Where Globe-Trotting meets Beach-Combing
There’s a chain of stores in Belgium and France called Troc—literally, “stuff.” It’s second hand tables, couches, mirrors, art, school maps, sideboards, bedroom sets, and … well… stuff. A year ago I visited this shop with friends and found the perfect gigantic antiqued mirror with a gray hand-carved frame. These huge rectangular mirrors are often…
Halfway home from Paris, Isaac gasped, “I forgot my phone!” This was annoying. First of all, Isaac had summarily dismissed my repeated suggestions to use a backpack or bag to contain all the items he was juggling. Second, we were caravanning the 3+ hour drive home to Brussels with Hannah and her family, still jetlagged…
Christmas Market Mugs—this is a 2021 addition to our Christmas celebration. At the Brussels Christmas Market in 2019 BC, we got used to paying four euros for a cup of gluhwein, then turning in your cup to get the one euro deposit back. I heard people remark on what boring cups they were and how…
We decided it was high time to don our masks and board a plane to visit the source of much mask wearing culture—Venice!!—where masks and plagues have battled for centuries. Masks: so hot right now. With COVID cases on the uptick in Belgium yet again, mask mandates are back. Ok, it’s a pain to wear…
The Chateau d’Amboise was Eloise’s favorite castle! It’s perched on a hill alongside the Loire River and overlooks the town. We could see our apartment from the battlements. The castle itself is beautiful, the view from the walls is charming, there are real suits of medieval armor inside, and the gardens were perfect for running…
“How do you like to prepare them?” I asked the Flemish guy at my favorite produce stand at the Stockel Farmer’s Market. Their veggies and fruit seem the freshest and last the longest. “Just cook them in a little bit of butter, not too long, that’s it,” he said. We were talking about the chanterelle…
I’ve been limping around to various degrees for a couple years now so I made another doctor’s appointment to see what the deal was with my foot. “Yeah, it must be about three years now since I got this splinter in there,” I told my doctor. “I remember standing by my front door in Hawaii…
