Chocolate Planet

            I woke up at 8:30 and Tara was still sleeping. So I went over and slipped into my mom and dad's bed. As always, my mom was already awake reading on her kindle. My dad was just relaxing but he agreed to play with me silently. When Tara woke up at 9:30, we all got dressed, ate breakfast,  and slipped our backpacks on. Then we boarded on the train to Brussels. We got there and walked around looking at old buildings, towers, and of course going in and out of the chocolate stores. There might of been at least one hundred chocolate stores lining the streets. If you're lucky, sometimes they'd have samples that we stuffed our mouths full with. The best sample I had was probably the cream truffle, it was so good. 

              After looking around, we ate a lunch of hamburgers and fries. It was surprisingly a big lunch. Tara couldn't even finish hers!!! ( That is very odd for Tara. ) We looked around, ate more chocolate, and sat in the square before we decided to go home. It was 5:30 by the time we reached our hotel. Since we weren't very hungry, we just ate some cheese for dinner. I took a shower, jumped in my PJ's and I'm now blogging. Ahhhh, that chocolate taste is still lingering in my mouth. 🍩

Don't Lean Forward

             This morning we woke up and blogged. My mom and dad were gone getting us croissants, so our room was peaceful. Then they came back and I ate yogurt with croissant. Yum. Afterwards, I took what I call an hour shower. It was so relaxing. I jumped into warm clothes and then headed out the door. Rain clouds filled the sky making it look gloomy and colerless. We learned about the history of the castles, and other boring stuff. Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah. Balh. Blah. Then we paid 12 euros to go to the top of the bell tower. It was terrifying. The cars and people seemed so small, I could pick them up and start playing with them like dolls. I just don't get it, I thought I wasn't afraid of heights. I even went off the high dive at the swimming pool. The high dive people!!! The high dive!!! ( Sigh. )

                 Anyway, I hurried down the steps as fast as I could go and reached bottom. We looked for lunch and finally found a market with a restaurant. I got a cheese burger with fries, Tara got the same thing, and my dad had a Quinoa saled. ( As always, my mom could'nt have anything. ) Then we shopped, ate fries, and walked around until I got a Belgian waffle. But I accidentally got one that wasn't fresh. It wasn't very good. Tara got one just like me, but with strawberries and whipped cream. Hers was better. Eating dinner next to the river, seemed like a wonderful idea. So we got sandwiches, salmon, egg, pasta, and lettuce to eat. Now were are in our beds waiting for are next adventure to happen. Remember, when you're on top of the bell tower, I wouldn't suggest leaning forward. 🐩 :)

 

Hold You're Horses

              This morning I woke up and ate a very small breakfast-a banana. Then we went to the train station to take a 30 minute train to Brugge. Brugge is a big city full of history, shopping, and and a whole lot of chocolate stores (The chocolate tasting isn't yet, so hold you're horses. ) That is, if you have any horses to hold. If you don't have any horses to hold, I bet you could rent a horse and hold that. Wait a second, we can't hold a horse though. They are way to heavy. Anyway, we rented two tandoms to ride to the flea market for lunch. 

                We ended up riding to Damme and ate lunch at a sandwhich shop. I got a Hawaiin pizza on a baggette, Tara got and cheese and tomato sandwich, and my dad got a ham and cheese sandwhiche. My mom, surprisingly, tried a gluten free sandwich, and so far she hasn't had any migraines. She loved it. Whenever I'm curious about a new food she's bought, when she eats some, I just know it's gross. 

We rode back to Brugge as soon as we were done eating, and headed, of course, for the chocolate testing.

                  We got to Brugge and found a chocolate shop. We got carmel chocolates, creamy fillings, walnut, coffee, milk, stuff like that. Then we got to eat it all. Yum. Yum. And more yum. After that we walked around until we found a Mc Donald's to eat at ( Once again, we are so adventurous). We returned our bikes and took the train home. Oh ya, you can let your horses go now.  

Ghent, Waffle Heaven

                This morning woke up and went downstairs. It was about 8:45 at the time I got to eat a wonderfull breakfast of oatmeal. Tara woke up at 9:00, and we all got dressed and ready for our train to Ghent at 10:52. Just before we got on the train we bought croissants to eat later. Well, I couldn't wait until later. It was yummy. We were on the train for about two hours, before we got off at Antwerp. While we were there I ate a good lunch of burritos. Then we got on our next train that took an hour. Finally we got to Ghent, where we got on a tram taking us closer to our hotel. 

                 Our hotel is really fancy. There's glass covering most of the building, a tidy bar, and rooms with fresh sheets. It might be a little small, but it's still comfy. We walked around until we ate a dinner of Subway. ( We are so adventurous. ) I took a warm shower before bed, but there was one thing I couldn't stop thinking about. We didn't get to have a waffle, in waffle heaven. Shame. Shame.

Minors

                 This morning we woke up and ate a breakfast of eggs. My egg didn't turn out well at all, it stuck to the pan and and ended up burning itself off. Then it was all crusty and chewy. Anyway enough talk about eggs, let's move on. We went on a boat to the flea market. The flea market is shops from around amsterdam coming in one place. So the people only have to go to that on place to get all the food and clothing they need, instead of going from store to store. It also helps the people selling to get more profit. Unfortantly, it was closed for some kind of holiday. So we walked around to find some lunch.

                   We finally ate at a grocery store that was was pretty good. I got a sandwich with orange juice, Tara got pesto noodles with Mozzarella balls, and my dad got a sandwich like me. My mom, well, she couldn't have any of it. In Amsterdam they have lots of what they call Stroop waffles. They are basicly mini waffles with carmel filling inside, yum! We had that for dessert. 

                    Then we went to the Gassan diamond factory. You got to see glimmering jewels, and the workers in process of making them. 80% of all the diemomds they find are in the shape of a diamond. The rest of it was really sales. We went back intending to get on the boat, but they had no more room. So we walked home and on the the way got some mouth watering fries. For dinner we had cheese and meat, with crackes and apples. 

                      Let me just say, we couldn't go to sleep that night. So Tara and I made a heap with all the pillows and blankets, and played minors. We also snuck downstairs spying on my mom and dad. But alas we got caught, and we had to back to our boring beds. And if you listened closely that dark night, you may of heard us clinking away in our pile of blankets seeking for gold. 

Windmill Fun

            This morning we woke up at 8:00 to eat a breakfast of oatmeal. Then my mom and dad left to go see if they could pick up bikes for us to ride later on. While they did that Tara and I cleaned up, got dressed, and watched the Hobbit until they came back. We couldn't find tandoms anywhere so we took the train insted. It was about a fifteen minute train ride, then a fifteen minute walk to Zaanse Schans. It was a cute little town filled with sheep, windmills, and shops. We found a comfortable bench whare we had yummy sandwhiches for lunch ( I considered it a picnic. ) 

              We walked around and looked at the wooly sheep that lay in the long green fields. There were lots of rivers running about, and plenty of goats near it. We even got to feed them. One of the stores we went into was a baking store. I bought a tiny baking set, it was the cutest thing I've ever seen!!! The windmills were huge. I went up in one and I felt like I could see the whole wide world. The grass that waved in the wind, then rolling hills, and the waveless waters. When we were done, we went home enjoy a delightful meal of disgusting leftovers ( While watching the Hobbit!!! ) Time to watch some more movie, bye!!! Sorry, I'm addicted. 

Visiting villiges

              We woke up at 7:30 and ate a breakfast of eggs, toast, jam, butter, oatmeal, yogurt, and fruit. Then we took a bus to Edam, who's famos for their cheese. Our bus took about 15 minutes. Finally we arrived at cute little town filled with lots of shops. We walked around until we found a good place for lunch. We had sandwhiches. In our sandwiches we had their famous Edam Cheese, it was good. 

                After that we went on another bus to Volendam. It took about 15 minutes also. We soon roamed around busy streets filled with big shops. It was near the sea side so there was an amazing amount of fish and chips. Since the next place we were going to was by the sea also, mom said we could get some there. We eventually found ourselves in a cheese shop, piled to the top with cheese wheels. There were bowls of cheese that people could freely eat. Once we were done we went on a 30 minute boat to Marken.

               Marken was different than both of them. It's mostly farmland filled with sheep, goats, and cows. The best part is that we got fish'n chips there (keibling). We also went to a clog making factory where there are clogs all over! We took a 30 minute bus ride back and had a dinner of shrimp, sausage, noodles, and tomato. ( While watching the Hobbit!!! ) Bye!!!

Amsterdam

               We woke up at 7:30 and moaned in bed " it's to early! " and " give us more time!" Before we acctully got up. Once we did, I ate a breakfast of cereal and tea. Then I got dressed and went to the train. Unfortunately, I locked the door to the bathroom just before we had to go. I was locked inside while my mom panicked that we were going to be late. Really, what about me? Finally, the stubborn door released me just in time for us to run to the train station. We got on the train to Cologne and sat there for an hour and forty five minutes. We weren't staying at Cologne, we just stopped to see thefamous  Cologne Cathedral. It was huge! They built it that way so you can feel tiny compared to God, and it worked ( Especially for me). When we were done looking around, we went on the train to Amsterdam.

              Oh, and at the train station we ate a lunch of sandwiches. We spent three hours on the train and during that time I mostly read The Hobbit. Love that book! We got off the train and went to our hotel  afterwards. We had some trouble finding it but it was all worth it when we got there. There is a big kitchen and living room, lovely sweet smelling bedrooms, and a big TV with plenty of movies. They even have the Hobbit!!! ( Sorry, I'm addicted. ) After we settled in, we walked along the Jordaan Neighborhood. Then I got hamburgers for dinner. HAMBURGERS! ( Sorry I'm addicted to that too). We also had some French fries, they were double fried. Just thingk of it, fries double fried. Amazing. Truly amazing. We walked around afterwards and ventured into a cheese shop. We got the cheese you wanted Mrs. Vanduurson!!! Then we went home and snuggled in our beds. Night!

Hiking's scary

            This morning we woke up, got dressed, and headed for the train station. For breakfast I had yogurt and a bite of Tara's chocolate chip muffin. ( It was good! ) Then we jumped on the train to Moselkern. Once we got there, we hiked through some kinda widerness to the castle. Normally I don't mind the bugs, but there were snakes! And of course I was the only one who almost stepped on a baby snake. When we got there we ate a lunch of sandwhiches and chips. Then we had to wait thirty minutes until our tour of the castle bagan. He talked about the kitchen, how they used a big block of wood for cutting. He also showed a picture of a boy three months old dressed like an adult. The boy had a wig, a fine suit, and a very adult-like face. The parents liked their pictures of their children to be very mature. 

               After the castle tour I got some sparkling apple juice for the way down. The way down was just as bad. Little slimy things would hide in the bushes that I had know idea what they were. Finally, after 1.5 hours, we made it back to the station where we took the train back to Cochem. We ate ice cream before we had our dinner of Brauts. ( RARE. ) Afterwards I took a shower before I hopped in bed. Wishing all the creepy crawly things wouldn't eat me while I'm asleep. (:-)

Cochem

            This morning we woke up a 8:30 and went downstairs for breakfast. For breakfast we had bread, jam, yogurt, eggs, Nutella, crackers, orange juice, milk, tea, water, cearl, butter, cream cheese, fruit, and croissants. We were leaving on a train to Cochem in about an hour, so we went and walked around by the little shops. Over the years I've been teaching Tara to be a tom boy. It had'nt worked at all even over the months of teaching. But it was worth it today when Tara bought her very own sword.  They say that little sisters learn from the big, but in this case it's the other way around.  Anyway, after that we took our bags and went on the train to Cochem. We went off the train welcomed by cobblestone streets that wound throughout a town. We soon found ourselves in a very comfortable apartment. 

           Once we unpacked we went and got ourselves a lunch of sandwiches then walked around. We saw a castle up on a hill, it had a neat view. Then we ate a dinner of pasta, and meat. Now were snuggled in our beds. " Night! "

Inside The Castle Walls

            Today I woke up at 8:00 and went downstairs for breakfast. For breakfast I had bread with jam and butter. Then we took our bags and stumbled back down the 350 stairs of our hotel, to go to the village below. ( By the way we stayed at a castle on top a hill. ) Once we got to the village we dropped our bags off at our new hotel and the we walked to the ferry that we were going to take to Braubach. We sat on the deck and looked out on the famous Rhine River. Along the way we passed plenty of beautiful castles. Some sat high on hills, some sitting low on the water, and others just on the banks of the river. They had a Subway on the boat so that's where we had lunch. Finally, we got to Braubach. We walked around eventually finding a train we took to St. Goar. 

              At St. Goar, we visited the Rheinfels Castle. It was mostly broken, and every once in a a while you'd see a dark deep hole so you could go in the and wander around in complete darkness. So cool! Tara hates it, I think she's just afraid of the dark. Sometimes you'll find a rock shaped like a bone. So when you say " Skeleton! " she freaks. I'm such a nice sister :)  

               After the castle we went to the town to shop. We found somthing interesting called Children's wine. It was really good, luckily it was onley grape juice. We ate a dinner of brauts, by the way they are famous for it. We headed back on a train and snuggled in our new beds. Miss you all!

Train Trouble

           Today I woke up and took a warm shower. Then I got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. Breakfast was yogurt, fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, milk, tea, orange juice, croissants,pretzel bagels, butter, strawberry jam, blueberry jam, pickles, ham, cheese, turkey, dips, and hard boiled eggs. ( Whew, why are breakfasts always so long? ) After breakfast we went to the Crime And Punishment Museum. Just speaking aloud here, back then people were unbelievably cruel to people who did somthing wrong. There's one machine that slowly stretches you until it pulls all of your bones and limbs apart. Your arms go way more then just out of socket. Another holds your legs in place while someone crushes them with a hammer. If you did somthing as little as falling asleep at church, a large chain would be placed on your neck. 

             After the museum we did a little shopping. Tara bought a wallet and I bought a real sword. It's not that sharp but you sure could kill someone with it. It's so cool! Then we went to the train station. We ate a lunch of sandwhiches, then got on the train. When we were on the second train we assumed we were going to Frankfurt, somthing sure did seem a bit wrong. It took us a whole hour to figure out we were on the wrong train. Once we came to the next stopping point we turned around, and that's where I am now. Stuck on this twisty turny train. I'm going to be late for supper.  

The Walled City

          Today I woke up and went downstairs to make tea. My Mom was getting fresh croissants for breakfast, my Dad was taking a warm shower, and Tara was still sleeping.  I boiled water and put into the kettle. Next, I added the tea bags and the sugar. When Tara woke up I served it to her. My mom came back just in time so we could have the tea with the croissants, it was a yummy breakfast. After that we got dressed and went to the train station to take six different trains. Three of them we were running with our bags halfway toppling down the stairs. Once we had a break on the train, we would pull out our sandwiches for lunch and start eating. We could'nt miss any of the trains, or we'd have to stay at the train station for a hour. Luckily, we didn't.

           Eventually we arrived at what they called the walled city. Oo ooh, spooky! Ok, not really. Anyway, we went out of our hotel, which was pretty awful. Our hotel is a small squishy room containing three beds. Then we walked around inside the wall looking for dinner. We found  a place for dinner in no time. I had spatzel,  Tara had spatzel with pork, and my dad had spatzel with chicken. ( No need to count my mom because all she had was plain chicken and fries). After dinner we walked around some more and met next to a church for our tour.

           A guy came with a torch, a lantern, and a horn to tell us the history of Rothenburg. It was very intersting. Did you know back then most of Rottenburg's citizens went away in the summer because of the bad smell?  The street was filled with all sort of cattle that certainly did their part. And every morning people would dump ( the suff ) in their chamber pots out the window. They would shout, " Down!" So people in the village would know when to get out of the way. In the summer it got so hot, dry, and smelly. People who could afforded to move into the country, did. It was nine by the time we were done, so went back to the hotel to get a good nights sleep. 

 

Hike On A Licorice Stick

           Today I woke up at 8:00 and made morning tea. We ate a good breakfast of croissants. Then we got dressed for our long hike to Eguisheim. We walked through the town by the train station until we got to a vineyard. We followed a little mud path that twisted back and forth like a licorice stick. Finally we could see a little town, once we got closer we could see little bakeries and pretzel shops lining the street. We were all starving for lunch so we got three salt pretzels, three quiches, and one sugar pretzel. 

          We looked around, shopped, and ate. Finally we were done so we went on a bus and drove home. When we got home we looked around our own town checking out the shopping, food, history-same thing really. For dinner Tara made a salad with nuts, olive oil, salt, pepper, meat, cheese, and of course, lettuce. ( Tara made it mom friendly because it's my mom's birthday ) After that we wiggled around in our bed like worms in a hole, while my dad told us a story. We shut off the light and closed our eyes. "Good night!" ( Well, I guess good afternoon for you. )  

Chocolate Factory

            This morning we woke up in our hotel in Switzerland at 7:30. We got dressed and headed out the door for our hike to the the chocolate factory. The hike was long, but cute. The were plenty of cows and sheep that roamed around next to us. Switzerland is such a beautiful place. The hills are light green with dark green trees surrounding it. ( lots of cattle eat the green grass there. ) 

            When we got to the factory we paid at the desk. Then looked around the store while waiting for the tour to start. We got tiny chocolate phones that we got so we could listen to to the tour. It was very interesting. ( Did you know when you eat chocolate and breathe through youre teeth, you can taste it better? ) Anyway, then we went to the tasting area. ( The best part! ) There were pounds of different kinds of chocolates. Ones drizzeled with carmal, ones filled with fudge, and others drenched in chocolate. Hopefully you get the point, It's so good!!! After that we went into the gift shop and bought nine chocolate bars. ( Yum ) Then I ate a lunch of sandwich. 

               We went back to the hotel, got our bags, then went on a two hour train to Murten. When we got there, we went to our new hotel and put our bags in our room. It has a huge kitchen, 

 two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living room. My family and I were starving so we took a walk around the town to find dinner. First, we found a sandwich shop and ate there. After dinner we walked on the city wall. That's were the Burganese war happened. They tried to get into the city but the Swiss stayed strong and won the war. When we came back to the hotel we were still hungry to we made buttered noodles, and garlic bread without the garlic. Oh, the noodles are ready, bye!

Long Hike

         We woke up 7:35 and got dressed for breakfast. We had orange juice, pineapple juice, pineapple juice mixed with orange juice, omlett, toast, jam, honey, yogurt, milk, coffee, cereal, eggs, saussage, cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, and fruit saled ( whew. ) Then we got on a bus and headed for Fira. Once we got there, we looked around at the shops and started our hike down to Oia. It was a very pretty hike with all the blue and white houses crowding the cliff. I'm sure I could find no way to describe it. Ok, maybe I'd like to think that I loved the hike, but let me just tell you....................." IT WAS SO TIRING!!! " Well, you get the point.

               We ate lunch in Oia and walked around it's streets until we wanted to go home. We were going to take a bus, but we decided to take an ATV bike. It was so scary! The wind would pick up your hair and lash at you using it like a whip. At least everybody else liked it. We ate a dinner then went back to the hotel. I need to get some sleep. Bye!!!

Saying goodbye

             Today we woke up and went downstairs for breafast. For breakfast we had hot chocolate, orange juice, toast with butter and jam, and slices of cake. Then we said goodbye to Vivian and boarded on the ship for Santorini. Our ride was really bumpy. Every wave that came crashing into our ship sent us rolling forward the backward. You had to hold onto the the railing in order to not fall over. We ate a lunch on the boat of hambergers and fries. Finally, we reached the island and went on a taxi to our hotel. 

Once we got there we looked around the place. In the front, there is a garden full of flowers and trees that smelled lovely. In the back, there is a pretty pool with a bar next to it serving delicious drinks. Our room is one big room. We had a bathroom, small kitchen, two beds and a tiny living room containing a TV.  We then went to the beach after that and almost died of coldness (we had to take a warm shower afterwards. ) Then we ate a dinner of meat, cheese, crackers, butter, and fruit. And here we are sitting in bed exhausted from the day. Need to go to bed!!! .............( snore ) .................( snore ).ect.

Fishing

            Today we woke up at 5:45 and got ready for the long day ahead of us. We took the train to where the fairy was, then we went four hours south on the boat to Paros. The boats veiw was lovely. The sea was rolling like green valleys, up and down. Finally we came to a stop and loaded our arms full with stuff once again. Arriving at a hotel, we unloaded our things and took a look around for some food. Then, coming across a pizza restront changed our ideas for other food. That's when I met an interesting girl named Vivian.

             She came from Germany and is staying there for the summer. She loves going fishing, and is very lonely because she knows how to speak English but not Greek. We became good friends and tomorrow I'm meeting her for a fishing trip on the ocean. Tonight we went and caught 4 sea urchins, 34 fish, 1 eal, and 6 snails. It's 9:15 and I ought to get to bed. Bye:)

Piles of rock

      We woke up this morning at 9:00, ( really good for vacation! ) We ate a breakfast of cereal and milk, then we went out the door. First, we went to the Acropolis,  really? I mean, all we're staring at is big old pillars partly destroyed! You see, In China we looked at bricks, and now we're staring at a pile of rocks.

Weird. Really weird. Come on, tell me people, what is wrong with this family? I'm not asking for bad things about me though, ( because sadly I think there's plenty. ) 

           Anyway, after that we went and saw other piles of rocks, museums, and other boring things.  Then we went to go eat lunch. For lunch we shared kabobs, fries, pita bread, and a Greek salad. We walked around some more and entered some place called Agora. We looked at the gardens, Tara dumped her water all over me, blah blah blah blah. Ah, finally to the fun stuff. When we got home Tara fixed up some things for dinner.  Toasted bread with melted cheese and tomato, noodles with cheese olive oil, salt and pepper, and fresh cut fruit. Now were cuddled in our beds  bloging or reading. Bye!!!

Long day

           After getting off the long flight for Athens, we went to our hotel. They brought us to whare we would be staying and left us to unpack. Our hotel containes two rooms, a hallway and a bathroom. The first room has a nice looking kitchen,  three plastic chairs surrounds a small table laid near the center. It also has a bed in the corner with a bookshelf, TV, and desk. Next, there's a long hallway with a bathroom, eventually leading to another big bed with a balcony. 

            After getting settled we took an hour nap, ( which still was not enough ) then set off to explore the town. The people were nice, and some of them were even hugging me because of my blue eyes. The day was long and tiring and the sun seemed to tear at me. Because of the time change, I feel like partying all night and sleeping all day! Luckily, I am getting used to it and beggining to sleep at night and party all day. Well it night and I should get to bed. ( it's 11:29 am you're time. ) Bye!!!

A long boring trip

Right now were we're in the plane making our way to Philadelphia. In the plane it is cold and noisy, (which is'nt a good mix.) All you can see out my window are white clouds pressing against the glass. You have to sit down on a hard seat and stay there. I mean, where are the soccer fields? Now we're just beggining to land and blue sky is coming into view. When we get to the airport we are allowed to have lunch, I can't wait. 

             Tara's watching a movie, my mom is taking a nap, and my dad.....well......let me just say he is playing with his tounge. We had to wake up at four this morning Really, I need some more of what people call sleep!!! Well, see you later. I am going to go watch my dad move his tounge around, it's actually entertaining! Sort of........bye!