-12-05T07:59:38.842-08:00A Lovely Stop in Fairytale Colmar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have <i>always</i> wanted to visit Colmar, France! So it was a joy when we looked at a map and realized we would literally drive right through it from our ski vacation in the Vosges Mountains down to the Swiss Alps!<br />
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We parked and walked without a plan....my favorite way to travel. The half-timbered architecture was gorgeous and storybook -- I couldn't stop taking pictures. The kids and I visited a used bookstore and we let them pick out postcards, which they love to do wherever we travel.<br />
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Soon we found the Eglise St. Martin, Colmar's medieval cathedral. It transports you for a few minutes to another time.<br />
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Directly across the street, we found a perfect restaurant with a view for moules and frites (mussels and french fries), then stopped in a bakery for a slice of Black Forest cake before we hopped back in the car.... I would love to come back a little later in the season to see all the flowers and canals. It was the <i>perfect</i> quick stop!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Forest Cake (or Forêt Noire Gateau)</td></tr>
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The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com068000 Colmar, France48.0793589 7.358512000000018847.909728400000006 7.0357885000000184 48.2489894 7.6812355000000192tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-58057765524675031542017-02-20T06:12:00.000-08:002017-12-05T08:00:33.080-08:00Our Charlie's 8!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We celebrated Charlie's 8th birthday a week early since February 20 fell in the middle of the kids' Carnival Break from school. Talk about FUN! He invited his buddies from around the world to an American Football themed party (we had to clarify, otherwise everyone would assume it was a soccer party!). The Green Bay Packers took center stage. </div>
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We started the day off with a bang, surprising Charlie with a brand new bike!<br />
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We used my eyeliner pencil for Eyeblack on the 13 boys as they walked in the door and colored different NFL team logos. Then Coach Rob explained the basics of football to this sweet international group of boys -- even some of the American kids have been out of the USA long enough that they enjoyed a refresher.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excitedly waiting for guests to arrive! The first one pulls up!</td></tr>
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Charlie, Madeline and I made fake American money out of green paper and passed it out to guests to buy hotdogs and chips at the "concession stand." We played hot potato (which we called Pass the Football), with the Sports Center theme song playing in the background, then dangling donuts and Pin the Football in the Field Goal. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauG4gd0Bg7e4cXRyZpWBQCMN6eo2B6Ds516CWiGXongVr9x5v5ImCXbjpGQKofQ-TBP9EESWmij5AonTTGvUjCz2b95voPG0iopKg8O4nkwqYqt6zBfNueFwd3_1IeuQGzWV5VlHfScI/s1600/IMG_0452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauG4gd0Bg7e4cXRyZpWBQCMN6eo2B6Ds516CWiGXongVr9x5v5ImCXbjpGQKofQ-TBP9EESWmij5AonTTGvUjCz2b95voPG0iopKg8O4nkwqYqt6zBfNueFwd3_1IeuQGzWV5VlHfScI/s320/IMG_0452.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This may be one of my all time favorite pictures!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrPSmtf5vajMnb8Am9_He4gd8r0azXEFfNb_OqVaYH3eadpDkt31h5BVI72Man1EI8J-6LVMPfyYHLDqd5uuA1sXln12ZK68OIAkNuHSa6B9sIZDOzMQIGdUmzUIdSYe0dTdHzUHX0Rw/s1600/IMG_0443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrPSmtf5vajMnb8Am9_He4gd8r0azXEFfNb_OqVaYH3eadpDkt31h5BVI72Man1EI8J-6LVMPfyYHLDqd5uuA1sXln12ZK68OIAkNuHSa6B9sIZDOzMQIGdUmzUIdSYe0dTdHzUHX0Rw/s320/IMG_0443.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening gifts....</td></tr>
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Next, we cut the cake and sang Happy Birthday to our sweet boy! In Luxembourg, kids say, "Are 'ya 1? Are 'ya 2?" all the way up to the birthday boy's age, when they all yell, "Stop!"<br />
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Then Rob and I just looked at each other -- we still had an hour to fill with a houseful of rowdy (but super sweet) boys! So we told the kids it was scrimmage time. In the Luxembourg's wet February chill, the boys sprinted out the door and played without interruption for 45 minutes! It was amazing to listen to kids from kid from Iceland, Hungary and Japan form teams, work together, and use ADORABLE football terminology for the first time ever.<br />
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Every guest took home a stuffed American football -- an extremely rare find in Europe <i>period</i>, but I actually found them at IKEA?! Oh it was so fun!!<br />
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On Charlie's real birthday, we were in France's Vosges Mountains for a little ski vacation. Charlie woke up to homemade crepes, hot cocoa and Star Wars jello for breakfast. Bitsy sang him an adorable 2-year-old rendition of Happy Birthday all day (and for several weeks after). It was too rainy to ski that day, so Rob took the big kids on a birthday adventure into town for plastic bow and arrows that absolutely made their day. Charlie was so happy with all the birthday love he received from friends and family on email and FaceTime.<br />
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<br />
Oh Charlie! You are such a generous, sweet, kind, sensitive, creative and hilarious <i>goofball</i>. We adore your easygoing little personality and your HUGE sense of humor -- being your mom and dad is one of life's greatest blessings. I love watching you create games on the trampoline for hours, play soccer with kids who don't even speak english, and hold doors for strangers.<br />
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The way Charlie adores his siblings, using his own allowance to buy them gifts he knows they would enjoy, is such a treat. He even wanted to invite his lovely teacher, Mrs. Dackner, to his birthday party. We have loved watching you grow these eight years! Happy birthday, Charlie. We ALL love you so much!The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0Luxembourg City, Luxembourg49.611621000000007 6.131934600000022349.44698600000001 5.8092111000000219 49.776256000000004 6.4546581000000227tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-44061815002492257212017-02-18T07:12:00.000-08:002017-12-05T08:02:37.909-08:00Three Winter Days in France's Vosges Mountains<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">For the first half of the kid’s February Carnival Vacation, we rented a quirky cabin in the charming French village of Belmont, population 176, with chickens across the street and only five minutes’ drive from Le Champ du Feu (Fields of Fire) ski area, which is in France's Vosges Mountains in the Alsace region. Ascending the mountainside, we looked over the red roofs and sweet chapel of our tiny village; the sweeping views of the wooded valley was beautiful, brilliant in the sun and mysterious in morning fog. It was unseasonably warm; our fingers were crossed that there would be snow when we arrived. And there was!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A little background: I’ve researched ski trips in the Alps for two straight years (especially since most people book their chalets at least six months in advance). The quotes I received from resorts for our family of six started around 8,000Euro, and I just couldn’t wrap my head around a family vacation where our youngest family member couldn’t participate. Plus, I’m haunted by my dear friend Mary’s experience — trapped in the resort change-over traffic for 16 hours, they had to turn off their car to to conserve gas and sit under blankets, feeding their three young girls uncooked pasta. So, at this point in our family life, we decided to choose something closer to home and a lot more affordable while the kids learn to ski. It couldn’t have been more perfect.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We got right to it. An hour after we dropped our bags in our sweet country chalet, the kids had a private ski lesson with Lon, whose Slovenian parents work for the EU in Strasbourg. The next morning, they took another two-hour lesson, splitting the time according to the kid’s ability; while Lon taught Madeline and Charlie, Rob skied with John, then vice versa. They’ve all had a little experience skiing at an indoor hill in France not far from our house in Luxembourg, but this was their first time “hitting the slopes” with trees and sun and the elements, and they LOVED it. Their stamina shouldn’t have surprised me — they never wanted to come in!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Meanwhile, Bitsy and I snowshoed through the forest. A large sign at the entrance deemed it a Silent Area, and just a few steps into the thick woods, I felt transported — not just into the unplugged peace that washes over me in nature, but back to the Adventure Girl who used to jump into waterfalls, portage canoes and sleep under the stars of the Minnesota North Woods. I haven’t felt like her in awhile, but now that the kids are getting older, it’s more and more important to me that I introduce them to my love of the outdoors and help them develop their own. Snowshoeing — my first time ever — was heavenly, quite literally. In those towering trees and majestic quiet, felt like God was listening. All I could hear was birds, wind, crunching snow and my thoughts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">After all that activity, we were ravenous and met back up in the lodge for lunch — Bouche a la Reine and wild boar (which we only realized when the woman in line before us pantomimed “pork with tusks”). Since becoming expats, it amazes me how often we don’t know exactly what we’re eating. We taught the kids what an Aprés Ski is, though John didn’t quite get it and asked if we could “go to the Aprés Ski” every time he wanted hot chocolate. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vin chaud and chocolate chaud</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />We had a wonderful time celebrating Charlie's 8th birthday as a family -- he felt so much love from family and friends. Crepes, half-set Star Wars Jello and hot cocoa for breakfast with a sweet birthday serenade from Bitsy. That night the kids all slept in the bed-lined attic like little squirrels, despite renting a five-bedroom house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our final day was windy and raining, so we holed up with a fire, colored pencils and hot cocoa. It was the break we all really needed. In the afternoon, the kids and I geared up for a wet walk in the rain, wandering the steep hills (tire chains required) and into Belmont’s center. Madeline, Charlie, and John jumped in every puddle and scrambled up and down hills like my own little herd of wild goats. Bitsy happily sat in the hiking carrier with her rain cover drawn. I trudged up a steep hill in the downpour beside a lovely French woman and her grandson. She became so excited when she found out we were Americans, telling me about her grandfather, who lived in the doorstep of the very house we were chatting in front of, where her daughter live now. He left France with many others in 1920 to look for work, ending up in Utah. Though I didn’t have a chance to ask, I imagine he was a miner (the Alsace area has been mined for centuries).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The next day, we headed onto the second half of the kids’ vacation….with a beautiful stop in Colmar en route to to the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps!</span></div>
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The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0Champ du Feu, 67130 Bellefosse, France48.394444 7.269096999999987948.3522825 7.1884159999999877 48.4366055 7.3497779999999882tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-35950061659061052612016-11-04T01:01:00.000-07:002016-12-19T04:06:24.844-08:00A Week in Italy: Rome, Pompeii and Positano<div class="p1">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We fell in love with Italy all over again. Our week in Rome, Pompeii and Positano was the perfect blend of sightseeing, relaxation and serious excitement -- in a matter of only days, we experienced the aftershocks of an earthquake, a waterspout reaching from the sky to the sea, and an active earthquake. But more on all that later.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We weren't even off the plane the first time I heard a native Italian say "mama mia" (I thought that only happened in movies from the 1950s). Nicolina, the owner of our <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/984327" target="_blank">Airbnb</a> rental in Rome's historic center, checked us into our flat and we immediately set out to wander, quickly running into the Pantheon, Trevi fountain, a pizza dinner and gelato for our stroll home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The next morning met us with a bang! All six of us experienced our first earthquake. There was a 6.7 magnitude quake about 100 km away and we felt the significant aftershocks in Rome. Thankfully there was no loss of life. While we were all getting ready for our second sightseeing day, the floor started to shake and the chandelier was swinging. I thought the small bathroom where I was putting on my makeup was going to crack right off the aging building. Rob actually thought the earthquake was the <i>kids</i> jumping around (which says something about our life with four energetic children). Within seconds of the physical rumbling, we heard crash of glass…and discovered that the window in the apartment below us shattered onto the street two stories down. I'll admit, for a few moments, I felt panicked; I wondered if we needed to quickly evacuate in case the building was going to crumble. I'm an earthquake rookie. But the charming old man in the flat across the hall simply advised us not to take the elevator, and otherwise all was normal. We went on with our day, stopping first in the panneteria (bakery) below us and trying one of everything he was selling -- pistachio biscotti, pizza bianca, and all things almond.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broken glass in the middle from the earthquake</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We saw the sights on our walk to the Colosseum…the Victor Emmanuel Monument in the Plaza Venezia (nicknamed the Typewriter), the Roman Forum, and the statue of Romulus and Remus. It was fun to show the kids 2000-year-old history, especially since the International School of Luxembourg studies ancient Roman culture in second grade. Even with our Skip the Line tickets, we, ahem, waited in a long line, shuffling step by step with all the other tourists until we were finally in. Though Rob and I have been to Rome four times between us, it still just takes your breath away. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Capitoline She-Wolf that tells the story of Rome's beginning</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Roman Forum</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We walked for awhile to find lunch, distancing ourselves from the tourist block, and found a fabulous restaurant -- we were thrilled the menu <i>wasn't</i> translated to English. We sat with coffee for half an hour until they were ready to serve lunch, absorbing the Italian life around us, smelling the orange trees 50 feet away and letting Bitsy finish her long nap in the carrier. It was almost November and we reveled in the warm air on our bare arms. On our walk home, I had a fun Italian moment: We stopped for an ice cream cone at a lovely gelato shop near the Pantheon. The ice cream dude told me it cost 22 Euro, then he quickly saw that I was holding two 10 Euro notes in my hand. Before I could pull out more money, he said, "Oh, 20 is fine." I turned to Rob and said simply, "I love Italy."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let's face it: Italian food is to die for. That evening, we dined al fresca again, watching the fathers walk with their daughters as we ate our hand tossed pasta and sipped house wine. Elvis, our Albanian waiter was fabulous -- he taught the kids how to stack their finished mussel shells and brought everyone kiddy cocktails (Limoncello for me and Rob) to say thank you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The next day, we visited the Vatican -- so much stirring history and modern significance. We didn't realize it was a Roman holiday, so it was busy (which is like saying Mt. Everest is sorta big); we rode the crowd wave all the way to the Sistine Chapel. The kids loved the Vatican, but were politely underwhelmed by the Michelangelo's ceiling (we may have talked it up a little too much! I</span> should have learned my lesson at the <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.lu/2015/04/the-loire-valley-castle-vacation-well.html" target="_blank">Hall of Mirrors</a>).<span style="font-family: inherit;"> That afternoon, we met our friends Filip and Liva from our Peoria days at the Spanish Steps. Together with their two daughters, we walked up to the gorgeous Borghese Gardens with its moss-covered fountains and gravel terrace overlooking the city of Rome. This was a highlight of the entire trip for me. It was relaxed and authentic; we ditched the tourists and enjoyed the sunset surrounded by Italian families. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Spanish Steps. (We weren't the only ones who found them).</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view looking out from the Borghese Gardens</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Searching for dinner after our lovely park date</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rob, Filip and Liva met in grad school!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next morning, we caught our train at Termini to Naples, zipping through the Italian countryside with Roman aqueducts, olive orchards and vineyards. Rob asked a polizia (with his semiautomatic) which train platform was ours. As we walked away, I heard one officer say to another "quanto!!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Our driver, Jack, picked up us in Naples and drove us straight towards Mt. Vesuvius to the town of Pompeii, which was both destroyed and perfectly preserved when the volcano erupted in 79AD. The kids were fascinated! We hired a tour guide -- the only one of our entire trip -- and he guided us through the ruins and brought history to life. Mt. Vesuvius is an active volcano, and days before our visit, Italy issued updated emergency plans to evacuate 700,000 people if it should erupt, which experts say is a problem of gigantic proportions. Sweet John was nervous it would erupt during our visit!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were stepping stones so Pompeians could avoid the sludge in their roman sandals</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Later that afternoon, we drove along the Amalfi Coast to Positano. In a word, it was breathtaking, and not just </span>because<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of the </span>exquisite<span style="font-family: inherit;"> natural beauty and </span>crystal<span style="font-family: inherit;"> waters. Jack the driver (who picked us up with no car seats) casually took the high-altitude hairpin turns while chatting with our flat owner on his cell phone. An inch too far and we would plummet into the sea. We could see broken guardrails where others had... Strangely, we felt safe as he took the roads he grew up driving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Positano became home for the next four days -- our <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3025741" target="_blank">Airbnb rental home</a> had lemon trees on the terrace, hundred-year-old vines and an outdoor shower with a view of the coastline. Pier Guido, the Naples-based owner, spent his childhood summers there; his grandfather bought the place. He showed us how to get to the beach by pointing out the route on an oil painting that hung on the wall. The garage was chiseled out of the mountain, and there was exposed rock emerging from hallway corners. We took the steps down to the Rocky beach and let the kids play as the sun set. Along the way one man counted the kids and told us Positano was a very romantic place…that the next time we come maybe will have more! Then a little further down a man who looked like the Italian equivalent of Ralph Lauren told us in his singsong Italian that family was the greatest blessing. His house was named La Dolce Vita and he told us we were so lucky that our children are still young. We felt welcome everywhere we went.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemon trees on one of the terraces</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because the trees hadn't been pruned for the season, the lemons were green, but wonderfully refreshing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju__NGfaUp6XF-0zSYxZ7fcYhy5jXAph3cBZ6HUIpzLHsHJORONZW1afOnb4jiGcNQa0vI_HWLL-e6OEBmTtJnJWEmxWwlGOSQzs04qPKODJk6MHBUtEzGq-di4MR2l7D1X3UC58dETXk/s1600/IMG_3906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju__NGfaUp6XF-0zSYxZ7fcYhy5jXAph3cBZ6HUIpzLHsHJORONZW1afOnb4jiGcNQa0vI_HWLL-e6OEBmTtJnJWEmxWwlGOSQzs04qPKODJk6MHBUtEzGq-di4MR2l7D1X3UC58dETXk/s320/IMG_3906.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our home</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rob walking down to the beach with Bitsy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the view from our balcony at nightfall</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">In the morning Rob went to the market. We sat on the terrace eating provolone cheese, Italian ham, crusty bread and fresh fruit while a man somewhere sang opera. It brought tears to my eyes. You could hear claps, including ours, from all around the cliff where the sound reverberated like God's very own opera house.</span><br />
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<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">There were wild cats everywhere. When we tried to count how many steps we took up and down to the beach, we lost track in the many, many hundreds. Each day, we walked down the water and picked sea glass out of the pebble beach. John pulled tiny rocks out of the water and said, "Mom, it's stardust." Bitsy chewed rocks like an old dog. Madeline and Charlie's pant pockets hung to their knees with the weight of their jewel-like mementos.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pizza, gelato, repeat. Pizza, gelato, repeat....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the boys got Italian haircuts!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's sacked out</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We woke up on Bitsy's birthday with so much excitement and celebration. The kids tumbled into bed with her like a pile of puppies. I can't believe our sweet girl is two years old! The only thing that could possibly make that moment any sweeter was finding out that the Cubs <i>won</i> the World Series the night before!! Rob watched the game from 1:30 in the morning until 6am. Then we all watched highlights together until Rob and Mimi walked to the market to get fresh breakfast pastries and picnic lunch fixings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Throughout the day, Bitsy proudly said, "I'm two!!!" loving the reaction she got from her siblings. An Italian house doctor named Vito Fiorentino came to our home to check out the kids, who all had nasty colds; we wanted to make sure we didn't need antibiotics. He was fabulous; 82 years old and had been practicing medicine in Positano for 55 years, just as his father did for 70 years before him. He sang to Bitsy in Italian, told us funny stories and kissed my hand before he left. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">While Bitsy and Rob napped, I took the three big kids down to the main Positano beach. About 10 minutes after we left, people started streaming into the street from shops and restaurants, pointing behind us. We watched in horror and fascination as a long narrow waterspout reach out of the clouds and touched the beach where we had <i>just</i> been collecting seaglass. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">That afternoon we had birthday celebration for Bitsy. Rob and John came home with a special balloon arrangement and a bouquet of lilies (a birthday tradition) that filled the entire flat with their gorgeous scent. Afterwards we went to the restaurant -- Da Vinceta-- where Pier Guido recommended and told the owner we may be coming. We ate fresh seafood, stuffed zucchini flowers and handmade pastas with a giant birthday finale. The lights turned completely off, a bell started ringing, and the Italian staff sang to Bitsy. They couldn't get enough of the kids...ruffling their hair, touching their cheeks and playing peekaboo throughout the meal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next day we went back down to the beach to see if we could catch a boat ride to Capri, but seasonal workers were putting away all the stands for the season. We were perfectly happy to spend another day in the sun with no agenda. The clouds burned off and while the kids splashed, we added to our seaglass collections. Charlie said "this is the best last day of vacation I've ever had."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And it was.</span><br />
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The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-61626209580814264062016-11-03T04:12:00.000-07:002016-12-18T02:13:20.713-08:00Our Sweet Bitsy Turns Two!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We had such a ball celebrating our little Elizabeth's 2nd birthday. In fact, even now, more than a month later, we still have a sign taped to the kitchen window that Charlie made -- it says, "Happy Birthday, Bitsy Boo! Lovely Baby." She has been such a gift to our family.<br />
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Since we would be in <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.lu/2016/10/a-week-in-italy-rome-pompeii-and.html" target="_blank">Italy</a> for her actual birthday, we had our first party the night before we left. The kids decorated with balloons, signs and homemade cards. We whipped up a cake and all the kids helped Bitsy blow out her candles. She loved the new table and chairs that were just her size, and then she opened all her other gifts from loved ones.<br />
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On November 3rd, we marveled at how Bitsy spent her <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.lu/2015/11/elizabeth-turns-one.html" target="_blank">first birthday in London</a> and her second on the <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.lu/2016/10/a-week-in-italy-rome-pompeii-and.html" target="_blank">Amalfi Coast</a> (a "pinch-me" moment for sure). An 82-year-old Italian doctor did a house-call at our home because she was fighting a nasty cold; when he discovered it was her birthday, he serenaded her in Italian! Later that day, Rob and John brought home a gorgeous bouquet of fragrant lilies and a balloon bouquet for our girl. We took a hairdryer to the clothes the kids had worn into the Tyrrhenian Sea earlier that day and got dressed up for dinner in a seafood restaurant the homeowner recommended to us. The staff was fabulous. Bitsy was tickled and catered to and generally adored right up until the moment when they turned out all the lights in the restaurant and rang what sounded like a cow bell; out came a band of happy singing Italians with a special cake for Elizabeth, which she devoured. Funny baby. As we left to walk back up the stairs that led to our home, a young newlywed couple complimented the kids on their manners. Those moments make my heart swell and ended the festive celebrations on such a lovely note.<br />
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In true toddler form, Elizabeth is into EVERYTHING. She can reach counters, climb from chairs onto tables, open drawers and she loves to dump things out. I watched her spellbound one day while in ten minutes-time, she overturned all the toy food in her play kitchen, spilled a cup of milk that was on the kitchen table onto the chairs and floor, emptied the Lazy Susan cabinet in the kitchen, dumped over a bin of markers (but only after ripping off the bin labels and coloring all over her face and wood floor), opened a dresser and removed all our golf gloves from their packaging, found grapes on the counter (which she chewed and spit out on the living room rug), and spilled my lukewarm coffee down her coat. She's industrious alright.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29m0_QogjVQmpHZmM1CCAb_xJfscapG0QYVyZJI7GCZMZgLm82CKWiReioQyrQvtepjO6Hu33LlSKmCFlP9SIVI2Isy6lqT-49eQ3ZSBCw0rp8m4IOk6daXltQU6F5VmmCxpCmu178A0/s1600/IMG_9891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29m0_QogjVQmpHZmM1CCAb_xJfscapG0QYVyZJI7GCZMZgLm82CKWiReioQyrQvtepjO6Hu33LlSKmCFlP9SIVI2Isy6lqT-49eQ3ZSBCw0rp8m4IOk6daXltQU6F5VmmCxpCmu178A0/s320/IMG_9891.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bitsy loves playing babies</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bitsy loves Toddler Group at ISL on Wednesday mornings</td></tr>
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She's also talking up a storm, parroting everything she hears. She even makes jokes! Once she imitated Madeline's exclamation in the car, saying "Baby Goat!" We all laughed so hard in surprise, that now she says it out of the blue to entertain us. And the other day, a little sissy dog was crossing a street with its owner -- I laughed so hard to hear Bitsy saying, "Meow, meow!" from the backseat of the car. We love the sound of her voice.<br />
<br />
Elizabeth Marion. This baby girl is a bright light, a JOY to us all, a source of humor and incredible contentment. It is because of her that I've barely slept for two years, and I hardly mind because her waking hours make me -- make us ALL -- so happy. Her disposition is easy and playful; she's agreeable and easygoing. She's a little ray of sunshine.<br />
<br />
Happy birthday, Bitsy. We love you so much its ridiculous.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matching berets</td></tr>
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The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-29904507502118641302016-09-12T03:56:00.002-07:002016-09-20T05:13:03.060-07:00Travel with Kids Is Hard. Here's Why We Do It.<div class="p1">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never ending packing.....and wondering what I've forgotten.</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span class="s1">One of the greatest perks of expat life is the travel. Proximity to places we only dreamed about visiting from the States means we can hop on a plane or roll down the highway from our little Lux and be anywhere in Western Europe within hours. Our four kids are young (aged nine and under)...one just took her first steps; they're all small enough that they still want to cuddle before the light goes out. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">This year, we've traveled <i>a lot</i>. A real lot, and it's fabulous! But it's definitely not always easy. Let's face it (and I really never curse on this blog) -- sometimes it's a total shitshow.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">A quick weekend can take months to plan, weeks of preparation, days to pack. The final hour before departure is occasionally far from glamorous. "Did you grab the passports?" "Kids, get in the car!" "We're running behind!" By the time we leave for the airport or load up in the van, I'm usually exhausted from dragging around suitcases, running up and down two flights of stairs for hours in a frenzy to accomplish as much as possible while the baby naps. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">And once we arrive at our destination after a travel day, actually moving four kids from point A to point B is an exercise in crowd management. From the elevator to the restrooms, through security or crowds, onto trams, up stairs, down escalators, onto planes, out of cabs, across streets, away from deadly ledges (this is a biggie in Europe where most everything is "at-your-own-risk").... And the only way the baby will nap while we sightsee is if I carry all 21-pounds of her on my body for <i>hours</i> like a pack mule.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bored bored bored.</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">So why do we do it? And why do we keep doing it? It's <i>so much work</i>. No one sleeps quite as well, even though we rent flats with multiple bedrooms and we travel with an entire suitcase that's filled with white-noise, night lights and monitors.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Why? Why??</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><i>Because it's incredible</i></b>. It brings our family together like nothing else has or possible could. We're explorers, a registered team in our very own Amazing Race. We're navigating the unknown. Making memories. </span><br />
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<b><span class="s1">We're creating our family's story. </span></b><br />
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<span class="s1">It shakes us out of our routine. When we're walking medieval streets in Lisbon, eating lunch on the Eiffel Tower, riding a roller coaster in Copenhagen's Tivoli, running through poppy-lined vineyards in Champagne, or boating the archipelago in Stockholm, the kids aren't still in their pajamas at noon, watching their third Peppa Pig. They aren't bored, arguing about whose yoyo is green and whose is blue. I'm not doing laundry. Rob's not mowing the lawn. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">We ARE pushing ourselves to experience life in a new and different way. We're stretching, growing, learning, tasting. Being present in the moment. Being together. Living fully. When we rent people's homes in different parts of the world, it opens our eyes to other lifestyles -- the kids see bedrooms that are simpler, a life with fewer toys; Rob and I learn to cook in a less equipped kitchen, to hang dry clothes when there's no dryer (I know! Life without a dryer!). </span></div>
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<span class="s1">It forces us to be adaptable. Stuff happens; you deal with it. Lose a sightseeing day because three kids barfed through the night... Forget the carrier, so the baby won't nap on the go. Rent a house near the Red Light District...oops. Leave a suitcase by the front door. Lose two kids for a terrifying few minutes in Paris. Leave the double stroller several hours-drive away. Neglect to bring clean underwear. Shred a tire in the mountains. Realize you're not staying on the beach but in the Maritime Alps. Show up at the wrong terminal and sprint through an airport with four children. Assuage hungry kids when there are no pit stops for 100 km (road travel is different in Europe too). Weather an allergic reaction on a Sunday when all pharmacies are closed. Search out antibiotics in a remote mountain town. And the worst of all scenarios: the lost lovey or two...or three (read about that <u><a href="http://megrob.blogspot.lu/2015/11/the-saga-of-lost-loveys.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a></u>). C'est la vie. Each one makes you realize that we can handle most anything that may come. It's not that each scenario doesn't come with its own brand of stress in the moment, but you learn almost nothing is insurmountable; no temporary hardship trumps what we're gaining in our shared experience. It forces us to be creative, to learn what we can live without, and to know our limitations. </span></div>
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<b><span class="s1">Travel. It's exciting. It's exhausting. It's priceless. It's expensive. It broadens our perspective. It makes us deeply appreciate home. It makes routine, normalcy, the hum-drum...absolutely lovely.</span></b></div>
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<span class="s1">And, we're getting good at it. The more we travel, the more streamlined we become. The kids better understand what's going to happen and how to improvise. They understand our expectations of them. Like playing piano, the more we practice as a family, the more easily our fingers fly over the keys. We still have melt downs, sibling tussles, and all the other things that come with family life...we're just doing it together in cool places.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The thing I will take away from this experience is less WHERE to travel and more HOW to travel. Packing light, being nimble. Forging ahead when things don't seem perfect....and finding that they can be just as great, or at least create a terrific memory or hilarious story. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">Going anywhere </span><span class="s1"><span class="s1">to experience something new as a family </span>-- however near or far, and regardless of whether it's free or five-star -- is worth the work and expense. It's a million dollars in the bank in terms of how these trips shape our life, our collective memory, our future interests, even our neuropathways. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">While our experience abroad is allowing us to travel Europe, I think the gift it's really giving us is the courage and confidence to travel well <i>anywhere</i>. One day when we live in the States again, I can hardly wait to show my children all the beauty and history in the place we call home.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Sometimes travel with kids hard, and it probably won't ever be harder than it is right now. </span>So why do it?<br />
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<span class="s1">Because. It's incredibly rewarding and it's worth it.</span></div>
The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-9894044748872115522016-07-01T05:12:00.000-07:002016-09-12T04:22:07.578-07:00Homeleave 2016 -- A Perfect Summer in Bay St. Louis<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1">Our 2016 Homeleave on the beach in Bay St. Louis, MS, was in a word, <i>perfect</i>. The kids were ridiculously happy, surrounded by all our family. Everything was familiar our second summer in the Bay -- it felt like coming home. As cheesy as it may sound, we filled our love tanks.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">Two days after our return from <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.lu/2016/06/a-magical-journey-to-stockholmand-back.html" target="_blank">Stockholm</a>, we arrived to a festive homecoming in the Gulfport airport -- Ning, Poppa and the Vlachs were there with signs, hugs and happy tears! Our bags were never loaded in Paris and we lost my purse in Atlanta airport security, but we didn't really mind. We stocked up at Walmart and kicked off vacation with a break from phones and social media. It was like going back to a simpler time.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Summer in Bay St. Louis..... It's roadside peaches and tomatoes that were picked that morning. It's Crab-fest on the Fourth of July, swimming till bedtime, lazy afternoons, fried green tomatoes and root beer floats. It's the beach at sunset and an outdoor shower. It's catching up on a year's worth of guilty pleasures (Diet Dr Pepper and the Bachelorette!), and repeatedly asking aloud if John wore any shoes (no). It's a white-steepled church on Sunday. Every American flag felt like it might have been hung to welcome us home for a bit.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">We were so relaxed. The biggest question was whether we wanted to eat shrimp pulled out of the Gulf that morning or fresh gumbo. Pool or beach. Ice cream cone or Snowball.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Madeline and Charlie went to sailing camp, using words like "jig" in everyday conversation and tying ribbons on their life-preservers with each new skill they learned. Later in the summer, they actually sailed in a regatta! John went to vacation Bible school, where all the ladies called him Mr. Hollywood because he was so cool and handsome with his shades. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbvc45QNa8R9ymwtztHwyTx7ZSD33QCwoj-rpNx4JR2WhUXLuBeshgk1Qnz8UvWuGI_hMFwxbzMA177pTMm89WQKzXHxoAJl8CdyT6JYmHz8SSdfMuX694dnKmp4BsIvdDp14_GdsyWs/s1600/IMG_7666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbvc45QNa8R9ymwtztHwyTx7ZSD33QCwoj-rpNx4JR2WhUXLuBeshgk1Qnz8UvWuGI_hMFwxbzMA177pTMm89WQKzXHxoAJl8CdyT6JYmHz8SSdfMuX694dnKmp4BsIvdDp14_GdsyWs/s200/IMG_7666.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day of sailing camp!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day of Vacation Bible School for John John!</td></tr>
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<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">Rob's parents, Nicki, and her boyfriend, Mike, came down for an week-long visit; Rob chartered fishing guide and went out with his dad and the big kids. I flew up to meet two-week old Teddy and help Andi and Kyle in Granger. Back in BSL, everyone celebrated Ning's birthday! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnuj09XEU17qxwurEWFIW6sv3FxrkGGgTaG6Bd8atXdgB0FTlo64EPR26SGZW6ZBaWT-hw9gfClXSTSPyIeCsyA-k1wYB6Bs-wxeMD9WiqoOtdNCE8DJpK2gy1KK_0bMQKaDRWAKQ4pY/s1600/IMG_7592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnuj09XEU17qxwurEWFIW6sv3FxrkGGgTaG6Bd8atXdgB0FTlo64EPR26SGZW6ZBaWT-hw9gfClXSTSPyIeCsyA-k1wYB6Bs-wxeMD9WiqoOtdNCE8DJpK2gy1KK_0bMQKaDRWAKQ4pY/s200/IMG_7592.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkAXpyriUii4uaBIfXzzzCH9-8XVxSsiPBj3ZWZj_6FVddopmAEujYLpdjZXbmVem1gWlv0x3u607yC_gUn7HtHF8plYBLxzkKxw5eZqqbYeZqFWaWANe3gMH9LBXBr8AWz5aryAiX28/s1600/IMG_7606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkAXpyriUii4uaBIfXzzzCH9-8XVxSsiPBj3ZWZj_6FVddopmAEujYLpdjZXbmVem1gWlv0x3u607yC_gUn7HtHF8plYBLxzkKxw5eZqqbYeZqFWaWANe3gMH9LBXBr8AWz5aryAiX28/s200/IMG_7606.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Instant love.</td></tr>
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<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">Mollie and Kenny came down for a week with their sweet little Evie. Madeline and her cousin had a special connection. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">A few weeks later, Mollie and I flew back to South Bend a second time for a Sisters Weekend with Andi. My sisters and I have a friendship that's practically indescribable. We are just so close.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sisters Weekend! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A teary goodbye....</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">It was a perfect summer rolling around in the open-air electric car, swimming at the yacht club, playing at the beach, Freida Fest, Crab fest, a day trip to New Orleans for barbecue shrimp at Mr. B's and antiquing in the French Quarter, and big happy family dinners in Ning and Papa's backyard. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">While everyone was still together, we surprised Rob and my dad with an early shrimp-boil birthday party!</span></div>
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<br />
<span class="s1">During the kid's second week of sailing camp, my </span>dear friend, Erin, came to visit for three days! She was my longtime roommate, bridesmaid and sorority sister....and she practically moved heaven and earth to coordinate the time away from her busy family life. It meant the world to me.<br />
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<span class="s1">After two weeks, Rob flew back to Lux; the kids and I stayed on for three more weeks. </span>One afternoon, my dad and Ning took us to the 100 Men Hall on the Mississippi Blues Trail, where Etta James and other greats have performed. We listened to live Cajun Zydeco music, ate jambalaya, and I discovered iced tea with pecan vodka. The kids loved going to the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis/home/index.html" target="_blank">NASA's Stennis Space Center</a>, where rocket engines are built and tested, and the <a href="http://www.imms.org/" target="_blank">Institute for Marine Mammal Studies</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This engine went to the moon!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The unassuming 100 Man Hall... </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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We blinked, and homeleave was over. Sandie came back to Bay St. Louis to help me fly the kids back across the ocean -- she's one in a million. The night before we were to take off, Madeline and Bitsy had a violent virus....it's a small miracle that we were able to travel to Lux. And then we were lucky enough to have Sandie with us for two very fun, full weeks in Luxembourg before the kids started back to school!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing in the backyard tent.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making apple pie</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mussels!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grammy and Bitsy both tried their first mussels.</td></tr>
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The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-50481700772920093552016-06-23T04:03:00.000-07:002016-09-12T04:33:22.743-07:00A Magical Journey to Stockholm.....and Into my Childhood<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1">The night before we left for Stockholm, all the kids got cozy in Bitsy's nursery to read from Pippi Longstocking. John was nestled in her crib, Madeline sat in her tiny rocking chair, Charlie spread out on the pink rug, Bitsy in the crook of my arm in her rocker. They were slightly grudging participants.....but soon, they were howling with laughter and begging me to bring the book on our trip the next morning.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">I'd been looking forward to our visit to Sweden like no other, which perfectly coincided with Midsummer Celebrations....a huge deal in Sweden. Not only would I be exploring my family history -- my grandma Madeline is 100% Swedish (and Rob's grandfather too) -- but I was also revisiting my own life story. I lived in Sweden during second and third grade, Madeline's exact age when we moved to Luxembourg. About three years ago when we were still in Wisconsin, I reconnected through Facebook with one of my closest Swedish childhood friends, Linda Murray -- who, by the way, passed along my mother's painting to us (read more about that here) -- and we started hatching a far-fetched plan for a visit. Fast forward a few years and throw in our international transfer, and it wasn't so far-fetched anymore...</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We arrived at our rooftop apartment in the pedestrian area of Normalm in the afternoon; the kids were delighted to play in the communal sandbox while I unpacked and Rob grocery shopped.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">The next morning, we went to Skansen, an open air, living "museum" that demonstrates Swedish life through the last few centuries. The kids woke up at 4am with the summer Scandinavian sun (which only sets for a couple of hours in the south where we were, and not at all up north). We couldn't wait to celebrate Midsummer, making our own birch leaf head wreaths and watching dancers in traditional Swedish dress raise the maypole. For lunch, we ate reindeer, elk and deer sandwiches.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking the metro to Skansen</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reindeer and elk for lunch!</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">The following day was extraordinary. I reunited with Linda for the first time in 30 years; she brought fuzzy memories into focus and gave me a chapter of my story...after all, I was learning long division the last time I saw her. Linda and her fabulous husband, Karl, treated us like family. After picking us up in downtown Stockholm (in an extra borrowed car so our caravan could accommodate our large family), they took us all to my childhood home in Täby, and showed me the British Primary School, where we met and I attended 2nd and 3rd grade. They served us herring, venison, Swedish flatbread and homemade cinnamon rolls in their gorgeous home with their beautiful daughters, Carna and Franca. Linda's parents came over (her father, Frank, kept saying, "You've grown!"). We marveled at how natural, easy and fun it felt to reconnect after all these years. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Swedish childhood home! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQOQZAJdziqeGmrX9Wmuc6fSyl9OYaeFCKHybT8TLx8TEIb-EfLppBmy5kr01Q1jFbADSwXnt-3SfYJyX0y_S0kqcDBuC1fhL6fTkOUogIMGy6Ws4PoqHly4W2mcZt3m-idBUiJOEyS0/s1600/IMG_7148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQOQZAJdziqeGmrX9Wmuc6fSyl9OYaeFCKHybT8TLx8TEIb-EfLppBmy5kr01Q1jFbADSwXnt-3SfYJyX0y_S0kqcDBuC1fhL6fTkOUogIMGy6Ws4PoqHly4W2mcZt3m-idBUiJOEyS0/s320/IMG_7148.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't resist peeking through the gate where I used to build igloos and had a snail collection!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda and Karl's gorgeous home.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As you can see, John made himself right at home.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting the neighbors giant Swedish hares.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda lent me her clogs. So of course I had to buy a pair the next day!</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">The following day, we were Swedish tourists. Since it was raining, we went to the Vasa Museum to see a 400-year old Swedish military ship that sank 20-minutes into its maiden voyage and was perfectly preserved in the freezing cold water. Then a stroll through Old Town, a Royal Palace fly-by and........ the moment I completely embarrassed my daughter by buying wooden clogs in old town and asking the shopkeeper to take our picture. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vasa Museum! Charlie's all time favorite.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Swedish meatballs. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buying my red clogs!</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">On our final day, we had glorious sunshine and warm temperatures. We hopped on a boat and took a gorgeous ride out to spend the day on the island of Grinda, one of Stockholm's 30,000 islands in the archipelago. It was like time stopped. We swam, climbed rocks, napped, ate ice cream, and enjoyed a beautiful boat ride through the smooth outcroppings. What a relaxing and beautiful finish to a FABULOUS vacation!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our boat for the breathtaking hour-long ride into the archipelago.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKbdMvf9v2nxpYCH9XprgzcV0eRLOY0t00CJ-Ij3m8lNpypNYvKc4kTszPZpkIQfhzI_pdGumtv0OE8MsR-W8FCiqn2t5rdbzc_SAmbT2s_re5-FjAy3kzr_xxqC2-TLBKm3f9tgZ_OY/s1600/IMG_7386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKbdMvf9v2nxpYCH9XprgzcV0eRLOY0t00CJ-Ij3m8lNpypNYvKc4kTszPZpkIQfhzI_pdGumtv0OE8MsR-W8FCiqn2t5rdbzc_SAmbT2s_re5-FjAy3kzr_xxqC2-TLBKm3f9tgZ_OY/s320/IMG_7386.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landing on our wild island of Grinda.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was pre-season, so the water was cold, but the kids didn't care!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP50ha4T0hiYg0xjy2JhKEUzQkurDxD3QGlWu_v2y1sJ4pxr9CFcfBp8t8SCJKZACazHgfUPwpuRMZiDV9HV0RbjFlPslPKsEGWDDGjlCpZiymuKoLJyLfocisfW3g8SL3pDnjoR5NMdU/s1600/IMG_7402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP50ha4T0hiYg0xjy2JhKEUzQkurDxD3QGlWu_v2y1sJ4pxr9CFcfBp8t8SCJKZACazHgfUPwpuRMZiDV9HV0RbjFlPslPKsEGWDDGjlCpZiymuKoLJyLfocisfW3g8SL3pDnjoR5NMdU/s320/IMG_7402.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We brought a picnic.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iC00K8MU9dFVngGg6ZtbFzQEZ1XsCefzDcwB97rgYBHrYHujYly2ljUHKj-LAG5RnNQkyG3XzCZFtMCoj9pDP7ap5zSlfpCNrt9opGGaI5r4nUKHzt55by1B6VE5Knmy5gURcpAAli0/s1600/IMG_7453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iC00K8MU9dFVngGg6ZtbFzQEZ1XsCefzDcwB97rgYBHrYHujYly2ljUHKj-LAG5RnNQkyG3XzCZFtMCoj9pDP7ap5zSlfpCNrt9opGGaI5r4nUKHzt55by1B6VE5Knmy5gURcpAAli0/s320/IMG_7453.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I remember all these smooth rocks from my childhood.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bitsy watched the kids in the water.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When everyone changed back into clothes, she wouldn't let me take her bikini off!</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">This one took the cake. It was magical to be able to share this place and my memories with my family. </span></div>
The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-35661360653179033872016-06-09T04:28:00.000-07:002016-09-09T23:28:41.124-07:00John John's FIVE!After so many long months of waiting, it was finally John's turn to celebrate his birthday!<br />
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On his birthday morning, John -- who loves space, the solar system and astronauts -- woke up to a room full of balloons and blow-up planets (courtesy of Oriental Trading via the german Amazon)! His happy squeals were our alarm clock. Then we had a singing candle for breakfast (with astronaut ice cream) and opened his gifts from family before school! A self-inflating Whoopsie Cushion, a Storm Trooper, a set of checkers, a bathtub submarine, Star Wars scooter, three science kits and a foot-operated rocket launcher that blew his five-year-old mind. All that by 7:45am!<br />
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Later that morning, Bitsy and I celebrated with John's K1 class at the International School of Luxembourg. John wore a birthday crown and felt like Big Stuff passing out his cupcakes. Bitsy was quite an attraction.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mrs. Lambert was terrific! She understood John's zany little personality.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing to birthday songs!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bitsy has an entourage at ISL everywhere we go....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bitsy settled right in.</td></tr>
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After school, the kids had swimming lessons, which is John's favorite, so it was perfect that it landed on his birthday! Rob got home from work early and we ate dinner outside in the gorgeous and rare sunshine (it has been colder in Luxembourg than Russia, and it has rained for weeks on end). At John's request, we had Subway and smoothies. He blew out his second set of birthday candles for the day and we all laughed while Bitsy lathered herself in the homemade blue frosting.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bitsy lathered herself up and was sweet enough to eat!</td></tr>
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On Saturday morning, John's three best friends came over for a Space/Astronaut-themed birthday party! Sandra, from Spain, Zade from the States, and Alexandre, from Luxembourg. The kids colored rocket ships and solar system coloring sheets until everyone arrived, and then we began Astronaut Training. I spun the kids to teach them about centrifugal force. Then they had to blow wads of paper across the table with a straw to test their lung capacity. And their favorite....they each received a homemade jet pack, which they "activated" and then sprinted across the room one-at-a-time, jumping up and batting at balloons I held higher and higher each turn.<br />
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Next we did dangling donuts....an oldie but a goodie. For lunch, the kids ate hotdogs and fruit spaceships that Madeline and John made. Afterwards, we hunted for moon rocks (candy wrapped in tin foil), opened gifts and cut the rocket ship cake. And at last, we went outside and the kids took turns walloping a piñata, which John's has been talking about for months. After everyone had a turn, we gave John extra whacks and that kid blew it open; the kids scrambled filling their goodie bags.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandra, John and Alex</td></tr>
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John John cracks us up; we're absolutely bananas about him! His sense of humor is off the charts. It has been a giant year for him....dropping naps and going to school all-day, every-day as is required in Luxembourg (besides half-day Wednesdays). He's thriving and happy. Testing boundaries at home and needling his older brother and sister with his little elf smirk, rosebud lips and raspy voice. He's desperate to show Madeline and Charlie his art projects at school pick up, and picks Bitsy up under her arms like a little rag doll to take her with him as he plays. He's learning french, and I love listening to him sing his pre-K songs; the sight of him in his goggles, swim cap and pirate Speedos at his weekly swimming lessons is just too darn cute. He sometimes asks if he can take a piano lesson....so Miss Daniela spends five minutes with him at the piano....he's so proud. And we're so proud of the sweet boy that he is.<br />
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We love you like CRAZY, John John!! Happy 5th birthday!</div>
The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-28703945340826998602016-05-26T12:45:00.000-07:002016-09-09T04:02:09.513-07:00My Bubbly Birthday in Champagne<div style="color: #222222;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We left straight from school on Friday afternoon, winding through <span style="font-family: inherit;">France's</span> Champagne region from<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>little Luxembourg. Our rental house was located in Vertus, a charming and quiet champagne-centric town where <span style="font-family: inherit;">we<span style="font-family: inherit;"> were </span></span>surrounded on <i>all four sides</i> by budding vineyards. Our only sightseeing was scootering (as in literally riding scooters) through the country roads, pulling aside when the field hands came and went for the day. Friday night we put the kids to bed and Rob and I sat in the gorgeous garden out back, sipping local champagne. The pace of life in the last two months of school had ramped up to a frantic, barely<span style="font-family: inherit;">-</span>sustainable fever pitch; this trip was just what we needed. It was a lovely way to celebrate <span style="font-family: inherit;">my birthday, <span style="font-family: inherit;">and</span> since my mom's bir<span style="font-family: inherit;">thday is the day after mine, I felt like we were s<span style="font-family: inherit;">oaking up the bea<span style="font-family: inherit;">uty aro<span style="font-family: inherit;">und <span style="font-family: inherit;">us in her memory as well. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild poppies</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next morning we made a big pancake breakfast and drove 25 minutes to Epernay, the heart of the Champagne region. The drive was one of our favorite parts of the entire trip, passing through rolling vineyards for the big champagne houses like Veuve Cliquot; the roadsides were dotted with wild poppies. We arrived in Epernay just as shop owners were unlocking their doors. The streets were quiet so we let the kids ride their scooters through the squares and past mural covered walls. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mural you can practically smell...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then we headed over to the Avenue de Champagne and took a fabulous tour of the Mercier Maison de Champagne (champagne house), <span style="font-family: inherit;">riding</span> a 30 meter lift down into the 18 km of caves where the champagne is produced and stored. We were delighted by the way our four young children were not just tolerated, but absolutely catered too. In fact, our guide asked everyone to step aside so that Madeline, Charlie and John could have a front row <span style="font-family: inherit;">"seats"</span> in both the entertaining elevator ride and the laser-guided train, which zipped us through the caves. I even watched him tie a special knot in John's listening guide so it would be just his size.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bas Relief in the Caves</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We saw a Caterpillar skid steer in the champagne cav<span style="font-family: inherit;">es!</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While Rob took the big kids to grab sandwiches for lunch, Bitsy and I strolled the Avenue de Champagne, where Moët & Chandon is located, <span style="font-family: inherit;">pee<span style="font-family: inherit;">r</span>ing</span> through the iron gates at the mansions and neoclassical villas that were rebuilt after World War I. We drove back to Vertus, taking a different, equally<span style="font-family: inherit;">-</span>gorgeous route <span style="font-family: inherit;">to</span> our 2 o'clock tasting at Champagne Doyard Mahé. Its grounds reminded me of the Secret Garden with hidden doors <span style="font-family: inherit;">peeking out from</span> ivy-covered brick walls, an arched footpath beside a bubbling stream, and romantic trellises. The proprietor welcomed us here too, and once again catered to the children! She was on her hands and knees playing ball with Bitsy, <span style="font-family: inherit;">evening bringing</span> out special refreshments and art supplies for the kids, and happily chatt<span style="font-family: inherit;">ing</span> with Rob and <span style="font-family: inherit;">me</span>. A beautiful rain <span style="font-family: inherit;">drizzled</span> outside while we made our selections…a couple of dry champagnes and a bubbly ros<span style="font-family: inherit;">é</span>, which we'll look forward to for future birthdays and anniversaries. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdezjvSs2PL1zOErZ-zc1Eq-XNwm30HU1Ekpo1Llm_fTrPUtHR4OX7vq7QAw15zKaDF-c-zDM_Xk8DWV8ckIQJCCZtiisP5exIsv6acwkfheACqzvcvbBcoLmtELTODUDwdMqsGgGZ7I/s1600/IMG_6432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdezjvSs2PL1zOErZ-zc1Eq-XNwm30HU1Ekpo1Llm_fTrPUtHR4OX7vq7QAw15zKaDF-c-zDM_Xk8DWV8ckIQJCCZtiisP5exIsv6acwkfheACqzvcvbBcoLmtELTODUDwdMqsGgGZ7I/s320/IMG_6432.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Champagne Doyard Mahé</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved all the French titles.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We headed home and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sunshine and taking another leisurely family walk through the vineyards. The kids collected snails and the boys handed me handfuls of poppies. The next day was an easy two<span style="font-family: inherit;">-</span>hour trip home. It was such a<span style="font-family: inherit;">n ele<span style="font-family: inherit;">gant,</span></span> relaxing vacation that Rob and I are already planning when we will come back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's a</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">f</span>lashback to <span style="font-family: inherit;">some highlights from May 26</span>....a gorgeous breakfast with <span style="font-family: inherit;">friends</span> at Ladur<span style="font-family: inherit;">é</span>e and special gifts from loved ones...)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristine, Angie, Leanne, Megan, Mary, me, little Sabina, Anna and Meredith</td></tr>
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The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-10019918856444296342016-05-12T12:46:00.000-07:002016-09-08T05:10:24.096-07:00Stylish Copenhagen!<span style="font-family: inherit;">We were up before 5am to catch our early morning flight, but it was worth it! We're <i>in love</i> with Copenhagen -- just being there made us feel like we were hanging with the cool kids. The thing that struck us the most is how nice and helpful people were. Teenagers in the subway, shopkeepers, restaurant servers, even just strangers in the park. Plus, my sister, Andi, st<span style="font-family: inherit;">udied abroad here...so it was fun to see her old stomping grounds.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the airport is cool in Copenhagen</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our apartment was in 150-year-old building in the vibrant and colorful Nørrebro neighborhood. We walked up to the gritty, urban exterior, climbed the four flights of stairs, and opened the door to the most cheerful, bright and fun apartment we we've rented yet. The floors were all painted white with fun art on the walls and a mix of modern and vintage elements. Each of the kids bedrooms had a little nook with hidden bed! And there were so many toys! We wandering the neighborhood, stopping in a a toy store, a bank for some Danish Kroners and a hamburgers at an "American" restaurant; then we put Bitsy down for a nap, filled the refrigerator with groceries, and set off on an afternoon adventure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A short walk later we found a skater park with fountains where a professional street photographer gave us his business card and asked if he could shoot the kids while they play. When everyone was soaking wet and happy, we walked through a gorgeous park filled with Copenhagen locals, said hello to the famous Hans Christian Andersen statue, and found Tivoli Gardens, a 150-year old amusement park that was built for the king. We never really told the kids where we were going, so you can just imagine their surprised expressions when they saw the colorful roller coasters, bumper cars and cotton candy stands. I generally only last about 30 minutes in most carnival environments, but this was nothing like that -- it was tasteful and classy. We had dinner at Wagamama, a London noodle chain where I accidentally spilled an entire beer in Bitsy's face and practically drown her. The kids were so tired from our early morning and long walk that they crashed hard that night (but only after I gave sweet Elizabeth bath in the kitchen sink).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Man with the Hat" -- he's a published street photographer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5d9dBePGChyZaSdrWYS6CNyzbtVZJKz1Er02SFvEy9yDNnoc7OBWPEAeZGCpPP7vLGfSFvYkRqy9L-sCG17cWgIvbkjEk1LPIc8mLTDiC3L1RhmBAmgJmsGbskmNe5JHRWXi4lLtV9Nk/s1600/IMG_5847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5d9dBePGChyZaSdrWYS6CNyzbtVZJKz1Er02SFvEy9yDNnoc7OBWPEAeZGCpPP7vLGfSFvYkRqy9L-sCG17cWgIvbkjEk1LPIc8mLTDiC3L1RhmBAmgJmsGbskmNe5JHRWXi4lLtV9Nk/s320/IMG_5847.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hans Christian Andersen statue...author of Th<span style="font-family: inherit;">e Little Mer<span style="font-family: inherit;">maid and The Ugly Du<span style="font-family: inherit;">ckling</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tivoli!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next morning Rob made gigantic fluffy pancakes to fuel us up for our day ahead. Our first stop was King Christian IV's summer residence, Rosenborg Castle, to see the Danish crown jewels. Incredible! Madeline and I drooled over the crowns and necklaces; the boys loved the jewel-encrusted swords and guns. Bitsy took a two-hour nap in the carrier while we continued on to the Mermaid Statue, which has become an unofficial symbol of Copenhagen. We were picturing a developed area where we could find some lunch, so it was a surprise to find ourselves in a somewhat remote harbor filled with tour buses. Thankfully, we were attracted to a gorgeous fountain not far from the statue and came upon hot dog and lemonade food trucks! Then we hopped in a cab and zipped home just as the rain started to fall in earnest. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We rested at home for a bit and went back out to climb the Rundetaarn, or the Round Tower, which was built as an astronomical observatory in the 17th century. The kids ran up and down the spiral ramp like it was a medieval playground and jumped out at us from the small cubbies along the way. We were enjoying the view of Copenhagen from the top, and the kids were taking turns looking through the binoculars, when they started bickering about whose turn it was. I tried to say "no fighting, kids" but I accidentally said "no farting." Since we've taught the kids not to use that word (they actually think that's <span style="font-family: inherit;">the "f" in</span> "f-word"!!), we all BURST into hilarious heaps of laughter. So that's a sure-fire way to end sibling tussles! We strolled the <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;">Strøget</span> (Copenhagen's pedestrian, car-free shopping street), listening to the street performers, got some ice cream cones and headed home for spaghetti Bolognese. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easy to see why it's called The Round Tower!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bickering that ended in side splitting laughter....</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> That night, the flu struck! Madeline and Charlie had a rough night. It's a very good thing the next day </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">was Whit Monday, a national holiday in Luxembourg and most of Europe; otherwise, we certainly would have had to change our flight home. The kids rested and we enjoyed quiet activities in our fun apartment. John and I took a stroll around one of Copenhagen's lakes just steps from our front door; the wind was biting, but we bundled up and bought a couple of cookies, which we shared with all the ducks and swans.</span><br />
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We were on the same flight home as American expats living in Luxembourg, so on top of a fabulous trip to Copenhagen, we ended up making new friends as well. This was a trip we'll remember forever.The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-45971429585154029102016-05-05T12:44:00.002-07:002016-09-13T04:06:45.433-07:00The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-37237263897105936542016-05-05T12:44:00.000-07:002016-09-13T04:06:42.999-07:00A Long Weekend in Lovely Freiburg<div style="color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We pulled in to the tiny German village of G<span style="font-family: inherit;">u<span style="font-family: inherit;">ndelfingen straight from the kids' school and settled into our rental home about 10 minutes outside of sweet Freiburg on the southwest edge of the Black Forest. Dinner that night was a true local experience -- a <span style="font-family: inherit;">local</span></span></span> German restaurant where our table actually <i>shook</i> <span style="font-family: inherit;">as the </span>chef pound<span style="font-family: inherit;">ed</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">our wiener schnitzel</span> in the kitchen on the other side of the wall. Rob and the kids kept saying "keep your <i>mitts</i>/ off my <i>schnitz</i>-el." We thought i<span style="font-family: inherit;">t</span> was hilarious. The next morning we walked through a gorgeous field <span style="font-family: inherit;">behind our house<span style="font-family: inherit;"> leading </span>to trails and an aquatic center. I couldn't stop taking pictures of Madeline, Charlie and John's little heads poking out of the tall grass.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The next morning,</span> our good friends the Mosses arrived -- Meredith, Pete, Huxley and Sebastian -- and we headed into downtown Freiburg to explore for an hour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On Saturday morning we </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">enjoyed </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">the farmers market, which is set up around the Cathedral in Centre Ville. Freiburg is famous for its 600-year old channels, called bächle -- only about 10 inches wide -- that divert water from the river Dreisam and run throughout town. We bought the kids classic handmade wood sail boats at the market and watched them happily play in the narrow canals while a German band played behind us. The convivial town filled in around us until the streets thronged with people.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Meredith and Pete treated us to</span> a lovely cafe lunch, then we headed home for naps and more swimming.
That afternoon, we put Bitsy in her new hiking carrier and went for a
gorgeous walk through the German countryside -- perfect for a giant
grass fight!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span> </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;">After the kids were all tucked in, </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Rob and Pete dialed in takeaway schnitzel from the local restaurant where we ate the first night. But a few minutes later, they were back empty-handed, laughing like a couple of school girls as they imitated the German restaurant manager. "Vere aw your plates?" she said. So they grabbed a few platters and plates and headed back to the </span><span style="color: #222222;">restaurant</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> to bring home dinner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Such a fun holiday with friend<span style="font-family: inherit;">s in a <span style="font-family: inherit;">beautiful, histori<span style="font-family: inherit;">c</span></span> place!</span> </span></div>
The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-47062000543505514902016-04-07T12:46:00.000-07:002016-06-30T10:34:08.244-07:00Amsterdam, Seven Million Tulips and the Dutch Seaside<div style="color: #222222;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A<span style="font-family: inherit;">fter our fun trips to <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.lu/2016/03/easter-in-dublin-and-dalkey.html" target="_blank">Dublin</a> and <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.lu/2016/03/an-amazing-trip-to-edinburgh.html" target="_blank">Edinburgh</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> during the first week of the</span></span> kid<span style="font-family: inherit;">s' spring break, we <span style="font-family: inherit;">rested at home for a bit, then h<span style="font-family: inherit;">opped in the car and drove four hou<span style="font-family: inherit;">rs to <span style="font-family: inherit;">Holland <span style="font-family: inherit;">during </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">the se<span style="font-family: inherit;">cond week they were off school.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Along the way, <span style="font-family: inherit;">w</span>e drove through<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Bastogne, Belguim<span style="font-family: inherit;">, <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">explaining</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> the Battle of the B<span style="font-family: inherit;">ulge </span></span>as we looked out our </span></span>window. <span style="font-family: inherit;">It's so close to the Luxembourg border that we'll make that a special day trip soon. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We got right to it. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Our apartment was fun for the kids <span style="font-family: inherit;">-- the top level of the house was<span style="font-family: inherit;"> one</span></span> giant room filled <span style="font-family: inherit;">with beds and a hammock! Though we were around the corner from the <span style="font-family: inherit;">main Red Light <span style="font-family: inherit;">Di<span style="font-family: inherit;">strict area, our street was charming with <span style="font-family: inherit;">knitting</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> shops <span style="font-family: inherit;">and <span style="font-family: inherit;">bakeries. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>We got <span style="font-family: inherit;">settled, and then</span> walked<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to</span></span></span> the <i>busy</i> central station area<span style="font-family: inherit;">, <span style="font-family: inherit;">passing</span> over the <span style="font-family: inherit;">picturesque</span> canals and brid<span style="font-family: inherit;">ges, <span style="font-family: inherit;">minding <span style="font-family: inherit;">the</span> sea of bike<span style="font-family: inherit;">-riders,</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">trams, crowds and cars. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Did I mention it was <i>busy</i>? <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To get a <span style="font-family: inherit;">macro-view</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> of the city, we started with a canal tour</span>, seeing <span style="font-family: inherit;">several sights along <span style="font-family: inherit;">the way, including the</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> Anne Frank house.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbnyZDFoEvo6zQvagtW1RRQyfJ2uX045H3V_8nE3lGEuZvE-n1gScCmBcm7mo7BDsMq0WHnDfiOwofQ2nah-odjNvobdH-LPMzlzchwRGD8GXoeuFoXDspcKkTHvtNqxzYeTBYJTIZQQ/s1600/IMG_4686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbnyZDFoEvo6zQvagtW1RRQyfJ2uX045H3V_8nE3lGEuZvE-n1gScCmBcm7mo7BDsMq0WHnDfiOwofQ2nah-odjNvobdH-LPMzlzchwRGD8GXoeuFoXDspcKkTHvtNqxzYeTBYJTIZQQ/s320/IMG_4686.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our street from the window</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4rfsyfliAY9OJRQXCRFbfJa3dne0cLZp-PQzEPhkw-cpRcTInZM867DlduERFPP_a961mf01A4LHzDxksCSe4wgrr5vNWFg7lzMkdxzyctPh8HWHlOhciC276RPoV2fgZSMmqcswGgg/s1600/IMG_4688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4rfsyfliAY9OJRQXCRFbfJa3dne0cLZp-PQzEPhkw-cpRcTInZM867DlduERFPP_a961mf01A4LHzDxksCSe4wgrr5vNWFg7lzMkdxzyctPh8HWHlOhciC276RPoV2fgZSMmqcswGgg/s320/IMG_4688.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Madeline loves to knit, so she was in heaven!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQEF6xlgajGIpiuQTT8Rwrju8P3vTk9wZd7BiRjH_1OmVuC7rjHiou6NSPk31VlfHXlYUQS2XJH3BXiRrd2m0NY2V5e5akw4tb9SP7XjCuLkVP1_nGx7R5FlTdIDBfZSqlF2vDPsRViA/s1600/IMG_4701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQEF6xlgajGIpiuQTT8Rwrju8P3vTk9wZd7BiRjH_1OmVuC7rjHiou6NSPk31VlfHXlYUQS2XJH3BXiRrd2m0NY2V5e5akw4tb9SP7XjCuLkVP1_nGx7R5FlTdIDBfZSqlF2vDPsRViA/s320/IMG_4701.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guide books say to eat frites with curry sauce! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next morning, we woke up before the rest of Amsterdam and pedaled its quiet streets
through the gor<span style="font-family: inherit;">geous </span>VondelPark and over canal bridges with our awesome Dutch guide,
Jasper, at <a href="http://webikeamsterdam.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WeBikeAmsterdam.com.</a> <span style="font-family: inherit;">The tour was meant to be two hours,<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> but we were having so much fun that we rode for three. John and Bitsy <span style="font-family: inherit;">were <span style="font-family: inherit;">in a Cabby box bike<span style="font-family: inherit;">. It felt like <span style="font-family: inherit;">such an authentic experience<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>-- riding b<span style="font-family: inherit;">ikes in Amsterdam<span style="font-family: inherit;"> --</span> and it was <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">the <span style="font-family: inherit;">highlight o<span style="font-family: inherit;">f our city ad<span style="font-family: inherit;">ventures</span></span>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We pedaled right thorugh the Rijksmuseum</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike parts in an alley</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That afternoon we had planned to go to the van Gogh Museum and possibly the <span style="font-family: inherit;">Rijksmuseum</span> too <span style="font-family: inherit;">(Van <span style="font-family: inherit;">Go<span style="font-family: inherit;">gh's</span></span> <i>Sunflowers</i> is back!)</span>, but when we saw the lines from our bicycle seats, we changed course and relaxed at home. <span style="font-family: inherit;">But f</span>irst, we let each of the kids pick out their own wooden clogs, just like I had when I was a kid! I went out to the flea market and Rob took John to look for the canal boat <span style="font-family: inherit;">we saw on our t<span style="font-family: inherit;">our that</span></span> dredges up all the bikes that land at the bottom....15,000 a year! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The three x's are St. Andrew crosses, a symbol of Amsterdam</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">At last, the da<span style="font-family: inherit;">y I had been waiting for f<span style="font-family: inherit;">inally arrived.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>We drove to Lisse's Keuken<span style="font-family: inherit;">hof,<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> "<span style="font-family: inherit;">the most <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">beautiful</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">spring</span> gard<span style="font-family: inherit;">en in the world</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>," with seven million tulips, h<span style="font-family: inherit;">yacinths and daffodils.</span></span> It was breathtaking<span style="font-family: inherit;">. I felt absolutely <span style="font-family: inherit;">giddy as we dr<span style="font-family: inherit;">o</span>ve through the flower f<span style="font-family: inherit;">iel<span style="font-family: inherit;">ds and fi<span style="font-family: inherit;">nally pulled into the grounds <span style="font-family: inherit;">that</span> I <span style="font-family: inherit;">vi<span style="font-family: inherit;">vidly remember<span style="font-family: inherit;"> as a child. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>V</span>intage food trucks served lunch on the grassy lawn, while a DJ mixed tunes from <span style="font-family: inherit;">a yellow, retrofitted</span> VW van<span style="font-family: inherit;">, all with a w</span>indmill gently spinning in the background. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Incredible</span>.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids took at least 50 of pictures of flowers with our iPhones!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This DJ spun on the roof of his retrofitted van.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tourists were taking pictures of Bitsy in these clogs!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We <span style="font-family: inherit;">were only 25 minutes from the Dutch coast, and <span style="font-family: inherit;">t</span></span>he drive was gorgeous… colorful striped flower fields, hundreds of sheep and spring lambs, and stately thatched-roof mansions. Twenty minutes later we were in <span style="font-family: inherit;">Z</span>andvoort, <span style="font-family: inherit;">an especially</span> charming seaside town.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> We played on the beach and <span style="font-family: inherit;">had a<span style="font-family: inherit;">n italian</span> dinne<span style="font-family: inherit;">r before heading back to Amsterdam for the night.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hyacinth fields</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We stopped in an arcade while we waited for dinner!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On our last day in Amster<span style="font-family: inherit;">dam, we </span>found a perfect spot for Dutch pancakes<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, w<span style="font-family: inherit;">hich a<span style="font-family: inherit;">re like overs<span style="font-family: inherit;">ize crepes with fabulous toppings (mine had bana<span style="font-family: inherit;">nas, jala<span style="font-family: inherit;">p<span style="font-family: inherit;">e</span>nos and bacon).</span></span></span></span></span></span> The<span style="font-family: inherit;">n we hit the road for <span style="font-family: inherit;">Luxembourg, driving home</span></span></span> through the Dutch country side. We loved the goats milling on steep hills along on the highway's edge, but our favorite w<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">as <span style="font-family: inherit;">passing by t<span style="font-family: inherit;">he</span></span> Kinderdijk <span style="font-family: inherit;">windmills </span>-- a grouping of 19 that are l<span style="font-family: inherit;">ike an <span style="font-family: inherit;">outdoor museum. We couldn't stop <span style="font-family: inherit;">because</span> Bitsy was sleeping, but as <span style="font-family: inherit;">soon as she woke up, we pulled over on our country road and walked along a stream to a beautiful windmill.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Apparently most of H<span style="font-family: inherit;">olland is <span style="font-family: inherit;">seven meters under sea level; many of the windmills <span style="font-family: inherit;">protect against flooding.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">T</span>here was <span style="font-family: inherit;">so much of our trip to H<span style="font-family: inherit;">olland we absolutely loved</span></span> -- our bike tour, the canals, the signature architecture, the <span style="font-family: inherit;">p</span>ancakes and frites with curry sauce! And we loved heading out into the Dutch countryside to see Keukenhof and Zandzoort!! </span></div>
The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-41827043155273832132016-03-28T12:43:00.000-07:002016-06-16T11:12:55.040-07:00An Amazing Trip to EdinburghWe flew directly from <a href="http://megrob.blogspot.lu/2016/03/easter-in-dublin-and-dalkey.html" target="_blank">Dublin</a> to <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Scotland and <span style="font-family: inherit;">absolutely</span> <i>loved</i> Edinburgh! It <span style="font-family: inherit;">is</span> a tiny, big <span style="font-family: inherit;">city....<span style="font-family: inherit;">stunning</span>, m<span style="font-family: inherit;">edieval,</span> friendly, <span style="font-family: inherit;">historical<span style="font-family: inherit;">, <span style="font-family: inherit;">cosmopolitan</span> and <span style="font-family: inherit;">completely unique. We tasted food we've never tasted, vis<span style="font-family: inherit;">ited <span style="font-family: inherit;">a castle and a pal<span style="font-family: inherit;">ace minutes from our front door,</span></span> and even hiked a prehistoric extinct <span style="font-family: inherit;">volcano</span>! Oh, and <span style="font-family: inherit;">the plaid! The bagpipes! The Scottish accents! <span style="font-family: inherit;">H</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>ow can you not love a place where everyone sounds like Sean Connery and even the mon<span style="font-family: inherit;">ey is <span style="font-family: inherit;">beautiful</span> -- <span style="font-family: inherit;">decorated with </span></span>elegant script and colorful hummingbirds<span style="font-family: inherit;">?</span></span> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our flat was in the red building</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We were delighted with our rented <span style="font-family: inherit;">flat</span> in Che<span style="font-family: inherit;">ssels Court on the Royal Mile. The building wa<span style="font-family: inherit;">s 300 years old, <span style="font-family: inherit;">set in the o<span style="font-family: inherit;">nly grassy square along <span style="font-family: inherit;">Edinbu<span style="font-family: inherit;">rgh's famous street</span></span>. <span style="font-family: inherit;">I noticed a walking tour stop outside our front door, <span style="font-family: inherit;">so I did a little <span style="font-family: inherit;">research</span> and learned from the </span>University</span> of Edin<span style="font-family: inherit;">bu<span style="font-family: inherit;">rgh</span>'s website<span style="font-family: inherit;"> that</span> Che<span style="font-family: inherit;">ssel's Court was built by Andrew Chessels and was a mid-18<span style="font-family: inherit;">th </span>century mansion. The <span style="font-family: inherit;">big kids all slept in one ro<span style="font-family: inherit;">om, <span style="font-family: inherit;">waiting their turn to sleep</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> on a<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> fl<span style="font-family: inherit;">o</span>or mattress<span style="font-family: inherit;"> (which we dragged from the bedroom where Bitsy's <span style="font-family: inherit;">Pack n Play was set up)</span>. Oh, to be a kid!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We imm<span style="font-family: inherit;">ediately set out <span style="font-family: inherit;">to explore. Our first stop <span style="font-family: inherit;">w<span style="font-family: inherit;">as a fabulous little<span style="font-family: inherit;"> sho<span style="font-family: inherit;">p</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>only a hundred feet from our fro<span style="font-family: inherit;">nt door where we</span></span></span></span> all picked out a <span style="font-family: inherit;">wo<span style="font-family: inherit;">ol</span></span> tartan scarf. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqitPD2w3zwsZK_NAYzcPN2wAGlRAzDEc48Zvv43Uk0WUFQP87rwquSbu065dZx9l8vzJIwrf42EqZ94kbVCbsRHpMqdkRuu0GeITeMWwWlsHw1Tq1U3w1uS3WkRPyW63lFnqOSWPFCQ/s1600/IMG_4135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqitPD2w3zwsZK_NAYzcPN2wAGlRAzDEc48Zvv43Uk0WUFQP87rwquSbu065dZx9l8vzJIwrf42EqZ94kbVCbsRHpMqdkRuu0GeITeMWwWlsHw1Tq1U3w1uS3WkRPyW63lFnqOSWPFCQ/s320/IMG_4135.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See Rob back there? We don't mind being a little touristy now and then. It's fun!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We passed kilt-wearing bagpipe <span style="font-family: inherit;">players</span> on our walk up to the Edinburgh Castle<span style="font-family: inherit;">, which is two thousand</span> years old and <span style="font-family: inherit;">is perched a</span>top an ancient volcano, tower<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ing</span> </span>over a modern city. <span style="font-family: inherit;">R</span>ob <span style="font-family: inherit;">treated </span>the kids to an ice cream cone <span style="font-family: inherit;">while</span> I bought <span style="font-family: inherit;">a single</span> admission ticket for myself...and with Bitsy in the front carrier, I whipped through the grounds in 15 minutes<span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span>letting my eyes take it in <span style="font-family: inherit;">so I could</span> read about what I'<span style="font-family: inherit;">d</span> seen later. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes, that</span>'s how you <span style="font-family: inherit;">sight<span style="font-family: inherit;">-s</span>ee</span> with four young kids.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next day was my favorite. We ate breakfast at Mimi's bakery, which made award-winning scones...a title we <span style="font-family: inherit;">felt was well<span style="font-family: inherit;">-</span></span>deserve<span style="font-family: inherit;">d. </span>Then we wandered the <span style="font-family: inherit;">opposite</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">direction from the day before</span> down the Royal<span style="font-family: inherit;"> M</span>ile to the 17th century Palace of Holyroodhouse<span style="font-family: inherit;">,</span> where the royal family lives when they're in Scotland. I had just planned to point it out to the kids and was so pleasantly surprised when they begged to go inside<span style="font-family: inherit;">. They even</span> wanted us to buy admission into the art gallery! We all wore the family headsets<span style="font-family: inherit;">;</span> it just cracked me up when John would come tell me some <span style="font-family: inherit;">remote</span> fact about Mary Queen of Scots. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mimi's for our Mimi!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3LbsynmzSH-X8BKN25ejTZFPRfNzk2F4Z3CPgOuKtWN2GICYmokDuTSASFkzCO18fOuXy7S7VuTSpV-kZI_1QgTiMmWUVonHv2CtnMAzuuHMI-hZV_5mb5JiYRhzl0nJ3YrWkG_MyHc/s1600/IMG_4272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3LbsynmzSH-X8BKN25ejTZFPRfNzk2F4Z3CPgOuKtWN2GICYmokDuTSASFkzCO18fOuXy7S7VuTSpV-kZI_1QgTiMmWUVonHv2CtnMAzuuHMI-hZV_5mb5JiYRhzl0nJ3YrWkG_MyHc/s320/IMG_4272.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palace of Holyroodhouse, still actively used by the royal family</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9o7oWvWsaZegAq_7ApYcLk77BLKJdasIBasLGmSeWZCAbcLKWsTVcO0Xb-5Yj9PE7c7FbQd58hJZkz7x65819TBnkGiiONlNgwPq3JxGU8zL2nQ3wO8J-V1IXZ_B_Vb-0sFtapTV533s/s1600/IMG_4278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9o7oWvWsaZegAq_7ApYcLk77BLKJdasIBasLGmSeWZCAbcLKWsTVcO0Xb-5Yj9PE7c7FbQd58hJZkz7x65819TBnkGiiONlNgwPq3JxGU8zL2nQ3wO8J-V1IXZ_B_Vb-0sFtapTV533s/s320/IMG_4278.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They were captivated by the child-friendly tour</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gorgeous ruined Holyrood Abbey, founded in 1128</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breathtaking grounds with Sir Arthur's Seat in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We climbed to the top of that!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kid-activity packs at the art museum were awesome!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We took a long and</span> lovely rest at home<span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span> I stole a<span style="font-family: inherit;">n hour to <span style="font-family: inherit;">explore</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">the city streets</span> and walked into a </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">hol<span style="font-family: inherit;">e-in-the-wall gallery, specializing in rare and antiquarian prints and maps<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. I</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">brought</span> home </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>two prints from <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">the 1800's<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">; one </span>from the <span style="font-family: inherit;">B<span style="font-family: inherit;">ritish</span></span> Cas<span style="font-family: inherit;">sell's <span style="font-family: inherit;">Magazine and the other from Jardine's Natural H<span style="font-family: inherit;">i</span>story, which was illustrated by a Scottish ornithologist, Si<span style="font-family: inherit;">r William Jardine</span>. It will <span style="font-family: inherit;">be fun <span style="font-family: inherit;">to <span style="font-family: inherit;">frame them <span style="font-family: inherit;">as a <span style="font-family: inherit;">s<span style="font-family: inherit;">ou<span style="font-family: inherit;">veni</span>r</span> of our <span style="font-family: inherit;">trip</span></span></span>!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then <span style="font-family: inherit;">everyone</span> was ready to go again. <span style="font-family: inherit;">I love this crew's energy<span style="font-family: inherit;"> like crazy. </span></span>W</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">e walked right past <span style="font-family: inherit;">the Palace</span></span>, where we had spent t<span style="font-family: inherit;">he morning,</span> to the base of Sir Arthur<span style="font-family: inherit;">'s Seat, an 822 ft high <span style="font-family: inherit;">extinct</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">volcano</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">a</span> mile east of Edinburgh Castle</span>. The kid<span style="font-family: inherit;">s too<span style="font-family: inherit;">k one look at <span style="font-family: inherit;">the</span> gentle, paved path to the left, and instead choose the wil<span style="font-family: inherit;">d steep one to the <span style="font-family: inherit;">right. </span></span></span></span>I'm so glad they did! <span style="font-family: inherit;">We scra<span style="font-family: inherit;">mbled to the top.<span style="font-family: inherit;">The</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> panoramic view of <span style="font-family: inherit;">Edinburgh</span></span> was <span style="font-family: inherit;">gorgeous, and I was so impressed by the strength of </span>these four <i>little</i> kids. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Bu<span style="font-family: inherit;">t eventually they started to get curious <span style="font-family: inherit;">about the rocky ledge, <span style="font-family: inherit;">and</span> when I thought my heart might <span style="font-family: inherit;">LEAP out of my chest, t</span></span></span></span>hey <i>ran</i> all the back way down<span style="font-family: inherit;"> with only one <span style="font-family: inherit;">significant <span style="font-family: inherit;">tumble and <span style="font-family: inherit;">zero</span> injuries.</span></span></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">On our victory walk back home<span style="font-family: inherit;">,</span></span> we found a Scottish pub that served haggis (<span style="font-family: inherit;">s</span>heep's liver, he<span style="font-family: inherit;">art and lungs)<span style="font-family: inherit;">; </span></span>I'm glad I didn't know <i>exactly</i> what was in it, <span style="font-family: inherit;">because</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">we all <span style="font-family: inherit;">agreed it was delicious. </span></span>The kids slept well that night. As Rob and I reflected, it made us even more ex<span style="font-family: inherit;">cited to come back and go to the H<span style="font-family: inherit;">ighlands one day. I <span style="font-family: inherit;">felt a real sense of pride as I try to instill my love for <span style="font-family: inherit;">hiking in <span style="font-family: inherit;">our kids.....they <span style="font-family: inherit;">enjoyed it so much.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to go up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down on the Palace from about a third of the way up the volcano</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our final day in <span style="font-family: inherit;">Edinburgh was all about the kids. <span style="font-family: inherit;">O<span style="font-family: inherit;">n</span> our way to the playground in Princes Street Gardens, w</span></span></span>e walked<span style="font-family: inherit;"> past</span> the famous Scott monument, which celebrat<span style="font-family: inherit;">es</span> Scottish author Sir Walter Scott<span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span>Garde<span style="font-family: inherit;">ners <span style="font-family: inherit;">were preparin<span style="font-family: inherit;">g the flower beds for the season</span>; on our next visit, maybe we'll get to see the famous flower clock. </span></span>We climbed <span style="font-family: inherit;">a</span> <i>steep</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">, daffodil-dotted </span>path up to Edinburgh Castle <span style="font-family: inherit;">on the other side of the volcano</span>, and took the kids to see the Camera <span style="font-family: inherit;">O</span>bscur<span style="font-family: inherit;">a</span> in the touristy <span style="font-family: inherit;">House of Illu<span style="font-family: inherit;">sions just as it began to rain</span></span>.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> They</span> loved it, and though <span style="font-family: inherit;">it was overcrowded and an <span style="font-family: inherit;">assault</span> on the senses, <span style="font-family: inherit;">it was totally education<span style="font-family: inherit;">al (science!) and a perfect end of the day for them</span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gothi<span style="font-family: inherit;">c <span style="font-family: inherit;">monument to Sir Walter Scott. We sort of glanced at it <span style="font-family: inherit;">as we walked by.</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mR_ORDjv4rSnUMpHLGhUxvT2ZMUSTf4pFvoo8VFEIg3Ez2BukBN5KbXKM0x-Ib2ouZaoDKCdfjAFpR3TKpfnO9UX5DUpzMY0WtRN5pPrh-mv8xMhMJcrDPOk77krNDkNVIecdq5iUnM/s1600/IMG_4483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mR_ORDjv4rSnUMpHLGhUxvT2ZMUSTf4pFvoo8VFEIg3Ez2BukBN5KbXKM0x-Ib2ouZaoDKCdfjAFpR3TKpfnO9UX5DUpzMY0WtRN5pPrh-mv8xMhMJcrDPOk77krNDkNVIecdq5iUnM/s320/IMG_4483.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">House of Illu<span style="font-family: inherit;">sions! </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And that was a wrap<span style="font-family: inherit;">!</span> Our fabu<span style="font-family: inherit;">lous six-day United Kingdom vacation was a smashing success....even more so tha<span style="font-family: inherit;">n we <span style="font-family: inherit;">imagined</span>. We got a wonderful sampling of Ir<span style="font-family: inherit;">eland and Scotland, enough to make us so excited to come back. </span></span></span></span></div>
The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8920335340159775801.post-77043380094061294042016-03-25T11:23:00.000-07:002016-06-12T12:02:42.634-07:00Easter in Dublin and Dalkey<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqHLXHvFJieIN94ZFg3eZKocOoP1HvBthuUoqCET3H9H3q8O1VXnIj7lggmtlNo7B4WQ3ZG16zJSX21nQYCYDGjbeYaf6q6Vfz7Zxw93_XfUe78ZwBcTEPKk3-u63s5vkbF8mnUZ9-7A/s1600/IMG_3778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYqHLXHvFJieIN94ZFg3eZKocOoP1HvBthuUoqCET3H9H3q8O1VXnIj7lggmtlNo7B4WQ3ZG16zJSX21nQYCYDGjbeYaf6q6Vfz7Zxw93_XfUe78ZwBcTEPKk3-u63s5vkbF8mnUZ9-7A/s320/IMG_3778.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dalkey Doors</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmeEOKEo60ti7HZY-BWNh9chvWijfDbL23ZxoihTRYm1GlyAcnmPXoUDVZT_efWiNqsDhHSuZFlZxzIX0xmpMTOlqsKxCcaoppSEmAKeTXrZRILhatiJMwejsq3a-RmEmJ5WrhqWpgNM/s1600/IMG_3781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmeEOKEo60ti7HZY-BWNh9chvWijfDbL23ZxoihTRYm1GlyAcnmPXoUDVZT_efWiNqsDhHSuZFlZxzIX0xmpMTOlqsKxCcaoppSEmAKeTXrZRILhatiJMwejsq3a-RmEmJ5WrhqWpgNM/s320/IMG_3781.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coliemore Harbour with Dalkey Island in the distance</td></tr>
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After spending months (months!) trying to figure out how to logistically navigate the country of Ireland with four young children, we decided to focus our trip on Dublin and its surroundings, with the promise that we'll come back soon to explore the west coast and Northern Ireland. The trip was absolutely perfect, and I'm so glad we knew our own limitations so we could fully enjoy our plans.</div>
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It was an interesting time historically to visit Ireland, on the 100 year anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, an armed political and military struggle, which was very respectfully commemorated the day we visited Dublin with planes overhead, parades and bagpipes. But more on that....</div>
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First, our plane landed in Dublin, and Rob did a great job navigating the road from the opposite side of our rental car -- he was so brave! We were very soon in the Dalkey suburb just 12km from Dublin City -- a picturesque, quintessentially Irish seaside resort town with Viking roots, 10th-and-14th century churches and castles, and the current home of Bono. It's also a seal sanctuary, and though boats weren't running for the season yet, Dalkey Island is a few kilometers off the coast and is home to a herd of wild goats. Cue nonstop goat jokes all weekend.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our fearless driver.</td></tr>
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Dalkey was <i>gorgeous</i>. Everywhere I looked, I saw the Ireland I've always imagined....</div>
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It rained and rained, but we didn't care! It was lush and green, and we brought our raincoats. We pulled up to our hotel, the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, an 18th century castle overlooking Dublin Bay. The kids would have been happy to never leave, with its fabulous swimming pool, fun room service and amazing kid activities. (We've been home for a few months now and I'm catching up on the blog.
Just the other day, Charlie said, "Mom, I'd really like to go back to
the hotel in Ireland where they brought all that food to our room for
free!" I thought it was so cute.) Within minutes of piling out of the car, Charlie found a rugby football on the beautiful hotel grounds. The daffodils were in bloom and everyone was so happy to have arrived!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathing beauties</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimcaps required!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Room service heaven!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bitsy DOMINATED this cheeseburger!</td></tr>
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Our first outing was a short gorgeous drive to Killiney Hill for a lovely and wet hike to the top, which is marked by a obelisk and on a clear day (which it was most definitely not!) looks out on Dublin, the Irish Sea and the mountains of Wales. We must have passed 30 friendly people out walking their dogs in the pouring rain.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking Dublin Bay</td></tr>
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We warmed up in a local Dalkey coffee shop and headed back to the hotel for a swim, room service and a Guiness....which was a lovely theme of the weekend. At night, Rob and I would take turns going down to the sauna, steam room and hot tub.<br />
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The next day, we walked up and down Castle Street, and visited the Heritage Center in Dalkey Castle, where the actors reenact 15th century life. We expected cool history...but we didn't expect to laugh so hard or for our time there to be so interactive. This was a highlight of the trip. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rob got picked on!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids all made coins the old fashioned way.</td></tr>
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We ate a fish-n-chips lunch at the Tramway Cafe, named because Dublin's tram routes ended in Dalkey -- we walked over the tram tracks and cobblestones to the restaurant.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 100-year Anniversary newspaper on the Saturday before Easter</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie reading sports! This happened!</td></tr>
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The next morning was Easter Sunday. The kids were delighted that the Easter Bunny found us! We tried attending a service in a beautiful steepled church by our hotel, but service times were listed incorrectly, so instead, we enjoyed visiting with the chatty choir as they warmed up and said a quiet Easter prayer as a family. We couldn't stick around long because the Fitzpatrick Hotel had a scavenger hunt and a special visitor scheduled for the children...the Easter Bunny!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvL9XNC1K8A9iasXuPsrsZUTFGlCx9wpQi3z1WqU0arUf2gqnpjvx6RyEIh087V-L5rOYyn9Xm_ouD-IdFnHZc1GPbvv6Jku-YRQosEvZ1ETopZJGCV5ehQpfsu2TvovxbQRVlj3iqfM/s1600/IMG_3936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvL9XNC1K8A9iasXuPsrsZUTFGlCx9wpQi3z1WqU0arUf2gqnpjvx6RyEIh087V-L5rOYyn9Xm_ouD-IdFnHZc1GPbvv6Jku-YRQosEvZ1ETopZJGCV5ehQpfsu2TvovxbQRVlj3iqfM/s320/IMG_3936.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie vetoed his button down and bowtie. Some battles are worth losing. At least he was wearing <i>clothes</i>, so that's a win.</td></tr>
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On Sunday afternon, we hopped on a DART (the metro) and minutes later were in downtown Dublin, right at the center of the 1916 anniversary events. We walked to Merrion Square, where we found a fantastic playground for the kids. Bitsy fell asleep in my arms on the DART, so I carried her through Dublin until my fingers were numb -- I was so happy to sit on a bench while our big kids happily played. We listened to the festivities around us. The city was alive, but not overly crowded because we'd missed the quarter-million-spectator parade earlier that morning.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RkWuPQM_gDVa9cASqGRm-HECDEXGXlvnfs69tku0wt80yLyhDmyBLZlqFmp1985ateNSscp1zOaTAUVcwjGhg9V89fYj-Ca4gekJrV-WKEYyLciWm6_xR6kip3zNG0fPlkiBc-AJiss/s1600/IMG_4015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RkWuPQM_gDVa9cASqGRm-HECDEXGXlvnfs69tku0wt80yLyhDmyBLZlqFmp1985ateNSscp1zOaTAUVcwjGhg9V89fYj-Ca4gekJrV-WKEYyLciWm6_xR6kip3zNG0fPlkiBc-AJiss/s320/IMG_4015.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet baby girl needs her nap. She slept for 90 minutes while I carried her.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LmGE0Fq2rMZODYbKvXhzc-qrp_z4WAQakJMONUy9zX8-uFJetZwIGi5gEtfL5K1yFAe7TK2DXOrpaQMkdxHW-bN-kuhDBA-GtkzARJseVbz-KCiczdhw8NuMMn5gpwW8iwoyvHKqbfY/s1600/IMG_4050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LmGE0Fq2rMZODYbKvXhzc-qrp_z4WAQakJMONUy9zX8-uFJetZwIGi5gEtfL5K1yFAe7TK2DXOrpaQMkdxHW-bN-kuhDBA-GtkzARJseVbz-KCiczdhw8NuMMn5gpwW8iwoyvHKqbfY/s320/IMG_4050.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We loved seeing all the locals in the pubs remembering the 100-year Anniversary</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAL83-ojDaJzpZObd4u8lqx98jffgx06DFE0HPFvB0GswyET8IR_S-PkQlQY7Xi9Q_GbVU5ghL1Y26wFjvC5FKoTpczE2UjSEL_bMZYnRZFTuiAjFiM8Qw4Ta-lpZt6KgOSQDDpKJ5L4/s1600/IMG_4051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAL83-ojDaJzpZObd4u8lqx98jffgx06DFE0HPFvB0GswyET8IR_S-PkQlQY7Xi9Q_GbVU5ghL1Y26wFjvC5FKoTpczE2UjSEL_bMZYnRZFTuiAjFiM8Qw4Ta-lpZt6KgOSQDDpKJ5L4/s320/IMG_4051.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We followed the sound of Irish Trad music into this crowded pub and listened for a moment.</td></tr>
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We saw storm clouds and quickly ducked into an upscale Italian restaurant right as giant raindrops led to a torrential downpour. The rain passed and after a gorgeous lunch, we wandered another 100 meters to St. Stephen's Green, a 400-year-old park where we fed the ducks and swans and waited out more light rain under a gazebo. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgju1cC-a-TSz38lpNR365RKEjihVvUwjrv3HMtw_Ms8RKitVijD-_1LqGzAScq_xDYTv9cH6nCTEzEeI_PnQxQLZsTqZTU7TrmV1DqrODbw2zB3aNh7SELmidA6XSRK4g2PPvPNxPDvUY/s1600/IMG_4058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgju1cC-a-TSz38lpNR365RKEjihVvUwjrv3HMtw_Ms8RKitVijD-_1LqGzAScq_xDYTv9cH6nCTEzEeI_PnQxQLZsTqZTU7TrmV1DqrODbw2zB3aNh7SELmidA6XSRK4g2PPvPNxPDvUY/s320/IMG_4058.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This swan was a biter!</td></tr>
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For the next hour, we wandered along Grafton Street, Dublin's principal shopping strip, walking past Trinity College and through the Temple Bar area. Since we were leaving the next morning for Scotland and still wanted a true Irish pub experience, we popped into The Long Stone Pub, which calls itself Dublin's oldest Viking Bar, and was established in 1754. It was packed! Decorated with Irish flags, penants and balloons in the national colors, and televising the commemoration events....we ordered our Guinness from the bar and felt true local color. People were so kind -- one family offered our children their basket of crackers and a young man handed me my wallet when it tumbled out of Bitsy's carrier pocket. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxJGrvc1P-IJXXyrgRvxW7CP7826lt0uim3pUMB9ZnRqOiqb0VZK6_gpauZp9VUDLVwnfHOgZiJP86mLDd7eiFsdiKO_qnj0Cm2I7Nc4QL2LDZfCturYtFgRzVk5XhDCU8SEIyw5fN5Y/s1600/IMG_4089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxJGrvc1P-IJXXyrgRvxW7CP7826lt0uim3pUMB9ZnRqOiqb0VZK6_gpauZp9VUDLVwnfHOgZiJP86mLDd7eiFsdiKO_qnj0Cm2I7Nc4QL2LDZfCturYtFgRzVk5XhDCU8SEIyw5fN5Y/s320/IMG_4089.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyk8yRq_7rmhebS8qEUNQQ0kARftkuu1fQE_q3gE8JPCCUgNMukdyIaCcvJZXN47yuszDyd6RJ3UeMfanVW9thmlCVW_JhnY3a7gNRixfiaPUV0s1oYj1quY1-n_aR8z_HJfPNcBr010/s1600/IMG_4086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyk8yRq_7rmhebS8qEUNQQ0kARftkuu1fQE_q3gE8JPCCUgNMukdyIaCcvJZXN47yuszDyd6RJ3UeMfanVW9thmlCVW_JhnY3a7gNRixfiaPUV0s1oYj1quY1-n_aR8z_HJfPNcBr010/s320/IMG_4086.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-NVlF6EPSFQfy-4V_Va4jrQGf06OFPCP1QCrOAD-bmyzifiIBhKFGvKQb9OxCsYs9RE5Gb3nntc_pPeuCwxXMPouXA9lK2J2ShYL54WvAvhUgwXDTtSsUM8PgO_KghOLKkRMHzvEYOM/s1600/IMG_4087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-NVlF6EPSFQfy-4V_Va4jrQGf06OFPCP1QCrOAD-bmyzifiIBhKFGvKQb9OxCsYs9RE5Gb3nntc_pPeuCwxXMPouXA9lK2J2ShYL54WvAvhUgwXDTtSsUM8PgO_KghOLKkRMHzvEYOM/s320/IMG_4087.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My guy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspE_-bXIc0rFV3tcvl10YzkF5y4hRb_G-ROuPv0f4GLnGvl78foCAIBskCJokMLjdWZAbFEPHAGe_5AgQxwUvk_gtkEPTKC4yUH5IytayYhIF9EZT9y5VYzdhs-UT5mAGDUzSkDVlMD0/s1600/IMG_4075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspE_-bXIc0rFV3tcvl10YzkF5y4hRb_G-ROuPv0f4GLnGvl78foCAIBskCJokMLjdWZAbFEPHAGe_5AgQxwUvk_gtkEPTKC4yUH5IytayYhIF9EZT9y5VYzdhs-UT5mAGDUzSkDVlMD0/s320/IMG_4075.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Famous Grafton Street</td></tr>
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What a terrific experience. It whetted our appetite to see so much more of Ireland. We look forward to coming back and traveling by car to other beautiful parts of the country, but for this particular moment in time, this was perfect. We rode the DART back home, sitting next to four red-headed children -- I eavesdropped as their parents taught them about their Irish history. We left early the next morning, barely making our flight for Scotland when we went to the wrong terminal....but we made it. And the spring break adventure continued.....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHEOiuoNXknFBvXXEMc8QnlSzev49gcQKx2mngvV6Fv1RqlI1fjfe5NPXjU3b8A7SwPAViKhJ3tONuk9J_VR9TxmnpyK_G64NECY8W3qYD6DekyteWn7-aEUBlP7rdf_evL0plRuq7a4/s1600/IMG_4092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHEOiuoNXknFBvXXEMc8QnlSzev49gcQKx2mngvV6Fv1RqlI1fjfe5NPXjU3b8A7SwPAViKhJ3tONuk9J_VR9TxmnpyK_G64NECY8W3qYD6DekyteWn7-aEUBlP7rdf_evL0plRuq7a4/s320/IMG_4092.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The Vlachshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334430479707193927noreply@blogger.com0