And the answer is . . .

Sometimes there are questions within the comments on my blog so I thought . . . maybe I should answer them!

Do they [Belgians] celebrate on the 25th [of December], too? Are there any manger scenes or references to the birth of Christ?

The majority of holidays observed in Belgium are religious. Our Flemish instructor, who grew up in this area, says that Dec 6 has traditionally been when gifts are given (remember Sinterklaas & Zwarte Piet?), but according to him, in the last few years the holiday has become "Americanized" and is also celebrated with gifts under the tree on Dec 25. I surmise that until "Americanization", Dec 25 was reserved for celebrating the birth of Christ.

And yes, I have seen several manger scenes. In fact, there's one still up with 2 donkeys and 3 goats wandering around in a fence. Baby Jesus is still there too. I surmise someone has forgotten about them.

How was the Ikea [in the Netherlands]?

We really like Ikea. I'd never been to one until we got here. The prices are good and the quality of furniture seems to be good as well. It's a little confusing at first. We thought we might be trapped on our first trip to an Ikea store. We wandered around for quite a while and could never find the exit! We finally had to track down a guy sporting an Ikea shirt and ask for help. We have since made numerous trips, eaten way too many Swedish meatballs, and somehow managed to find the exit on our own every time.

Are you able to take him [the hondje] to a park so he can let his lead out longer and let him romp a bit?

The short answer is no, but . . . there are a couple of parks with open spaces, however there are streets and traffic surrounding them. Until we moved, Winslow was confined to the house or on a short leash (literally) when outside. He's getting used to it, but when he gets home he runs around like crazy. At the new house there is a yard. It is very small, but he is able to run around freely! So the long answer is yes :)

So you haven't ironed your sheets yet?

No, I haven't ironed sheets yet, but I have been tempted more than I thought I would be. When I see the results of other people's sheet ironing, I kinda want to do it, but realistically, I don't see this is my future.

Are the winters bad?

I was a little afraid to find out the answer! Apparently last year it did get down to 20 below zero. I might define that as bad winter! That's pretty rare, I think (and hope). According to the "locals", it rarely snows. However, locally, it has already snowed a few times this year!

The most interesting thing about the climate has been the small range in temperature within a day. In the States it is common to have a 20 degree change from morning to afternoon. Here it is usually only a degree or two and it feels just the same all day long. This could also be due to the F vs C for which I cannot wrap my head around.

All I know is - it's cold.

Are there still cart returns in the parking lot or do you have to return it to the actual store?

Yes, there are cart returns in the parking lot so you don't have to return your shopping cart all the way back to the store. These nifty "cart returns" are covered so the carts don't get wet. This aspect being of utmost importance since it rains pretty much every day.

It's a great system and appears to work perfectly here. Amanda says they have it in Indianapolis where she lives and people will return the cart even for a quarter! Would I do that?

This from a person who's always thrown out the twinkle lights WITH the tree? Who in their right mind takes these $2 items off and reuses them?

How was the trip over [from the US to Belgium]?!

In my opinion, the trip over is not too bad. You leave Shreveport in the afternoon, an hour or so later you're in Atlanta. Layover maybe 2 hours which is just enough time to find your Concourse and stand in line at Starbucks. Then at about 6:00 pm you head to Brussels.

It's an 8 hour flight, but soon after you get settled in that comfy Coach seat, you're served dinner and some wine, then the flight attendants turn off the lights and you can actually sleep for a while because it's dark. The flight-attendant-alarm wakes you for breakfast and voila! you land in Brussels around 8:00 am the next day.

Question not asked: How is the flight back to the States?

This flight is a little more difficult in my opinion. You leave Brussels about 10:00 am and 11 hours (no tailwind) later you land in Atlanta. It's been morning to mid-day for the entire flight so it's always daylight, the lights (inside and out!) remain on so it's nearly impossible to sleep without some Dramamine. Layover in Atlanta is more like 4 hours due to going through Customs. Which is another ordeal in itself.

You personally pick up your luggage, go through Customs, then re-check the luggage for the next flight to Shreveport. And I use that term "re-check" loosely since you basically throw your bags over toward some guy who's motioning for you to throw your bags in his general direction. You still haven't slept even though by now it's around midnight in Belgium. Forget the Starbucks. You arrive in Shreveport about 8:00 pm with an hour drive.

BUT I am looking forward to getting to do it again very soon :)