The child of a friend of mine recently remarked that her family had been to Paris so often that it was becoming kind of boring. Oh the trials of the expat life. I like to think that we are not spoiled by the incredible opportunity we've had to see this part of the world -- that we still find the opportunity an incredible one. On the other hand, on our recent trip, the things that we enjoyed the most were perhaps not the ones I would have expected.
Luc's Favorite Thing*:
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Our hotel in Brussels was kind of a dive (comme d'habitude), but it had a great game room. Luc discovered a new enthusiasm, played about 30 games against his dad (one against me, one against Johanna, and a few against Drew -- we all preferred to read and watch), and wore a blister on his left hand.
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Jo's Favorite Thing:
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| Johanna loves almost all younger kids, but cousins are extra-special. |
Drew's Favorite Thing:
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| Mini-Europe in Brussels is definitely a tourist attraction, and a kitchy one at that. None of the highbrow tour guides I looked at even mentioned it. Nonetheless, there was something enchanting about seeing scaled-down landmarks from all the EU countries. You could also press a button to hear the national anthem of each country. I think Drew is standing in front of Stockholm, Sweden. |
Eric's Favorite Thing:
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| Eric and I took a run along a canal in Amsterdam. He is always looking for scenic places to run, especially ones where he doesn't have to cross streets. (He says crossing streets breaks his rhythm . . . I never have a problem with that; I'm always thankful for a break.) The pathways along the canals are ideal. Flat, too. |
My Favorite Thing:
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| We have a lot of amazing cities around us over here, but we're a little short on family. It was a huge blessing to spend Easter out in the Brussels countryside with Eric's brother, his wife, and their kids. We also got to visit the Dutch cheese lady, who makes her own gouda. And we ate Cheese-Its, watched Dora the Explorer, and laughed a lot. |
*Disclaimer: These are my impressions of my family's favorite things. I didn't actually ask, as that might have upset the theme of the blog. I'm the mom, though, so I'm probably right.
Whenever I get a little frustrated with my kids maybe not seeming to appreciate the unique magic of a particular place (for preferring the hotel pool, for example, to the historical monument), I try to remember what I glommed onto as a kid - and what I remember now. 30 years ago, I was all about the hotel pool, but what I remember now is the monument.
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