A4 Update - March 2016

We've worn shorts a ton in March.  Thought you'd like to know. 

 

The painter finished the hellacious job of patching & painting the living room, hallway, stairs, and main floor ceilings. Geesh that was a big job.  

Holly continues to volunteer at Youngest Kiddo's school once a week in the library & classroom.

We were supposed to have friends here for Spring Break but sickness in the house changed those plans. Once everyone was assuredly healthy, we hopped in the car for our first road trip to join our friends in Disney World. Oldest Kiddo was so happy that she could ride everything solo. The adults were just happy to be together.  

Youngest Kiddo started swimming lessons. 

We finally bought furniture for the living room. It should be delivered in just ten short weeks. Until then we continue to hobble by using a card table as a TV stand.  

Matt traveled a bit this month to Alabama & Indy.  

Matt's doing a great job working projects around the house. He built new shelves in the garage to replace the awkward ones we inherited. 

On the landscape front, a new surprise seems to pop its head through the mulch each day. There is quite a variety of plantings with no discernible theme, so Matt is formulating his master planting plan.

Back to America via Aruba - Touring Tuesday

Packing up your entire life to fit into a shipping container and a few suitcases is no easy task.  Actually, it's downright exhausting.

Before leaving London was ever set, we talked about taking a holiday as a part of the journey back to America. We thought a lengthy stay in Australia would be a great final stamp in the passport. As wrapping up life in the UK got in the way, we had to scrap Australia. The planning for a trip like that could not be done on the fly, and we were honestly so tired that there was no way we would enjoy such a worthy destination. 

Our holiday pitstop location had to change. What better way to recharge the batteries & get over jet lag, than some time on a warm beach? 

The family stayed in Aruba from Saturday through Wednesday before Christmas. The time difference between London & Aruba was only four hours, but everyone passed out by 7:30 each night. That meant everyone was up & at 'em by 6AM the next morning; we actually had to wait for breakfast service to start!

After breakfast, the remainder of the day was outside. Time in the pool dominated because we happened to be the only people there most of the time, aside from a few lizards. 

The beach, however, was jammed! The water was beautiful and the waves were the perfect height for both kids to enjoy.  

Aruba is not a culinary hot bed. We immediately figured that out on the taxi ride to our hotel: KFC, Hard Rock Cafe, Burger King, Benihana, Hooters, Señor Frogs, and TGIFridays. We scoped out a few local places, but the quality wasn't stellar. It was fine, but nothing I'd say you must eat. That could also be since the prices were outrageous! Many of the food items are imported so we were not surprised at the prices, but the pastas & pizzas were not remotely worthy of the prices listed on the menu.

Then again, it was 85 degrees and sunny - we got over the mediocre food.  

Would I rush back to Aruba?  Probably not.  There are many other islands in the sea to visit, which I bet are somewhat similar.  It certainly fit our criteria for a recharge before the busy Christmas holiday.  

Trip Advisor Review - Home For The Holidays

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  A Lovely Holiday Stay

date of stay 23 December-31December

Our family booked a stay at Nana & Papa's Inn during one portion of our repatriation adventure. We arrived on a cold Northern Illinois evening to warm hugs and kisses for the whole family.  Nana immediately bombarded our family with offers of fresh Christmas cookies and milk.  

Our two room booking provided enough space for our family of four. The adults cozied into a full size bed with a television connected to satellite TV. The children shared the second bedroom with two twin beds, which was a welcomed sight since they hate sharing a bed. Both rooms overlooked a nicely landscaped front yard. However, we didn't see much of it since we thoroughly appreciated the blackout curtains.

The shower always had an ample supply of hot water & fresh towels.    

The cuisine at Nana & Papa's Inn was American fare. Each morning Papa provided a lovely hot breakfast and plentiful coffee. We dined on eggs, breakfast burritos, and french toast. During the day the pantry was stocked with crackers and chips. The family had dinner at the Inn just a few times because of holiday obligations, but when we dined it was delicious. The Christmas cookies continued throughout our stay with a fresh batch baked midway.

The common area of the Inn were so comfortable! Nana always had a huge supply of quilts for everyone to stay warm and cozy. The internet connection was a bit slow so binge watching YouTube videos was difficult. However, it allowed us to have more personable conversations. 

One day Papa was very kind to drive me to the Drivers License Bureau to renew my license. I was impressed with his above and beyond spirit as the office was out of town, and we needed to wait for the office to open.  He kindly treated me to breakfast at a nearby cafe while we waited.  

My husband and I enjoyed a night out with complimentary babysitting. They said the kids went to bed on time but we are suspicious of that report.  

The surrounding area provided easy access to the expressway to zip into the Chicago suburbs or just over the Wisconsin border.  The Inn had plenty of self-parking. The driveway was promptly shoveled after an icy snowstorm. The staff were extremely helpful with the luggage.  Onsite laundry facilities were a major plus.

Overall our stay at Nana & Papa's Inn was a memorable holiday experience.  I highly recommend you book a stay any time of year.  I hear there's a great garden in the summer with plenty of samples if you help weed the tomatoes.  

   

A4 Update - November 2015

Things are coming to an end in London.  While there is a lot going on behind the scenes, it really doesn't look like it in the month recap.

* Youngest Kiddo had a friend birthday party, 6 months late.  His birthday falls during a school break so we've just kept them a family affair.  However, when he sadly asked if he was ever going to have a party with his London friends I had to set something up.  The best part?  Another school mom was behind on her child's birthday too, so we threw a shared party.  

* The landlord listed our house with a realtor which means we have to deal with people traipsing through our house.  While I am not vested in whether or not it gets rented I still feel it's nice to make sure there are no embarrassing piles of dirty laundry hanging around.  Youngest Kiddo has a way of getting his dirties in the most random places.  

* The family took one last trip before the movers arrive.  We spent a long weekend in Oslo, Norway.  It was not as cold as we anticipated, but the exchange rate was way more expensive than we anticipated.  Good thing the beauty of the city took the sting off the Norwegian Kroner to US Dollar conversion.  

* We're trying to make the best of every last weekend.  Everyone has made a Before We Leave London Bucket List.  My list is pretty short since touring the city was my job for the last two years.  The rest of the family, however, has a lot to see.  Matt took Oldest Kiddo to the Churchill War Rooms and loved it. Youngest Kiddo wants to ride the Emirates Cable Car and take a Thames River Boat.  Oldest Kiddo wants to tour the HMS Belfast war ship that's docked near the Tower of London.  The rainy weekends have kept us from doing this, but we have a few more days to try.      

R&R in Ranco - Touring Tuesday

Summer started on 17 July for this expat family.  It seemed to take forever to arrive since our US friends started their holidays at the beginning of June.

Our summer holiday options were dictated by the amount of vacation time Matt accrued, which was zero.  He used all he had on our previous trip to Florence & Rome back in May.  That presented us an interesting situation - How do we go on vacation when there's no vacation time to be had?  

Airbnb to the rescue. 

When not traveling, Matt works from home; the rules never said whose home.  We scoured Airbnb for places in France, Spain, Germany, and Italy that fit our simple vacation home criteria: pool, sunshine, great scenery, good food, and a strong wifi signal.  This was the easiest way to get around the lack of vacation days.

He found a great home for a great price in Ranco, Italy situated on the bank of Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy.  The house was more than we expected.  It had two bedrooms, a huge living/dining room, and a compact yet functional kitchen.  The house had two terraces, one off our bedroom and the other from the living room.

The weather in Ranco was unseasonably hot, so we were very thankful for the air conditioning in the living room.  Although the bedrooms were down the hall, we determined if the kitchen door was closed the cold air would find its way to the bedrooms.  A few nights were a bit uncomfortable, but really no one complained.  

What did we do?  A whole lot of nothing!  The kids played a bit in the morning before breakfast.  We were at the pool by about 10:30 until lunchtime.  Matt would sneak down to the pool between calls and splash at the kids.  On either side of that, this is how much of the day looked.  #thestruggleisreal

Matt took many of his calls from his al fresco office

The complex had quiet hours from 1-3pm so that's when the kids played on their technology and I read.  Sometimes a certain Kiddo had to wait for his time to start.  

  

Then it was time for dinner.  Yes, I cooked while on vacation, but that made life super easy.  We ate when we wanted to and were not tied to the late, late dining schedule of most Europeans.  We had two grocery stores within a ten minute drive, and the fresh produce and meats were amazing.  Plus, our host provided a basket of Italian staples that got us through until we made our meal plan for the week.  Let's just say, there were a lot of meals that looked like this.  

No one complained.  

We ventured out for gelato and dinner a few times.  Ranco is a pretty sleepy town so the choices were slim.  One night we ate with a former colleague of Matts and the other was for pizza by the water.  

Matt's al fresco work schedule gave us a few opportunities to venture out into town and beyond.  One day we drove north into The Alps and another we explored the area at the south end of Lake Maggiore.  

The bummer of the trip was the mosquitos.  I'll say that's one piece of the food chain we have not missed one bit on our expat adventure.  It was apparent that the mosquitos like American food.  We were bombarded with bites while dining al fresco and within minutes of trying to play ball after dinner.  Oh man did they itch!!!  It took two trips to the pharmacy and a few charades moves to get the right anti-itch cream from the lady.

The kids still talk about the trip almost a month later, which makes us happy.  They are such good kids that we are thrilled that a week of togetherness was plenty enough vacation for them.  

Seeing the Sights in Berlin - Touring Tuesday

The day my sister and nephew left London, we jetted off to Berlin for a few days.  Matt and I have been to Munich a few times, and we thought it would be great to see the north of the country.  Berlin is quite a different city than Munich, and it is full of history!

Train Stations - The best way to get to know a city is to walk it.  However, we took the train a few times as it's one of Youngest Kiddos favorite pastimes.  Riding the train in Berlin is much different that in London.  You validate your ticket upon first ride and then you don't need to bring it out again unless asked by an inspector.  Such a difference from London where we have to tap into and out of the train each time we ride.    

The Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche was bombed in November 1943, and the decision was made to not repair the building.  They felt leaving the church in its destroyed state would remind of the terrible repercussions of war.  The more modern chapel next door is now used as the worship space.  Its interior is starkly different from the traditional German church I think of.

Checkpoint Charlie, unfortunately, is an unfortunate tourist spectacle.  Men dressed in military gear (with no military status at all) stand at a replica of the original checkpoint to pose with tourists.  For all the history that occurred on that spot, it's a shame for what it turned into.  We preferred the visual panels across the street that outlined how people tried, with differing success, to get out of East Berlin.  

Remnants of and reference to the Berlin Wall is everywhere in Berlin.  Remaining panels are on display at the Berlin Wall exhibition across the street from Checkpoint Charlie.  I remember watching the Berlin Wall come down in 1989; my parents told me that I needed to watch the TV with them as it was a historical event.  Evidence of the wall is seen all over town.  Remembrance plates lay on the ground where the wall used to split sections of the city down the middle.  The East Side Gallery also displays sections of the wall that painted once the wall ceased to exist.  It is in a declining state, so we were happy to see it.  Panels of the wall were preserved and put on display all over the world.  I've seen a panel at the Ronald Reagan Library in Pomona, CA, which is fitting since he gave a speech urging the demolition of the wall, and at The Imperial War Museum in London.

The Brandenburg Gate was modeled after the Acropolis in Athens when it was built in the late 1700s.  It was the main gate separating West and East Berlin.  Former United States President Ronald Reagan gave a famous speech here in June of 1987 urging Mikhail Gorbachev take down the wall.  Two years later the wall came down in November 1989.  

The Ampelmann is a symbol seen all over town.  The logo was seen by Berliners on the communist side of the wall.  Today it is a symbol of the city, and a big hit with tourists as there are many bits of merchandise you can buy.  

Berliner Dom is a gorgeous cathedral on Museum Island.  It was originally built as Hohenzollern family's church until the early 1900s.  The crypt downstairs has the sarcophagi of many family members.  The main area of the church is ornately decorated with a heavy focus toward the family.  It's upon further study of the walls and art that you see typical religious symbols in muted colors.  

The Lustgarden is in front of the dom.  The square of earth has it's own significant history.  It was used as a military parade grounds under Wilhelm I & Napoleon.  Anti-Nazi demonstrations took place in 1933, but eventually Hitler addressed approximately one million people in this space.  Thankfully today it's a lovely spot to sit in the sun. 

There's a few more spots we visited to where just a few photos isn't allowed, that's a post for later.