Whatsit Wednesday - Kinderkoppen

Perhaps it sounds a bit funny, or maybe even gruesome. In Belgium and parts of The Netherlands we walk and drive over “children’s heads”. That is the literal translation of “kinderkoppen”. So instead of kindergarten (children’s garden), it’s all about their heads. English speakers talk simply of cobble stones. 

They are found in many yards as a beautiful way to lay a path through the garden. In the front of the house they might be the basis of the driveway and the walk to the front door. The name comes from the size of the stone. Each stone is more or less square and the size of a child’s head. 

Amazingly, streets are still laid - on purpose - with these stones. They can be laid in artistic forms, are easy to replace if a section of road is damaged, and last a good while. They do not freeze and break open in the winter. 

Laying such a street, however is quite labor intensive. I remember when the city of Maastricht renovated the shopping streets, they had to have special laborers brought in from Portugal. These streets are section of downtown where cars are not allowed to drive. They are full of walking tourists and shoppers. 

Kinderkopjes may be beautiful and make nice streets and paths, but not everyone is happy about them. Bicycle races are well-known for their grueling sections of cobbled roads. Paris-Roubaix is a good example of this. The aforementioned shopping streets in Maastricht are a torment for ladies in high heels. So much so that the city made sure to also have a section of walking street with smooth stones - polished children’s heads. 

Whensday - Beginning of the Euro

We live on the border of two countries: Belgium and The Netherlands. We live in Belgium and the church meets in Maastricht, in the Netherlands. A river (which is 500 meters from our backyard) is the border. This means that we can shop in both countries with ease. The two countries sell different things and often have differing prices for the same things. Peanut butter is cheaper in The Netherlands than in Belgium, for example. 

When we first came to The Netherlands and Belgium in 1991 we had to make sure we had the right currency. I had to have a wallet with at least two section for the various bills from the two countries. I carried the coins from one country in the right pocket and those from the other country in the left. 

In 2000 that all changed when the Euro was finally implemented. A year before that our banks had been doing things in Euro as a sort of test. But the background and preparation for this change had been coming for a long time. The basis for the Euro was agreed on in the Maastricht Treaty on February 7,1992. At that time the 12 EU countries agreed on a common currency. We started meeting as a congregation in Maastricht this same month (which had nothing to do with this treaty, of course).

It took several years after the change in 2000 for us to get used to thinking in euro’s. The Belgian franc translated into 40 francs to 1 euro. The Dutch guilder was 2 guilders to 1 euro. We were constantly translating in our heads. But it was still quite clear that suddenly everything became quite a bit more expensive. A coffee that used to cost 2 guilders now cost 2 euro! 

But it has made things easier for travel. No longer do I need to carry around two different sets of coins or pay attention to which currency notes I am using. I can pay in any European country with the same currency and can easily transfer funds from one country to the next. The new century brought this new - what was it: ease or trouble? 

(Check out these Dutch coins. Yes, that is a 2 1/2 Guilder coin)

California Cool, part 1

Furlough stage 5

Flying in over Los Angeles, we all got that California feeling:
“Look at all those pools!”
“Did you see the ocean?”
“Okay, the 405 to the 5, or was it the 10? Traffic looks pretty good.”
We were met by David Cron with his familiar smile and welcoming heart. Then we went out to the palm trees of southern California. We were wondering what this stay would be like since we were staying with a family we had never really met before – Kerry and Marisol Jablonski and their two kids, Zoey and Tiger. But we have always been warmly welcomed by our brothers and sisters in Christ and this was no different. Isn’t it great to be part of this family!!

As we walked into the Jablonski home and through the kitchen to the back yard Sean asked, “Am I dead, cause this sure looks like heaven.” Palm trees, banana trees, a pool with waterfalls all welcomed us in. Even better, Kerry and Marisol opened their hearts as well as their home to us. We have been so blessed with the families we have stayed with at each stop – all of them truly making us feel at home while being in their home. This house and family was no different. The first evening included some time for the boys in the pool and the hot-tub, and then off for a really good nights sleep.

One of the things the church in Long Beach wanted us to be able to do while here was to relax. Naturally there were many families who wanted to see us again (and who we wanted to visit) and there were those who wanted to hear about the work, but the idea was also to get plenty of down time. Our first week was a perfect example of this. We were able to go over to the Cron’s house and eat some great home-made pizza while visiting about the work and our lives together. During the day we had plenty of time to lounge around the pool, sit in the cool pool house working on emails or go garage-saling (that sounds interesting – can you imagine a sailing a garage?).

One of the nice things about staying with the Jablonskis was that they allowed us to be part of their family whiel there. They ahd planned a wedding reception for Kerry’s brother and new bride and we were able to help set up and take part. It was a wonderful evening of family and fun (check out the hula dancers and cake pictures on the flickr site). We were so honored to be able to expereince this together with them. The boys even got to earn some extra spending money and gain some experience serving as waiters during the reception.

Which brings us to shopping. Since we were worried earlier in the trip about how many bags we could fit in the rental car, we kept purchases to a minimum – even though we usually plan on buying some things while in the States (shoes, jeans, towels are usually cheaper here). So far we had found a few things at garage sales and had crammed them into spaces in our current luggage. Butu now we could expand a bit – and we did. Sean was especially happy to find soccer shoes (football shoes) at a MUCH better price than at home, while Scott got some shorts (he had packed at the last minute and didn’t have any warm weather clothes). This would of course mean repacking with wisdom, but we were ready for that.

While here we have also spent plenty of time with the church family. Scott preached on Sunday morning and the boys headed off with the youth group Sunday afternoon and evening (check out some of those pictures as well). But we also had plenty of time swimming in the pool, visiting downtown Long Beach, getting to know the kittens in the house, and just relaxing with this church family.

Next time I will talk about the rest of the time in California (San Diego, Santa Monica, Universal studios and beautiful downtown Burbank).