Brugge

When people ask me if I've been to Belgium and I respond yes, the second question is if I've been to Brugge. Although we've hit the other major Belgian highlights of Brussels, Antwerp, and Gent... we hadn't made it to Brugge. With many things, it was on my list. However, I finally found a good hotel deal and a clear weekend, so we spent this past weekend in Brugge.

Originally I was planning on dealing with heat and humidity... however as it turns out it was rainy and actually nice (temperature wise) for the weekend. A nice break from having to tour around while pouring sweat. Normally I have a set plan of everything I want to do and see when we visit somewhere. I had done research on Brugge... and decided there was nothing in particular I wanted to do. I just wanted to see and experience Brugge... and whatever we did would be fine by me. It was actually a fun plan to have.

We were on the go by about 8:30, and it turns out that even on a summer Saturday at the peak of tourist season, Brugge doesn't get up and moving until 10. It was actually kind of fun because we were the only people out and about and were able to walk around, take countless pictures, and window shop uninterrupted without crowds. The inner part of Brugge (the touristy must see part) isn't all that big, and we were able to make one big loop around it before most shops opened. As I said, no set plans for wanting to do anything, so I got to "see" landmarks and take pictures pretty early off in the day.

 Once the shops started to open up we bought some chocolates (well, DUH), some tea (I can't wait to try it out... it smells amazing!), and then got some toys for our niece (spoiled little thing). We mainly just wandered around, people watching and taking in the sights. The one thing we did want to do was to take a brewery tour. The Half Moon Brewery (English Translation) is the last brewery that is still in operation within the city walls of Brugge. The tour itself wasn't necessarily super informative, but the building itself was interesting to look at, and we got to go out on the roof of the brewery which gave us some great views of the city.

After our brewery tour we were in the mood to enjoy some of Belgium's best beers. We found a spot at a cafe outside of one of the major squares and enjoyed a few beers while people watching. It was wonderful. After our afternoon happy hour we went back to exploring the city. Brugge is often called the "Venice of the North" as it has many canals... and I could see it. Lots of canals, beautiful backdrop of the city. Our full day ended with a delicious traditional Belgian dinner of Flemish stew (think the most tender beef roast covered in rich gravy) and beer.

Waking up on Sunday we realized we had seen and done everything we wanted to do in Brugge... so we drove up the road to Blankenberge, which is a coastal town. In my researching possible travel ideas the Belgian coast was something I had thought of. The town itself is small, and is full of condos/apartments. The day was windy and cool, but I could see how this would be a fun little beach town to come spend a weekend holiday at. There is a casino (not that I care), a pier, and a traditional boardwalk. With the wind it was a bit too cool to really do anything beachy, but it was nice to have a change in scenery.

Everyone who had encouraged me to go visit Brugge was right - it was definitely well worth the trip and I'm glad we added it to our Belgium trip list.

An Afternoon Walk

After weeks of rain, clouds, and gloom we have a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the sky is clear, and it is a perfect 75 degrees. I have three papers to write... but decided a walk was necessary.

As I was walking I couldn't help but have one of my favorite country songs playing in my head as "theme music" for my walk.

"I'm gonna to kick off my shoes and run in bare feet

Where the dirt and the grass and the gravel all meet

Goin' back to the well

Gonna visit old friends

And feed my soul

 Where the blacktop ends." - Keith Urban

Nuremberg

This weekend I got to check one of my "must-sees" of the summer off my list as we went to Nuremberg. I had done my Rick Steves and internet homework, yet I still feel like I wasn't completely prepared for this trip. I think I wasn't prepared as I didn't realize how affected I would be by it.

Friday night we got a late start. It's about a four hour drive from our house to Nuremberg, and of course the one Friday we have plans is the Friday Josh had to stay at work later than normal. We got to our hotel around 10:30 pm, and luckily the reception desk was open 24/7. We lucked out and found a very nice hotel in a great area. We got parked (which was an adventure. I am not at all confident in my parking skills... and Josh had to move the car forwards/backwards about 12 times before he could attempt to back into "our" parking spot - which was a spot you had to back into) and just settled into our room for the night.

The next morning we were up bright and early to get going. In my research prior to our trip I had discovered the Nuremberg Card - which with one fee will get you into most of the city museums, the zoo, and use of public transportation. I priced things out, and with what we wanted to see the card would pay for itself. We got our cards and headed off to the Documentation Center. The Documentation Center is a building which was designed to be Nazi headquarters. One portion of it was going to be a type of congress hall, and the other portion was built to look like the Roman Colosseum. The building was never finished, and now it serves as a type of museum. There is a lot of photos/information about what role Nuremberg played in the rise of the Nazis. Lots of history. After walking through the museum portion of it we walked around the exterior. It is kind of creepy now a days as great portions of it are really in ruin. And... scary to think what it could have become...

After the Documentation center we walked across to the old zeppelin field - which is also the old Nazi rally/parade grounds. I promise you have seen pictures of this or video footage of it as this area was used a lot. The area has changed a lot because a lot of things had to be removed for safety hazards (when Nuremberg was liberated by the Allies the decorative Nazi symbol on the top of the structure was blown up which did structural damage). In some ways you have to use your imagination as portions of the old grounds are missing, and what is left is in ruins. Part of the zeppelin field is soccer fields... yet you can still see what it was.

We then moved on to some more Nuremberg history and went to the Palace of Justice where the Nuremberg trials took place. The courtroom where the trials were is still in use today, but you are able to go sit inside of it. Upstairs from the courtroom is an exhibit with a wealth of photos/information about the trials. I never get tired of the overwhelming emotions I feel to actually be in a spot where I know history was made....

After focusing for the morning on Nazi history, we went back to enjoy the medieval center of town. Nuremberg (like so many German medieval towns) has an old wall with many towers surrounding it. I was reminded of Rothenburg. What is interesting is within the old city walls you will see a beautiful cathedral, a half-timbered house... right next to a Starbucks and a clothing store. Kind of funny, yet still beautiful and interesting to see. We went to the castle, which perches towards the top of the old town. We climbed up the castle tower, which gave us beautiful views of the city.

We ended our day with a fabulous meal of some traditional German food.

We had seen most of what we wanted to with historical sites and museums, so we decided to (drum roll please) go to the zoo. Shocking, I know. However, the zoo was covered under our Nuremberg Card. It also had a few things we have not yet seen in a European museum including manatees and dolphins. It was a fun morning. My favorite part of the morning was when we discovered the "kids area" which had a petting zoo with goats. Yes, goats. Luckily these goats were smaller and friendlier than the goats I encountered last weekend and they seemed to have no desire to try and ram us. However, one of the little goats got out of the pen and was running freely. For a few minutes we watched a little girl and her father try to coax the goat back into the pen with no success. After watching Josh decided to help them out and simply walked over, picked the goat up, and put it back in the pen. The Germans looked a bit surprised and amused by this. Josh shook his head and muttered "city slickers." Which is even funnier because back home we are the "city slickers."

As we were leaving the zoo we decided to buy cheese pretzels (a German specialty - they are amazing). When we ordered them we didn't realize the size they would be... they literally were almost as big as the steering wheel of my car. I wish I had gotten a picture of them just to prove my point. Needless to say, we were set for lunch AND dinner...

So, one of my "must-sees" is off the list and it was well worth it!

My issue with The View

I honestly never watch The View. Why? I work and am gone during the day when it is on TV. Simple enough. But. There was something on The View which is all the talk amongst my friends and colleges. This is something I really want to share. Please educate yourself.

I always thought - incorrectly it seems - everyone knew what a dental hygienist was. I find myself frequently having to clarify to patients, friends, and other random people the difference between myself and an assistant. The biggest difference? Two completely different jobs. A hygienist is the person who "cleans" your teeth. They've had at least two years of college training resulting in a degree and a license. An assistant is the person who assists the dentist when you are having a filling/crown/root canal. They actually do WAY more than this, and I hate just summing up their job this way (just as I hate saying I "clean" teeth), but I have neither the space nor time to go off on this tangent. Assistants can attend school and can receive a degree or certificate, and yes they can be legally certified, but they don't have to be (depends on the school or the state). Some assistants receive on-the-job training. It all just depends on the person and the situation. BUT, that aside, what you really should know is it is two different professions.The View apparently needs to learn this as well.

Recently on The View there was a segment where they discussed the job market. They were talking about jobs which are not hiring, but also about fields which are growing and have "hot jobs." In this segment they talked about jobs which are in demand, pay well, and do no require a degree. Included in this list of professions was dental hygiene. Regina Lewis, the guest financial expert, explained dental hygienists do not need a degree because (and I quote), "I only care if you use this tool on that tooth. Right? Otherwise it doesn't matter what degree you have." She also goes on to quote an "average" salary which is far off the mark. Clearly absolutely no research was done into this topic. The American Dental Hygienists' Association (of which I am a proud member) released a statement pointing out all the problems with Regina Lewis's research. That is to say... there are over 334 dental hygiene schools in the nation, 290 offer associates degrees, 53 offer bachelors, while an additional 20 schools offer a master's program. Regina Lewis stated dental hygienists make around $45,000 a year when in 2010 the average salary for a dental hygienist was $68,250. Just a bit off.

If you want to watch this clip you can do so here. The part which I am talking about is about half-way through (about 3 minutes in) and honestly it is just a fleeting little 20 second comment. I almost (almost, but not quite) feel sorry for Regina Lewis for the shit storm that is raining down on her from her 20 seconds of talking... but you should have known your facts before you spoke.

Any one of my family members or friends can attest to the brain power, will power, time, energy, effort, money, blood, sweat, and tears (emphasis on tears) I put into my education. It was a long time (5 years!), I earned a bachelors degree, and I had to take a lot of exams to earn a license - a license which holds me legally responsible for my actions. I am required by LAW to not know how to "clean teeth" but I also need to understand the medications you take and what health issues you have as a patient. This means I had to learn and study a LOT of extra information most people don't realize I have a background in. Not only that, but I am trained to be a restorative hygienist. I know the proper ways to place, shape, carve, and polish fillings. So yes... no degree required. Monkeys could do my job. 

My ranting aside... I believe my dear friend said it best. She wrote a letter to Regina Lewis and emailed it to her via her website. I think this simply sums it all up:

"Regina Lewis,

I am a registered dental hygienist and I love my job. I graduated with a 5 year bachelor degree and took 6 different board exams in order to get my license. I was trained in the proper, safe techniques of local anesthetic, nitrous oxide, placement of fillings, laser treatments, and hygiene therapy (AKA cleanings). I recently watched an episode of The View where in a matter of seconds you completely misrepresented and degraded my profession. If you did your own research on what jobs don't need a degree, then I would suggest brushing up on proper research protocol before you "educate" the general public. If someone else did your research for you, I would fire them. I will assume you are an educated woman and therefore I hope you would understand how insulting it would be if someone else in a matter of seconds stripped you of your hard work and accomplishments. The next time you go in for a dental "cleaning" by all means request a hygienist without an education and I wish you luck with your experience.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Young, RDH"

A beer run turned adventure

Josh and I agreed we would do something local this weekend, but again, we didn't have a set plan. Someone Josh works with had told him there is an abbey near us which brews beer, makes honey, goat cheese, and raises fish. Josh wanted to go check it out and get some beer. What started out as a beer run turned into another "go wherever we feel the need" Saturday.

Himmerod Abbey turned out to be only about a 20 minute drive from our house. When I looked online I thought it would only be open to the public in the morning on Saturday, so we left the house pretty early. When we got there nothing was open and we were way too early. It gave us a chance to wander around and see the grounds. There is an old stone wall which surrounds the whole property - supposedly it was built in Roman times. The abbey does have a brewery, keeps bees, and has a fishery - all of which we did not see. But... the grounds are pretty.

While we waited for the abbey stores to open we were joined by a neighborhood kitten. He was pretty funny - and full of energy. His favorite thing was to dash across the lawn and leap onto a tree. It was entertaining.

After the store opened we did buy ourselves some beer, apple cider (non-alcoholic), and honey - all of which are made at the abbey. We ate lunch at the restaurant at the abbey (which was also recommended to us by Josh's co-worker). My lunch was delicious - kasespratzle - or cheese noodles. SO delicious! Josh ordered some sort of fish (which was from the fishery at the abbey). I thought it tasted like mud, but he liked it (Josh wants me to explain the fish just tasted like fish which were raised in a pond. Yes. Mud).

Our little shopping trip and lunch date didn't take us past noon... so we decided to get back out on the road and literally just drive and see where we ended up. A little ways up the road we came to the town of Mandershied - which has two castle ruins. Every August there is a medieval festival hosted here. Last year we didn't go (I'm not sure why... maybe Josh was working?) but I've heard great things about it. We got to Mandershied and made our way to the castle ruins. It reminded me a lot of the ones we saw on the Rhein river when my parents were here.

Once we toured the ruins we looked at each other (again) and said... okay. Now what? So we hopped back in the car and kept on heading up the road. We saw signs for a wildlife park, which Josh had heard of before. We arrived at the park and discovered you pay your entry fee and then drive you car in. There are a few areas where you park your car and get out to walk/look at animals, but otherwise you just drive through the park. The reason Josh really wanted to go there was they have a fenced off area with monkeys roaming around freely. I thought this sounded fun, although creepy. The monkeys are (at the end of the day) a wild animal, but these ones are pretty tame and domesticated. They mainly just sat around eating and looking at us (creepily). But it was kind of fun to walk past them and be so close.

After the monkeys we drove through the rest of the park. They have llamas, goats, buffalo, and deer - none of which is exciting to us. They did have red stags (Germany's version of an elk, only a little smaller) and wild boars, which was more interesting. We were driving along and Josh saw a huge herd of red stag, so we pulled into a parking area. I was getting out of the car when a goat came running up to my door. It kind of startled me. Growing up my neighbor next door had goats - I liked them and I would say I'm pretty used to goats... but this goat for some reason made me nervous. I guess I'm not used to a goat crowding me as I'm attempting to get out of the car. This same goat followed us into an area where you can get a better view of the red stags, goats, and llamas (as they are all housed together) and was getting aggressive. He kept stamping the ground and putting his head down like he was getting ready to ram us. I'm not afraid of goats, I just don't feel like getting rammed in the ass... or going to the hospital with a fractured hip. I think he probably just wanted to be fed (as you can buy feed for them)... but threatening to ram me isn't the way to get food. Nor is trapping me in my car.

We also saw a bunch of wild boars (and some wild boar babies). It was kind of funny to see how domesticated most of the animals are. The animals were in the road and were very irritated with you driving on the road or being in their way. More than once we almost hit something. We also found a meadow area which was full of deer, goats, and llamas... which was also full of a trail of bread. It honestly looked like someone had gone out with a tractor and just spread bread all over the meadow to get the animals out in the open. It was entertaining.

On our way out of the wildlife park we saw a rodelbahn - a type of luge ride. We went on one last summer in the Black Forest and we tried it out. This one was a little different from the one we went on before. The other one had rails which out cart rode on while this one had a metal pathway you followed. The other one was longer and faster than the one we rode today. However. It was still fun. You ride down on your little cart, and then at the bottom they hook a tow cable onto your cart to pull you back up to the top.

We are both pooped! These no-plan Saturdays are turning out pretty great!

Where the wind blows us

As I've said... I've been adamant lately about us using the time we have to go do and see things. Josh will try to conjure up an image of me using brute force and a whip. When I look back at yesterday... maybe that's not too far from the truth. Josh got out of the hospital Friday morning. He is feeling pretty good, only minor amounts of pain, and he is now passing bits of stone (as it has been broken up). Originally I told him if he was feeling up to it we should do something on Saturday. Saturday morning that (for some reason) was no longer optional... we were doing something. I recently made a list of local day trip things for us to go do. I told Josh to look over the list and pick something. He decided to wait until we got in the car and picked a (some-what random) destination on the GPS.

So off we went to Clervaux, Luxembourg. That was a place on my list. Clervaux is suppose to have a castle which has a "world famous" photo exhibit housed inside of it. I love driving through Luxembourg. The roads are narrow and windy, which makes driving slow, but it is always so beautiful. As we drove down into a the little valley Clervaux was nestled in, it seemed like it was something straight from a post card. It's a very small little town with only the castle, a church, and an abbey (and a few shops and houses). As it turns out... the castle isn't much of a castle. There is a very broad definition of what a "castle" is... and sometimes what you get isn't what you were expecting. In typical American fashion, if I hear the word "castle" I am instantly picturing a big ol' honkin' stereotypical Disney-type castle. Clervaux wasn't this. Castles in Luxembourg tend to look like this (the style I guess?) as Vianden castle which we went to last summer looked somewhat similar to this (but... better and more castle-like).

We paid to go inside of the the castle (HUGE waste of time and money as the inside only had dioramas of other area castles) but decided not to go see the photo exhibit. This may seem a little backwards since the photo exhibit is what the castle is known for. But after the disappointment of the castle interior... I think we just admitted to ourselves that we aren't necessarily "art people" and didn't really want to see the photos.  Or pay.

However. Right next to the castle was a really beautiful church. It was interesting, I haven't seen one like it before. Very beautiful from the outside. The interior was surprisingly plain. But, the exterior made up for that.

This sign was posted near the church.... it's too funny NOT to share. I only wish I could order some for myself!! 

Our tour around the castle, church, and town was done in less than 2 hours (including lunch) it was barely 1. We weren't sure what to do next. Another thing on my day trip list was Bastone, Belgium which is where the Battle of the Bulge took place. Josh originally said he didn't want to drive that much/far... but we saw signs telling us we were only about 35 km from Bastone. So we decided to head on up the road to check it out. I really wasn't sure what we were going to do while we were there as there are a few different memorials/sites in Bastone. We went first to the historical center for Bastone. As it turns out... the historical center has burned down (or.... partially burned down) and is under construction. We already are planning to go back to see some of the museums there, so we'll have to go back when the center is re-built. But we were able to see a Battle of the Bulge memorial dedicated to the American troops. It is built in the shape of a star. The names of the states are listed around the top. On the inside there are different memorial panels describing what the American troops did and thanking them for their service and sacrifice. There are also panels memorializing the different divisions which fought in the battle. You can go on top of the memorial and get views of the area.

The most important state... 

A view from the top 

When it comes to the area in which we live, or just Germany in general, I always say that it's kind of funny to think that an area which is so beautiful or can seem so peaceful would be the background for something so terrible and devastating. I suppose that could be said for a lot of places and a lot of wars. But... Bastone was beautiful.

After Bastone it was still afternoon... Josh decided we should head to Luxembourg City to see what movies were playing. I didn't argue. We went to see Ice Age 4 (we are both kids at heart and love cartoons). It was hilarious and a lot of fun to see. We also decided to do a booze run at the grocery store next to the movie theater as it has a lot of our favorite Belgian beers for reasonable prices. Our original idea of "picking up some beer" really turned into a big haul of beer and wine (well... it was cheap). Josh likes to collect the different brands of beer glasses over here, so in addition to our bottles of beer and wine, we got two sets which came with beer and glasses.

All this for 100 Euros. Jealous?

 

We decided to complete our day by going out for dinner. We tried out a new Indian restaurant near out house. I've never had Indian food before, but this was amazing. So incredibly delicious. We agreed we would go back and it would be a spot we would take people to when they visit. Sometimes Germany misses the mark when it comes to ethnic foods... other times, it is spot on. Luckily this restaurant is one of the good ones. 

After our fun filled day, we were talking about starting to plan out some upcoming weekend trips. This is a little difficult to do right now as Josh may or may not be leaving for training soon, and he may or may not be going on another TDY soon... But, all that aside... some destinations I am determined for us to get to for some weekend trips coming up are (please click and enjoy some Google images. I'm a visual person): Brugge, Belgium; Munster, Germany; Wurzburg, Germany; Nuremburg, Germany; Haarlem, Netherlands. As always, my travel list far exceeds our time off or our budget. There are some other trips I would like to make, but we have to coordinate some times when Josh has a 3 day weekend was it is a longer drive... But. Here is to planning more trips and more successful day trips.