Playing Chicken!

I know you remember the game of "Chicken". Two people head straight for each other, and the first one to freak and veer off is the chicken. We played it as kids with our bikes. Some kids never grew up and played the game with vehicles later on. Here, it's called regular driving... and I'm the chicken! This is a road outside of Peer. Tom/Tammy (our trusty GPS) gets a kick out of sending us this way. I've tried reasoning with her, but to no avail. She swears this route is quicker, no matter WHERE we are going. I think she just gets a kick out of seeing me cringe. The road is normal until you get to this point. Then is merges into a one way road. Well, a two way/one way road. The vehicles go to the left and the bikes go to the right at this point. There is traffic both directions on this tiny road. When you are heading this way, you have the right of way. When you are heading this way-back toward Peer- you do not. There are little pull offs every so often along the road, and you dart into them when you see traffic heading toward you. The game of chicken comes into play when you are wondering if you should pull off now or can you make it to the next pull off before you run into the car/truck/van. Let me point out that the locals have been playing this game their entire lives. They are very good at it. They will stomp on the gas and make it at least two pull offs farther than I would before they veer off. Do not challenge a local. You will not win.

I hide in the cubby until I am sure that no one is in the area (possibly the region), then I dart out and head on my merry way, grumbling at Tammy and telling her politely where she can stick her directions.

Sint-Trudokerk

I forgot to share a little story about St. Trudo. The church is in the centrum, or center, of Peer. You walk by it on the way to the market, the pizza parlor, a little coffee shop... well, you get the idea. You can't miss it. Each hour, we listen to the bells ringing out lovely tunes to announce the time. It's a big part of the town, so of course, you can't help but be a little curious about it. I often admire the stained glass windows and beautiful stonework on my daily treks. I can just imagine the amazing detailed work inside the church, but the doors are closed, and I pass quietly by. I am told that they open the church for public tours throughout the month of May, and you can climb the spiraling stairway to the top of the belfry. Of course, we moved here the first of June, so I have a year to wait. I am not good at waiting. While walking with the family and friends one sunny Saturday last month, I glanced at the church and noticed...the doors were open! Is this a sign? I can't resist, and tell the gang that I am jumping at the chance to investigate. I quietly enter, with the others reluctantly trailing behind, and am amazed. It's better than I had imagined. The hand carved woodwork, beams overhead that are hundreds of years old, amazing stained glass windows. It's almost too much to take in. From the front of the church, a tiny little form emerged, dressed in traditional black and white. (Flashback to the Sound Of music- I LOVE that movie!.) The nun was maybe 4 1/2 feet tall and weighed less than my purse. She looked like someones tiny little Grandma. She was adorable. She came down the aisle toward us, grinning widely and arms outstretched like she was going to give us one big hug. I asked her if she spoke any English, and she put her hand on my shoulder and nodded, still smiling. She pointed at something, so I headed that way. Still nodding and smiling, she herded our little group through the church, out the door and into the bright sunlight, as pretty as you please. As the huge wooded doors closed politely (but firmly) behind us, reality hit home. Darn. We were just tossed out of a church. In Belgium. By a tiny little nun. That's something you can't say every day!

Market Monday

I've been eating too much chocolate--that's me on the right.

It's been a wonderful Monday. We went to the market with friends this morning, followed by a lovely lunch at Torinhuis. Torinhaus is a restaurant in the center of Peer, just across the street from the church. You can eat outside under an umbrella, or inside surrounded by beautiful antiques. It's a casual restaurant. (Of course, casual for the Belgians means a sundress or nice blouse and capri's. They don't do casual like we do. These people always look nice!) The food is terrific there and the menu offers a little something for everyone. On market day, the place is packed. Families stop by to cool off with a glass of wine or beer, and an orange Fanta for the kids. Gray haired ladies share cappuccino and easy conversation. There is no such thing as fast food here. When you go out to eat, you go for the experience as much as the meal itself. It's the norm for dinner to last several hours. No one rushes you off. It's like having dinner at a friends house. I'd recommend the Beef Stew or Chicken Fillet with mushroom sauce. Trust me, it's worth the wait!

Saturday in Bocholt

There are lots of canals in Belgium. On each side of the canal is a lovely bike bath. It's a great way to see the countryside and get a little exercise as well. We cheated. We drove here. I do have the best of intentions, though, and plan on biking along the canal soon after we move into our house. I have a great incentive. Not too far past this bridge is another bridge. It's red. On the other side of the red bridge is a big boat that houses a cafe. That cafe has excellent cappuccino and ice cream. See? Incentive. You just have to have a goal in mind, and then exercise becomes a lot more fun!These are the deer that live down the street from us. If you would like one, they are for sale. I would love a baby deer, but Ashley and Tink would take great offense at being replaced with a deer. Please, adopt a deer and save it from the dinner table. How can you resist the cute little faces? I'm sure that they will ship much better than the chocolate did.

Living In A Castle?

I guess my fascination with castles is finally paying off. It looks like we're moving into one. Well, maybe not officially a castle, but it's close enough for me! Can't you just see these stairs leading up to an ivory tower? (That's where we are locking up our princess to keep her away from all those Belgium boys.) This is our front entry. Doesn't that space beside the stairs just scream out for a set of knight's armor? Of course it does! (Someone is going to have to hit the antique shops!) I wonder if he will fit into the trunk, or if I will just buckle him into the seat beside me as we cruise the countryside. I'm sure he would appreciate the feel of the wind whistling through his visor.

I've already found him a noble steed in training. This fine young fellow is a spring colt who lives down the road from our castle. He's a handsome devil, isn't he? He wasn't sure what to think of the crazy American who stopped to take his picture. Apparently the locals don't do that sort of thing. Go figure! That's OK. By the end of the year, I'll have him posing like a professional. I don't have my trusty moose, Bob, to photograph any more, so he will just have to get used to it.

Ter Dolen Castle

Let me just say, I'm a pretty low maintenance gal. On our first anniversary, we celebrated with dinner out on the town...at the local Sonic drive thru. Foot long chili cheese coney and fries. Don't hate the hubby, he told me I could pick anywhere I wanted, and that was it. What can I say? I like what I like.

When the hubby asked me what I wanted to do yesterday, I replied "I want to eat lunch at a castle." (He didn't even flinch. He's getting used to my unusual requests since we moved here.) "Sure, where is it?" He replied. Now if you had told me six months ago that I'd be having this conversation with the hubby, I would have laughed...hard! Ter Dolen Castle is a local brewery and cafe in a 16th century castle. They make the best Kriek that I've had here. That's the cherry women's beer--it's tastes like an American wine cooler, but SO much better. The cafe serves light food and snacks, and is inside the courtyard of the castle.

It's on a quiet, tree lined country lane. The only sounds you hear are the soft breezes rustling the leaves while birds chirp and flutter from branch to branch. It's paradise. Locals ride their bikes over for a relaxing meal and a drink or two. The castle itself is a private residence, so it's not open to tours, but one section of it is a Bed and Breakfast. I am attaching a link at the bottom of this post, so you can check it out for yourself.
It was an added bonus that our waiter was a good looking young Belgium, who spoke perfect English and translated the menu for us. Good looking waiter equals happy teenager. Happy teenager equals happy family. Life is good. If you need me, I'll be down at the local castle, sipping my cherry Kriek and listening to the birds. Yep, life is good. I could get used to this.
http://www.terdolen.be/

Chocodrama!

Note to self: Never mail a delightful assortment of Leonidas chocolate....to Louisiana......in the summer.

Beautiful Brussels!

The skies are blue, the weather warm, and we headed to Brussels for the day. Could it get any better than this? Probably not. We went with friends to visit Mini Europe, and got a bonus! Look what we parked right beside...it's the Atomium! The Atomium was created for the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels. It symbolizes an iron crystal, magnified 165 billion times. Each sphere is 18 meters in diameter, and the structure is 102 meters tall. It wasn't designed to survive beyond the World's Fair, but it was so popular that they kept it. We are very glad they did. It's amazing! Our destination wasn't the Atomium, though. It was actually mini Europe. It's a park that has miniatures of all of the famous structures in Europe. The detail in these models is amazing! Pictures can't do it justice. It also has a lot of moving parts. The boats motor by, the trucks drive down the roads, the trains shoot through tunnels and over bridges. It's so much fun to watch! On the left is the Grand Palace in Brussels. This is a model of Nyhavn (New Haven) in Copenhagen. This model is of the British Houses of Parliament in London, England. Big Bend is on the end, and it really chimes every 15 minutes. I bet you thought you were really at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. The model is on a scale of 1/25, and it stands 13 meters high. This model is of the Cathedral of Santiago De Compostela in Spain. While we were touring Mini Europe, we noticed that there was some action going on over at the Atomium. They had a little ride called "The Death Drop" going on. Yes, the name alone makes it very tempting, but we refrained from trying it. You take the elevator to the top of the Atomium, go up onto the top of that sphere, and get hooked into a harness. They then attach you to a rope that is connected to the top of the sphere on one end, and a large truck on the other. Then you jump off, sliding quickly down the rope to the ground below. We couldn't decide if these people were really brave or really stupid! This is zoomed in. Here they are on the top of the highest sphere getting strapped in. I am voting for really stupid. After we toured Mini Europe, we decided to go up into the top of the Atomium. We rode an elevator up through the center tube. Out this window, you can see the ropes that those insane people were sliding down. (Notice how far down it really is. Why on earth would you jump off of this???)You can now see how huge Brussels is. I had no idea how large the city is. We will have to come back another day to explore it more. This is Mini Europe, looking even more mini from this view!

To get to the exhibits in the middle spheres, you take the elevator back down to the bottom and then go up one of the tubes on the escalator.

And then higher by climbing the stairs. We got to go into 4 of the 9 spheres. It was very interesting. They have artwork in some of the spheres. In one, they had a little cafe where you could have a beer or ice cream. (This is Belgium, of course you can get a beer here.) See, if someone tells you that you can't see all of Europe in one day, tell them that it is possible. We did today. (And we even made it back home in time for dinner.) I would call that a success!

Sunday Is Funday!

There was another festival here in town yesterday. I know you think I was making it up when I said they do something EVERY weekend here, but it's plain to see...I was telling the truth! Belgium is a very social country. They love nothing more than getting out, celebrating life and visiting with friends. You know the saying, any excuse for a party... It might look like there weren't many people here for the event, but this is not the case. I have learned that if I get out and take pictures early (before the crowds show up), then I get less eye rolling and comments from the teenager. I get some pictures, Jess is not quite so embarrassed, and everyone is a happy camper. There was quite a lot to see. They had lots of street performers--with very different styles. The stilt walkers were fun to watch. If you think it's hard walking and dancing in stilts, try doing it on cobbled streets! These people had some talent! This group was a lot of fun, too. They traveled around the town, playing the drums and dancing around. They also had a group of kids from a local dance studio out there. They performed a variety of dances in the main market area. There were games and rides, as well. July is sales month in Belgium. All of the stores had tents set up, and had lots of lovely items for sale on them. I am trying very hard to control my spending. They are not making it easy on me.

Notice that all of the men seem to be heading in the same direction? Looks a little suspicious, doesn't it? We followed them around the corner to see what was going on. Across from the chocolate store, there is a lingerie store. They had set up a stage in the middle of the street, and were having a fashion show. Young women were walking around on the stage in silk robes, showing off products available inside. Then they took the robes off. Yes, they were wearing little nighties underneath. No, I did not take any pictures. Russ pointed out that I had just taken pictures of men dancing, but was not taking any of girls wearing very little clothing. (Apparently this did not make any sense to him at all.) I pointed out that I had the camera. Enough said. :0) Still, he got to enjoy the show, and I enjoyed the part when the young man walked out modeling the boxers, and then we traveled on our way again. Belgium rocks.

Pieter Bruegel & Peer

Peer is a lovely little town, with one major claim to fame---Pieter Bruegel, a "Netherlandish Renaissance" painter. Records are a little murky during the time frame of his life (1525-1569), but as best as anyone can tell, this was where he hung his paintbrush. Peer is very proud of it's connection with Pieter, and has banners around town proclaiming this to be "Bruegelstad". Translation..."Bruegel's Town". If you are interested in finding out more about Pieter, then head on down to Peer's Tourist office on Market Street. On the floor above their offices, they have a museum with his work on display. They also have an interesting little souvenir that you can pick up downstairs. You know me, I can't resist an item that has an interesting story behind it. This is Bruegel's painting called "Danse des Paysans" (1568). (Dance of the Peasants) If you look on the left side of the painting, you will notice an interesting little beige cup, sitting on the table. You might not think it's a cup, because it is sitting upside down on the table, and the bottom is rounded, not flat. There is a reason for this. You thought college kids invented drinking games, but the Belgium's have a few of their own. At celebrations, they whipped out this cup, filled it to the brim with alcohol , and handed it to a fellow reveler. The catch is, you can't sit the cup down if it has any liquid in it--the bottom is round. You have to finish is and place it on the table upside down. Even the most hesitant drinker had to give in and down the drink. They reproduced the cups and sell them in the tourist office. Of course, I bought one. No, I don't plan on using it. Like I said, I'm a sucker for an item with an interesting story. That's how I ended up with an antique pigeon timer, but that's a story that I'll save for another day...

Tink's In Trouble!

You hear about these things, but I never thought it would happen to a member of our family. We just received this message from our beloved Tink. It must be real. I recognize her handwriting. I know the professional negotiators tell you to not give in, but we really have no choice. We must meet their demands. There is an unmarked package en route to this undisclosed location with the ransom the catnappers requested inside. End the terror.

Please let our Tinky go.

Oh, Deer!

All around the area, you see these little deer in pens behind houses. I'm not sure if they serve as pets, or the main course on someones dinner table. They are very nice creatures, and not much bigger than a large dog. Anyway, it's an interesting picture that I thought I'd share. We had a very busy weekend, between the 4th of July party on Saturday and the food and drink festival in Peer on Sunday. I would have had pictures of those to share, but I have a teenager. When I pull the camera out now, she groans "Mother! You look like a tourist!" (Add rolling eyes and disgusted expression.) I thought I was being very considerate when I switched to the smaller camera that I can hide in my purse... as opposed to my big Rebel that normally dangles around my neck. Apparently not. In any event, the food and drink festival was really interesting. It's very similar to the Monday market. Different vendors set up their booths on Market Street and give out free samples of their products. If you like it, they have plenty for sale. We bought some goat cheese spread from a local dairy. Brandon and I love it. It's great on toast or crackers. We also picked up some yummy blueberry jam. The best purchase of the day had to be the fresh waffles, with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, and light whipped cream piped all over the top. Is your mouth watering yet? Yes, it was that good! Add the music, perfect weather and small town atmosphere, and you have a wonderful afternoon.

Sarah Steps Down

It's a sad day, even in Belgium. Our beloved Sarah has decided to step down as Governor of Alaska. After she decided to not run for Governor again, she then decided not to finish out her current term. I can't say that I blame her. The Democrats have done just about everything but literally eat her for dinner. I don't know why they are so threatened by Sarah, but it is obvious that they are. I guess they just can't stand a strong, beautiful woman who stands up for what she believes in and doesn't play all the back-stabbing games that seem to be the norm in politics.

I'm sure that whatever she decides to do in the future, she will do it well. I am curious to see what her next step is. Good luck, Sarah, and best wishes!

Valkenburg Castle and the Velvet Cave

It's another lovely day in Belgium. Russ had today off, so we decided to do a little more exploring. We took a little trip to the Netherlands to check out the town of Valkenburg and explore the ruins of Valkenburg Castle. It's a beautiful area. After a delicious lunch at a local cafe, we headed on up the hill to the castle. Valkenburg Castle has the distinction of being the only castle in the Netherlands to be built on a hill. It was originally built in 1100, but has changed shapes and sizes throughout the years. All that remains of the original castle is the foundation.

The castle had several owners over the years, the last being King William III. He ordered the castle to be blown up with gunpowder to prevent it from ending up in the hands of the French.
Under the ruins of the castle are the Velvet Caves. They have guided tours of the caves every hour on the hour. The caves were originally formed when marl was mined from the ground to form the castle walls. This left a series of tunnels under the ruins. The tunnels were then used for the knights to escape the castle and sneak up on their enemy from behind when being attacked. It also allowed them to bring supplies into the castle. When the railroad came to Valkenburg in 1853, hotels started being built in the area. To make the caves more attractive to the tourists, they were decorated with drawings. The walls were smoothed out, blackened with charcoal, and then the drawings were scratched into the wall with a sharp object. The drawings tell stories about life around the castle. This first drawing is of a block cutter. These were the people who cut out the caves. They knew their way around the caves with no problem. If you look closely at the tree on the left side of the picture, you will see a map of the caves carved into the leaves. This drawing is of the Castle at around 1600. It shows what the castle looked like before it was destroyed in 1672. This tells the story of Alexis of Cleves and Walram, who were wed in the castle. Walrem's brother, Reginald, was jealous and angry that Alexis chose his brother instead of him. Reginald murdered the young couple before their wedding night.

In 1770, the jaw of a mosasaurus was discovered in the rock under St. Peter's hill. The story says that the French army seized it and took it to Paris where it is now on display at the Museum of Natural History. The French say that they bought the jaw bone from the city for 600 bottles of red wine. In September of 1944, the American Army entered south Limburg. This was nearing the end of World War II. Around 600 locals stayed in the cave during this time, to find shelter from the war between the Americans and Germans. American troops also spent time in the caves after the liberation of Valkenburg. They came during their leave to check out the area. Some of the locals and soldiers left notes and signatures on the caves walls.

There is a chapel in the caves. Many Catholic priests were imprisoned during the late 1700's due to political turmoil with the French, and some took shelter in the caves. Legend says that the priest Servatius Widdershoven hid in the cave for 3 years.

Valkenburg is a beautiful area, with lots of history. We had a great afternoon checking out the area. Now it's time to rest. Tomorrow is another adventure. It's the 4th of July, and you know what that means.........COOKOUT!!!!!!!