Portuguese and Easter Eggs

On Friday we headed out to eat with our friends the Siemanns. We were trying out a new Portuguese restaurant in Heinsberg. Patrick and Stefan did some damage with the all-you-can-eat shrimp, (we probably should have called ahead to warn the restaurant!) and the kids made the usual mess and ruckus. The food was great but the timing needs to be perfected; the food came out bit by bit and at odd intervals, so some people ate while others waited and the shrimp came a bit too slow. Adults can handle that but it was difficult for the kids. Here we are keeping them as busy and quiet as possible, (although not quiet enough, judging by the looks we kept getting from the next table. I have no pity for them, they had a room full of empty tables to choose from and through some lack of self-preservation decided to sit directly next to us.)





On Saturday we headed to the little town of Kiedrich to visit an Easter market I had read about. What was supposed to be a 2 hr. 20 min. trip ended up taking 4 hours due to the funky route our GPS chose and an unfortunate road closure. We made it though. The market was held in Kloster Eberbach, a beautiful old monastery, and was more of an "egg art" exhibit than actual market. The eggs were beautiful; painted, perforated, dyed, gilded, you name it. All types of eggs were represented, from your traditional hen, duck and goose, to the more exotic ostrich. The typical market-goer was female and 50+, but there was a place to buy wurst, cake and coffee to keep the husbands happy and a kindercorner for the poor children who weren't allowed to touch anything. (Poor Brennan, but I did not want to purchase a handful of painted ostrich egg shards for 80 euro!) Brennan had a great time painting his egg and didn't even make too much of a mess, although the little girl across from him was concerned about his liberal use of paint.