Photos from Olympia and Corfu

Kyle is in Copenhagen for work so I have been getting lots done each night. Once you have opened the link, click View Pictures, then View as a Slideshow. Clicking View Full Screen makes the photos even bigger and then you can speed up or slow down the speed of the slideshow (in case you just can't get enough of all our photos).

Click here for photos from Olympia.

Click here for photos from Corfu.

Photos from Athens, Greece

Click here for photos from the first city of our big trip.

Brussels Betty

In Atlanta, there is an area called Buckhead where a lot of rich people live. Most often the streets of Buckhead are filled with women driving around in their monster SUVs with stickers on the back from the nearby (and very expensive) private schools and country clubs. We like to call these women "Buckhead Bettys," and it is not in a nice way. Even though I think I am pretty down to earth, I can't help but feel like a Buckhead Betty here in Brussels when in one day I go from tennis practice to the women's club for lunch and then to my French lessons. I play tennis with very normal women, usually bring my lunch to the club so I don't have to buy it, and my french lessons only cost 96 euros for the whole semester, but still, as I hope into my car and throw my tennis raquet in the back, I can't help but laugh at myself.

Scrappy Yappy (annoying as anything) Puppy

I know many of my friends are dog owners. Please, for the sanity of your neighbors, train your dogs not to bark. I don't even know if that request is possible becuase I know barking is a natural instinct for a dog, but you must control your dog or else your neighbors will hate you. Awhile ago I wrote about the people who live behind us and how they have shared custody of the man's son. Although I feel bad that the boy is shuttled between two homes, I hate it when he is here because that means his dog is here with him too. And this dog barks and barks and barks. Somehow the awful neighbors have become immune to this barking. At 11:30pm the other night we could actually see the woman asleep in her bed (they have translucent curtains and she had left a light on) while the dog continued to bark outside. I am a heavy sleeper and even I couldn't sleep through that.

We have already had one altercation with these neighbors concerning our car which is why I have avoided confronting them about the dog. Also, I know I can form my thoughts in French about the dog's barking, but once the awful woman responds in her rapid French I don't think I will know what to say.

Tomorrow I am thinking about going to the pet store and buying one of those high pitched dog whistles. The only problem is that I have already done research on them and apparently they are great for all breeds but Yorkshire Terriers. And guess what kind of dog it is. Click here to get a taste of what we hear all the time. In the meantime, any good ideas of how to stop the barking?

The Little Sisters

After returning from our cruise, my best friend from growing up came into town for two days. I don't even know when Brooke and I met because all my memories from growing up have always included her. We went to pre-school together, then elementary, high school and college together too.

When my mom was growing up she moved 11 times before high school. She hated moving and never wanted us to have to have the same experience. Because of that, our family has only lived in three house in the past 31 years and they were all within about 10 miles of each other in Atlanta. I feel so lucky to have been able to have had such a steady and calm childhood. I am still friends with many of the people I have known since I was born and although we have all moved around after college, most of them have ended up back in Atlanta. I love getting to catch up with them when we are all together in Atlanta. There is just something about being with a friend who has known you through all the milestones of life that is so comforting.

Growing up, Brooke and I were best friends and our older sisters were best friends, thus we came up with the incredibly creative names of the Big Sisters and the Little Sisters. We would team up against each other on all sorts of things from Barbie Land to building forts. Even though we are 29, I think Brooke and I both still feel like the Little Sisters sometimes.

I have vivid memories of making mud-pies (with real mud) in Brooke's back yard, so it was especially funny to me that we now both enjoy cooking (real food). We had a great time checking out cooking stores in Brussels and making dinner together both nights she was here.

Our Town

We read the play "Our Town" in 10th grade and it has stayed with me ever since. A scene from the play that has really touched me (actually, I read the play 13 years ago so my memory is a little foggy on the exact details but the main idea really stuck with me) was when one character was up in heaven and just wanted to be able to go back down to earth for one day. She was advised not to pick a big event like a birthday or wedding because it would just be too painful for them to see all the opportunities they missed. Instead, the least painful thing would be to go back to just a regular old day because even then, the visitor would become so sad just to see how great everyday things were and all that she missed out on.


Well today was one of those completely regular days for me, but this time I was able to appreciate it for all it was worth. The Women's Club was having a consignment sale and I had volunteered to help from 9-3:30. I had such a great time hanging out with friends. We got to be complete girly girls and try on different clothes we were thinking about buying and then get everyone's opinions. I think it was as close of a feeling to being back in the dorms in college on a random Tuesday night as I will ever get again (unless I happen to try on clothes for my friends when I'm living in the old folks home). I gave some new people tours of the club and was able to see in their eyes all their fears and anxieties and remember what I felt like those first few months here. And then I was able to reflect on how far I have come. Now when I walk into the Women's Club it is like being Norm and walking into Cheers. It is a wonderful feeling to know that you are liked and cared about by so many people.


I had a beautiful drive home through the Foret des Soignes and then did some grocery shopping. I got to come home and cook a meal that I was pretty pleased with, and then Kyle and I went and worked out. We live in such a great neighborhood that almost every single time I am walking the streets around here I think of how much I like it (until I step in some dog poop). After dinner we watched some TV. All in all it was nothing exciting, but I think that is what I loved most about it.


We recently had our 3 1/2-year anniversary of living here and I had wanted to blog about all that I have learned in that time. But now I am realizing that what I love most about having been here for that long are not the actual facts I have learned but the calm sense of peace I have in my day-to-day life. Sure, Brussels can always throw me for a loop now and then, but basically I have my systems down pat here. I know how things work, I have a great group of friends, I know my way around enough to not have to always pull out a map, and basically I am just really, really happy.

Our Cruise

Wow, we have had yet another incredible vacation (or 'holiday' as I would say to my friends here -- the Brits have had such an influence on me). We flew to Athens and spent three days there before boarding our cruise ship.

The Parthenon

From there we went to Olympia and saw the site of the first Olympics. One thing I really struggled with on this trip was getting a grasp of just how old things were and how they all related. I couldn't quite hold onto the difference between something that was 2000 years old versus 4000 years old -- they all just seemed old to me. However, I really enjoyed seeing this area because even though it is from 776BC, it hosted an event that still takes place today, so I was better able to imagine things.

This was the actual track runners used to race on. On your marks!

After Olympia we headed to Corfu which was nice. Luckily Kyle and I are very apt at public transportation so took a bus around the town and saw a nice palace and had a coffee overlooking the ocean.

Greece had alot more mountains than I had ever realized. These were beautiful in the morning.

Our view while sipping Greek frappe.

The big part of the trip was seeing Cairo, Egypt. I was a little anxious before we got there, but now I am so glad we went (of course I am saying this since we made it back alive and I didn't end up getting sick). It was incredible and like no where else I have ever been. Some of you might recall our awful trip to Tunisia (December 2005 -- I hated it, Kyle didn't). However, I think having such culture shock in Tunisia actually helped me to adjust more quickly to Egypt. We were only in the city for two days, but by the second day I really did feel pretty comfortable there. Later, I am going to write a whole blog just about our time in Cairo.

A typical sight in Cairo and especially outside of the city.

Next we were off to Crete. Of all the places we saw, this one impressed us the least and yet it was still breathtaking. You can't really go wrong with a beautiful ocean, blue sky and lots of sun. But after not loving Crete we fell in love with our next stop in Santorini. It was just pure luck that we rented a car (we saw the car rental place before we could find a taxi), but we felt so lucky to have a car there so that we could go at our own pace. We drove to the town of Oia and wandered around for several hours. It was incredible. We both had a great time taking photos and I think we got some really good shots. In reality though, I think a two year old with a camera could get good shots there. The place is so beautiful you just can't go wrong.


The next island we stopped at was Mykonos. Even though it also has white buildings and blue doors like Santorini, it felt different enough that we took even more photos there too.

After Mykonos it was off to Ephesus...basically a really, really old city that still has very intact ruins. It was amazing to think you were looking at a building from 125 AD (below), but the heat and the crowds kind of snapped you back to reality. We also saw the house where the Virgin Mary lived after Christ's death. Again, it didn't feel like such a religious experience because a group of 8 people cut in front of us in line and then acted like they had been there the whole time, which was frustrating. Our final stop was Istanbul which was great. It is a really neat city with great public transportation and I enjoyed seeing the sites there. Before this trip I would have never thought to vacation in Turkey, but now I would highly recommend it. The people were very friendly and open to Western ideas, so you got a taste of the East (mosques), but the comforts of the West (internet cafes and women's rights). The country of Turkey has a great tourism department so there were maps and helpful people in orange shirts all over the place. Every country should take notes on how welcoming they are to visitors.

Emily in the Blue Mosque (where I had to cover my head).

Kyle brushed up on his Arabic.

Overall it was just a wonderful trip. The history surrounding that area of the world is amazing. I really enjoyed seeing how people there lived. I was reminded yet again that even though we all have different religious beliefs and governmental systems, throughout the world, the majority of people enjoy a good laugh with friends and just want to be able to love their family and enjoy life. Yes, they might be hidden behind a burqa but seeing a grandmother smile a her daughter while holding her grandson on the train in Egypt reminded me that we really are all the same deep down.

It's All Greek to Me

We are having a great time on our cruise. So far we have been to Athens, Olympia, Corfu, Crete, Santorini, and Mykonos (all in Greece) and then Cairo, Egypt. We have managed to not get sunburned and are still having a great time. Santorini was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Click here for photos of Santorini -- normally promotional photos seem to make things look better than they really are, but in this case, Santorini really did look exactly like this! We've got to run for to catch the bus to the beach, but I'll update more later. Until then, enjoy your rights at a woman. I always seem to forget just how lucky we are until I visit a Muslim country. Women get the raw end of the deal in both Greece and Egypt!