Eurocation 2019, Tuesday
On Tuesday of our vacation, we spent the morning riding bicycles into town and shopped for kids’ shoes. Somehow, I ended up with a new pair of shoes, too. Yay me 🙂 Anyway, James’ kids loved the European way of shopping. Because riding bikes to and from the city for a 5km round trip means being able to get an ice cream cone while you’re there. Our big problem in the United States is that two out of our four children react to the artificial dyes that are found in so many products, including lots of ice cream. Plus, sugar makes all kids more hyper anyway, so burning off that energy on the way home instead of taking them out for ice cream and then driving them back home to place them in front of their iPads like we do in the States, really works wonders.
We rode along little side stream to the Rhine, through picturesque woods. We ended up next to a field where the daffodils had already started blooming. Our 7-year-old asked to have her name permanently changed to “Flower Girl”.
In the afternoon, we drove into the Ruhrgebiet, an area of Germany that surrounds the river Ruhr, and is commonly known for its steel- and coal mines. Having been born in the city of Bochum (several coal mines!), I half-jokingly, half-lovingly refer to this area as “the Pittsburgh of Germany”.
My Godmother operates a B&B out there and, having met James in the summer of 2017 – after my daughter pleaded with him to come to Germany and France and he obliged without giving it a second thought – and desperately wanting to meet the rest of my “Großfamilie”, she agreed to letting all six of us stay with her for two nights, so we could do some sightseeing of the blue collar culture and history.
Ashley@Shakenstirredandblended
Hi, I'm Ashley and I am a freelance writer and editor for one local and one national publication. In my spare time, I teach foreign languages and manage two households. Oh, and raise four children. It's a crazy life that I chose and I love every second of it :o)
