Somewhere in the Middle

Little hidden gem

Once a month I go out to dinner with a group of girls for a Mom's Night Out. They're really fun and it's a great way to try out the local restaurants and meet new people. And if the restaurant is fabulous I always make a point to return with S.

Tonight my friend M, the birthday girl, chose an artsy restaurant in the city. M tried calling the restaurant several times for reservations but no one ever answered. We later found out no one answered because the restaurant didn't exist! lol! Luckily, we had a small group tonight. So we decided to walk around and see what we could find. As we were walking I spotted a tres chic bar/restaurant. The menu looked great so we decided to stay. The place was just beautiful with exposed brick and wooden beams. There was a huge window almost the size of the actual wall with a view of a crumbling neglected building next door. If you saw the same building in the US you'd think you were in the wrong part of town but here in Europe it adds to the ambiance. ;) Even the bathroom was cool. And the food... oh, it was incredible! Mouthwatering arancini risotto balls stuffed with fish and tender pork medallions with a delish mustard base sauce. Even the Mojito I drank was spectacular.

I just love when you stumble onto a gem like this one. When we left I talked to the owner & shared with him just how fabulous I thought his restaurant was and how much I loved it. I seriously felt like I was back in NYC in one of those trendy bars. It was a tres chic night!

Gent & Friends

The holidays are all about spending time with people you love so when we found out our good friends J & E were coming to spend a few days with us we were thrilled! It was great hanging out with them. They're extremely well traveled so the time they spent with us was really relaxing. One of the days they were here we explored the city of Gent. It was the first time any of us had visited this city. Gent is a lovely city definitely worth exploring with more time. We spent most of our time casually walking through the streets and enjoying the architecture, beautiful canals, and the great shopping district.

We also managed to walk through Gent's Christmas Market which was small but charming in it's own way. E was so cold she started to try on these hats which look so cute on her!

Here are some more photos of Gent.

Every night J, E, and me would play Blokus. I think it was our favorite part of the evening. All three of us are super competitive which made the game even more fun to play although S would disagree. He's so laid back when it comes to playing games. I think we may have bullied him a bit and he refused to play with us only after one game! lol!!

Maroon 5

Take a look at that hottie! Seeing Maroon 5 in Antwerp last December was so much fun!! Every time my girlfriends & I looked at our photos we couldn't believe what an incredible night we had. We talked about it for a week straight! lol!!! Here's what happened...

Several days before the concert, Peace Corps Girl e-mailed us about going to Antwerp a little early for drinks & dinner and maybe a meet & greet with Maroon 5. She said she'd do a little research and find out if it was possible.

When I told Gio, what Peace Corps girl was planning she said, "Are you on the list? "

"What list?"

"If you're not on the list I don't see how you're going to get in."

Gio obviously underestimated Peace Corps girl!

Fab 5 before the Concert

We arrived at the venue early and found a group of about four girls and one guy standing outside. So me, Spa girl, and Peace Corps girl jumped out of the car while our other two friends parked the car. After asking a few questions we discovered the group waiting outside were on a list and were waiting for someone to take them inside the concert hall to meet the members of Maroon 5. It was cold and drizzling which was not good since I had straighten my hair for the concert and I had open toe shoes.

One of the tour guys comes outside and asks us, "Are you guys on the list?"

Peace Corps girl says, "Yes, we're on the list" and gives him her name. As he's looking she asks "What's your name?"

"Sean. I don't see your name on the list"

"What!? That's impossible."

Sean looks again for her name but of course it's not there because we're really NOT on the list. But that's just a small detail.

"Did you call and..."

"Yeah, yeah I did all that"

"How many are in your party?

"Five"

"Well, you can only do two names at a time."

Peace Corps girl is now bouncing up and down because she is so cold... "Yeah, that's what I did. Two, Two, and one." She quickly looks at his list and randomly chooses a name and says, "I think we're with Vanessa."

"No, Vanessa is on another list"

"Oh, well I don't know."

"Maybe, one of your other friends is on my list?"

So Peace Corps girl looks at me and gives him my name.

He looks at me and says, "Hey, I know you!" Now it's my turn to get us in!

"Really? Where are you from?"

"California. Me too!"

We then start making small talk about what schools we went to and what year we graduated. He said he graduated in 2001. I'm thinking, "Oh god, he graduated in 2001!! I was already done with graduate school in 2001!! He's a total baby!" I then asked him if he had a brother.

"Hmmm... maybe I know your brother."

After our little conversation he checks to see if my name is on the list.

"No, you're name is not on the list either. Ok. Wait here and let me check these other people in. I'll be right back girls."

As he walks away, Peace Corps girl says, "You got the California angle workin'. Girl, you gotta get us in! Start flashing some boobs!" lol!!

I'm not THAT interested in meeting the band members but I give a little and unzip my jacket to reveal a little cleavage. lol! As he's checking the other people the rest of our party arrives.

Sean walks back up to us and says, "Ok girls, follow me."

All five of us give each other a smile that says, "YES! We're in!!"

We followed him until we got to the front doors of the concert hall and waited for a few minutes while some of us went to the bathroom. While my girlfriends were in the bathroom Sean started to ask me & Spa girl all kinds of questions about what we were doing in Europe. Of course, I lied. He doesn't want to hear about how we're all married with small kids and stationed in Europe. Nope, I told him we were college friends traveling around Europe for a few weeks. I had to make us sound a little exciting! lol! I excused myself so I could tell the other girls that our lie was getting bigger! I wanted us all to be on the same page just in case Sean asked us more questions.

When we got back, Sean lead us into the concert hall. Wow! I can't begin to describe how cool it was to enter a venue when it's completely empty. The air was a bit smoky and a couple of the band members were tuning up their instruments. All five of us were so excited!! We kept repeating, "I can't believe this!"

We watched the band members tune up for a while and then Adam, the lead singer came out to sing. Our own private concert!! I couldn't believe it!! The band played two songs, "Kiwi & Nothing Lasts Forever", my two favorite songs on his 2nd album and I was right there in the front to see & hear him sing. Sweet!!!

The music was so incredibly loud that I'm sure my friends & I lost some of our hearing that night. I could actually feel the vibrations inside my body and I even think my hair was blowing a little from the speakers. It was that loud!

After Maroon 5 played a few songs, Sean came up to us and asked, "Before I start making some calls to see if you're on the list I need to know if you're BS'ing me."

Peace Corps girl came clean and told Sean who we really were and he said, "I knew it!" I told him I really was from CA and he was totally cool with us. Sean asked if we wanted to take pictures with the band and of course we said, "Yes!" After our little photo session, we got to talk to the band which was fun. They told us about their tour and they asked us how we enjoyed living in Europe.

We left the venue on cloud 9! We were thrilled to have met the band AND to be present for the sound check was more than we ever expected!!  When we got outside Peace Corps girl tells us, "Sean, told me he could get us good seats if we come back at 6:30 but we'll have to skip our dinner reservations." Without really answering we made our way to a cafe/bowling place and unanimously made the decision to go back early. We had 30 mins to eat and get back to the concert which is almost impossible when dining in Europe. So we explained our situation to our waitress and asked what we could order that would be done quickly. She pointed to a few things and it came down to Fries & Fried Calamari. So we ate quickly and ran back to the concert where we got to see the band again up close.

The actual concert was fantastic! My girlfriends & I were screaming like teenagers! It was so funny! Peace Corps girl kept screaming, "I love you Adam!!!"

On the ride back home we all agreed that what we experienced that night would never have happened if we were at a Maroon 5 concert in the US. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to see them in Belgium and hope they enjoyed seeing some fellow Americans at their concert singing their hearts out. ;)

Things that made me laugh

One of the things I love most about my friend Gio is her ability to make me laugh. And I mean this girl can make me laugh... laugh so hard I want to pee in my pants. And sometimes I actually have! lol! Some of the things we laugh at are so crazy & silly we have to seriously question our maturity level. But I don't care. Laughing makes me happy and even looking back on these memories makes me crack up!

So Gio, here are a few things that will always remind me of your visit and all the funny moments we shared.

My mission to find a new jacket and ever single one I ordered was super fitted at the waist with these huge puffy arms that made me look like a total WWF wrestler!  That's me... The Michelin Girl. "Don't mess with me!" Remember when I was doing my impression in the car and you made me laugh a little too much! lol!

While I was looking through the Benetton window in Krakow you kept shouting at me, "Stay away from the light Caroline. STAY AWAY FROM THE LIGHT!"

When we were at the fashion design museum in Brussels and you told me how you really felt about fur.

How the cheap umbrella I bought in Krakow kept flipping up every time I needed it!

Our hilarious conversation about how there is more than one shade of brown. We must have created at least a dozen different shades of brown that I'm sure Crayola would love to hear about! We laughed so hard that evening we were almost crying! lol!!

The Closing Act

The two weeks Gio visited us flew by; neither one of us wanted to think about how she'd be leaving soon. We spent the last 3 days visiting Brussels' Museum of Ancient Art, having Sex & the City marathons, and going to Christmas markets. The last day Gio was here we had tickets to attend the "Breakfast with Santa" show. The event was really cute and Lil' C enjoyed seeing Santa. Gio loves kids but I think the breakfast & all those kids pushed her to her limit. lol!!

After the "Breakfast with Santa" event, we went to a local Christmas Market hosted by the German community. We got there just in time to enjoy the freshly grilled bratwursts. Gio & I each bought a lovely Nativity scene that was cut out from a cross section of a tree. It's really cool. Lil' C also had his face painted which he usually doesn't like except when it comes to butterflies & rainbows. Steve also bought a German & Hungarian style Stollen that was simple delicious! Stollen can last for several weeks but these loafs didn't make it past a week in our house.

Next on our agenda was the Aachen Christmas Market which is one of my favorite markets.

Despite being very crowded, Gio loved Aachen. I love seeing the variety of Christmas decorations. There was one particular vendor who sold the most beautiful wooden laser cut ornaments, pyramids, and candle arches. I bought a few gifts for next Christmas and an unusual multi level pyramid that I fell in love with. I've wanted a larger pyramid for a while now and this one was just what I was looking for. Gio & I also sampled some delicious liquors which we thought would make excellent gifts for our Dads.

We got home late but with just enough time for Gio to pack and get some sleep before her long flight back to Calli.

Goodbye Krakow

Before our flight left for Brussels, Gio and I walked to the Main Square one last time for some last minute shopping. The area around the Square was bustling with vendors setting up their areas for the Christmas market which was to begin the 1st of December. Inside the Cloth Hall I found a cute little wooden box for Lil' C with hearts engraved on the top. I also found some adorable glass birds to hang on my windows.

For me Krakow was the highlight of Gio's visit. We loved exploring Krakow and left with many wonderful memories.

Was that Szuj, Szcz, Szla or maybe Szwo?

A common conversation between Gio & I while walking the streets of Krakow...

"What was the name of that street again? Did it start with Szuj?

"No, I think it was Szcz or maybe Szwo?"

"Oh, I think this is the street we're looking for. This one starts with Szym."

"uh...Let's check the map again."

Spelling the street names was like if you wrote each letter of the alphabet on a piece of paper, threw them up in the air and wherever they landed well... that was the name of the street. lol!

Poland's street names fell into three categories for me. You had some street names like Szujskiego, Szczepanska, Szlachtowskiego, and Szwolezeow or Czorsztynska and Czarnowiejska that were so similiar it was hard to remember which street you were looking for. Then you had names that were just so unusual like Urzednicza, Kosciuszkowcow, and Zygmuntoowska. The third category were street names with two words that were real brain teasers like Stanislawa Przybyszewskiego, Szymona Zimorowicza, and Bolestawa Czerwienskiego. With street names like these, I'm actually surprised we weren't lost all the time! lol!!

Our third day in Krakow started with a visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, one of the world's oldest operating salt mines. The mine produced table salt since the 13 century but in 1996 production stopped due to low salt prices and mine flooding. The depth of the mine reaches 1,028 feet and is 186 miles long. Before we began our tour, our guide advised anyone suffering from claustrophobia to reconsider taking the tour. Once we started going down the narrow staircase, one of members decided to go back.

The tourist route was a little over 2 miles (less than 1% of the length of the mine's passages). Every once in a while I'd think about how far underground we were and I'd get a little nervous. But then I'd get distracted by something on our tour and forget all about it.

Our tour included statues of historic and mythic figures, chandeliers, and carved chambers all sculpted by miners out of the rock salt.

I was amazed how everything was made out of the rock salt even the floors of the chapel.

Incredible. They even had an underground lake and a beautiful chapel where a traditional Polish wedding was going to occur.

Here Gio is getting a little taste of the salt.

At the end of our tour Gio befriended two men in our group. They looked like father and son but Gio later found out the younger man, M, used to be Tom's (the older man) caretaker. Gio kept telling me what a "sweetheart" Tom was.

When the tour ended I told Gio, "We need to ask someone where we can catch the bus back to the city center."

I turned my back for a second and saw Gio asking M his advise on getting to the Wawel Castle. M told Gio, "Don't worry. We can take you there in our car."

And before I could say anything Gio said, "That would be great" and we were walking to their car. If you knew the history of our friendship you'd know this wasn't the first time something like this happened. I know it's crazy... but we've always met great people during our travels. M & Tom were very sweet and dropped us off near the Wawel Castle.

The Wawel Castle served as the royal residence from the 10th century. We toured the State Rooms of the Castle but the majority of our time was spent exploring the Wawel Cathedral, where Poland's kings were crowned & buried. Father Karol Wojtyla, later to become Pope John Paul II said his first mass at Wawel Castle on November 3, 1946. Every section of the cathedral was just gorgeous. Gio & I had a lot of fun climbing to the Sigismund Tower. We took lots of fun pictures. 

After we left the Wawel Cathedral we started walking back to the Market Square. Along the way we found the residence of Pope John Paul II. Unfortunately, it was after 4pm and they had already closed. So we decided to go to a cafe and warm up with some soup and hot chocolate.

We eventually made it back to the Square where we shopped, took more photos, and relaxed at a quaint cafe and enjoyed dessert. 

What would you do?

The drive back to Krakow was much longer than we expected and the bus was packed. At the last minute our Chiliean friends, M & A, decided to take the bus with us. It made the ride back to Krakow much more fun. Gio & I laughed a lot and I was able to practice my Spanish since A wasn't comfortable with her English.

Once we arrived in Krakow we were starving so we wasted no time and walked to the restaurant with the fabulous Peirogi. I just couldn't get enough of them.

During dinner, we shared our thoughts on Auschwitz. The conversation became very interesting when Gio asked us, "Do you think you would have hidden a Jewish family?"

It was a tough question. Of course we would all like to think we would risk everything in order to save another family but would we? or would you risk it all to take another family's children? Think about it. It's easier to decide if it's only your life at risk but when you put your entire family's life on the line it makes the decision so much harder. Having this discussion made me realize how courageous the individuals were who helped Anne Frank's family. These people risked everything to follow their hearts and do what they felt was the right thing to do.

As the evening progressed the conversation became lighter and more intriguing. Gio & I were surprised at how much M & A divulged to us that night. I suppose it's much easier to disclose things about yourself with people you don't know and may never see again. After dinner, we took some photos of each other at the Market Square and said our goodbyes. We thanked them for joining us for dinner and wished them well. M & A will be traveling through Europe for another 1.5 months and I hope wherever they are right now they're having a fabulous time!

Are you on Crack?

That's exactly what Secret Agent B told me when I told him I wanted to travel to Krakow, Poland. lol! I told him Krakow was one of those "up and coming" European cities that I wanted to visit before it became too popular. The city of Krakow has a lot to offer. He doesn't know what he's missing. ;)

Krakow is an amazing city but the winters are severe. I didn't realize just how cold & windy it would be in November. We froze our arse's off (as the Brits would say). Usually I don't enjoy wearing hats or those warm headbands but when it's as cold as it was in Poland I don't care what I have to wear as long as I'm warm. We spent 4 days in Poland and I was all set to buy one of those huge fur hats. It was that freakin' cold!

When our driver dropped us off at a high rise building Gio & I were sure we were in the wrong place.

Gio whispered to me, "Oh, my god is this really it?" 

Our driver announced we were here and said, "Don't worry, follow me."

After walking through the corridor, a courtyard, and 4 flights of stairs (there was no elevator) we arrived and the place was perfect.

The hostess was incredibly sweet and she gave us maps and lots of restaurant recommendations. Which was perfect since we were starving. We made our way to the city centre with the help of a sweet Spainard we met along the way.

                                                                                                    We dined at a fabulous restaurant named Nostalgia. The place was a bit hidden and filled with locals which is always a good sign. This little place was a true gem. Gio & I both ordered the Peirogi and they were so delicious!! My mouth is watering just thinking about them! By the time we finished eating it was around 5ish but it was so incredibly dark outside you would have thought it was past nine.

During the winter months all the tourist sites in Krakow close between 3 and 4 o'clock so we spent the evening walking around the main square, climbing up to the top of the tower (a remnant of the Town Hall), and browsing through the various stalls in the Cloth Hall.

Later we had hot chocolate and dessert at the relaxing "E. Wedel" bar. The hot chocolate was so rich and delicious. Too bad S wasn't with us. He's such a chocolate affectionado he would have love it here. I decided a container of E. Wedel's chocolate would make a great stocking stuffer.

We called it an early night and headed back to the hotel to make plans for the following day.

It's all about Ice

No trip to Belgium is complete without visiting the city of Brugge. Even though I've toured Brugge several times I always manage to see or do something new. And this trip was no different.

This year's Snow & Ice Sculpture Festival was fascinating. Here are some of my favorite photos from the event.

These flowers were my favorite ice sculpture.

This sculpture is the shell of a snail. There was a cool slide inside that S & Lil' C tried out.

After the Festival, we walked to Our Lady's Church. I've wanted to visit this church for a while now but always seem to get there right after they close. Like all churches in Europe it is beautiful but the most eye catching part of the church is the tower. It's the second highest church tower in Belgium at a height of 122 meters.

Our Lady's Church is also famous for being the home to Michelangelo's marble Madonna & child sculpture. The statue, made in 1504, was the only one of Michelangelo's works to leave Italy in his lifetime and is today one of the few that can be seen outside Italy.

While we were there I lite a candle and said a prayer for my grandmother who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Luckily, the doctors caught it early and her radiation treatments are going really well and the prognosis looks very positive.  As we sat in the front pews enjoying the moment, Lil' C asked me if he could look at some religious children books a man had placed near us while he set up for mass. Lately, he's become fascinated with Jesus and God. We looked through the books together and he had lots of questions. I find it a bit difficult to answer some of his questions since I don't think he really understands death and finds it very odd why people would want to hurt Jesus. A few weeks ago, I explained to him how Jesus died and was resurrected and just the other day he said to me, "Mommy, remember when I died, but then I came back to life?" I'm not quite sure how I should answer that question.

After visiting Our Lady's Church we walked to the Christmas Market. Lil' C was super excited to see the skating rink in the Grand Platz and told us he really wanted to go ice skating. S & I were shocked. Before we left Belgium we took Lil' C ice skating and after about 10 minutes he wanted to leave. So we were happy to see he had a change of heart. Gio & I watched while S took Lil' C ice skating. Lil' C was a little mad man. His movements were straight out of the dance scenes from River Dance. Luckily, S knows how to ice skate well so he held onto Lil' C and off they went. It was pretty funny!

We ended the evening by having a fabulous Greek dinner at "The Olive Tree". The food was deliciously prepared and the staff was warm and welcoming. You know where you can catch me the next time I'm in Brugge.