A visit with Saint Nicolas!

Santa doesn't exist in Belgium.....  at least in the mall variety..... so if you want your kids to see the guy in red and have a yearly picture, you must go visit Saint Nicolas.  He does do a stint at the mall, but it ends prior to his feast day, which is December 6th. 

We took the girls right as the mall was opening and the lines were minimal.  It was the same guy we saw last year, and spoke decent English.  Audrey wouldn't sit on his lap without me.....but she was not afraid to tell him that she wanted a Barbie Horse with Pink hair (something she saw in a toy catalog!).  Grace was a tad shyer, but not too afraid to go up to him.  But you could barely hear her say she wanted a bike. 

Saint Nicolas promised to pass along the info to Santa.  They apparently play cards every Monday night, and Santa is a big ole cheat! Thanks for the bunny ears, St. Nick.

 Examining the Speculoos cookies he gave them.

This little girl came dressed as Black Pete.  Black Pete is Saint Nicolas' helper.  He's supposedly black from going down the chimney before St. Nick and is covered with soot.  Therefore, most of the Black Pete's running around are white guys in black face.  This would be hugely controversial in the US, I'm sure....but here, it is tradition. Legend also says that Black Pete takes all the naughty children away to Spain.  Doesn't seem too horrible to me!  :)

Ypres, Belgium

Saturday we paid a visit to Ypres, Belgium.  The town was leveled during the first World War and has been rebuilt.

I thought the statue of the soldier over the entrance of the church was interesting....

Also in Ypres is the Menen Gate.  It is a war memorial dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers that were killed here during the war.

Following the Menin Gate Memorial opening in 1927, the citizens of Ypres wanted to express their gratitude towards those who had given their lives for Belgium's freedom. As such, every evening at 8pm, buglers from the local fire brigade close the road and sound the Last Post.

Unfortunately, we couldn't wait till 8pm, but I've heard it is a moving experience.

Next up, the British Cemetery.

And then in stark contrast, the German Cemetery....

Afterwards, we drove to the Belgian coast.  We've never been before, so we didn't really know what to expect.  It was much more built up then we thought it would be.  And it was really crowded for a chilly day in November....at least along the boardwalk.  We didn't get down onto the actual beach because they were doing some work.

Audrey was thrilled to see the horses go by....