Thursday, March 29, 2012

Day 12: Ferry to Norway and Driving home to The Lupoli House

Written by Carrie B.


We woke on Day 12 to a bittersweet feeling lingering in our hotel room.  Are we happy to travel back to Norway today?  Of course!  The Lupoli girls are missing their Daddy and Carrie L was eager to be back with her husband.  But are we a little sad that our journey is coming to an end?  Absolutely!
Tying shoes for the last time
Carrie L put on the kettle in preparation for our final mugs of freeze dried instant coffee (yeah!) and we began packing for the last time.  We had this packing thing down to a science!  Every item we brought in to the hotel room had a specific place and the girls   knew their routine by heart.  After waking in the morning they were expected to: brush teeth, get dressed (their clothes were pre-picked by us and laid out the evening before), brush hair, complete travel journals, put on shoes (coat if needed) and gather their blankets/stuffed animals.  There was no time for complaining, whining or laying around...on this trip they were expected to behave like young adults, which surprisingly, they did very well with most of the time.  

Leaving the hotel
   
The girls expressions
We zipped the last suitcase and stuffed the last bag full of hotel freebies (I was collecting all the hair products and lotions to make a basket full of goodies for my guest bathroom) then quickly went downstairs to check out.  While Carrie L was chatting with the lady at the front desk, I asked the girls to pose for a picture since it was the final morning of our trip.  As they started to smile I said, “Make a face showing me how you feel about this being the last day of the trip.”  Elise and Ellie both made sad faces by sticking out their bottom lips and frowning.  Grace, well, she happily smiled as big as she could!  I asked Elise and Ellie why they were sad and they quickly answered, in sync, that they knew it meant they would be apart again very soon and they would miss each other.  When I asked Grace why she was happy she exclaimed, “I get to see my Daddy!”       
After a quick stop at McDonald's for a fast food breakfast, we began driving towards the ferry.  A couple uneventful hours later, we arrived...and with time to spare!  This time we didn’t have to drive in to the deep dark bowels of the ferry and park with the tractor trailers!  When Carrie L booked our tickets online, she signed us up for Business Class for the return trip.  I asked her what that meant and she replied, “I have no idea”.  We both agreed that if it was anything like Business Class on an airplane than the upgrade was well worth it whether we knew what was included or not.  
Business Class
The ferry from Denmark to Norway was three very quick hours.  As we sat in our upgraded seats, I realized that there wasn’t much of a difference between Business Class and the Main Cabin.  If we would have been traveling without (1) children or (2) the man sitting behind us that sounded a lot like Darth Vader while he snored, then I think the difference would have been peace and quiet.  But again, children and Darth didn’t help bring serenity to our ferry experience so we may as well been with the rowdy pre-teen boys in the Main Cabin watching them run around and scare each other.  At least then I wouldn’t have had to constantly tell our children to be quiet because people are working!  

Enjoying the view
Carrie and I were working to get pictures uploaded and a blog entry submitted but as you can imagine, the Internet at sea was about as good as having a dial-up connection in your home.  While I was waiting for my pictures to upload at the rate of one every 15 minutes, I decided it would be best to curb my boredom by perusing the cafeteria.  Another Business Class perk I found was free coffee, soda, cookies and fruit but I had already exhausted those options and not one of them satisfied my hunger...or boredom for that matter.  After discussing with Carrie L, she agreed that we needed real food and opened her wallet to find her debit card was missing.  We made it this far and lost the debit card?!?  Good thing we had a little cash to spare.          

Trying to blog
After filling up on ferry junk food, we packed up our things and went down to the car.  For people traveling with children, you must be organized and punctual when leaving the ferry.  Once the ferry docks, each car drives off so if you aren’t in your car, you will hold up all the people that are parked behind you.  We were a bit behind schedule since we stopped for the girls to have a bathroom break but luckily, we ended up getting to the car on time and not having to deal with our fellow ferry friends being angry with us.  In the car we discussed how once again our plan to make good use of our time was shot down due to Internet issues.  Unfortunately, the only work I accomplished during those three Business Class hours was taking my daughter to the bathroom twice, cleaning up spilled slush, filling up on junk food and coffee, and watching as my Internet connection mocked me by spinning in circles.
We drove off of the ferry and put our last destination in to TomTom.  Carrie L had decided that we would drive through Norway on our way back so Elise and I would be able to see a little more of the country than we were able to see when we first arrived.  Let me tell you, I am so glad she did!  I drove during the last few hours of the trip and am really surprised I didn’t wreck the car.  I don’t think I can ever put in to words what I saw as I was driving through Norway on that clear, sunny day.  As we were driving, I said to Carrie, “This is God’s country.”  I have never been to a place that is more beautiful than Norway.  It is the natural and untouched beauty of this country that leaves you awestruck! 

We drove for over three hours through ruggedly beautiful mountains, fjords and carefully constructed road tunnels.  We passed by the glistening blue water of the North Sea and the surrounding beaches of white sand.  Streams of water running over rocks were around every corner and I so badly wanted to step outside the car to hear the peaceful sound of nature (a sound I can only get close to with my sound machine in Singapore!).  Although I only witnessed one or two waterfalls during our drive, I read that Norway has been referred to as the Land of a Thousand Waterfalls.  The magnificent country has waterfalls every bit as tall, powerful, and majestic as the best that Yosemite has to offer!  Even though I wasn’t lucky enough to see all that Norway is, I hope to go back one day with Justin and Elise to see the glaciers, midnight sun, the offshore islands, and, my travel dream, the Northern Lights.  I have shared some pictures with you from the four days Elise and I were in Norway before we set off on our European road-trip.  Pictures cannot come close to seeing the beauty of this country with your own eyes.  If you ever have a chance to go, I recommend that you don’t think twice!

The North Sea
We blared the car horn as we pulled up to Carrie L’s house forewarning Peter that we would soon be walking in the door.  Before I put the car in park, the Lupoli girls jumped out and raced inside to hug their Dad that they missed so badly.  Carrie and I thanked TomTom with a kiss and peeled ourselves out of the car that we had come to know so well.  We started unloading the luggage and came face-to-face with the mess that the children had made.  Pretzels, cashews, pencils, erasers, crayons, paper, candy, juice boxes and more covered the floorboards and seats.  We laughed as we uncovered more and more with every piece of luggage we pulled from the car.  
We walked inside and the dinner table was set with two pizzas ready to eat and a decanter full of wine.  Thank God for good husbands...and for friends who have good husbands!  After dinner, the girls ran upstairs to play as if they hadn’t seen each other in months, Carrie and Peter caught up with each other, and I sat back with my computer and glass of wine.                

Back in Norway!
The past 12 days have been filled with the ups and downs of "backpacking" around Northern Europe with two Kindergartners and a First Grader.  The results of the road-trip have been positive with the girls, and the adults, learning more than we could have predicted.  Even though this is the last entry of our trip, we will be following up with what we have learned, travel tips, recommended places, quotes we didn’t post, a Q&A with all members, and much more including video footage!  Please continue to follow us and recommend our Facebook page and Blog to your friends.  Thank you for your support and we hope that you enjoyed Are We There Yet? The European Road-Trip!    



Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Day 11: Drive from Amsterdam to Arhus, Denmark


Written by Carrie L
I always love the benefit of Daylight Savings time but never enjoy the concept of losing an hour of time the morning we “spring ahead.”  In Europe they change their clocks a couple weeks later than they do in the States…don’t ask me why.  Like I do with Mr. GPS (who we now call Tom Tom by the way.  We figured after our Paris experience we are now a first name basis) I just blindly follow along and accept the rule of setting clocks forward and backward without really asking many questions. 

We had our longest day of driving yet in front of us and Carrie B. and I really wanted to get an early start so we didn’t get into Denmark too late.  Our ferry back to Norway was at 12:15 the next day and Aarhus, Denmark was about 2 hours from the ferry terminal, which meant we needed to leave pretty early the following morning to check in on time (Didn’t want a replay of Day 1 when we got lost going to the ferry terminal and was the LAST car on the boat).  Our drive was going to be about 8 hours and if our long car rides at the start of our trip were any indication for us, we figured it would take us about 12 hours to get there!  Committed to making it in under 9 hours, however, I woke up on a mission.  However, I had no idea what time it was.  My ipad, which wasn’t connected to the internet, said it was 8:30 as did the alarm clock and my computer but I wasn’t sure if they had adjusted themselves or not.  Was it 9:30?  Was it 8:30?  Oh gosh, I didn’t even know how to find out!  So, in comes my knight in shining technology armor, once again.  I emailed Peter and sure enough, it was 8:30 as his watch said it was 7:30.  

Everyone else in that too-small hotel room was sound asleep.  We needed to get on the road but I didn’t want to wake up any of them.  You know how they say not to wake a sleeping baby?  I think it is even more true for children who can be down right possessed if they don’t get enough sleep.  Even Carrie, who didn’t get to take advantage of the power naps I enjoyed yesterday, didn’t move a muscle until 10:15.  Letting them sleep was one of the smartest things I could have done for the ride to Denmark was smooth, peaceful and even productive!  

The kids did a good deal of school work and as it was Sunday and we couldn’t go to church, I put in a great CD of Sunday School audible lessons that were really engaging to them.  One lesson was about how the Israelites, even with all the gifts and protection from God, continued to complain about their time in the Wilderness.  It was frustrating to God that the Israelites wouldn’t praise Him through the good times and bad.  The message that was to be taken away?  God doesn’t like complainers and complaining was a sin.  WHY DIDN’T I PUT THAT CD IN AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS TRIP?!?!  
 
I drove the entire way, although that wasn’t the original plan.  We were going to share the driving but Carrie was busting along so well on Days 7, 8 and 9 of the blog that we decided she should keep going while I drove and listened to my Praise and Worship music.  I enjoyed taking the peaceful time to relish in the beautiful day, the wide open countryside and reflect upon this incredible experiences of these last couple of weeks.



Looking back on the trip, it feels like we have been gone a really long time and experienced more than I could have ever planned for.  The places we have been and important landmarks we have seen will stay with these kids for the rest of our lives and I feel blessed and humbled to have been able to take them on this journey with Carrie. 

The girls were, overall, unbelievable.  Not a day went by, even during the challenging moments, did I not think about how so many families with children who have special needs would not be able to make this trip.  I have spent my professional life devoted to helping these children and I know a trip for many of them, with the changes, the structure and the exhaustive nature of the itinerary would not have been possible.  It is part of the reason I wanted to put this trip out to the public.  I wanted to give kids a chance to follow along and learn with us.   I hoped that children across the world could have an opportunity, even virtually, to take this journey and “see” parts of the world that because of their circumstances, they may not get the chance to otherwise.

I think our girls really enjoyed the journey.  They woke up in a different bed almost every night but never questioned it or asked how much longer the trip would last.  In fact, although they are all excited to see their daddies, none of them (or us) really want this adventure to end.  They completed their school work without complaint and we could see not only emotional, behavioral and spiritual growth in them but we observed improvements in reading, writing, math and independent skills. 

We were protected and blessed throughout this journey and we praise God for this chance to see more of His world and to, hopefully, allow this trip to draw even closer to Him. 

I don’t have much to say about the details of the day, other than I think the drive allowed us all to think about the past 10 days and how we would build upon the experiences for further growth and appreciation for the life we have been given.

Now, let’s get home. 

Day 10: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Written by Carrie L.
I have been going to bed really late and waking up before everyone else, and I am not quite sure why.  I think part of it is because I really like the quiet time where I can get some things done, reflect upon my day and catch up on some emails.   As I mentioned before, I have a lot going on in my life right now and my head seems to keep spinning.  In addition, we usually have a strict itinerary that we have to follow and today was no exception.  I like to get ready first so I can start kicking little bums into gear without worrying about kicking my own.

It wasn’t until the day before yesterday that we even had a hotel in Amsterdam booked.  It was, by far, the hardest one to decide on because IF you can find parking in the city it is really expensive.  We had been searching for all sorts of housing options:  Apartments (will we ever learn our lesson?!?!), house boats (we eliminated that when we pictured inebriated “coffee house” patrons jumping on our boat in the middle of the night), and hotels.  We couldn’t however, find anything that had parking on premises and if you recall the nightmare of Paris, you remember that with the enormous amount of luggage and little people we are attached to, on-site parking is non-negotiable.  Therefore, we came up with the brilliant idea  (if I do say so myself) of finding a hotel at the airport because we knew we could park there and that getting the train into Amsterdam for a day’s visit would be easy enough.  In addition, Carrie B’s husband has a ton of Hilton points so we took advantage of the idea of “free hotel for two nights” and booked it!

It was a great idea, actually.  Even though we “illegally” squeezed ourselves into the room, free was free and we decided it was worth it! 
Breakfast in our room

After we all woke up and got ready for our day, Carrie and I hit the executive lounge for the free breakfast (free being the theme for the day, apparently), although keep in mind the hotel really didn’t know we had three kids with us AND they thought Carrie was with Justin.  We left the kids locked in the room (don’t judge) and went on yet another breakfast hunt.  As if we weren’t worried enough about being “found out” for having more people in the room than was allowed, when asked what room we were in at the entrance of the lounge, Carrie B confidentially says, #544.  “Nope, I said to her.  That was another hotel.  We are in room #825 here.”  We both laughed at the fact that we have no idea where we are, nevermind what room number we are in.  Already skeptical of us, the woman at the lounge didn’t enjoy our humor and seemed to suspect we were not actually “executive material” and that we really shouldn’t have been partaking in such benefits.  So, to make it even more convincing that we weren’t smuggling lots o little people into a hotel room, Carrie and I piled as much food as we could on two plates, each with coffee and multiple juices.  So much food, in fact, that I had to make two trips back to the room to carry it all.  Ms. Lounge Worker kept starting at us, wondering why we weren’t eating the food in the lounge which clearly was set up for such refined executives such as oursevlves.  “We are just going to take this in our room,” I felt the need to explain, to which she only gave me a less than courteous nod.
Learning more about Anne Frank
As we were in a basic, small hotel room, it probably goes without saying that there wasn’t much space to eat the stolen breakfast so we settled in on the floor, grabbed forks and ate what we could before the other person grabbed it first.  This wasn’t one of our finest teachable moments, what with stretching the truth to the kids why they had to be really quiet in the hotel room and why they couldn’t come with us on the breakfast hunt.  But, we had more important things to think about…seeing Amsterdam…or “Hamsterdam” as Elise decided it should be called.

Tying together the lessons in Germany about the Holocaust, Hitler and World War II, I introduced the historical figure, Anne Frank.  I was really excited to teach the girls about who she was and what she did because I knew it would be such a great way to tie in Germany and the Netherlands, as Amsterdam was where Anne Frank lived after her family fled from Germany during the war.  I am ashamed to admit I never read “The Diary of Anne Frank” and so I was pretty much as riveted to the story as the girls were, this being my first time hearing about it myself and all (I guess my private school education has a lot left to be desired, huh?).  Before we left for the trip, I downloaded a children’s book about her and we started reading it to the girls before we left the hotel. 

We love the HOHO buses!
Our plan for the day was to do the Hop on/Hop off bus to see the city.  Part of the bus ticket fare included a canal ride through the city so we were also excited to do that as well.  We marked the Anne Frank museum and the Van Gogh museum as the two “must dos” on our itinerary today.  As we hopped on the hop on bus, I sat in the back with the girls and finished the Anne Frank book just before the museum stop.  We got off the bus, took a picture with the statue of Anne Frank and then headed off in the direction of the museum.

Finishing our Anne Frank lesson on the bus
Just then, as we rounded the corner, Carrie and I remembered that it was HIGHLY suggested we purchase tickets online to avoid the crowd.  We had all intentions of doing that but in our defense, with so many cities, so many itineraries and so many darn “things to do” in our heads, we totally forgot about this tip.  Understandable right?  Only thing is that the girls were really, really into Anne Frank and her story about how she and her family had to go into hiding for 2 years to keep from getting arrested by the Nazis.  The girls really related to Anne because she was a young girl who was a bit cheeky at times and who enjoyed writing in her diary.  They really connected to who she was, what she went through and how she documented her story.  It was one thing to learn about the war and the Holocaust but it was a whole other story to actually connect to an individual who was directly impacted by it.  To top it off, the museum was the actual location of the “secret annex” where she lived and her family hid until they were captured.  Not only did the kids really want to visit that museum, so did us adults!
The line was around the building!

Anytime you have a 5, 6 and 7 year old that motivated and enthusiastic about visiting a museum, you MUST take advantage of that.  But we were faced with the tough decision of spending most of our time in Amsterdam waiting in line and missing the other sights of the city with their passion for visiting a historical museum that would tie in much of our learning on this trip.  So, after a lot of hemming and hawing, we noticed that because it was Saturday, the museum was open until 9:00 at night so we would return later when, hopefully, the line would be shorter.

We walked around the nine-streets area which is filled with cafes and shops.  It was a fabulous area for taking pictures and doing some window shopping.  The girls fell in love with a little jewelry shop where they each got a ring and for Grace’s belated birthday present, Carrie bought her a precious jewelry box to keep it in. 
A gift for Grace

I must say, we had all the best intentions of introducing the girls to authentic food throughout our journey, but we really didn’t do well executing that plan.  First of all, we realized, in all our ignorance, that we don’t know much about the various, authentic foods in each country and researching it?  Well, we didn’t.  So, we typically went more for the familiar choices as well as the things we knew they’d eat.  We tried to go as healthy as possible, but we often didn’t succeed (hence the reason why my pants are SO tight!)  But, we have, at least, tried not to do Japanese sushi or Italian restaurants as clearly, those are not authentic to where we have been travelling.  This day, however, would mark the last city on our itinerary and we were in the mood for authentic pasta and pizza!  We have noticed throughout our European adventure, Italian restaurants are a dime a dozen so it didn’t take us long to find one near Anne Frank’s museum.  Autentica cucina Italiana!
Italian food in The Netherlands

After filling up on more carbs (which seems to be the theme this trip) we got back on our tour bus and made our way to the canal ride.  Remember how I mentioned that I have been going to bed too late and waking up too early on this trip?  This is where it really started to catch up with me.  As excited as I was to be in Amsterdam, I was tired, the weather was a bit chilly and there wasn’t much to see….so I fell asleep.  Yup, just a quick cat nap and it was the first time, this whole trip, where I was too exhausted to move.  Coffee wasn’t helping…and what I needed was sleep, even if was just for a few minutes. 

Man, I was tired today...
I woke up just before the stop for the canal cruise and because the boat didn’t leave for 45 more minutes, we took the chance to walk around a bit, explore the open market and look for Starbucks.  No luck on finding a green awning, but we did get a comfy seat on the boat and it gave me enough time to close my eyes, once again.  Now I realize taking these naps was keeping me from seeing a city I have been wanting to visit for years, but I really think I would have snapped from pure exhaustion if I didn’t.  Seeing we were on a boat and my kids were causing me more angst than usual, it was better that I slept then opt to throw one of my little people overboard.

Van Gogh Museum
A little over an hour later we were back where we started and I felt a little more refreshed.   It was about 4:30 at this point and we still had to hit the Van Gogh museum and try our luck at Anne Frank’s museum (which, when we floated by it on the canal tour still had a really long line).  We made our way to the museum, although without a great map, it took us a little while to find it, and paid the entrance fair to get in.  A good travel tip about Amsterdam is that kids under 17 are free for all the museums…score!  Another chance to rack up the “free” that seems to be trending in Amsterdam.  Elise loves “Starry Night” by Van Gogh so she was especially excited to see the exhibits.  Ellie and Grace, who didn’t know that much about Van Gogh, were actually really excited to spend time looking at the paintings, the brush strokes and learning about the man.  Another cool learning experience: Van Gogh painted and spent time in Paris, Antwerp and Amsterdam…all three places we had just been.  Couldn’t have accidentally planned it better!

Ellie recognized the Sunflowers painting from the print her Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Louise has hanging in the classroom so we bought her and the assistants “Sunflower” post it notes in the museum gift shop as well as some other goodies to remember their visit.  I saw a bag I liked that I thought would be good for travelling (remember, I have 2 ½ more weeks of travel in front of me) and while I was looking at it carefully Grace said, “Go ahead and get it mom.  I have been meaning to get you something for your birthday, so I would like to get you this.”  Geesh, Grace so thoughtful of you…now, where did I put my credit card?

New purchases in hand, we were out by about 6:00 and we headed towards Anne Frank’s house to see if the line had diminished at all.  Amsterdam is a great walking city but with three kids who, at this point, are tired not only from the day but from the entire trip, are just about toast.  My cat naps during the day didn’t seem to rejuvenate me enough and I too was dragging.  That goes to show how motivated we all were to see Ms. Frank and her Huis.  We love that girl and wanted to see her museum! 

We trekked through some really shady parts of Amsterdam, witnessed a man peeing in front of us and took in the “smells” of passing, modern day hippies who had just left the coffee shops Amsterdam is famous for.  At one point Carrie B even had a mouthful of second hand smoke fly right up her nostril by a passing pedestrian.  Well, maybe it would help her relax as we moved into the evening a bit. 

A tired Ellie waiting in line
We finally made it over to Anne Frank’s museum around 6:45 and the line was just as long as it was earlier that morning.  The kids were tired and hungry, as were we.  But…we were also a motivated bunch and seeing how much Grace was begging to see the museum, well, let’s put it this way:  It was a welcomed change from the “Please,  mommy, will you buy me that?!?!” or “Why can’t I have the peanut M&Ms for breakfast??  Please?!?!?!”  Hearing, “Please, mommy, can we eat dinner later and go to the Anne Frank Museum, please???  I promise I will be good, please?!?!?!”  Well, with a request like that, who could say no?

The line moved faster than we thought it would and, once again the kids were FREE!  Score.

In a word… the museum was awesome.  In another, powerful.  One more? Moving.  It was one of the best educational experiences any of us have had.  It was, as a teacher, the feeling we all strive for in our students:  The “Ah ha” moment when a concept becomes “real” for a kid and you can see learning seep into their pours.  From the second we walked into the museum, the kids were riveted, focused and completely engaged.  THIS was the purpose of our trip…to give the kids a chance to BE in the learning…to not only hear about a country, a culture or important moments in history, but to SEE, TOUCH and FEEL the places they were learning about.  To connect their learning to a meaningful context…to promote a love for learning that will last a lifetime.  Today, we witnessed this goal being met.  It’s why I became a teacher and one of the reasons I wanted to be a mom. 

Anne Frank
After leaving the museum, it was dark in Amsterdam and the partiers were out in full form.  The walk from the museum to Central Station where we still had to get the train to go to the airport was a long walk.  It was cold and we were not dressed for the weather.  But, evidencing the powerful connections the girls made to Anne Frank’s experiences, none of them complained.  They knew they were lucky and blessed to be born when they were.  They are being given an opportunity to see the world when all Anne wanted, all she longed for, was a chance to breathe a breath of fresh air for even 5 minutes.  They got it without us having to remind them…however, of course, being the nature of a nagging mother, we felt the need to “hit it out of the park” and consistently remind them of how grateful they should be throughout our walk. 

We made it to the train station at about 8:45pm and we still hadn’t eaten.  Upon entering the station, however, we found a great take-away restaurant, Julia’s, which serves fresh pasta in take away Chinese take out containers.  A cool concept, we ate our individual containers of pasta before boarding the train and made the quick journey back to the airport.  Although taking the train back was a bit more work, we still felt great about taking this option vs staying in the city. 

Julia's take away pasta...yummy!
Arriving back in the airport at around 9:30, Carrie and I immediately pulled out our iphones as there is free internet in the Amsterdam airport.  Reading a “What’s App” text from friends and colleagues, I barely noticed the stumbling older man wobbling his way up to the girls.  Carrie, however, was on it and realized this man was clearly either very, very drunk, high, or more.  He was staring at Elise and calling her “his Anna” and scaring all of us.  We quickly lassoed them together and pushed them towards the exit, hoping he wouldn’t follow us.  He didn’t, thank goodness and we walked toward the Hilton, which is about 5 minutes away. 

Seeing that today was chalk full of learning experiences, I took the opportunity to add one more to our day after Ellie asked, “Mom, what was wrong with that man?  Was he a zombie?”  I discussed, as well as I could, the concept of using drugs and why they were dangerous and addictive.  They seemed to understand the basic version of what I was trying to get across.  A good assessment of their understanding?  Ellie turned to me and said, “I hope Grace never gets on those drugs.”  “I hope not either, but why do you say that?” I asked. “Because,” she explained.  “You know Grace, she can never have just one piece of candy.  If she does the drugs, she won’t be able to do just one.  She will do one, then two and then she won’t be able to stop.  Then she will be died.”

Okay, well…seeing the man on drugs wasn’t exactly what we were thinking when we talked about giving them a hands-on learning experience, but a teachable moment none the less.

Good night, Amsterdam.  You wore us out, but you were well worth it.


Some helpful links from Amsterdam!
Van Gogh Museum: www.vangoghmuseum.nl
Anne Frank House: www.annefrank.org 
Hop on Hop Off Bus:  www.citysightseeingamsterdam.nl
Julia's Pasta: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Julias-Pasta-Amsterdam-Centraal-Station/134918349924732

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Day 9: Antwerp, Belgium to Windmills and Tulips of The Netherlands.

Written by Carrie B:
Each so different!
Today was one of those days that ended up being better than we ever could have planned.  The girls were doing well, and even though they had their fair share of unattractive moments throughout this trip, all in all we couldn’t believe how well they were handling everything. Each one of the three girls are so different in the way they deal with their frustrations.  
Elise is quiet and happy most of the time but when she gets tired anyone around her must watch out.  I have never seen a child go from happy to screaming in a matter of seconds.  She has had moments where she has flipped that switch and has screamed and cried to the point that she can’t breathe.  Luckily, these few fits of rage have been behind closed doors and right before bed time when she feels out of control the most.
Grace is a lovable child who can reflect upon her choices but she also tends to have a hard time focusing when she needs to.  We have teased her a bit because she always seems to be the last to follow a direction or finish a task.  It’s not that Grace is a “no” child or manipulative by nature, she just is easily distracted and likes to do it on “Grace time.”  For example, she is always the last to brush her teeth or get on her shoes...heck, she is even the last one to wake in the morning.  It’s usually Ellie that is the first one in line or the first to complete a task mostly because of her need to please and competitive nature.  Elise is usually second following right behind Ellie and even referred to herself the other day by saying, “Mom, #2 needs to go to the bathroom”.  And then, little Gracie, is always (and I mean always) #3...with one exception being the day she was #2, only because Elise and Ellie were tied for #1! It's a fact we always joke about and we tell Grace to be proud of who she is...although every once in a while it would be nice if she followed a direction the FIRST time it was asked. 
Ellie is such an easy going, sweet child yet when she gets tired, she either becomes argumentative (usually with her sister) or overly sensitive.  It is so interesting observing these children and their personalities.  It is in the moments when all three of them are happy that we cherish though.  Those are the times when Carrie L and I are able to sit and listen to them giggle and have fun with each other just as best friends do.  Today, we had many of those enjoyable moments.
Kinderdijk, Holland
After locking up the apartment, we said goodbye to Antwerp and all it’s beauty to drive to Amsterdam.  The itinerary called for us to stop twice along the way in The Netherlands...once to see the windmills and then again to see the tulips.  
It took us 1 1/2 hours to get to the windmills of Kinderdjik.  The girls were happy to get out of the car and walk around.  There were tour buses full of people that had also stopped to see these old structures.  Our plan was to stop briefly, take some pictures and then get back in the car to drive to the tulips.  But, as we got closer to the windmills, Elise expressed her desire to go inside and we agreed to purchase tickets that allowed us the opportunity to go in one and look around.  While we were waiting in line to purchase tickets, we looked down to see a local wearing a pair of bright yellow wooden shoes.  Carrie L said, “Take a picture!  I can’t believe people actually wear those shoes.”  I agreed and had so many questions. I mean, wouldn’t a pair of tennis shoes be more comfortable than wooden shoes?  Why on earth would you choose to wear wooden shoes in 2012?
Look!  Real wooden shoes!
We walked in to the windmill and the girls were so excited.  I couldn’t believe all the space within a windmill.  Carrie L and I both thought living in a windmill would be awesome and wished we could build our own...although that would make our children known by their classmates as the “weird kids that live in the windmill” so we decided to let that dream die.  The girls had fun climbing up and down the ladders and looking at the built in beds and old stove.  They learned the difference between a round and octagonal windmill...which was another teaching moment by Carrie L, our educational guru!  We joked today that my teachable moments are a bit different than Carrie L's...don't worry, you will get to read about those in a post at the end of our trip.  We stopped by the souvenir shop on our way out to buy wooden shoes and post cards then we were back in the car on our way to see the tulips.
After driving for another hour we reached the tulips of Keukenhof, Holland.  We had a bit of a problem finding the entrance to the parking lot and I accidentally drove in through the exit.  As I started backing out to turn around, Carrie L said, “Just go right and park in there.”  I followed her directions and turned right...mowing down a huge orange cone that was blocking the entrance to the isle.  Carrie said, “You weren’t suppose to hit the cone.”  Well Carrie, you are the one who told me to turn right!!!  Carrie said it was funny because I calmly said, “I didn’t even see that cone” as if it was no big deal at all and just kept driving.  But, at that point, what was I suppose to do?  It would have been different if it was a animal or person and I continued to drive but it was an inanimate object.  We got out of the car and Elise rushed to pick up the cone and put it back where it was...typical behavior for the child who doesn't like to break the rules!  There was no real damage done to the cone, just a few black tire marks that weren’t there before.  
The cone Carrie B hit
We entered the tulip garden and were greeted by a girl in a traditional Dutch dress.  The girls posed for a picture with her and then raced off to smell the flowers.  The garden was beyond beautiful!  I remarked that it was the most beautiful garden I had ever been to and Carrie agreed.  The grass was a healthy bright green, almost as if it had been painted to look that way.  The girls asked why there were signs saying "stay off the grass" and once again a teachable moment was at our feet as we explained that to keep grass healthy and green it needs the essentials (water, sun, fertilizer) plus no one walking on it!   Along with the gorgeous green grass, the park had an abundance of water fountains throughout.  The girls hopped across wooded platforms set in the water while the swans and ducks swam next to them.  The various types of flowers enhanced the natural beauty of the park.  Everywhere we looked were perfectly maintained flowers of any color you could imagine. If you have been lucky enough to see What Dreams May Come, there are scenes in the movie of the gardens in Heaven that reminded me of our walk through this picturesque park.   


We walked about the garden on what was another warm and sunny afternoon.  Carrie L wanted to see the rows of tulips that the garden is so famous for but once we reached the field where the tulips grow, we realized they had yet to bloom and we were a few weeks too early.  But there were so many gorgeous flowers around the garden that it didn't even matter! 




On the way to the field the girls had passed by a large playground and begged us to go back and play.  We agreed and they skipped off to the tire swing where they all got in swung with delight.  Carrie and I watched from a picnic table nearby and were thrilled to watch as the girls played so well together.  As I mentioned earlier, this was one of the moments where the girls were carefree and giggling together while running from swings to slides and back again.  We let the girls play for a while before we called for them to come shake the sand out of their shoes and begin our drive to the hotel, which was a quick 20 minutes away.  
Happy kids!
I went in to the Hilton to get our room keys and the lady at the desk asked if Mr. Burk was with me.  I mentioned that he would be checking in the next day as I was afraid she would say we couldn’t use his points if he wasn’t staying with us.  She clarified that we had ONE child with us and I answered, “Uh, yup.”  As you already know, we had trouble finding hotels that accommodate families of four let alone our “family” of five.  She mentioned that she had upgraded us to an Executive Suite and we had access to the Executive Lounge which meant free breakfast in the morning!  With all these perks, I really didn’t want anything to screw it up!  
A little too early for the field of Tulips
I went back out to where Carrie dropped me off and asked her if there was underground parking.  She said no and that there was only a parking lot in front of the hotel.  Hmmm...this is going to make it really difficult for us to sneak five people in to that hotel seeing that we had to walk directly in front of the woman who checked us in.  So, of course, we devised a plan...something that I hadn't had to do since we used to throw hotel parties when I was younger.  I decided to go in first with Elise and some of the luggage.  Carrie followed a little later with Grace and Ellie and the rest of the luggage.  Ah ha!  Fooled them!  We got in to the hotel room and it wasn’t so much of a suite as it was a room with three beds that barely fit in the space.  I told Carrie that she and her two daughters could sleep in the two twin beds pushed together and Elise and I would sleep on the one twin together.  We had a quick chat with the kids about being quiet because this was the floor where people who “work” stay and they need their sleep.  Carrie L ordered room service, as we had decided to stay in once again with our tired children to avoid them getting too tired for our time in Amsterdam the following day.  While having dinner, the girls were mesmerized watching Phineas and Ferb in Dutch.  Isn’t it funny how children can still enjoy cartoons even though they have no idea what they are saying?  
Anne Frank lesson

As the girls were falling asleep, Carrie L continued reading a story about Anne Frank to prepare them for our visit to her museum the next day. I laid in that oh so cozy twin bed with Elise reflecting on the days events and thinking of my beloved Grandma Taylor and how much she would have enjoyed seeing the windmills and tulips of today and, most of all, attending the Anne Frank museum with us the next day.  I remembered going with her to the Holocaust museum in St. Louis before she passed away and how happy she was to not only spend the day together, but to teach me about Anne Frank.  In that moment it hit me...we have created such an amazing opportunity for our children to not only learn by teaching, but also by seeing and feeling.  Deze kinderen zijn zo gelukkig!!!  

Day 8: Antwerp, Belgium

Written by Carrie B
Antwerp, Belgium 
It was refreshing to finally be able to sleep as late as we wanted without having our day booked in advance.  The girls woke up and immediately began playing while Carrie L and I settled in to the living room with coffee and wifi.  We both agreed that we could lay around in our pajamas all day and be fine with it.  But, relaxing was not why we decided to go on this trip so we knew we would have to shake the urge to veg out and go explore Antwerp.  

 
Learning about Belgium
Of course, Carrie had her “educational itinerary” to get through so the girls did their “apartment-schooling” in the morning and we witnessed the kids becoming more and more independent with their work.  Because a lot of the initial activities were similar from country to country, they knew how to research the information and even figured out Google Translate themselves to learn new words in the three official languages of Belgium:  Dutch, German and French.  In addition, they learned a new math game and it is incredible to watch how their minds work and their problem solving abilities.  
We left the apartment around noon with plans to get lunch and walk around Antwerp.  I had read earlier that morning about a place that is famous for their authentic Belgium waffles called Desire de Lille and made sure we had the address before we set out on foot.  The restaurant ended up being a corner shop without seating on the inside or outside.  We hesitated at first and thought about leaving to find a place with seating but I couldn’t resist trying the waffles after all the positive reviews I had read.  The girls were excited to see a picture of a waffle loaded with whipped cream and strawberries and I was just as pleased to see one smothered in chocolate sauce.  Carrie L ordered four of the strawberry waffles and one with chocolate.  We watched as the man made the waffles fresh and handed them to us one by one.  The girls sat down on the sidewalk outside the place and the waffle eating began.  I don’t think I will ever be able to explain how absolutely amazing these waffles were but let’s put it this way, this was the first time the girls were all happy with their food choice, ate every last bite, and unanimously agreed that the waffles were the best thing they had ate on the trip so far.  At first I thought maybe it was just because we were coming off of a few days of eating nothing but croissants and fried food but no, the girls were right, these waffles were made of sunshine and rainbows.  It’s a very good thing that we weren’t staying in Belgium longer than a day because I would have eaten those waffles for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could have.  
After we recovered from what could have been the best meal of our lives, we decided to go purchase something else Belgium is famous for...chocolate.  I found a place online called The Chocolate Line that was said to have all things chocolate on the menu along with a elaborate chocolate shop where you can buy their chocolate creations.  After a small walk down the road, we came to the chocolate shop and stepped inside.  The girls couldn’t believe the amount of chocolate that was surrounding them.  There were chocolate Easter eggs, bunnies, letters of the alphabet and even chocolate lipstick.  My daughter, being a chocoholic, couldn’t contain herself and snuck behind the counter and picked up a chocolate egg out of a glass container.  As I was telling her no and to put it back, the egg slipped out of her grasp and shattered in to little pieces on the floor.  I didn’t even have to say a word of punishment as Elise knew exactly what she had done and broke into tears.  One of the girls working at the store walked over with a nasty look on her face making me feel as if I was the world’s worst parent and began cleaning up the broken egg.  I apologized wholeheartedly but I could tell she was thinking, “Can’t you just control your child?”  I know this is what she was thinking because pre-kid I used to judge parents in the exact same manner.  Now, I understand that children can’t always be controlled no matter how hard parents try and empathize with their frustrations and embarrassment when a child acts out in public.  Carrie L and I weren’t too disappointed that this happened as we had been telling the girls over and over to not touch anything and they still continued to do so.  Why is it so difficult for kids to just look and not touch?  How many times can we say, “Look with your eyes, not with your hands, for goodness sake?”  Carrie L said that Elise breaking the egg was the best thing that could have happened to teach her girls the lesson of what can happen when they pick up things that she tells them not too.  Ellie even commented that what Elise did was “so embarrassing.”  Teachable moment?  Check.  
 
Getting chocolate from the jar
When I went to the counter to purchase the chocolate for my friends and family, I asked for the broken egg to be added to my total.  The lady said she would ask her manager and when she returned, she said that I did not have to pay for the egg.  After Carrie L made her purchase and we were getting ready to leave the store, one of the employees came to the girls with a jar full of chocolate letters and offered the girls one letter a piece.  Elise was the last one to pick her letter and as she pulled it out of the jar, another letter from the jar came out of the jar and fell on the ground.  All I could say was, “Really”? 

        Grace sharing her lemonade
   
Enjoying our drinks


We spent the rest of the day walking around Antwerp.  The town was untouched with the original cobblestone streets and brick buildings.  The weather was beautiful, around 60 degrees, and sunny which made for perfect walking conditions.  It gave the Lupoli girls a break from the Norway cold and us Burk girls a break from the Singapore heat.  You know the saying tragedy brings people closer together?  Well, I think nice weather does the same...especially coming off of a cold winter.  People were out riding their bikes, walking their dogs and sitting outside at the cafes and beer gardens visiting with family and friends.  After walking for a couple of hours, we decided to sit outside at a cafe and have a few drinks.  We ordered coffee, lemonade, a milkshake and ice tea.  We all welcomed the break from walking and took our time while enjoying the perfect weather.  On our walk back to the apartment, Carrie L stopped in a shop to buy a few souvenirs while I waited outside with the children.  Throughout every country, the girls had been playing a imaginary game where they are each fairies with special powers.  This game has brought it’s fair share of laughter and arguments to our trip but this time it almost brought a trip to the hospital.  As the girls were deciding which special power they would each have, Grace spun away from the wall they were all leaning against and came inches from being hit by a girl speeding by on a bike.  I immediately screamed “Grace!” and watched as she jumped back in terror.  All three girls froze and remarked that they couldn’t believe Grace hadn’t been hit as she was as close to the bike as the car was to the bus during our Paris nightmare.  Another moment of protection?  Check.

After Grace was nearly taken out by the bicycle, we stopped at a roadside pita place and took our dinner back to the apartment.  While Carrie worked on the blog and attempted, once again to find a hotel for us in Amsterdam, I did as many loads of laundry as possible.  We decided instead of driving in the heart of Amsterdam we would take the safe alternative and stay at a hotel near the airport.  Not only did this allow us to be able to catch the train in to the city, we also used Justin’s Hilton rewards and booked a two night stay for free making up for the money we spent on the apartment in Paris that we never stayed in.  Even though our day had been one of simplicity, we enjoyed every bit that Antwerp had to offer us making it one of our favorite destinations on this road-trip.