Farewell GGMA...

While I was growing up in California, I thought of my grandmother, who visited about every 5 years, as the Wicked Witch of the East (not the actual one from the movie, but perhaps one of her cousins). I was terrified of her after she threatened to put her fork through my cheek for eating ice (later, she said she hadn't realized I was too young to understand her sense of humor).

In 1997, newborn Veronica and I tagged along on a business trip to Miami. It wasn't until Jimmy's sister asked if I was going to visit my grandmother that I even considered the option, although I wasn't thrilled with the idea. To my delight, something very unexpected happened -- we became friends. Perhaps, she was still a bit of a Witch, but she's my Witch and I love her. She was articulate, thoughtful, opinionated, stubborn, independent, optimistic, very funny and fashionable (which is a rare trait in the 80+ crowd).

That first visit turned into an annual tradition of the two of us spending a long weekend together. She also came to visit us twice in North Carolina while she still had the energy to travel. Sadly, I put off calling her this month as we worked on which dates we'd be visiting this summer, and now it's too late. She'll always have a special place in my heart, and I know her spirit continues in me and my daughters. She started calling us "Suitcase Kids" years ago, so her spirit will also continue here in my blog. Here's hoping we'll all be as cool as her when we're in our 80's!

Erma Tina "Copenhagen" Zarkin 11/7/1919-1/28/2007 shown here in February 2005

Is Batman a New Religious Leader?

A man from a small town in Southern Holland has managed to get an official Netherlands ID card with a photo of himself made up to look like the Joker from Batman. By claiming that the make-up and hat were part of his religious beliefs, he managed to get around strict new rules for ID cards and passports. These rules state that the mouth must be closed and laughing is banned, but apparently smirking isn't. Head scarves are acceptable on religious grounds as long as the entire face is clearly visible.

For some peculiar reason, the town council approved the photo. Perhaps they belong to some strange religious sects themselves, so they didn't feel they could deny him. The man, who works as a security guard at Parliament protecting the Prime Minister's offices, told a radio station that he "wanted to show the rules were not up to scratch". Since he's been seen around town without the make-up, the council has now said he misrepresented himself and the ID is void. Sounds like the joke's on them.

Valuable Lessons Learned - Part 6

* When meeting your dad's oldest friend, who just happens to be jazz pianist Chick Corea, remembering to bring the digital camera along to the concert in Amsterdam isn't enough. You also have to remember to bring a memory card. Luckily Chick's personal assistant had a camera phone handy; seeing that meager camera gave Jimmy a great excuse to volunteer to play photographer at their Rotterdam concert a few nights later.

* Don't trust the train schedules on New Year's Eve. Luckily, we didn't learn this the hard way, but two of our guests did. Kathy and her daughter had the fun of watching the 1:30am train go by and not stop for them. To make things more interesting, the riot police were nearby dealing with some rowdy youths (thankfully, this type of insanity only tends to happen on New Year's Eve). Luckily the fellow cleaning up broken glass from his business outside the station helped her by calling a cab. After an expensive cab ride, she'll remember another lesson--if a friend offers a bed late at night, take it.

The Coolest Carousels...

As we wandered through Brussels' Christmas market, we happened upon the most creative carousels we've ever seen. There were 2 versions of Le Manege d'Andrea, animals and toys; they were built in the 1990's in the style of the 1800's. Every figure is completely different and has moving parts for the kids to control. This photo doesn't come close to capturing how whimsical and magical this ride was. The girls had to climb a ladder to get on. Instead of going up and down, this bird is going back and forth out past the normal circumference of the ride. They got to control his head and wings. On the toy carousel, there was a rocket that actually went up through a hole in the top. Sadly, they didn't have any seats for adults.

A Little "Pis" in Brussels...

No trip to Brussels is complete without seeing the infamous Manneken Pis (Little Man Piss). While his history dates back to 1388, this particular 2-foot bronze statue was made in 1619. Rumor has it he supposedly dispensed beer in the past. We were a few days late to see him wearing his Christmas costume, which is just one of over 100 he wears at different times of the year.

An Afternoon in Brussels...

While Jimmy has been to Brussels for work, I'd never had a chance to visit. Since we had to change trains there and Jimmy knew where to find lockers big enough for all our packs, we decided to stop for lunch. This is the impressive Grand Place, the main square with a town hall built in 1455. Most of the buildings above were rebuilt in 1700 after 70,000 French soldiers flattened the majority of them in retaliation for an earlier attack. We'd hoped to see the holiday light show in the square, but it started raining just as it got dark, so we hopped on a train home instead.

Valuable Lessons Learned in France...

* Make sure the Chateau doors are securely closed. After taking photos of the icy sunrise, one of the doors was left ajar and this little finch found his way inside. Guess he liked the warmth because opening the windows didn't help to coax him outside, so Jimmy had to catch him.

* If someone says "GROSS" while walking through the Paris Metro, trust them. Whatever they've seen will definitely be gross, so there's no need to actually turn your head and be tortured by sights best unseen.