Polish Pottery

While on our trip to eastern Germany we visited Poland.  When I found out that the Polish town of Boleslawiec was very close to the German border I added it to the itinerary.  I've recently discovered polish pottery and love using it.  All of the pottery from Poland is made in this town.  There are several factories and many outlet stores.  My friend gave us a hotel recommendation for a quaint barn remodel.  It had nice big rooms and unique atmosphere.  We enjoyed our stay there. 

Our family room with another room attached.  Everyone had a bed!

 Grandma and I went shopping in the morning while Daddy and Grandpa hung out with the boys.  It was a beautiful day and they had a great time at a playground down the street from the hotel.  We found some amazing deals and got lots of treasures to bring home.

Some of the many pieces.

Tea for two...or four.

Everything is microwave, oven and dishwasher safe.

Christmas pieces that I couldn't resist.

Platter and bowls

More bowls and bakeware

Lead free pottery

Dinner plates...too hard to choose just one pattern!

We also took a tour of one of the factories.  It was interesting to see how a piece is taken from the lump of clay naturally found outside the factory to a beautifully painted creation.  The boys loved it, too, and were excited to choose their own mug when we were done with the tour.

Ready to go on the tour.

They used the pottery everywhere...plantings outside, in the middle of roundabouts.

On the tour - asking questions:)

Pieces with the kiln

It was fun to see pieces that we recognized.

Carter, Liam, and Alex's choices:)

Netherlands Open Air Museum

In Arnhem, Netherlands there is an Open Air Museum with a collection of over 60 historic structures from around the Netherlands.  Many of them were moved here when a new train line or highway were going to demolish them.  There are different types of houses, barns, trains, business buildings, and of course windmills in a pleasant wooded setting.  They have a huge area to explore and experience life in the Netherlands.  Greg's parents were here visiting so while the others were working or at school, Kaleb and I took them to see historic Netherlands.  A nice way to enjoy a beautiful fall day!

Just like home:)

Windmills and Trains what more could we ask for!

Tractors, too!  Someone is VERY proud!:)

Checking out the chickens.

Cub Scouts

Another year of Cub Scouts has begun and the boys are excited.  The day the new caps and neckerchiefs came was a happy day!:) 
Cub Scouts was the one activity that they REALLY wanted to do this year.  If Alex and Carter could do nothing else after school, they just wanted to do Cub Scouts. 
I am the leader for the 3rd grade Bears this year.  We have a nice group of 5 boys so it's been fun.  Liam is in the 1st grade Tigers group of 4 boys.  They have a blast!
Here are some photos of them in their new uniforms.

Tiger L

Bear C:)

Bear A:)

Our Proud Scouts:  C, L, A

Cub Scouts...last year:)

Sorry, a post I never published but thought you'd still enjoy:) 
Alex and Carter have enjoyed Cub Scouts this year.  A group of ex-pat parents from the USA decided a few years ago to start a Boy Scouts of America Troop here in Dusseldorf.  They had volunteered in the States prior to coming over here and were prepared to continue.

There are actually BSA troops all over the world.  We are part of the Trans-Atlantic Council - Troop #162.  Pretty cool!  There are about 25 boys in our troop.

Alex and Carter have been working on their Wolf this year.  They even got to build a pinewood derby car for the race!  They had a nice group of 6 boys to be with.  They're already looking forward to next year!

Cochem, Germany

Cochem is along the Mosel River.

Rathaus (Town Hall) - couldn't get it to flip:)

Town square

We enjoyed a wonderful day in Cochem, Germany.  It is about 1.5 hours away (in good traffic).  Cochem is a beautiful town along the Mosel River.  This weekend was a wine festival so it was busier than normal, but still enjoyable.

The castle atop a hillside of vineyards

We hiked up to the Reichsburg (Imperial Fortress).  It took about 20 minutes and was pretty steep.  The boys did great...no complaints.  They enjoyed guiding us with the map we had gotten from the Tourist Information Center.  They did very well.

Mosel River

The castle is 1,000 years old!  There's a beautiful view of the town and Mosel from the top.  The tour was in German, but there was an English script that we could read which was informative.  The boys enjoyed reading it, too, which kept their attention.  The highlights were the 150 meter deep well, the backwards winding spiral staircase, the secret passage way, and the original false door that was put in to make the room symmetrical.

We also toured the 200 year old mustard mill (Historiche Senfmuhle).  Again, the tour was in German but we had an English text and the guide could speak English.  It was interesting to see how they still  use the old methods of making the mustard.  I'm not a fan of mustard, but Greg bought three specialty types (cayenne, honey, and a recipe from the 1500s).  The boys even tasted the mustard samples.  It's not ketchup but they were brave.
 

Crossing the Mosel to the Mustard Museum

Learning about mustard:)

Along the Mosel

Enjoying the playground!

After the tours and walking we gave the boys a break in the playground along the Mosel.  They had a blast playing a game they made up.  Kaleb even got in on the fun and played with a little German boy:)

Daddy and the boys heading home.

 

School Begins Again!

Today was the first day of school!  The boys were excited to see all of their friends and meet their new teachers.  The class lists were just published yesterday and everyone is pleased.  Alex and Liam both have male teachers which is new and exciting for them.  Carter is in class with lots of friends and a great teacher.

Ready for the 1st day!  Liam in 1st grade.  Alex and Carter in 3rd grade.

Waiting at our bus stop.

Our little town is completely under construction with three different sections of one lane traffic.  With all of this back-up and congestion we decided to get on the bus 30 minutes earlier than normal.  The bus gets delayed and we didn't want to be late on the first day of school.

On the bus...thinking about the day ahead.

It was a quiet ride in compared to how busy it usually is on the bus.  We got to Kaiserswerth 30 minutes early and ate our picnic breakfast.  So as to not have to get up too early, we didn't take the time to eat at home .  It was going to be a long day as it is! 
From there we caught the train two stops to school.  We still ended up early, but didn't have to wait too long.





Everyone gathered on the playground until the bell rang.  It was fun to see everyone after the summer.  Then, the kids each found their teacher who led them into their room.  Here they are waiting in their classes to enter the school.  They gave me a kiss and hug and were on their way to the new year!

Alex's teacher and class

Carter's teacher and class

Liam with his teacher and class