Experiencing the Best of DC

The weekend of Mother's Day was fantabulous, because of all the fun & adventure we experienced as a family in D.C.! It was a simply unforgettable weekend!

First off, as FONZ members, we were "invited" to the River Otter Grand Opening at the zoo.  We really enjoyed ourselves.  The River Otters were hilarious to watch; they are very territorial animals and were constantly fighting one another in a cute little otter way!

Then we made our way to the Otter Party for some delicious Georgetown Cupcakes in celebration of the new otters! 

Here the girls and Brad are standing on the bridge overlooking the new elephant enclosure with cupcakes in hand!

It was a fun beginning to our family adventure that day and we appreciated the extra nourishment (aka sugar high) for our long walk to our next destination.  

After the zoo, we made the long trek to our first embassy for the annual European Union Embassy Open House. There were a few surprises as we made our walk, including seeing the beautiful National Cathedral from a distance.

Faith showing us the brochure for our "Shortcut to Europe"! 

European Union Embassies Open Their 

Doors Saturday For Open House

The Huffington Post  |  By Brandon Wetherbee Posted: 05/11/2012 3:31 pm

WASHINGTON -- Each year the European embassies open their doors to the public, offering food, music, tours and more. One of the calling cards of D.C. that residents don't usually enjoy are open to the public for six hours this Saturday.

All 27 embassies of the European Union member states, along with acceding country Croatia, plan to participate in the event. To make traversing this fun and expansive route easier, four color-coded bus routes will be provided.

Some of this year's highlights include Belgian beer from the Embassy of Belgium, LEGOs at the Embassy of Denmark, Hungarian breed dog petting at the Embassy of Hungary, traditional Polish cuisine at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland and renaissance sword-fighters and ladies-in-waiting at the Embassy of the Czech Republic.

Based on previous years' EU open houses, biking is the best mode of transportation. While the buses are helpful, waiting upwards of 20 minutes during a six-hour event is time consuming. Last year, it was difficult finding nearby Capital Bikeshare stations with bikes.

Unlike most embassy events, the EU Embassies’ Open House Day do not cater to one specific culture. Each Embassy will highlight aspects of their respective country, but the events are designed to attract folks from all origins.

After a couple miles of walking with both the double stroller and a single stroller (we did this in a concerted effort to prevent the kids from getting too exhausted too quickly), we made it to our first embassy stop: Belgium! 

The line at the embassy got long very quickly. We discovered from some veteran EU Open Housers (who were behind us in line), that it is ideal to begin Open House day at Belgium!  It is a very popular destination and gets very crowded in the day.  We gave a big hooray for Belgium being the closest embassy to the zoo!!!!

You may be asking, why is Belgium so popular???  Authentic Belgian Waffles, of course!!!
And inside the embassy there was even more delicious food to sample, including Belgian chocolate! 

A reproduction of a painting by famous Belgian surrealist artist, Rene Magritte in the embassy.

I have never had anything like a Belgian waffle, I love how you taste the melting ice crystals in your mouth.  I found this excellent commentary on the difference between the American version of Belgian waffles vs. the authentic thing (and the website I found, even includes a perfected recipe):

"If you order Belgian waffles at a restaurant in the United States, chances are you’ll be served an oversized waffle topped with whipped cream, surrounded by a battalion of strawberries. This is not necessarily a bad thing, not at all. Americans are old hands at indulging in style, with toppings and mix-ins galore. But there’s a lot to be said for understated elegance and for that, we must look to Europe.

In Europe, a Belgian waffle is an entirely different matter, a subtle yet complex creation that holds its own against the world’s most famous pastries: croissants, brioche, and so forth. Like its French counterparts, these waffles, Gaufres de Liege, use an unnaturally delicious amount of butter. They can be found on the streets and outdoor markets in Belgian cities, where vendors cook them on the spot for you.

In addition to the butter, Gaufres de Liege are distinguished by their yeasted batter as well as a healthy dose of large sugar crystals called pearl sugar. As the waffles cook in the iron, the sugar crystals melt and caramelize on the surface, contributing to the bite of the exterior.

In learning how to make these waffles in the States, I have selflessly consumed more than ten pounds of butter over the past three months to hone, perfect, and bring you what I consider to be the best Gaufres de Liege recipe out there."

http://www.thekitchn.com/the-best-waffle-youll-ever-eat-90629

Jillian, Faith, and Anna enjoying Belgium!

We passed several embassies on our way to our next destination...

and even passed the US Naval Observatory too! 

Then we made it to Finland! There was no line to get into the Open House and we were greeted by a nice woman dressed in an authentic Finnish costume.

We also enjoyed some accordian playing...

And favorite foods from FINLAND! 

Everything was delicious, the people were friendly, and 

the views were breathtaking!

Then we made our way to our last stop, our beloved UK embassy.

We enjoyed a walk on the grounds and saw some beautiful flowers.

The girls made a phone call in the phone booth.

Then they had their hands painted.

And then we made the long walk back to the zoo to the get the van, but on our walk home we discovered some beautiful homes that also happen to be the residences of ambassadors!!

To make it even more exciting, we saw a couple helicopters that were flying really closely to the ground. Brad was  pretty confident that it was someone on their way to the US Naval Observatory! It might have even been the Vice President!?!  It was an exciting day and we definitely felt privileged to be able experience the best of DC together as a family!