Politie - Part 2

I wrote a post a while ago about some of my super minor run-ins with the Poltitie since we've been in Gent. I also mentioned in that post that it didn't seem to me like there was as much of a police presence on the roads as there is in the U.S. Well, I have finally figured out their secret…CAMERAS!!! They are everywhere and, now that I know the secret, I feel very silly for not having realized this sooner. I mean, they really are everywhere! Unfortunately, I have now fallen victim to a traffic camera myself.

I got a letter in the mail several months ago informing me that I had committed a traffic violation and that they had caught it on camera. The first thing I tried to do was blame it on Cole! Of course, the offense happened on a day and time and in an area where Cole would have never been, so there was no way to pawn this off on him. So, I had to take the blame! After some help from friends to translate the paperwork, we were told that I had run a red light and would be fined. I really don't remember running a red light…I know that sounds like I'm playing innocent, but I consider myself to be a pretty good driver and am, in general, a very good follower of the rules of the road.  It was a big surprise to hear that I had run a red light and didn't even know it. Anyway, I had to send in paperwork stating that I either had committed the offense and would pay a fine, or I hadn't and would be fighting the charge. Cole and I decided that, even though I didn't think I had run a red light, that we would not fight the charge because we are in a foreign country, don't really speak the language, don't always understand the culture, and last but not least, I was in the country without a visa or residency card and didn't want to get in trouble for that. So we returned the paperwork to the police station and were told that we would either be sent the fine amount in the mail, or appear in court. Thankfully, we were just sent a letter in the mail…not so great, the fine amount was €175!!! Needless to say, I am very mindful of all the cameras throughout the city and on the highways and am doing my best to never receive one of those letters ever again!!

Half Term Holidays - Part 2, Trip to Cologne

As I mentioned in my last post, we had a fun filled break from school last week. We ended our break with a quick weekend trip to Cologne, Germany. It was a very last minute decision, as in, I booked our hotel four hours before we left! We left after dinner on Friday night, drove two and a half hours and got to our hotel and settled in for the night. We actually stayed in a nice family room in a hostel…with a private bathroom! The room even had bunk beds which Cameron called a tree house. The boys loved climbing and playing on the "tree house!"

On Saturday morning, we had a nice breakfast at the hostel and then headed out for the day. We started out by letting the boys run around the city a bit.

Excited to go explore!

After we got rid of some energy, we headed toward the Cathedral. I have seen many churches in Europe, but in my opinion, this one is the most breathtaking churches from the outside that I have seen so far. It is so huge and intricately crafted…just beautiful! These pictures can't and don't do it justice!

It's also beautiful inside!

We had some time to kill after our tour of the Cathedral before our mini-train tour through the city, so what else would we do but go to the train station and watch some real trains?

Waiting patiently for the mini-train to arrive!

Here comes the train!

We took the train through some parts of Cologne and then walked across the Rhine River to get to the Rheinpark. It's a huge, beautiful park with so much for kids to do.

We obviously rode another mini-train through the park because you can never ride enough trains!

Watching our train leave

After the park, we walked back across the river to catch our mini-train back to the center of Cologne so we could get some lunch and let the boys (and us) nap.

Beautiful view of Cologne from the bridge over the river

Waiting for the train

Sleepy boy on the ride back

 In the evening, we had dinner at one of the famous breweries in Cologne called Früh. We were able to sit outside and enjoy some yummy German food. 

Special brewery sausage with fried potatoes and cabbage salad

Marinated beef with red cabbage and dumplings

We also had some delicious gelato for dessert

And made one last stop at the Cathedral before going back to the hostel for the evening.

Sunday morning, we once again let the boys run around and play as boys do before heading out to explore.

After some playing, we drove to the Cologne Triangle to get a panoramic view of the city.

Climbing to the top!

Cologne Triangle

Watching the trains below

We had a little time afterwards before we needed to head home, we we spent some time walking along the Rhine River.

It was fun to be spontaneous and spend a beautiful weekend together as a family, but I was happy to be back in Gent (and to see Dutch) when we arrived home!