Like many of you at home, we are being treated to the promise of a White Christmas over here… unless it gets too warm today. The forecast says 40+ degrees but, we are learning that there is some distance between the forecasters here and the over-zealous, 24/7, “accu-radar”-watching weather people in Indiana! Our forecasts are sometimes less than “spot on!” In their defense, the significant changes in altitude within a metropolitan area probably make it a bit trickier for the German weathermen!
The First Delay
We planned to leave this past Friday for a weekend trip to Brugge, Belgium to take in the famous Christmas Market and other sites and experiences (i.e. Food!). We were foiled in our attempt. After sitting still on the Autobahn for over an hour in the midst of a snowy “25 kilometer Stau,” we decided the wise thing was to reverse course and return home to leave in the morning instead. Ethan was pleased as he was able to attend a party that he otherwise was going to miss.
Incidentally, “Stau” was the first practical German word I learned… it means traffic jam! And, it is only rarely because of too many cars on the road but almost always because of a car wreck. They are notorious for multi-car pile-ups over here in the winter.
And, guess what? We know why.
As we returned home from our trip through the Netherlands and Belgium, crossing the German border, the difference in driving philosophy was palpable. Though the autobahn was mostly clear of snow, except for the shoulders, the roads were still quite wet and the temperature was about 28 degrees (Farenheit), the sun already set at 5:00pm. And, though we were traveling at about 120 km/hour as was much of the traffic, we still were regularly stunned by cars passing us at 160 km/hour (99 mph) or faster.. You got that right – its dark, the roads are wet and the temperature is 4 -5 degrees below freezing… any questions now about why so many “Stau” on the roads over here?
Anyway – Saturday morning was clear and sunny albeit only about 5 degrees F. So cold that the windshield wiper fluid appeared to be frozen in everyone’s cars, including ours, of course. Each rest stop was a virtual parking lot and the gas stations all had buckets of warm water and window washing squeegies so people
could clear their salt/slush splattered windshields. And, there was a run on the supplies of windshield washer fluid, bringing out the interesting hoarding mentality of the German personality... Gary asked a fellow customer (with no less than 6 one-liter bottles of fluid in his arms) where to find the bottles. The response - "I got the last ones." In fact, when Gary turned around, there was a big box of the fluid. As he stood in line, the customer in front of him refused to answer when someone asked him where the bottles were. Gary pointed them out, having just been the victim of this same mentality - "I've got mine and I'm not telling..." What is that about?? Nevertheless, we made the right choice to wait and leave the next morning. The Most Visited Town in Europe
At least according to one of our waiters. If it is not, it surely should be at the top of all visitors' lists of places to spend a few days...Brugge is a delightful town. We bundled up and walked to the Christmas market and all around the old city despite the cold. On Sunday morning we were treated to a gorgeous snowfall, adding a fresh layer of snow to what had fallen the night before. Ethan earned his civic volunteer hours by leaving small snowmen perched on the lids of trash containers all over the city and Audrey built up the largest snowball ever during our walk. When it got too heavy, it made the perfect base for a snowman – another donation to the public Christmas displays!
Given the cold – unseasonable even for winter here – we were a bit surprised to find an unusual holiday tradition in Brugge. We were first alerted to something unusual by the three tents set up next to four parked ambulances right next to the canal. The crowd peering over the bridge was further evidence that something interesting was happening. Lo and behold – the Belgian version of the Polar Bear Swim was taking place. But, they don’t just have a crowd run into the water and run as quickly back out as I am familiar with in Door County and Milwaukee. Nope, here they went in several swimmers at a time – all in various “costumes” and with short skits preceding their dive into the freezing canal. Mind you, portions of the canal were actually frozen over! These people were certifiable!
You may know that Belgium is known for its chocolate, pommes frites (the classy word for French fries!) an
d lace. The lace didn’t pique our interest so much but, the chocolate and frites sure did! Let me assure you that their expertise in chocolate making (50 chocolate shops in Brugge alone – each offering beautifully handmade chocolate) extends to making fantastic hot chocolate – just the thing to warm up every few hours when spending the day walking the city in freezing temperatures! And, every little tea house and café offers a roaring fire in the fireplace. Charming.
Given the cold – unseasonable even for winter here – we were a bit surprised to find an unusual holiday tradition in Brugge. We were first alerted to something unusual by the three tents set up next to four parked ambulances right next to the canal. The crowd peering over the bridge was further evidence that something interesting was happening. Lo and behold – the Belgian version of the Polar Bear Swim was taking place. But, they don’t just have a crowd run into the water and run as quickly back out as I am familiar with in Door County and Milwaukee. Nope, here they went in several swimmers at a time – all in various “costumes” and with short skits preceding their dive into the freezing canal. Mind you, portions of the canal were actually frozen over! These people were certifiable!
You may know that Belgium is known for its chocolate, pommes frites (the classy word for French fries!) an
d lace. The lace didn’t pique our interest so much but, the chocolate and frites sure did! Let me assure you that their expertise in chocolate making (50 chocolate shops in Brugge alone – each offering beautifully handmade chocolate) extends to making fantastic hot chocolate – just the thing to warm up every few hours when spending the day walking the city in freezing temperatures! And, every little tea house and café offers a roaring fire in the fireplace. Charming. 
The Christmas Market was a bit more carnival/fair-like than I anticipated. But, there is no doubt that the lighting display at night makes a very festive atmosphere.
The Second Delay
Brugge also has a renowned ice carving display. This year the theme was Ice Age 3 (the movie..). We were of a mixed mind about going to the exhibit. The ice carving is known to be quite intricate and impressive but, we are not big fans of the Ice Age movies. Fortunately, we decided to delay the planned Sunday afternoon visit until Monday morning before we left town. The owner of the small inn where we stayed told me at breakfast Monday that the exhibit was closed – explaining that on Sunday afternoon the tent over the exhibit had collapsed due to the weight of the snow! Imagine a much smaller versi
on of the RCA dome in Indy slowly collapsing! The good news is that no one was hurt. Apparently, the ice sculptures themselves held the tent up long enough for everyone inside to escape. Perhaps next year’s ice sculpture theme will interest us more and the tent will be sturdier!
on of the RCA dome in Indy slowly collapsing! The good news is that no one was hurt. Apparently, the ice sculptures themselves held the tent up long enough for everyone inside to escape. Perhaps next year’s ice sculpture theme will interest us more and the tent will be sturdier! So, we are home now until the day after Christmas. We will fly to Indiana for the week between Christmas and New Year’s and look forward to seeing family and good friends. We wish all of you the merriest of Christmases and all the best in 2010!
