Towns in Belgium have a long and interesting history. Peer, for example, became an official city in 1367. It was a town of sorts long before that, but was not officially recognized until that time. It's believed that it got it's name from the Latin word Pirgus, and the French word pierge, which mean "hardened road." Peer is also the Belgium word for pear, hense the object you see here.
The pear is on top of a cast iron pump in the market place. Every Monday, people bring their wares into this area, set up booths, and sell them to the locals. It's a very busy day. You can buy just about anything that you need on Market Day. They have everything from clothing, fresh produce, flowers, cleaning supplies, cooked ribs and rotisserie chicken, to so much more. It's a great idea. Each of the neighboring towns all have their assigned market day, so depending on what day you want to go to market, you just head to that town. Some markets are bigger than others, and Peer had one of the largest.
The center of each town is called a Centrum. There are signs pointing the way to the Centrum of each town. In the middle of the Centrum, you will find the town's church. In the middle ages, the church also served as the stronghold of the town. Around the church, there were stone walls. In Peer, after the period of time where these walls were no longer needed, they were replaced with a road. As you walk around this road, you can just imagine the history all around you. As the saying goes, "If these walls could talk..."
Towns in Belgium have a long and interesting history. Peer, for example, became an official city in 1367. It was a town of sorts long before that, but was not officially recognized until that time. It's believed that it got it's name from the Latin word Pirgus, and the French word pierge, which mean "hardened road." Peer is also the Belgium word for pear, hense the object you see here. 
The pear is on top of a cast iron pump in the market place. Every Monday, people bring their wares into this area, set up booths, and sell them to the locals. It's a very busy day. You can buy just about anything that you need on Market Day. They have everything from clothing, fresh produce, flowers, cleaning supplies, cooked ribs and rotisserie chicken, to so much more. It's a great idea. Each of the neighboring towns all have their assigned market day, so depending on what day you want to go to market, you just head to that town. Some markets are bigger than others, and Peer had one of the largest. 
The center of each town is called a Centrum. There are signs pointing the way to the Centrum of each town. In the middle of the Centrum, you will find the town's church. In the middle ages, the church also served as the stronghold of the town. Around the church, there were stone walls. In Peer, after the period of time where these walls were no longer needed, they were replaced with a road. As you walk around this road, you can just imagine the history all around you. As the saying goes, "If these walls could talk..." 
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