So, now let me recap the last week.
Saturday, we flew back to Brussels from Ireland, because that is where the car stayed. So last Saturday, a week ago, I went to Bruges for the day! It was about an hour train ride from Brussels and it was amazing. (Also, train ticket was only 6 euro! Usually 15, but thank you student visa!! Why isn't there a youth (under 26 years) option in the US!?)
It's the exact epitome of what you think of when you think of old Europe. I mean, some of the buildings and architecture really have been around since the 15th century, maybe even before. I was lucky enough to have a gorgeous 65 degree day, despite it being November 1st. I walked all around the little city, passing a chocolate shop every other store. Every single street was made of cobblestone (which is really neat at first, but then really wears on your feet, fyi).
I first did a canal tour (no wait, first I got a waffle, sorry), so I could learn about the city and have all this incredible old history described to me. Our guide was amazing, pointing out every important icon and telling us about it first in Dutch, then in French, and finally in English.
I then made my way to the Market Square where there is this ancient Bell Tower, called the Belfort Tower. You can pay to walk up to the top of it, but get this: only 70 people are allowed in the tower at once, due to weight restrictions. And it is exactly 366 (yes, I counted) very narrow steps high. I would not recommend this to anyone who is claustrophobic or out of shape, but the view was definitely worth it!
(I know this picture is blurry, but you can get the idea of the kind of steps I'm talking about.)
I rewarded myself with fries upon descending the tower. (And for the record, these Belgian fries are the best things ever.) Then I found a place to grab a beer, and the Bruges beer museum, where I got three 7 ounce beer samples with my admission! I'm not normally a beer lover, but I think I really would be if I lived in Belgium. Leffe Blonde is my new fave!
And finally I got some chocolates for some lucky people back home! I walked into a lot of different chocolate shops, all selling different versions of basically the same thing. BUT in some I got a free sample :) It was another great day trip!
This past Sunday we made our way back to France, about a 7 hour drive from Brussels. Despite traveling in a cramped car with two 3 year olds, it actually wasn't too bad of a trip. Also helpful was stopping at a rest stop with a DUNKIN' DONUTS! I tried to explain to my host parents how great it was, but I don't think they were overly impressed. But it meant everything to have a little taste of home, in the tiny country of Luxembourg no less.
We had a mostly normal week, and I started the intermediate level french lessons, which is so much better than the beginner classes. I actually feel like I'm learning things now, instead of just reviewing things I've already learned. And now I feel like I need to study at home, and that I'm finally getting my money's worth. Uh, ABOUT TIME. These lessons are too expensive to not be making progress.
An interesting thing happened Thursday and Friday though. Thursday morning I took the boys to school just like I always do (except we were running late and I hate running late), and the woman at the front who welcomes everyone looked at the boys and managed to communicate to me that their teacher was sick, so the boys could go home...um, have you people never heard of a "substitute teacher"?! Confused and annoyed, I take the boys back to the car and call my host parents. Andrea says to take them back into school, that they can go to another class for the day. I don't know why that wasn't an option when I first dropped them off, but I take them back in (now we're really late) and leave them with about 6 other kids from their class, the teachers trying to figure out which classes they all can go to. I guess it worked out fine, because I didn't get a call from the school and I picked them up at 3:30 like normal and they seemed to have had a great day. I could have taken them home, but then I would have missed my french lesson. And we already don't have lessons this coming Tuesday, so I really needed to go.
Thursday evening, Sophie gets a call saying that their teacher will be out again on Friday. So, if possible, it would be easiest if the kids could stay home. This time, they had a full day to figure out a substitute situation, and they still couldn't?! I'm confused. What about all the parents and families that have to work and don't have an au pair? What are they supposed to do? So, regardless, I ended up staying home with the kids. Although I usually love and look forward to my Fridays, because I don't have any responsibilities and can catch up on my shows all day, it actually turned out to be a decent day with the boys. I took them to the National History Museum in Geneva, which isn't the coolest museum for adults, but the kids really loved it. It was mostly just 4 floors of giant dioramas and fake animals, but some were pretty impressive.
Any who, that brings us to today. Finally caught up. The family is out, I'm relaxing and working out until I babysit tonight. And hopefully a day out with some friends tomorrow! I miss everyone back home so much! Just a few adventures left before I see the great US of A in 6 weeks!
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