Invasion of the Plantes

Bright and early on April 14th (I know it is June 1st and I'm writing about April!!) my brothers and their families arrived at Brussels airport. We couldn't have been more excited. We had so much planned for their 8 day visit so we started immediately. Tommy was introduced to Belgium drivers and the rules (or lack thereof) of the road in this tiny parking garage while driving this enormous van. It made us want to pull our elbows in and duck our heads but Tommy kept his cool and managed to emerge without even the slightest scrape on the side view mirrors.

From the airport I dragged my tired extended family to downtown Brussels where everyone seemed to perk up with the sights of the beautiful main square. They were real troopers through a few hours of sightseeing before we headed back to Brasschaat. Drew, Alyssa, and Megan were so excited to see their cousins. I think it gave Jason, TJ, and Tori a second wind. Somehow they all managed to stay awake until the evening. With the help of some sleep inducing cold medicines they all slept through their first night and by day two really seemed to be in our time zone. A good thing too because there was no time to snooze...

Friday morning we sent them off to Gent to see the sights. When they returned that evening they had just enough time to gobble down some dinner before they were back in the car. All 12 of us were headed to Paris. The bulk of the photos from their visit are from that long weekend in Paris. Below are posted just a small sampling of the hundreds of photos we took. It was such a great weekend. The kids really rallied. Of course we had the occasional whine here and breakdown there but when you think about moving a group of 6 adults and 6 kids around a big city using public transportation it gives you a headache. In reality it went very smoothly.

We did the city justice too, seeing all the major sights, skimping mainly on the late, long French dinners. We didn’t exactly eat fast food but it certainly wasn’t what you’d imagine to be fabulous French cuisine. Some things our guests learned: 1. Never ask a yes or no question, the answer is rarely correct and results in you getting something unexpected. 2. “Well-done” in France means rare to medium-rare; or in the case of eggs - runny yolks and slightly runny whites. 3. Asking if you speak English in French gets you a long way. And if they don’t you can always do as Steve did and say the only other French word you know “Bon jour” and smileJ

The Eiffel tower as expected was the highlight for the kids. Seeing it sparkle after sunset was an absolute delight for all of us.

We returned to Brasschaat on Monday and on Tuesday sent the adults off to Amsterdam to see the seedier side. The rain unfortunately drowned out their good times. But the kids had a ball relaxing at our home and playing with their cousins. One of the few times Alyssa and Megan talked to their teachers all year they told them all about their cousins visiting.

On Wednesday I trucked them across the border to Germany, Aachen to be exact. It is a picturesque little town with an amazing old church that dates back to the Roman Empire in Charlemagne’s time. We explored the city and separated to do some shopping. Tommy knowing the importance of asking in the country’s language “Do you speak English” uttered the best phrase of the week: “Sprikt de do angles?” The actual phrase phonetically is “Spraachen Zee anglisch?” I am so proud of him for trying! The guy must have gotten the biggest kick out of it. And by the way he did say, ” Yes I speak English”. Way to go Tommy- you got your point across!

On Wednesday night we had a babysitter and went out in Antwerp, just the six adults. There we had some great cuisine and fun times. Too much wine/beer and great company had us laughing through the evening. On the tram ride home I was so sad they were leaving too soon. We all promised to do it again Stateside this summer.
Thursday…is it really their last day!! We had officially worn them out and a day at the park was in order. We picked up the girls from school and headed to that great park I mentioned before. It was a beautiful day so we lounged in the sun at the picnic tables as the kids ran around the huge playground. When they left that evening to stay close to the airport for their early flight out, I felt that familiar feeling that I had felt just weeks before when my parents and aunt and uncle left and years before when Steve left Rick and I to be alone again on our honeymoon. I wasn’t ready for it to be over! We had had such a great time!!!

Paris - the Eiffle tower at night. Every hour on the hour for about ten minutes it would sparkle with white lights. It was beautiful! The was 9:00 at night on April 17th. It stays light so late! 

Paris - How high? This is the first level but we braved the lines and the crowds and went to the very top. 

Paris - a view of the Arc de Triomphe from the Eiffel Tower. 

Paris - up the Eiffel Tower. It was incredibly windy and cold but amazing. 

Paris - a classic Haussmann street. Baron Haussmann knocked down the old building and lined the wide boulevards with five story residences with the specific characteristics seen in the photo. Each floor was occupied by a different class. The buildings remain today and dominate the architecture of the center of Paris. 

Paris - Can you guess whose missing? The Arc de Triomphe is in the background. The Arc was started by Napoleon as a tribute to the French armies and himself but by the time it was completed it was dedicted to the French Armies in general. 

Paris - one of the amazing sculptures on the Arc de Triomphe 

Paris - View of the Eiffel from the top of the Arc de Triomphe 

Paris - The Bodmers at the top of Arc de Triomphe. Steve spotted this view with the Eiffel tower in the background. 

Paris - Steve, Kim, Tori and Jason from the top of the Arc de Triomphe 

Paris - Tommy, TJ, and Diane from the top of the Arc de Triomphe 

Paris - Uncle Tom is actually sitting with Megan and Alyssa! The girls in true form made their Aunts and Uncles and even their cousins work hard to win them over.  

Paris - Almost the whole gang inside the Arc de Triomphe. This is a museum dedicated to WWI. 

Paris - with the kids in tow we made time to play in between all of the big sights. 

Paris - Notre Dame Cathedral 

One of Paris' many gargoyles. 

Paris - feeding the pigeons outside of Notre Dame Cathedral; Drew, TJ, Megan, Jason and Alyssa. 

Paris - a view of a tiny fraction of the Louvre Museum facade. 

Paris - inside the Louvre. For all you DaVinci Code readers this is where the Holy Grail is buried. It is also a great lounging spot for 6 tired tourists. 

Paris - our tour bus. The 12 of us had this bus and a guide all to ourselves for three hours. The guide was very knowledgable and gave us a great overview of the sights of Paris. 

Paris - Sacre-Coeur - this area was mobbed with tourists but very picturesque. Our tour guide walked us up the hill through the winding roads of Montmartre at a breaknecking pace compared to the speed of our littler tourists. Somehow not one of us had a map that day so the adults were careful to remember the way but in the end it was TJ who lead the way back down. 

Paris - Montmartre place du Tertre packed with tourists and artists selling their wares. 

Paris - Moulin Rouge 

Paris - Opera-Garnier. We unfortunatel weren't able to get beyond the front entrance way due to rehearsals in the auditorium. Even the entrance interior was magnificent with beautifully carved sculptures and colorful marble inlays. 

Paris