Christmas English Style

We had a great Christmas Eve and Day despite some challenges. By challenges I mean, Tonsilitis, ear infections, full body rash (chicken pox? the doctor thought so), conjunctivitis, nits (yes I mean Lice) and of course the good old seasonal flu/cold. Who thought you could pack so much into one week:) Anyway, despite all that we thoroughly enjoyed our last Christmas in England.

Christmas Eve the kids and I walked downtown with our buggy (wagon) and collected our turkey from the butcher(Olivia in the back, turkey in the front), Mark "manned up" as our friends like to say and made his Ukranian Christmas Eve meal even though he could barely swallow it, we spread reindeer food on the lawn (compliments of Auntie Heather), put out cookies, "hot chocolate milk" and carrots for Santa and the reindeer and opened a few gifts. Lochlan even heard reindeer on the roof:)

Christmas day we opened presents, went to mass where Lochlan read a prayer (very confidently) and the kids sang a new Christmas song. Miah stood shyly with her finger in her mouth, but was very brave going up;) We then played with toys and finished with English Christmas dinner, which means we added sausage stuffing, pigs in a blanket (sausages wrapped in bacon), Christmas crackers and Christmas pudding with Brandy Butter alight to the regular fair.

Hope you all had and are having a wonderful Christmas holiday! All the best as we look towards 2010! L and the gang

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

No it hasn't snowed here. Although we have had sub zero temperatures and it called for snow on Thurs. Well, it did...now it's calling for rain. Ah well, next year! We had loads of Christmas activity this past week and bought and decorated our tree this weekend. One of the highlights was Lochlan's Christmas play. It was too cute! Lochlan did a fabulous job and we all throughly enjoyed it. The girls even sat through it all.
Loc and Miah had their swimming parties and Olivia had a Christmas party at her new playgroup. Mark went out for a "Christmas curry" on Tues and served dinner to the junior ratings as is the tradition on Wed. I went out with Mandy after Mark got home on Wed. to catch up. After picking up our tree and wreaths we went to a friends place (Tracey and Bill's) for dinner and some hot tub action Friday night. Sat. we decorated our tree and Sunday the kids had another party (Lochlan actually had two at the same time so missed one). So between all the Christmas activities and the addition of our tree and wreaths, it definitely seems like Christmas around here. Hope you are all in the Christmas spirit too! Mark would just like to note that he went surfing the day we picked out our tree. Not likely to do that when we return! L

Happy Birthday Mark!

December 4th was Mark's birthday. He had cake, presents and a relaxing day. The next evening we went out to celebrate at a place called Country Skittles. Mark has been wanting to go there for a while to try it. Skittles are bowling and they have three lanes there. They also have a restaurant, bar, games room and board games to play while you wait for your meal. I'm not sure who had more fun Mark or the kids! L

Two Years Old!

Olivia turned 2 on November 28th. As we already had a party when Grandma and Grandpa were here, we had a melow day and some leftover (frozen) cake. What to say about our Olivia. She's 2 going on 20. She talks a mile a minute, tries everything her siblings do and accomplishes most of it and absolutely will not be ignored, even if it involves screaming...which it usually does. She doesn't sleep much, although sleeps well at night unless she has napped then we have an early wake up call. One morning it was 4:30 am ... for the day. She's cheeky, cute and knows it. One of her favourite sayings is NO WAY. She's still small weighing about 24 pounds. She likes Dora and loves the park. She adores her siblings and wants to do everything they do. She's our blond haired blue eyed bombshell! Here she is: L

Travel, Friends and Christmas Tree Lighting

A couple days after Mark's parents left we headed to London, actually, Surrey, just outside, for the weekend. We stayed with our friends the Howe's (Neil and Justine) and had a great time. They have a little girl Ellie who used to be in Lochlan's class and a little boy Owen who is Miah's age. After a melow Friday night we headed into the Natural History Museum in London on Sat. I had no idea it was so huge. It had real dinosaur bones (whole dinosaurs), a space area, different mammals, etc. The kids loved it, except for Olivia who slept through almost the entire thing. I was really surprised at how interested Miah was, I thought she might be too young. Anyway, we headed back, put the kids to bed and had some adult fun. A really nice diner compliments of Neil and some Wii action. Turns out I'm not so shabby in the Wii sports. The kids had a blast and the adults too.

November 27th was the annual Tree Lighting here in Helston. For a little rural town they do a pretty good job. Live music (drums and singing), stall with food, candy and games. Even rides and fireworks. The kids had hot chocolate, a ride and loads of fun. It was quite nice. Lochlan and Miah were even in the West Briton (local paper) in a picture with a couple of buddies. Here are pics. The ones from the museum are a bit blurry as they're taken with the

video cam. L

GO RIDERS!!!

Hey everyone,

The big game is tonight, but since it would start at 11:30 p.m., we are going to watch it with some Canadian friends tomorrow. Please, please do not call us between the end of the grey cup and bed-time (your time) Monday.

GO Riders!!!

M

Grandma And Grandpa Come to Visit

Mark's parents came to visit us for two weeks. We had pretty good weather and a great visit. The kids loved having Grandma and Grandpa around! They couldn't wait to take them to all their activities. As it was their last visit to Cornwall we did a bit more touring including Heligan Gardens, a walk to Looe Bar and Kynance cove, a last visit to Porthleven and their favourite pub there. Grandma kept the kids busy baking and Grandpa and Olivia bonded while mowing the lawn and playing football (soccer). Needless to say the kids are sad their gone. We also got a sitter one night and went to dinner to a newer place down the road for some adult time.

We had some celebrating to do as Susan had a birthday while she was here. Won't say how old but you might be able to figure it out from the pictures:) We also had an early party for Olivia as Grandma and Grandpa were here. All in all a good time. Oh and the girls owned the boys at cards! Here are some pics. L

Halloween and Half Term

Last week as Mark mentioned was half term (kind of like March break) here so I had all three kids home for the week. It was nice to have a break from the regular routine. The weather didn't cooperate so I had to get creative in my entertainment. We searched for leaves and nuts (in the rain), made pumpkin muffins, made leaf imprints with paints once the leaves dried, rode our bikes between showers and went to the duck pond amongst other things. Nothing fancy but it kept everyone busy.

Our last Halloween in England was the quietest yet. We usually have loads of children but only had about 40 this year. However there were more houses that participated overall so the kids had a great time. Olivia was surprisingly interested. She caught on quite quickly even saying trick or treat. Of course she also managed to dip into her candy before we hit home. Here are some pics from the last week and of our bat, ladybird and Angelina ballerina. L

Surf's Up

Hey Everyone,

Today was a great day... we are definitely getting wimpy and used to the warm weather in Cornwall (20 C today). I made the most of it and managed to get a few hours of surfing in.

It is half term, i.e. the kids are out of school all week so Laura is super busy. Opposite for me... since almost everyone at work took this week off, things are super slow.We are looking forward to Grandma and Grandpa Kotzer coming out next week!

Don't forget to ring Grandpa tomorrow as he turns 61, and I won't say how old Grandma will be when she is here in England, but you can phone us at home at (dial this exactly) 011 44 1326 560 423.

The only sad part about their visit is that they will probably be the last Canadians to visit us out here... there is still time! Come on out!

Our good friends Justine and Neil moved away this week, so it was a bit sad. They have 2 kids (Ellie and Owen) who are the same ages as Lochlan and Miah. They moved out towards Surrey (about 5 hour drive), so we hope to get down there before Christmas if we can.

Hope you all are well.

BTW, the convertible isn't mine, just a loaner as my car was being serviced that day. Too bad... it was a lot of fun.

Give Jason Mraz a Listen

I like Mraz... maybe you will too after this...

Ciao,

Mark

Sunday Afternoon

We decided to take Maggie for a walk on the beach as she is now allowed again (dogs are banned from many beaches here Easter through Oct. 1st). We went to a beach that is not far, but we had never been to called Kynance cove. Boy have we been missing out. It had lots of caves and cliffs and rocks. It was really quite cool. Rather than that just a bit of cleaning and organizing. I've decided to clear out before our move next year and I've started with the baby stuff. Wow it's amazing the stuff those little farts require or at least acquire. Here's a couple of pics of Mags and kiddies. L

Fall Activities

Well Sept has come and gone, hard to believe. Into the next school year and the kids seem to have changed so much.

Olivia grew up overnight. The third week of Aug. she went into a bed, got rid of her soother, the baby gates were removed (they had been redundant for a while)and she pooped in the toilet. Woah what happen to my baby? She has really grown and talks a lot. She's cheeky, loves to climb and has to dress, get into the car, wipe her face all by herself, which was a favourite saying of Miah's at this age. She's very independent just like her sister.

Miah started preschool this Sept and is really enjoying it. She goes three mornings a week, which gives me some one on one time with Olivia. She couldn't wait to be "dropped off " like Lochlan does. Although now that it's not a novelty there are some days she wants Mummy to stay. She has continued with her gymnastics which she now does on her own. She even has her own leotard (body suit) - too cute. She has also started swimming lessons by herself and loves it. She feels like such a big girl and I'm happy that she is getting the time in the water.

Lochlan started year 1 and has so much more confidence this year. It's really great to see. He likes his teacher although not nearly as much as his one last year. He is also taking swimming lessons and playing soccer. Having fun at both.

Mark and I are anxiously awaiting any news of where we are heading next year. Although I'm not going to hold my breath as I think it will still be a while. We've had a pretty busy Sept. catching up with friends and getting back into the routine. We managed to take in a play at Minnack Theatre. It is an outdoor theatre in roman sort of style built into the rocks by the sea. Stunning. We went with our friends/neighbours Neil and Justine, ate pasties and drank champagne as is the tradition. We were a little frosty by the end of the production (Othello)but it was a great experience. Hope this all finds you well. L

Bath and Stonehenge

On the way home we stayed in a English city called Bath. Bath is known for it's Georgian architecture and Roman Baths. What a fantastic city. I loved it! We visited the Abbey, saw the Royal Crescent, the Circus and Pulteney Bridge and did some shopping. As we were there the night before our eighth anniversary my parents offered to babysit yet again so we could have a night out. It was the nicest anniversary we've ever had and will be hard to top. We went to the spa for the twilight package which included access to the three pools fed by the water from the natural hot springs, four scented stream room, foot baths and a dinner/drink. We then toured the Roman baths at night and finished with dessert and a drink. Yee haw! Thanks Mom and Dad!

On the final stretch home we stopped at Stonehenge as it's not far from Bath. Below are some pictures with captions. This also ends the saga of my summer blogging. It has been one the best and busiest summers ever and we won't be soon to forget! L

The Highlands

We next headed up to a tiny town called Contin in the Highlands. From there we did trips to Ullapool and Isle of Skye and generally just enjoyed the beauty of the area. We also took the kids to a water dome in Inverness for some fun. It is truly a beautiful untouched place. Although we were told we'd be rained out and devoured by midges, we had lovely weather and only saw midges once (teeny tiny flying bugs that bite). Mark and I were dying to camp but were not set up to do so. Simply fabulous. Here are some pics again with captions.

Edinburgh and Area

The last week of July and the first week of August we drove up to Scotland for a holiday with my parents. We first stayed in a self catering place in Edinburgh. We visited Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh Castle, shopped the Royal Mile, did a "haunted" night tour of the vaults (areas underground that poor people ended up sleeping/living), took a day trip to some of the surrounding sites and of course took the kids to a place called Almond Valley which was fabulous for kiddies. Here are some pics. I have captioned some of the pictures again in the album. L

The Magic Porridge Pot

Brought to you by Lochlan...

London

After the wedding Mark and I flew to London. We rode the London Eye, toured West Minister Abbey, Tower of London, saw a couple of shows and attended a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. Although we didn't meet the Queen she was only 10 ft from us, we toured the gardens not usually open to the public and were served afternoon tea (sandwiches,cakes and of course tea). A truly unique and wonderful experience. Here are some pictures, unfortunately none of the tea as no cameras were allowed.

Dan and Victoria's Wedding

A week after my sister's wedding we were lucky enough to attend the wedding of a longtime friend of Mark's. Dan's wife is Swedish so that is where the wedding was held. My Mom and Dad were nice/brave enough to watch our children so we went sans kids. We spent our first day/night in Stockholm and then headed to Lovstabruk where the wedding was held. We then had one more day of touring before our plane left that night. A great weekend! It was really cool to take part in a Swedish wedding and everyone was extremely friendly and spoke great English. Here are some photos, I put some captions below some of the pictures so that you would know what your looking at, however they don't show on the slide show, just in the album. It kind of reminded us of Canada (the land in the rural areas).

The Wedding

Well the weather was crap (poured all day) but the wedding was lovely. Lochlan was a star ring bearer and Miah was a bit shy (to say the least) and although she did throw all her petals, I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be once she sat down. Glenda and Paul looked fab and were glowing (like you do when your first married). The meal was awesome and we had a mini dance afterwards. There was even entertainment for the kids. All in all a good time for everyone. Here is a load of photos for your perusal.

Pre -Wedding

For those of you who don't know my sister was married here on July 11th.

On Wed. the 8th the rest of my family including the bride and groom arrived and Lochlan also had his first sports day at school. He did very well, and had a lot of fun. That night I held a pamper party as a stagette for my sister at a friends house. It was a surprise theme with massage and wine/chocolate/cheese tastings. The theme: to max and relax, before the big day.

On Friday the 10th there was the traditional rehearsal and Mark and I hosted the rehersal dinner in our garden. It poured but thanks to a tent we rented, everyone stayed nice and dry. We had traditional English fair and enough drinks to float anyone who hadn't already drowned in the rain.

Here's pics from the events leading up to the wedding:

Lochlan's Birthday

We're back! I'm going to try catch up and blog about the last six weeks. They've been jam packed so it'll take me a while but I will get there eventually.

Lochlan turned five on July 5th. He was SOOOO excited about his birthday this year, not sure why. We decided to do it up big and .... not in the house. So we had 28 kids and a batman theme, we made our goodie bags , had entertainment and face painting. It went surprisingly smooth (thanks to the help of Auntie Heather and Uncle Jeff) and Lochlan had a fabulous time. He was really chuffed because his big cousins Emily and Sarah could be there too. Here is our big little man on his big day.

What's New?

I thought I should update before things go a little crazy here which will start in about 2 days. What's new? Well Father's Day was busy as I had to count collection and Mark volunteered at the Motor Show (it's a big fundraiser for Lochlan's school). So it included church, smoked salmon eggs benny, the Motor Show (visiting and working) and a BBQ in the garden. It was a nice sunny day and I think over all Mark had a good day.

I went on a beginner surfing course this past weekend and although the conditions weren't great, I had a lot of fun and even caught some waves.

The girls both had their first hair cut on Tuesday, Miah at 3 and Olivia at 19 mos. Funny thing is Olivia's hair is already thicker than Miah's.

Canada Day was hot and humid here. The kids and I donned our red and white. I made over sixty pancakes and took them into Lochlan's class with maple syrup, flags and a book about Canada. It was fantastic to see all these little brit kids waving the Canadian flag. A bunch of them even thanked me today so I think they enjoyed their little bit of Canadian culture.

Rather than that we are preparing for Lochlan's birthday and my sister's upcoming wedding. My brother and family have already arrived in London and the rest of my family arrives at our house next Wed. That'll make fourteen of us here. I'm getting excited and it is going to be action packed week. Lochlan has two more weeks of school and the little man already has plans for a sleepover at a friends for summer holidays. We've met his new teacher and he is excited about going into year one. So that is the scoop here. Happy Holidaying! L

More surfing stuffer

I am heading out to Praa Sands this evening in the hopes of catching a few waves. I thought I was doing alright after surfing a year, but then I saw this video... I still have some work to do!!



Ciao! M

My biggest wave yet

Hey all... I had a great time last Thursday... there was a hurricane swell and some seriously big waves off Godrevy... a buddy of mine with a Ski-doo came out with us and towed us into some of the bigger ones. It was awesome! My other buddy Keith happened to be out on a training exercise with the Merlin, saw us, and grabbed this video of my last ride of the day...



Hope this finds you well,

M

Summer Stuff

It is hard to believe that we are only a few weeks away from Glenda and Paul's wedding... not sure if all of the "i's" are dotted, but we received a pretty hefty booze order on Friday so if nothing else we will be well lubricated. We had a pretty mellow weekend... a bit of gardening, some ice cream at Coverack, but nothing particularly exciting. I hope the sun keeps shining... we have already hit the beach more this summer than we had in the entirety of last year. Hope this finds you all well. M

My wife is hot!

Hey everyone, I am by nature a generous person, so I felt obliged to share a few shots of my gorgeous wife... try not to drool all over yourselves!!!

Jason Mraz

Hey all...

Life out in Cornwall is great... a bit rainy this morning, but we have actually been pretty lucky so far. I am off to French lessons this morning (yep, French lessons in Cornwall!), and for some reason I thought of a popular artist out here. His name is Jason Mraz and if you want to hear some of his stuff, go to the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYhrYHmUPn0



Ciao,

Mark

Sweden exposed... Part II

If you liked the last one, you will like this one too...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Stockholm Syndrome Pt. 2
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Newt Gingrich Unedited Interview

Mark

Sweden exposed...

My old buddy from Lanigan is getting married out in Sweden, and we are really looking forward to going to the wedding. Dan took the time to prepare us for what we would see... just when thought Sweden was an innocent country...

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Stockholm Syndrome Pt. 1
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Newt Gingrich Unedited Interview

Ciao!

M

Why Surfing is Cool

Here is how they do it in Ireland... I enjoyed this and hope you will too.

Sorry, had to remove the video because it wasn't playing properly. If you haven't had a look at it yet, I highly recommend it, and you can still see it at:

http://www.relentlessenergy.com/films/view/powers-of-three


Ciao! Mark

Happy Mother's Day Canada!

I hope all you mother's had a wonderful day!  I had to date the best Mother's Day yet.  We went to Sennen which is about 35 mins from here for the first time today.  It has a beautiful beach and a beach side cafe over looking the water.  After a nice lunch the kids and I played in the water and got soaked.  We had to strip the kids to nothing to get them into the car but we had so much fun! After that we came home, played in the garden and had a great steak dinner compliments of Chef Marky.  The day ended with a bath (for the kids of course) which included swimming hats Lochlan found and promptly shared.  Here are some pictures of our day.  I've also included a couple of Miah on her new bike and her during her pedicure earlier this week.

Cheers L

Beach Day!!!

Today was a gorgeous day, so we decided to head out to the beach. The water was cold but that didn't stop the kids from getting good and soaked. Olivia isn't quite sure if she like the surf or not, but she had a great time in the sand. Had a a nice lunch, and now I guess I better get the lawn mowed while the sun is still shining.  Long weekend here, so we will just be haning out.   Hope this finds you all well... M

Happy 3rd Birthday Miah!

OK so her birthday was actually the April 22 but I've been a bit slack in blogging. As her birthday landed on a Wednesday we had a picnic at the duck pond and had cupcakes instead of a birthday cake. The weather cooperated and the kids had a great time. We then had a birthday party for her on Sat. It was a princess theme so the kids all made their own crowns, played pin the crown on the princess and pass the parcel. Followed by food and cake and everyone was happy.

Miah has started what I call the pink princess phase, which every little girl I've known goes through. The more frilly/sparkly the better, she loves the princesses and Dora and of course her favourite colour is pink. She still loves to colour and draw and do crafts and loves the parc. She partakes in "mynastics", Todlins (singing and dancing) and swimming whenever I can get her there. She will start preschool in the fall a few mornings a week and it will be really good for her. She is quite social and enjoys constant activity. So here are some pictures of our little princess. I've also included some pictures from Easter holidays and a robins nest that a bird built in pushchair in the garage. Unfortunately a cat got it. L

Happy Easter!

We're enjoying a lovely Easter weekend in the sun. Lochlan has two weeks vacation from school and Mark has four days over the weekend. We headed to Trevarno gardens on Friday as Mark hasn't been there and the weather was nice. The kids enjoyed the walk, peacocks, reindeer and playground. Mark and I enjoyed the flowers and untouched beauty. Yesterday was a day around the house/yard getting a few things done. With playmates in the morning and a Birthday party for Miah to attend in the afternoon. Today we had an easter egg/basket hunt, church, egg wars and of course lots of chocolate. We spent the afternoon in the back garden enjoying the sun and ended with a ham dinner. All in all a relaxing weekend. Noting else too new, except Mark held a surprise birthday party a couple of weeks ago and truly spoiled me with gifts. It was a great time, even had Karaoke (dangerous!). Hope this finds you all well and enjoying your weekend.

Cheers L

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here is a little jig with the family, sent to us compliments of Ev:

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Spring is Here

Spring has arrived here and we have had some truly beautiful weather lately. We have spent the entirety of the last four days outside, lovely! What's new... the kids planted some seeds and they grew so well that I had to put them in planters as it is just a bit soon to put them in the ground yet. Lochlan had Red Nose Day at school which is a big charity day here in the UK and got to sport his new spidey costume in class (very chuffed about that). Miah is enjoying her activities and we are going to "aqua shrimps" for the first time tomorrow. She still talks a mile a minute and has a new "Little Miss Chatterbox" plate and matching cup (hmmm wonder why I chose that one.) Olivia is my new disturber. She likes to climb and sports a new head injury every few days. She had three purple lumps in a row across her forehead at one point and I figured child services were on their way. She also likes to steal from her brother and sister and has been caught pushing a 2 year old boy and making him cry(he did take her toy...she was just reclaiming it.) Olivia is the new owner of a "Little Miss Naughty" plate and cup. Mark and I are enjoying the weather and clearing up the garden. Mark is getting some more surfing in and has acquired a new board(he'd gladly tell you all about it). I am enjoying running outside again as the weather has been so nice and the scenery here is so beautiful. Here are some pics of the kids below. You may see some similarities between sisters:) I've included a couple of pictures of the kids sleeping as I truly think there is nothing like a sleeping angel. Note Lochlan's newly acquired oversized dog. He slept with this dog snuggling him like that most of the night!

Snow Men and Valentines

Happy Valentines! We spent a romantic(?)day for five. Lochlan and Miah made valentine hearts and had a fancy dress (ie. dress up) birthday party to attend. We then had a meat, cheese and chocolate fondue. The kids loved it. I've also included a couple of pictures of the mini snow man we made when we had snow. I think we used most of the snow in the front yard. Lochlan had a snow day from school that day! Also a pic from the Eden project which we visited last weekend. L

Ukrainian Christmas

We celebrated a belated Ukrainian Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Kotzer upon our return. They arrived here only two hours after us and were able to spend a week and a half with us before Grandpa had to return to his new job. We had a great visit and it really was Christmas all over again! Grandma did some baking and attended "mynastics" with Miah while Grandpa built Meccano with Lochlan. I think Olivia just kept them amused as she ran for the stairs every time the gate opened. Grandma and Grandpa also toured St. Michael's Mount as it was one of the few things they missed when here last time. Here's some pictures of our time together.

Christmas in Canada

We headed to Nova Scotia on the 14th Dec. for Christmas. It was much anticipated as it had been 18 mos. since we'd seen my parents or my brother's family. It was also the first time they met Olivia. My entire family met us at the airport with welcome signs and balloons for the kids. It was great! My sister put on a nice spread back at her house and then it was off to Nanny and Grampy's. We had LOTS of snow and a white Christmas, exactly what we ordered. The kids had a wonderful time with their cousins and Mark and I had some adult time at my brother's Christmas party. All in all a wonderful Christmas. Here are... a lot of pictures.

Let it Snow...

Yes we are still in England... It snowed here!!! First time in 10 years! A few photos to prove it.



Bye!

Birthdays, Plays and Christmas Markets

Happy New Year Everyone! I know a little late considering it's already Feb. but better late than never. I'm a little behind on the blogging so I'm going to try and do a bit of catch up.

Dec. was a busy month for us(isn't for everyone?), Mark turned 33, Lochlan was in his first Christmas school production and of course the usually parties and decorating. We had a quiet family celebration for Mark's bday. Lochlan helped me make his cake (one of the few that will cook in this oven)and we had a scallop dinner. Lochlan did great at his performances (he was a shepherd)! He really has come a long way. Our shy little boy sang and did actions and even smiled. It was really cute to see, I was a proud Mommy. Here are some pics below.



I also went on a trip to Belgium, the Nertherlands and Germany to see the Christmas markets. I went with Mandy (another Canadian down the street). It was fab! We stayed in Valkenburg, Netherlands and did day trips to the other places visiting Brugge, Belgium on the way home. My favourite markets were probably German: Monschau and Aachen, but I would love to go back and visit Brugge, what a beautiful medieval city. Maastricht, Netherlands had great shopping. Valkenburg (where we stayed) had two Christmas markets in caves with displays which depicted a story about elves which they gave you when you entered. Neat, but I didn't find the products nearly as nice. Valkenburg also had a spa (with mulitple pools - not hot mind you) and lots of restaurants/stalls with Deutsch food. On my trip I also discovered Kriek, cherry beer (Belgium) - yummy! Overall a fantastic experience and lots of fun! Kudos to Mark as well as he had the three kids on his own (for the first time)for 5 days and two out of three ended up getting sick. Thanks sweetie!
(To see my comments go into the album by double clicking on the pictures.)