Delius Diaries

We had tears of happiness when we arrived and tears of sadness when we left home, the United States, a few weeks ago. We are so grateful to Connor’s school, at home, for allowing him to participate in the 8th grade trip to Washington, DC. Scott had work in DC while Connor and I toured DC with his school friends. He loved being with his friends, and my heart swooned seeing him with these boys and girls. It has been 8-months since we have seen most of his friends, and wow, a lot has changed – taller, smarter, more mature. They were a joy to be around. 

So just as I have with our European travels, I will give you a flavor of our week in DC with one big message – if you haven’t been, you need to go! I grew up across the Potomac River and I have been to DC many times to enjoy the monuments, museums and sites. This trip was different. Since living in Europe, we have been to 11 countries and many more cities. We have seen history laid out before our eyes, beautifully designed buildings, amazing bodies of water, artwork and more. And while Washington DC doesn’t have structures from 300 BC, what it does have is a modern day perspective having leveraged history to create society, architecture, arts and government. The city layout was designed by European influenced architects and many of the monuments and artwork were also influenced by artists from around the world. So many connections to what we have lived this past year. But really, a lot to be proud about as we walked (and walked and walked) with these 8th graders criss-crossing streets, playing on The Mall, and riding the subway. You could spend a week in DC and not see it all. We can’t wait to go back!

We arrived a few days before Connor’s classmates so we could recover from jet lag on a Thursday evening. Friday we slept in and after lunch at Chick-fila (the top of our boy’s list of things to do) Connor and I walked around while Scott had meetings. Our hotel was located in a perfect spot to walk towards major sites. We took it easy for the day. Saturday, morning we went to the Spy Museum and walked the mall to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence. The building is stunning and the documents and supporting materials are so cool to see firsthand. After lunch, Chick-fila again, we met up with his classmates at the National Portrait gallery. What a fun sweet reunion. Connor’s attendance was somewhat of a surprise that they found out about the day before. There were hugs and shouts of joy. Scott and I watched with happiness that can only come from seeing your child reunited with his pack. I enjoyed hellos and hugs and felt blessed to be allowed to be a chaperone for 5-days with this crew. A few parents, teachers and administrators were the trip leaders which was so fun to spend the trip with and catch up on life back home. 

Connor’s school has 20+ years of taking 8th grade students to DC and boy they are the expert planners! I was so grateful to enjoy a trip that I did not have to plan! Haha. Scott always says, “you’re the planner” and while this is in my DNA, sometimes it is nice to sit back and enjoy the ride. The days were jammed packed leaving around 8am and returning at 10pm most days. Here are the highlights of what we did. Use this as your itinerary for a visit to our nation’s capital. 

– Day 1 – National Portrait Gallery, Ford’s Theatre and Hard Rock Cafe for dinner

– Day 2 – National Cathedral for church, lunch on the bus and a tour of Arlington National Cemetery where our school watched the changing of the guard and got to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Dinner at Old Ebbit Grill (one of my favs). The evening activity was a nighttime tour of the monuments where we stopped at each one with a tour guide. It was a raining/snowy day in church clothes, but we survived!

– Day 3 – National archives, a repeat for us, tour of the U.S. Capitol which included seeing a short legislative session in the House of Representatives. This was a highlight for Connor and many of the students since it was the night before the State of the Union Address, so our students got to sit in the very same gallery where the address takes place. Living history! Pizza for dinner and then ice skating on the Mall for evening activity. Lots of fun to see kids and adults skate for the first time. We all had a blast!

– Day 4 – Holocaust museum, a walk to the Mall and students then selected which Smithsonian museums they wanted to visit. A personal favorite was the American History Museum to see the “Star Spangled Banner Flag” which was the flag flying over Fort McHenry that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the song the Star-Spangled Banner, as well as the American president exhibits, including artifacts, china, and outfits from many of the First Ladies. For the evening activity, students were given a choice of the Illusion Museum or go to the Capital to see dignitaries enter the grounds. We chose to go to the Capital, which is amazing to see at night, and watch for arrivals. Seeing how the security teams work the area was fascinating. We talked with officers and media reps. It was an interesting experience for everyone to see.

– Day 5 – Pentagon tour and the 9/11 memorial, Smithsonian museum selections and then the students had a blast playing on the mall on a sunny somewhat warm afternoon. Nothing like a $20 airplane and frisbee to entertain kids in a wide open grassy space. This was a highlight of the trip, just seeing friends have fun! The evening ended with a night at the CapCenter watching ice hockey. 

– Day 6 – was departure day. We had an earlier flight so we did not join the final tour which was a visit to Mount Vernon. Connor and I said our goodbyes at the bus on the street. We both cried saying goodbye and watching all the waves from inside the bus. 

We are so very grateful to his school for letting us join in this once in a lifetime trip with his friends!

The return back to Brussels was a slow ramp with jet lag. We spent the weekend recovering and getting organized to go back to school and work. The week began with a last minute invitation from a NIC (NATO international club) friend asking me to join her for walk. She is from Serbia and has lived in Brussels for 5+ years, so she knows all the spots to go. We walked for several hours and enjoyed a nice lunch at a small Italian cafe. Spring wants to take the lead so we are starting to see bulbs and early spring flora come to life. Yellow was the notable color on this walk. 

We ended February with an overnight trip to Ghent. If you ask AI which is better, Ghent or Brugge you will get equal input on which is better. Both are medieval villages. Before going, I thought Ghent was going to be a better spot. But for us, Brugge was the winner. Ghent is a bit bigger, has more canals and bridges, with more amazing architecture and a fortress to walk through. BUT it does not have a proper grand place and the buses and trams go through the middle of all the walking spaces with just a few inches of clearance. We felt like we were dodging buses and trams the entire time. Not as relaxing and quaint as Brugge, but still enjoyed a quick jaunt.  

We are working on our next trip for spring break and a long weekend. So much to see it’s difficult to decide. Still, our guiding principle is to visit as many NATO countries as possible. So next up will be countries we have not been to yet. I have the benefit of asking other expats what their recommendations are. Learning their stories always brings the future to life. 

More to come soon. 

Note – I was finally able to pick up car #2. We are still dealing with paperwork to deregister car #1 and waiting on the new plates. But as I look out the window at #2 I think to myself “she’s a beaut Clark”.