Happy New Year, Ghent! So Long Ago . . .

Emma & Nico share a rare moment of sibling love

"Are those all the drunk people?"  asks Emma

Mark the pack mule with a passed-out M&M

Are we having fun yet?

They are :)

Santa Baby, why the face?  Eurotrash family fun.  And when I say Eurotrash it's not a putdown; it's the thrill of cultural diversity . . .

Wouldn't be a Hambo winter trip without ice skating!

Thank you, Mr. Penguin, for your steadiness

Lovely Ghent at night

Cool guitar building

How many angles can you see in this architectural maze?

The other side of the tracks, home of our hotel

Send post, please

Ghent marketplace, tower, and town hall

Ghent looks pretty dark in these pictures, and, it is.  Winter time seems to be a blur of grey and cold, but there's something magical (if I can use that word and not laugh) always in the air.  Forget the seasonal mood disorder, we really enjoyed the atmosphere.  Ghent was our base between stays in Brugges and Brussels, and we managed to go car-free by taking the train everywhere.  That was no small feat with the family, but actually a good experience.  The canals of Ghent and Brugges have earned them the nickname, the "Venice of the North."  With a bit of imagination, there are those similarities.  The Flemish language is much different than Italian, though :).  On New Year's Eve we had a wonderful fondue dinner of cheese, meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, chocolate, and frites--not all at once, fortunately!  I won't mention the dinner that for Nico, ended up on the sidewalk.  Poor guy!  The next day, Marina volunteered to watch Nico in the hotel room while we toured Brugges.  He had a fever with stomach pain; probably some kind of stomach virus since no one else got sick.  The kids were more excited to stay there and order room service than head out on another adventure.  More on that later . . .

Brussels Revisited, or Life is a Carousel

Yes, Christmas was months ago.  I've gotten over being spot on with this blog and it's timing.  So off to our winter break to Belgium.

Emma loves a good carousel

Nico's fondness for them on display, too

Checking out the colorful MP chocolate

The kids just love their family portrait in La Grand-Place

Chameleon time

Ostrich man

"The smallest house in Brussels"

Déjà-vu!  Last time here Emma was a bun in the oven :)

UNESCO  World Heritage Site

Mannequin Pis, the man of the moment

Feeling the love

Recreating photo from 5 years ago, Mark adds something different this time!

Surprise, another carousel for Nico

Just one of Mason's many GQ shots (I take so many since he used to hate me taking his photo)

Marché de Nöel

Brussels just makes me happy.  Let's make that Belgium in general.  I know both times we visited it was cold, rainy, and grey, but the beauty and architecture of the city, the chocolate, the people, the waffles, the frites . . . what's not to love?  We first came in 2005 when I was pregnant with Emma, and this time she was enthralled with her introduction to Mannequin Pis (ok, not really).  

Beautiful Israel

View from our Tel-Aviv hotel room

Little man caught in the act

Enjoying a few rays on our pasty UK skin

Monument commemorating the events below . . . 

View of Jerusalem

Family tombs similar to those where Jesus believed to be buried

Garden of Gethsemane

Entrance to Gethsemane

Way back in November, Mark was asked to speak at an HR meeting in Israel for Cisco execs and employees. So naturally he wanted to make a weekend of it . . . and naturally we needed babysitting help! Cue desperate plea to Dad & Sharon who had yet to visit us overseas. We lucked out as they were willing to travel (quickly) and watch the kids for a few days. Even better, my dad was willing to drive, something most visitors are scared and cautious doing on the "other side of the road." :)

With children secured, Mark and I enjoyed a whirlwind two days: one in Tel-Aviv, the other in Jerusalem. Our day in Tel-Aviv was spent walking from the beaches of the town to Jaffa, setting of Jonah's famous whale tale. It was very old and also kind of artsy. Lovely! We ate at a restaurant called Manta Ray and had one of the most delicious meals I've ever eaten. Everything was fresh, the fish, the veggies, yummy entrees, mains, and desserts. Lots of people were out in full force since it was Sunday, back to work day. I forgot that the Sabbath is Friday there so the weekend is Fri. and Sat.

Gethsemane "tomb" (presided over by Orthodox Churches)  

Church of Mary Magdalene

Jerusalem marché

Women's section of Western Wall

Men's area of Western Wall

Our second and last day was spent on a private tour of Jerusalem. Our tour guide, Tony, was Italian and Israeli. He was born in Israel, then his family emigrated to Italy. He said he always wanted to return so voila, we profited from his expertise. He tailors his tours to the client (us) and finding out that we were Christian/LDS, he showed us the BYU Center and gave insightful commentary on the places we visited. He was interested in our views as many of the sites were debatable as to their authenticity. And, it was interesting that the Orthodox, Catholic, and Muslim faiths all shared responsibility for the management of these holy places including Gethsemane, Jesus' tomb, crucifixion site, etc. It didn't seem right, however, to see people draping themselves all over these spots and then only being able to catch a glimpse of them with security having to limit visiting time ... almost like when Jesus chased the merchants from the temple because they had defiled, had corrupted a sacred place. Everything just seemed strange and dark. But who knows where all these events really took place? So in the end, Mark and I were just blessed to be in such a wonderful, important country. We took away new ideas about harmony and witnessed all kinds of people from all kinds of religious backgrounds living side by side there. That's the story we don't often hear enough about!