Living in the sun!

[Natan: 4y • 1m• 21d]
[Kai: 7m • 16d]

Natan's Quote of the Day

"Why is it raining?" Natan says in the car from the airport
"Because it rain's in Belgium." I answer
"Why does it rain in Belgium?" Natan continues
"Because it is farther north and colder and it rains I guess." I anwered
"But, why is it colder here?" Natan says
"Because we are not in France anymore where it is warm." I said
"Why are we not in France anymore?" Natan says
"Because we live in Belgium" I answer
"Where it rains? But why do we live where it rains?" Natan looks confused
To this I do not answer, because also I am wondering the same thing!


We are back! After two weeks of fabulous sun and amazing sites we were all ready to return to our home in Brussels, but the plane descended and we went through layer after layer of clouds just to pop out in time to see the grey land fastly approaching and the rain beating against the plane. I was thinking, as I am sure almost every tanned Belgian on that plane was thinking, “Pull up, pull up this is not where we want to be.”

If there is anyone reading this that lives in a southern destination, which has sun almost all year around, can you answer me this question? Is there anything bad or annoying about living there? Because right now I am in a serious mental quandary as to why anyone would live in Belgium when there is an amazing warm and DRY place just a two-hour flight away.

O.k. in Belgium’s defense we are very happy to be back in our house, which is very cool! (this word can describe perfectly both design and temperature) Natan is happy to have his room and toys back, Kai is back to his sleepy self now that he has a proper mattress, Pieter is happy to be back with his tools and building the studio cabinets and I am happy to have a shower you don’t have to hold on to, water which you can drink, news which I can read and not just look at the pictures and my Starbucks chair!

But of course our house isn’t necessarily Belgian now is it? So, I have to say as our heads are spinning with new renovation ideas. I have a feeling that one day I will be able to answer the above question for myself and this thought brings a warm sunny smile to my face and helps me get through the rainy days.

Above Pictures are; Sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea from our window, Pieter and Natan on the beach in Collioure, Natan playing in a fountain in Ceret, Natan at a shopping street festival in Collioure

The Verbeelen Commune

Natan's Quote of the Day

"If you lie on your back looking at the stars and keep your feet on the ground then the crickets will come closer and eat your toes"

We stayed in an amazing house, which had once been a convent that was within walking distance of the vineyard. The house was self-sufficient with a well, solar power, gas and wood burning ovens. The ground level was in the shape of an L with a living room large kitchen and a small room with a piano. (this was our room) Each room downstairs had a large fireplace and there was a large BBQ in the inner courtyard. The inner courtyard was about the size of the entire house and was where we spent all our time. The outer walls where all stone with very small windows, these made it quite like a fort. Upstairs there were 4 small rooms each with it’s own shower. It was a great place to just be and it seemed everyone could find a place to relax. Pieter’s father of course was the Guru. It being a former commune and all there had to be someone in charge!

We couldn’t have found a more perfect place especially for Natan. He spent everyday and every hour searching for bugs. Especially grasshoppers! It was wonderful to sit outside, yet in the shade, all day and soke up the heat and fresh air. We did venture out for a few cultural trips, but mostly we just hung out and enjoyed each other and siestas.

Above Pictures are; Pieter and Kai hanging out, Annemie and Kai sitting on the front step, Kai's favorite spot, The Helsinki design team brainstorming over wine, Isobel's piano lesson, Pieter creating genius for the caseaut renovation.

Les Vendange

Natan's Quote of the Day

"Did you know dogs don't wear their t-shirts all day?"

The grape harvest starts in September in some parts of France and it is brilliant. The whole countryside is buzzing with pickers, and the smell of grapes. Picking was 6 days a week from 7:30 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00. The camaraderie reminds me so much of Iowa in that everyone helps each other. One day you may be picking your neighbors grapes and the next day he is helping pick yours. Two of our friends that we met in Helsinki came the first week as well and we had a very very nice time. Connie gets the award for the most grapes picked of all of us. She went out almost every time they picked if we weren’t kidnapping her for a city trip, but even then her eyes where clouded with the idea of being near the grapes. Pieter went out several times and took Natan with him a couple times. One of the pickers had a dog named Scooby. Natan met him last March when we went for the clipping and he was very excited to see his old friend again. Isobel, a women from my own heart, tried it but decided that she was more needed on the sofa to help me with Kai, since he can definitely be a handful! As for me well, I never managed to make it picking. I can’t believe it myself I even took my incredibly cool wine picking hat and still I never picked a grape. Well, that isn’t exactly true. I did pick many grapes, but they where all for consumption purposes either immediately or for dessert.

Above Pictures are; The Caseaut du Petit Plat (a building on the vineyard), Almost noon the wagon is full, Connie picking, Isobel picking.

Food, Friends and France

Isobel's Quote of the Day

"A l´heure du Muscat"

During our stay we had some of the most amazing food. I truly think it is very difficult if not impossible to eat poorly in the south of France. We were with 7 to 9 people in the house most of the time we were there. It was a great house for this and was made for communal living so everyone helped out and we developed some really nice evening rituals. It took a bit of thinking since we were in the middle of nowhere, at least, 30min from the nearest place to get food and water. (we had only washing water available at the house) Each day someone would take the responsibility to pick up the food for the evening, normally it was the non-pickers. Then that person or persons would cook and each dinner was fabulous.

Near the table we had our assortment of wines from the vineyard permanently located. This was the most important place and ritual stared by Isobel. She always took her place at dinner next to the boxes of wine and no one ever had an empty glass. “A lheure du muscat” (the hour of the Muscat) We would sit around the table by candlelight eating and drinking amazing wine from the vineyard until it felt like you couldn’t stand up again. But, just when you felt a bit like standing up then came the Muscat and dessert, which was often fresh grapes or figs picked from the vineyard. After awhile we would all go outside, Isobel carrying the Muscat of course, and lay on the roof terrace among the cactuses, crickets and wild bore and watch the stars. This made me really feel at home since it is the same starry sky you see in Iowa on a clear summer night, minus the cactuses and wild bore of course. These amazingly brilliant perfect nights are what I miss the most.

Above Pictures are; Isobel and Kai at the new Cave (winery), A wonderful evening meal, Connie and Pieter matching in Collioure, Isobel and Connie and the wine of the hour.

Siesta, Jiesta

Natan's Quote of the Day

"I did a jiesta! I did! I even dreamed about a blue crocodile" After pretending to sleep in a cafe

Let’s start a petition that says Belgium and the rest of the world adopt the Mediterranean Siesta. I mean how cool is a country where everyone young and old take a nap in the afternoon! It is amazing to see. You are walking around a Mediterranean city full of life, people and colors and then all of a sudden it turns 2pm. You turn around and everyone and everything has disappeared and you can’t do anything but find a shady spot and sleep or eat. This one cultural difference I was more than happy to adapt to. We regularly did siesta on hot hot days when you couldn’t do anything else. Natan accepted it as well, because it was also an adult thing and not a nap, which is for babies, but he called it Jiesta instead.




















Catalonia

Natan's Quote of the Day

"Come let's go grasshoppers zoeken(looking)"

The area we were was Languedoc-Roussillon. The vineyard is located between the Mediterranean sea and the Pyrénéés mountains. 30 mins from Perpignan and 10min from the Spanish border. It is just outside of a small village called Ceret, which happens to be the place that Picasso and many other artist went for summers to paint. They have a wonderful modern art museum with many works from artist who have painted in the area. Including Picasso, Miro, Mattise, Dali, Chagall and much more. This time they had an exhibition of Mattise and Derain. The two had worked together in 1906 in the nearby sea village of Collioure. It was amazing to see all they had accomplished in one summer. It seems like such a wonderful period to have been an artist, but I guess there were many frustrations then as well, even more I guess.

On our last day with Isobel we went, without kids, to Spain. We drove to Portlligat near Cadaques to see Salvador Dali’s house. It is in a small fishing village and you have to make a reservation to see it. It was an experience of a lifetime. I think there is not another house this strange in the whole world. It was like stepping into one his paintings with strange objects floating around and out of context combinations. After this Pieter and I were so inspired that we went on another day trip toward the end of our holiday to Girona and a small nearby village to see Gala’s castle.Dali purchased it for Gala as a retreat and he could only visit when invited by her. It was also very inspiring, but much more calm and quite than his own house.

Natan was with us when we saw Mattise’s work, but he wasn’t so interested. After we came back from Dali’s house he saw the brochure and sat and looked to it for hours asking all kinds of questions. At the castle we bought him a book of postcards of Dali paintings and he thought that was the coolest present ever. I think next trip we will have to take him to the Dali museum in Figueres. A very strange place designed by Dali himself. I think Natan would love it.

Above Pictures are; Natan's find! A praying mantis eating a butterfly, Pieter and I on a bridge in Girona built by Gustave Eifel, Isobel and I outside the house of Dali, The Dali lip sofa sitting by his pool, Natan ready for snorkeling in Collioure.