My New Treasure

Russ had the day off yesterday. He had visions of a quiet, relaxing day filled with sleeping late and lounging at the house. This was not the case. (He really should know better by now!) I had him up and out before he knew what hit him, and we were on our way to explore an antique store in Hamont. Thanks, Dawn, for recommending it! As with everything else in Belgium, you don't have any idea what lies inside such an unassuming old warehouse until you peek inside. Wow! Imagine a two story football field packed wall to wall with antiques. Aisles and aisles of treasures, stacked up all around you, just begging to be explored. It's a bit overwhelming. All of the big items are on the main floor, but there is a balcony of sorts that runs around the inside of the building on the second floor, and that's the section that I spent hours in. There are tons of the little nicknack's and items there from every day life that I find so fascinating. I behaved myself, though, and came home with this one little treasure. After watching a group of people leave with a rented truck FULL of big furniture, Russ was breathing a sigh of relief at my purchase. This beauty is a Roberval Scale. It's named after it's inventor, Gilles Personne De Roverval, a French mathematician. It's very interesting to play with, too. I'll be weighing objects all over the house.

I was lucky to find these glass weights included with the scale. Most of the time, these are lost throughout the years. They also make the weights out of lead, but these are so much prettier. I didn't take any pictures inside the Antique warehouse, but here is a link to their site so you can check it out virtually for yourself. http://www.antiek.be/antiques-antique-dealers-furniture=import-export_ENG-2773.html?submenu=NoAfter leaving Hamont, Russ took me the long way home through the town of Leopoldsburg. He had been on a motorcycle ride through here with friends a couple of days before and knew it was the sort of town I would love. He was right. I mean, how could you not love a town with a statute of Mary Poppins in a roundabout? That is Mary Poppins, isn't it? It sure looks like her.
There were beautiful, flower lines streets, and lots of little shops and outdoor cafes to explore. I will definitely be back here to check it out when I have more time!

Apparently Leopoldsburg is a town with a lot of military history. Camp Beverlo was established here in 1835, and the town formed beside it as people moved to the area to support the camp. Leopoldsburg is named after King Leopold I. He had a Royal Palace here and stayed here quite often while working with the establishment of the camp. That is a statute of him in front of the building. Much of the original camp still stands, and has been turned into a museum. A newer military camp is just beside it and is still in use today.

This tank is on the side of the road in the neighboring town of Hechtel. It stands as a monument to the war. The Germans bombed the camp in 1940, and then occupied it until 1944, when allied troops bombed it and took it over. I was used by General Brian Horrocks as his headquarters when he ordered the start of the Market Garden operation in 1944. The 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade moved into the camp 1970, and it remains the largest garrison in Belgium. So much history is packed into this beautiful little country. Hope you enjoyed your Monday off as much as we did.