After some yummy pizza loaded with veggies and colorful, exotic toppings we walked across the street to what is rumored to be "the best fries in Brussels" at Chez Antoine. There was something exhilarating about the hot fries wrapped in a paper cone. We got them to go and shared one order in the car as we headed home. Yum, yum, yum!
And this one she obviously did not take in the city center, but this is along the road on the way to the Women's Club. Quite a drive, huh? It is one of my favorite parts of the city.
Recently Dallas invited me to join several of her friends for my first ever "Craft Night" at her house. Not only does Dallas take awesome photos, she also quilts, sews, and does all kinds of crafty things. I had a lot of fun at craft night. Who knew crafting with friends could be so fun and relaxing?! I brought Connor's birthday party invites to work on. I figured that counted - sort of - as a craft. I am getting excited about Connor's "Old MacDonald" themed party. She is animal-crazy so it is a fun idea to build on.
Dallas worked on the Pink Muh-Muh surgery and finished one half of it which she presented to Connor. Connor just went to pieces over having a new Muh-Muh. She snuggled it and rubbed it in her fingers until she fell asleep. Thank you Dallas! And thank you again Mom for finding Pink Muh-Muh!
Even time to let mommy tickle and to laugh for a photo!
But even with fair warning, leaving the playground is a chore. She just loves to play. I wish going to the P-L-A-Y-G-R-O-U-N-D (we have to spell it in our house or Connor goes nuts) wasn't such a chore at the finale. But that is sometimes just life as a nearly two-year-old!
There were massive trees of rhododendrons and azaleas surrounding the castle, which is not generally open to the public. That was no problem though - the grounds were wonderful enough on their own. This is one of my favorite shots: we saw this older man entering the park with his canvas in hand all ready to paint a masterpiece. Quintessential Europe!
I wish I could say that the children were as well-behaved as the glorious day beckoned them to be. Unfortunately at the start of our visit they were both a little cranky and whiny. If they were out in the grass, they wanted to be in their strollers; if they were in their strollers, they wanted to be out and running around. Some days you just can't win in the toddler negotiation no matter how hard you try. After a little while they settled in and really enjoyed the grounds, but for a while there we thought we were going to have to leave prematurely! 
Although, truth be told...I know why Connor was in a funk. And it was totally my fault. With the start of Spring I was pumped to pull out the sweet white shoes I have been waiting all winter to put on Connor. Dresses and girls clothes just go better with bright, shiny white shoes. Well Connor has been wearing these white shoes, kids size 7.5, for a couple of weeks now. They are already snug width-wise and I knew they were a little long (gotta love the way kids feet grow). But it wasn't until Connor fell hard on the gravel and in the grass for the fifth time in five minutes at La Hulpe that I realized it was the shoes and not Connor's balance that were the problem! Oops. You think I would have put one and one together a lot sooner. I went up and pinched the end of the shoes and there must have been over an inch of space. She was tripping over those long shoes! So lesson learned - you can't will the shoes to fit, and my daughter needs size "wide" shoes!
Since it was the very beginning of our walk when I discovered the shoe fiasco, and I didn't have any extra shoes on me, I just decided that since the park was acres and acres of soft grass as far as the eye could see that I would just let Connor run around in her socked feet. Poor little thing, she got soaked through and through - socks, tights, dress and all - in the dewy, wet grass...but once she got going she didn't seem to mind one bit. 
This photo (below) had Karen and me on the ground in stitches! Brady and Connor were nicely sharing the bowl of coveted American Cheerios. I think a few too many hands must have reached in at once because before we knew it the O's were on the ground. And without missing a beat both kids were eating them right off the ground! We were laughing too hard at their reaction speed and Cheerios focus to intervene right away.
Solvay's Chateau de la Hulpe was for sure one of my favorite spots of all in Brussels. Even though we had a lot of obstacles to our visit (cranky kids, big shoes, Cheerios on the ground, AND flattened stroller tires). Nothing could have spoiled that clean, clear, fresh day. My favorite memory will be of Brady and Connor chasing between Karen and me as we lifted each approaching child into the air and tickled them until they shrieked in a field of green. On days like this I remember this truly amazing gift of spontaneous, unscheduled daytime with Connor. It was a perfect spot for a Monday morning since we practically had the entire place to ourselves. I definitely will go back to La Hulpe one day soon!
These guys are often right on the main shopping street next to the Grand Place. Now that the tourist season is in full swing and the streets are that much more jam-packed these guys are there all the more. I dare you to walk by without doing just a little dance!
And indeed we found Monschau, a small German town that oozed German charm and flair. Thomas at first blush told me about Helen, GA - which is apparently a town in Georgia trying to be stereotypically German - comparing the two. But he then recanted as we walked into the city center and said, "Oh no, this is MUCH BETTER than Helen!" I guess there is a lot to say for the authentic Germany.
The half-timber houses right on the rushing river definitely imprinted in my memory book. We enjoyed just walking around the maze-like streets and taking photos. When I am around Dallas and Thomas I want so badly to be a better photographer. They are both incredible and could be professionals with their talents. And Dallas is a gentle but exacting teacher. She is humble in recognizing her talent, but she knows so much. I appreciate her bite-sized lessons and her patient technique. (The vast majority of the photos in this blog entry were taken by Dallas or Thomas).
After bee bopping through the town we decided we just had to have Schnitzel since we were in Germany. We checked the menus of several places right on the water, but the prices seemed pretty steep (I guess that water view comes with a price). But when we came across "Lemon Tree" with schnitzel for 5.90 euro we knew we found our spot! 
And as luck would have it we were the only patrons at Lemon Tree so Connor got to dance and jive all over the restaurant without disturbing other diners. Which she did to the delight of the restaurant staff. It is so difficult to keep her still these days!
One other fun fact about Germany. January 6 is The Feast of Epiphany (Three Kings Day). This day is also called Heilige Drei Könige, which means Three Wise Men. The three kings who visited the Christ child were Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. A German Christmas tradition is to write the initials of the three kings in chalk the night before the Feast to protect the home and family. I guess it really hasn't rained very much since January, because we saw several of these chalked initials still bold and bright on the doors.
As we were strolling back to the car we came across these fun puppets. Most of them made corresponding animal sounds with a squeaker. Dallas and I had fun trying them all out. And in the end I bought a non-audible puppy puppet for Connor. She is a big fan!
On the way home the 3 ladies all fell asleep in the back seat. And none of us is a particularly glamorous snoozer. Leave it to the guys to capture it on film! I take our exhaustion as evidence of a Sunday well spent in Monschau, Germany!
This Basilica really dominates the Brussels skyline and while it was very pretty up close, I have to admit I think it is even more beautiful from afar. The way it captures the setting on clear days from the overlook near the Palais de Justice is iconic.
The inside of the National Basilica is very modern and movable. There aren't any pews, rather folding chairs - hundreds and hundreds of them. I loved the main dome. Dallas told me later there is an elevator that takes you up to the top of this dome for only 2 euros and the views are magnificent. Bummer. I can't believe we missed it. Maybe another time....
As memorable as the structure was, the best part about the Basilica is the large green yard surrounding it. We just sat back and watched as Connor ran and ran and ran. It seems she could run all day and still not be tired these days...
Click here for more photos of Dinant (full album) 
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