Since we had seen all the sights in the town yesterday I asked at the front desk if he could recommend a town close by with things to see. So he said some big long S town and I asked him to write it down.
So once we were ready we drove over to another town about 20 min. away. We were trying to find the town's Palace and we drove around for a bit looking for it. There were signs and then they just stopped. It ended up being right in the center of town. Kind of a weird place for it. To tour the inside you had to book a tour and there were none in English and the ticket lady didn't really recommend it for kids. So the big house part you can't visit but we visited the gardens and other buildings there.
This whole area behind the palace were the gardens that went on for miles.
We walked around in the gardens and visited this cave like building with a waterfall.
Near this was a bath house that was cool, but I couldn't take pictures and we even had to put slippers on over our shoes. The house had 4 rooms and a grand foyer area. One was a bedroom with a bathroom which was a chair with a hole in it and a pot beneath it! One room was a study, and one was a sitting room and the last one was our favorite, a Jacuzzi room! It was a stone little built in Jacuzzi. It had stairs that went down into it and 2 benches to sit on. Near the bath house was a really pretty building that I think might have been a greenhouse. Now they had orange trees in there with maybe either lime or lemon trees too.
We spent about 45 min. walking around the gardens and area. Then we left the palace and across the street was the town's big square with restaurants and outdoor seating. Had it been a day like yesterday I am sure it would have been packed here, but today not so much. It was about to rain. We found a Mexican restaurant that looked good so went there. It ended up being really good!
After lunch we walked around the town a bit but since it was a holiday today a lot of the shops were closed. So we drove back to the hotel. We had seen frozen yogurt signs yesterday when we were out walking so once back at the hotel we walked back down that big street from yesterday until we found the store. It was more yogurty then the frozen yogurt from home. And there were no flavors just natural. But on top of it you could put sweets or fruit. It was ok. We then strolled back down the street to the hotel and stopped to watch a street performer juggling batons with fire on the ends of them. Then back to the hotel for a bit to rest. Jason didn't sleep well last night and tried to take a nap!
Once back to the hotel it just started pouring and never stopped. So we decided we would stay for dinner b/c we wanted to try a Thai place we saw and then we would just drive home tonight instead of spending the last night there. So we checked out of the hotel and walked in the rain a bit to the restaurant. It is a city so you can't park anywhere and that is why we walked. It was really good. Then walked back. Everyone's pants were pretty wet at the bottom. Then we drove the 2 hours home. Everyone was tired, but happy to sleep in their own beds!
Monday we just slept in and had pancakes and fruit slushies for breakfast since we were back home and today was a holiday here. Amber went with a friend to an indoor play area and to McDonalds for lunch. I made some homemade ice cream sandwiches and put them in the freezer. Today my computer screen wouldn't work. The computer is probably on its last leg anyway. I didn't really like the computer Jason had brought back so I gave it to the boys as we needed a second one. Jason had bought me this external hard drive that I was suppose to back up all my pictures and files and I never did it. Oops. So he messed around with the computer and got the screen on again and then started the downloading. I got everything downloaded today that I wanted. Later in the afternoon Sean went to a friend's house and Jason tried to get Amber to ride her bike without training wheels. She fell off and they were home after not long of trying in between the rain. It rained on and off all day long. Tonight Amber started not feeling good and went to bed with the sick bucket. Could be a long night!
Tuesday I had to wake up all the kids this morning and we were running a bit later. Amber had done fine throughout the night so she went to school today. I was back and forth with going on Sean's field trip to Metz, France when one of my chaperons cancelled. But in the end one other mom said she could go. The field trip went to the cathedral in that town and then a little train that did a tour around town. Sean had fun and was tired when he got back at the end of the school day. I had a lunch with 2 neighbors and another mom from school. My neighbor and the other mom are both moving back to the states this summer. So it was a nice lunch amongst another rainy day! After school Sean had his math and then the boys had tennis. Tonight I made zucchini boats. They are partly hollowed out zucchinis and then you put a mixture of veggies and ground beef and cheese and put it in the zucchinis and then bake it. We all thought it was good, except Amber who was crying to get through eating it!
The computer turned on today but crashed twice. I think I am going to have to switch to the other computer.
I am trying to pick out carpet for the basement for home and it is very difficult by just looking at pictures online. So hopefully it all turns out ok!
Wednesday Amber had her short day and I picked up her and her friend. We had lunch here, they played and then back for ballet. The boys had RE after school. They have 2 teachers that rotate teaching so we brought one of their end of the year gifts just in case we miss one at the end of the classes. The kids were doing a play today and my boys were responsible for bringing in costumes. Jacob and Sean had worked together pulling their clothes together to see what everyone could wear. It is just a handful of kids so not too many.
I had to take the boy's computer back today as mine is a lost cause. At least I got all the stuff off it I wanted. I still don't really care for this one, but don't have much choice until we buy another one.
Right before I am starting to get dinner ready we hear this really loud alarm going off. I have this sinking feeling it is our house. We were all in the family room so we didn't touch anything. We open the door and neighbors are starting to come out of their houses and are staring at us. It is really loud outside our door, but I can't see anything. Jacob starts to walk around the side of the house and sees the box on the front of the house that is making the noise. Oh great. I have no idea how to turn it off or any number for it. I call the relocation lady and she says she will look up a number. After a few very long, loud minutes it turns off. I have no idea why it went off. She calls me back with a number to call if it goes off again. Omg I hope it doesn't go off in the middle of the night! My neighbors will be so pissed.
So it has rained and been gloomy and cloudy for 2 weeks now. The weather forecast on the English channel on the radio was saying he looked into part of next week and it was still going to be cool, rainy, etc, and said they weren't going to report the weather any further b/c too many people were already on suicide watch with this gloomy weather! Ha.
Thursday Amber was suppose to go on a field trip to a forest/ park, but they cancelled it. Any guess why? Could it be all the rain and more today made it not a good idea to go. At least they cancelled it, b/c last year they didn't and the kids would get soaked and then we would come back early anyway. So I went to the store and picked up all the food we need for the last minute BBQ we are hosting tomorrow assuming no one gets sick! This mall/store was packed! They opened up a new section of it. It looks really nice. They were getting all the cakes, champagne and wines ready to serve and this was at 9am! I also had to buy a printer today to hook up to the new computer. We have one here but we bought it used from someone leaving. I saved the box but can't find the setup disk anywhere and it seems like maybe it is an older model so I can't get it online to download it so now I can't use this printer- ugh. So I bought a new one today and will have to see about hooking it up this weekend. On the way home from the store I took the back roads and for most of the way I was behind this huge tractor pulling a cart of hay!
Then for lunch today my Norwegian friend had me and another one of our friends over for a fish lunch. She always brings back fish when she goes home and so she saved some for us and made us a super yummy lunch! She made fish cakes and then you put them on a grainy bread with this sauce under it and some cilantro and lemon over it, delish! Then you aren't going to believe this but then raw salmon and cod! Omg, it was so so good. I have never eaten raw seafood before and I couldn't believe how good it was. I ate so much for lunch I could barely eat dinner. Then she had a tomato/cheese/lettuce salad, typical here. I brought fruits and my other friend did a yummy dessert. I told her I wanted all her fishy recipes. The salmon had such a better flavor then the salmon we are used to! It was great freshwater fish! It just melted in your mouth. She had it chopped up in pieces and then you take some with your chop sticks and dip it in this good sauce and eat it!
Sean woke up with a cold today so after school he didn't feel like going to basketball so we just went home and then Jacob's guitar was cancelled so the boys had a lot of free time tonight.
Jason got his car back today. They serviced it and found what was wrong, some gear thing, but it took 1 1/2 weeks to fix. It just amazes me, which I don't know why I am still surprised, that it takes people so long here to get things done. God help anyone who builds or remodels here! Jason car is so technological advanced I would have thought they could just plug it in to the computer and it could tell them what is wrong. The whole car is electronic!
Friday I had coffee at school with friends, and then went to pick up a couple things and home quickly and then tennis. I had to take my neighbors kids to school as the parents went away. Amber's friend that was going to spend the night tonight wasn't at school this morning and Amber was very worried.
After tennis I just got stuff ready for the BBQ.
After school the first thing Amber says to me is asking if her friend is still coming over. Her friend was having diarrhea and then right before pickup she ended up throwing up. Poor thing. Well Amber just burst into tears. We have tried to have this sleepover I think 3 times and every time one of the girls or someone in the family has gotten sick. So we had to cancel. So for the BBQ, one family came over and then half of the other family came. My friend left her husband at home with the sick one and the younger one. So I asked Amber if she wanted to ask the boy to spend the night that was coming over for the BBQ. He is the same age and they play together as well. So he ended up spending the night! He is in 4 yr. old preschool just like Amber but has been reading for awhile now and can read at a 2nd grade level, great! So he read us a book tonight for bed! Her first official friend to sleep over here and it is a boy! Oh no!
BBQ was good and the sun even came out for a bit for the kids to play outside and on the trampoline.
Saturday morning Amber and her friend were up and talking before 6:30. Needless to say Amber, my sleeper, was exhausted today. This morning after the little boy got picked up we ran to the big car boot sale here, garage sale. It is in a big parking lot. This has got to be the biggest English speaking event in Lux! It is mostly expats selling their things and expats shopping! We saw friends there. And everyone was speaking English. We go for the English books! They don't really sell kids books in English here. So this year Jacob got about 4 books to a series he likes and an army bag. Jason got some almost new, nice golf shoes. And Amber got a whole book series of a girly book for when she is reading chapter books. And some little girl books too. We also stopped at a cupcake booth that had wonderful tasting cupcakes, finally a good baker here! She is from Australia. So we walked all around and got our stuff then we stayed for lunch. They had a few things so we all got some chili with rice, but it was a bit too spicy for Amber and I. Then we came home and Amber was falling asleep on the couch. She got about a half an hour nap in and then we had to leave to go to the American Military Cemetery for their Memorial Day ceremony. The weather was weird while we were there, it was sunny and quite warm, then it rained, then just cloudy and cold. So people presented, they had the band play, and they did presentation of wreaths.
We thought there was going to be a jet fly by but there wasn't. So it lasted about an hour. Then we walked down through the cemetery to look at the military vehicles they had brought. The white crosses in the cemetery looked nice with the flags and each one had a rose too.
Then back home and the handy man came over. He cuts our lawn for part of the summer and will do some hedge trimming for Jason.
Jason and I were going out to dinner with 2 other couples tonight. The sitter I had booked sent me a text saying that she couldn't babysit anymore tonight, but her sister was in town from college and could do it- ugh! Her sister was very nice and goes to Univ. of Purdue! Its a small world after all! We travel so much here, or just do everything with the kids that we just don't use sitters much. I think the last time we had one was Jan.
Dinner was fun tonight. We went to a Brazilian Churrasco. The husbands had been to one before in the states but the girls hadn't. The food was pretty good, and everyone enjoyed it! This place then even had a show that a couple girls and some guys did some Brazilian dancing in the restaurant. They came out a couple different times. It was fun to see. So nice night out!
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