No Sunshine For Stanley

Stanley decided to keep me company while I ran errands yesterday. That took us to the nearby town of Peer. Peer gets its name from the Dutch word perre or parre, which is an enclosed settlement in an unsafe area. A long time ago, Peer was entirely surrounded by a huge wall. Today, that wall is gone, but on it's foundation is a road that forms a large ring around the city's Centrum. The Centrum is the center of the city. Each city and town in Belgium has a Centrum, and at the heart of the Centrum is the local church. The Sint Trudo Church is in Peer. It's open one month in the summer for tours, and on one special day of the year, you can actually climb a circular staircase up to the top of the church steeple. Stanley was very sad that today was not that day. I told him that he'd have to come back and visit us this summer so that he could climb the steeple with us. The weather was pretty normal for a winter's day in Belgium. It was cold and rainy. Although we've gotten a lot of snow this winter, this is what is typical for this region. It's OK, though. A wet winter means a beautiful and green Spring!

This is the old Stadhuis (Town Hall) in Peer. It was built in 1637. When they built a new Town Hall, they turned this one into the Visitor's Center. Then they decided to make another change. The Visitor's Center moved down the street to a larger building, and they renovated the Town Hall and reopened it as a lovely restaurant. They did a great job, because they kept most of the structure the way it was. The outside looks the same, and you can still see the original wooden beams in the ceiling when you go inside.

Stanley and I decided to get out of the cold rain, and relax for a little bit with a warm drink. Ahhhhhh. Nothing warms you up like a nice cup of hot chocolate! (Especially when you are in Belgium!)