~Four Countries in Four Days ~ Spring Break 2008~

~Hey Mom & Dad ~ Hop in and let's get on the road for Spring Break 2008~

~Belgium, France, Netherlands (Holland), & Luxembourg - here we come~

~Are we there yet?~

~Mommy & Daddy sitting in the tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage! That's not all, that's not all, then comes baby playing basketball (his favorite road trip song that he taught Kade)~

~Where's my cigar to help me pass time?~

Day 1 ~ Brussels, Belgium

~Narrow cobblestone streets lined with delicious cafes & fun shops~

~Is your mouth watering? It should be - these chocolate shops were amazing~

~The boys were all smiles, anxiously awaiting their first bite of Belgian chocolate~

~You cannot come to Belgium and not eat a warm Belgian waffle with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and fresh strawberries - delicious~

~The main square town hall - the architecture was spectacular~

~Main Square~

~Beautiful buildings with so much character - I love seeing and experiencing new cultures~

~We ate waffles, did people watching, and the boys chased pigeons for hours in this square~

~Cole loved this billboard in the middle of town~

~More to see around every corner of town~

~We had so much fun and made lots of memories as a family~

~We couldn't leave this city without a giant Gelato ice cream cone - yummers in the tummers~

~We thought we had seen it all, then we hopped in the car and drove around and continued to find more and more beautiful places~

~Day 2~ Coast of Northern France ~ Berck Sur Mer~
~This beach was beautiful! The sun was shining and there were thousands of kites in the air for the annual kite festival~

~Thousands of people & thousands of colorful kites~

~All different colors, sizes, and shapes of kites~

~The boys were digging in the sand while I was away collecting seashells~

~Does this smile say it all? I loved it here - what a dream come true~

~I don't know the last time we were on a beach and Steve didn't bury the boys up to their heads. The boys love every second of it~

~My boys flying their fish "kites" and looking at the ocean~

~If only I could have made time stand still - the blue skies, the ocean, the kites, and my boys~

~Day 3~ Keukenhof Gardens in The Netherlands (Holland)~

~A rare opportunity for a family photo ~ We loved these gardens~

~Acres, & acres of tulips and other gorgeous trees, plants, and flowers~

~Holland is definitely a place to visit - the flowers they produce are spectacular~

~The smells from the flowers filled the air as you walked along the paths~

~The boys loved this huge working Dutch Windmill~

~I loved the wood shoes - a little twist to the traditional ones that we see~

~Be honest.... do we look like tourists?~

~Large daffodil fields with the windmill behind~

~If only this was the window of my home, looking out to all of my beautiful gardens - that would definitely be my dream come true~

~The boys loved climbing this curvy bridge over the water, and I loved the Cherry trees that surrounded it~

~This was one of my most favorite parts of the gardens ~ we were completely surrounded by acres & acres of flower fields - magnificent~

~Cole was pretty proud of himself for finding the "Superman" gardens - we couldn't miss out on the opportunity to show our "Superman" with these beautiful colors~

~This was a horticulturist's dream come true - I have such a love and passion for flowers, and it was fun to share that same joy with those around me~

~One last photo.... we were so sad to leave this little piece of heaven~

~Day 4 ~ Bastogne, France & Luxembourg~

~This was an actual tank used to win the Battle of Bastogne in World War II~

~This is a window at a pastry shop - ya' gotta love Europe~

~You cannot be in France and not eat a baguette~

~One last stop in Luxembourg before we ended our trip - the boys loved this giant pirate ship playground~

~We had such a great time on our vacation- we got to make so many memories, and see some of the most fabulous places - absolutely no regrets ~ I look forward to Spring Break 2009~

******************

~Weekly Update~

Guten Tag Friends and Family:

We just got home from a fabulous road trip for our Spring Break 2008! We wanted to see if it was possible to see four countries in four days - and we accomplished our goal. It was an adventure of a lifetime! We visited Belgium, France, Netherlands (Holland), and Luxembourg - wow, were we busy - but we had so much fun at each place - absolutely no regrets!

Our first day we spent in Brussels, Belgium - what a warm and welcome city! It is in the heart of Europe and it has such an original flare to it - which made me love it even more. I loved the narrow, cobblestone streets with the cafes lining the walkways - the atmosphere was fantastic. They had fresh seafood to choose from and lots of waiters with smiles inviting you to take a seat and enjoy the great tastes of Belgium in their European cafes. The choice of restaurants was amazing and we finally got to eat some long awaited Mexican food - yahoo! Funny, to go to Brussels and not each French food, but instead eat Mexican - but it was so worth every bite of it! We went into the fabulously, dreamy chocolate shops and I went weak in the knees eating my delicious truffle treat - Belgian chocolate is as good as they say. We couldn't come to Belgium and not eat Belgian waffles - so we found the perfect cafe table right in the center of the main plaza - we got to watch people and listen to many languages as we sat and ate our waffle and soaked in the sun! The boys didn't sit for long, they jumped up and started to chase all of the pigeons around the square and kept running and running in hopes of clearing the entire town of all stinky pigeons - a little harder mission then their little minds originally thought.

On our second day we decided to have a beach holiday in the North of France in Berck Sur Mer. This is a sleepy, little beach town along the English Channel. During the first week of April, however, it turns into a kiting version of Woodstock with a huge kite festival. Attendance was estimated at 500,000 for the 9-day festival, with almost all of them coming during this weekend. Despite being warned, I was totally unprepared for the magnitude of the crowds. Because the sun was shining and the wind was definitely howling, the sky was full of hundreds of these kites - all different colors, shapes and sizes. This was definitely my favorite stop on our list. The boys loved digging and playing in the sand - Steve had fun burying the boys so only their heads were showing. I loved the warm sun and the beautiful ocean view with the thousands of kites in the sky - it was definitely something I will never forget. We ate a picnic on the beach, collected seashells, and had a blast making memories as a family. I couldn't help but keep smiling over at my boys and thinking.... "we are sitting on a beach in France - this is such a dream come true." We couldn't leave without letting the boys pick out their own "kites" - they were so happy running down the beach with their fish "kites" blowing in the breeze! The boys have been begging to go to the beach since we got here (they have been missing their Grandma & Grandpa Wilson at the beach house in Oceanside), and I know that they soaked in every second of it. They played so hard... they were asleep after one minute of being in the car - that is a great sign of a wonderful day.

On our third day we decided that it was time to enjoy this Spring season in Europe, and in my opinion there is nowhere else in the world where the flowers and colors of the spring are as glorious as at the Keukenhof Gardens in Holland. As most of you know I have a very deep love and passion for flowers - and this garden was absolutely breathtaking. I loved all of the beautiful, bright tulips and other bulb flowers throughout, and then you walk a little further and you come upon rows of Japanese cherry trees, azaleas and rhododendrons. They plant over 7 million bulbs each year by hand - and it not only looks gorgeous, but smells unforgettable. The boys loved the playground, the maze, and also the large, old Dutch windmill. I loved the acres of tulip fields that surrounded the garden and the beautiful sculptures and water fountains throughout. This was a Horticulturist's dream getaway :-)

Our fourth day was spent walking the streets of Bastogne France where the Battle of Bastogne took place during World War II. Steve is very fascinated with this war and he was very happy about this stop and the opportunity he had to stand in the same place that these great soldiers once stood while they won this battle. It was great to read the history and see the tank that was used in this battle. We continued our drive and made it to Luxembourg which is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. We did not get to spend much time here, but we will definitely be coming back. The architecture of the buildings was something else - and we loved all of the bridges. We were able to find an awesome playground for the kids to play on that looked like a giant pirate ship - the boys loved it and were sad that they had to get back in the car for the long ride home.

We spent a lot of time in the car, and the boys were definitely troopers. We had a very memorable Spring Break 2008 and we are so glad that we were able to see so many wonderful places. I also learned an extra line to a very popular children's song that Cole & Kade probably sung about 550 times on our road trip. Mommy and Daddy sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage.... that's not all..... that's not all..... then comes baby playing basketball (then baseball, then football). I love boys, only boys would take this kind of twist with this song. I love being able to explore Europe - what a wonderful place.

Next trip.... this weekend I am going on a girl's weekend to Poland to shop 'til I drop for Polish Pottery! I will report next week.

We love you all! Please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing~

Tscheus~

Kristine