Good-Bye To Kleine Brogel

Well, this is it.  One last fond farewell to our lovely little base called Kleine Brogel.  We are really leaving Belgium.  I can't believe how fast the last three years have flown by.  We are so grateful for the opportunity to have been stationed here, and to live in such a warm and wonderful country.  I remember when we first got orders here, and I had to look Belgium up on the map to see exactly where it was.  (Geography is not my strong suit.)  One look and I was hooked.  Who wouldn't be excited to spend three years in the heart of Europe?  It feels like that was just yesterday.  And now it's all over.  I will miss the train trips, walking around the weekly markets in the Centrums of local towns, sharing cappuccinos, waffles and smiles with great friends.  I will miss the pottery and chocolate making classes with the ladies, where we might have talked a little more than we created.  I will miss traveling to amazing destinations that I'd only read and dreamed about in the past.  (Our trip to Ireland with the Smiths will be a memory I will cherish forever.) And there are so many more memories that I will hold in my heart.   Thank you to the wonderful ladies and gentlemen that we had the honor to be stationed with at KB.  You were our family while we were living such a long way from home.  And thank you to the friendly locals who tolerated our attempts at speaking Nederlands, and welcomed us into their country and community.  We will miss all of you.  Thank you to our friends and family who followed us along on this fantastic adventure by reading my silly little blog.  I still haven't decided if I will continue this tradition by starting one when we move to Florida.  I'll post a link on here if I do.  Good-bye lovely Belgium.  We loved being a part of your life, even if it was for such a short time.  Tot Ziens!

Our Lives Have Come Full Circle

To say that my life is blessed is an understatement. Don't get me wrong, there have been some pretty rough times over the years, but for the most part, I wouldn't change a thing. Now the time has come to move on once again. That's right... our new assignment. I've been more than a little stressed about this one, because it means so many huge changes in our lives. Jess will be going back to the states with us, but from there she will be heading off to college on her own. It will just be three of us at our new assignment. And that makes me very sad. (I'm excited for her, but sad for me just the same.) And then I had a dream. In my dream, I looked at where we were going and told Russ "Well, I guess our lives have come full circle now." I woke up in a sweat. What does that mean? Are we going back to Barksdale, our first base? That's where Mom is, but I really don't want to go back to Barksdale. (Nothing personal, it's a lovely area, but the job...) No big. It's just a dream, right? It doesn't mean anything. So we waited. And then the news. Our lives really are going full circle after all. We are moving back to Florida. We were stationed at there for 9 1/2 years, and absolutely loved it. Who wouldn't? Gorgeous white sand beaches, teal blue water, perfect temperatures. Our son was born there. Our daughter grew up there. We made lifelong friends there. But at that point in our lives, we wanted something more. We needed something more. We needed to see the world. Russ and I grew up in the South, and even though we had wonderful childhoods, we both always wanted to see what else was out there. So we put in for orders, and ended up with the wonderful assigment of Anchorage, Alaska. People thought we were insane to leave Florida for Alaska, but we were in heaven. And a little bit sad, too. We thought we were saying goodbye to our lovely Florida forever. When our time in Alaska was up, we put in for the South. Russ didn't have that much time left before he retires and we'd given up on getting orders overseas. He'd been trying for that since the day he signed up, and it just never worked out. The Air Force had other plans for us. We got orders to Belgium. The first thing I did was go onto Google and see where the heck Belgium was. And then I jumped up and down and screamed. We were going to the heart of Europe! And it's been amazing. We've been places that we've read about in books, and never dreamed we would get to see in person. We've met wonderful people, taken fantastic trips, and learned about different cultures. But now it's time to go home again. And we really are going home. We're going back to the Florida Panhandle, and I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to see my old friends who still live there, and then head down the beach to eat at the Back Porch Restaurant. We'll get a table by the open windows, watch the waves rolling in and seagulls diving down to the water to snag a little fish for dinner, and relax. I can't wait!

Sand Sculptures At Hoensbroek Castle and The Valkenburg Caves

Have you ever heard the phrase "hit the ground running"? Well, that's what Grandma and Nana did. We spent their first day in Europe in the Netherlands. Hoensbroek Castle hosts sand sculptures in the summer, so the timing was perfect. If you're in the area, the sculptures are on display from July 2 to November 6, 2011. We checked out all of the amazing sculptures, and then went inside to tour the castle. Hoensbroek Castle dates back to the 1200's, and is one of the largest in the Netherlands. Not only is the castle in great condition, it is furnished as well. It's one of our favorite castles, so we had to take the Moms over the see it. After the castle, we drove over to the Valkenburg Caves, also known as the Velvet Caves. The caves date back to the 11th and 12th century, and were formed by locals removing stones to make buildings (including the Valkenburg Castle). It's an interesting tour, because there are carvings and drawings on the walls inside.

A trip to Belgium would be complete without seeing a real windmill! So guess what we went to see the next day...

Grandma and Nana were a little jet lagged, so we let them relax before beginning the next adventure. This one's a biggie, so they need to get a little rest!

Memorial Day in Namur, Belgium

Russ had the day off today, so we decided to visit the lovely city of Namur and explore the Citadel. The Namur Citadel covers 80 hectares (just under 198 acres) and is one of the largest fortresses in Europe. It's beginnings can be traced back to the 1st century.

The Citadel sits high above the city of Namur. The grounds are free to explore, but they offer guided tours of the interior on weekends and daily from June to mid September for 9 euro. If you're a big military history buff, then this is the place for you.

The Citadel served as a command center in the middle ages. In 1891, it was transformed into a huge park.

Namur is the capital of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Namur. Pay attention. This could win you big bucks if you ever get to play Jeopardy. I thought this drawbridge was very interesting.

There is a fantastic view of the Meuse River from the top of the Citadel.

After exploring the grounds of the Citadel, we went into the city of Namur and had lunch at a lovely outdoor cafe. This is the Place d'Armes. They were in the process of setting up for a carnival, so I didn't get many pictures of the city. Armed with an ice cream cone from Australian Ice Cream (Australian ice cream in Belgium?), we were soon on our way back home. Hope your day was full of blue skies and sunshine as well.

Tongeren Antique Market For Mother's Day...Sweet!

When Russ asked me what I wanted to do for Mother's Day this year, it was a very easy decision. I've been wanting to go to Tongeren... forever! I've been there once before, but it was just after I moved here, and not only was I still jet lagged, it was raining. I didn't get to truly savor the Tongeren experience. Yes, Tongeren is a beautiful old city full of historical significance. (In fact, she's the oldest city in all of Belgium - 1915 BC). That's not why I was so excited to get back there, though. Tongeren is also home to an amazing Antique/Thrift Market. Each Sunday, from 6 am to 1pm, vendors set up stalls all over the streets in the centrum and sell antiques. It's better than chocolate. Well, almost better. Let's just say it's a pretty close tie! We left the kiddies at home and took off on our adventure. Just walking around the city is a wonderful experience. This little outdoor cafe was beautiful. You can sit outside, enjoy the sun and watch the ducks and swans float by. Very relaxing. We're not here to relax, though. We're here...to SHOP!Vendors line the streets, displaying their magical wares. Whatever you're looking for, you can find it in Tongeren. They have every antique imaginable, from furniture...to books...to games...to dishes...to locks...to tools.... You name it, and someone here will have it for you. There are also some hidden surprises here. Follow along with the other shoppers, and they will eventually lead you to two parking garages. They are on the same street as each other, so once you find one, the other is close by. Why do you want to see a parking garage? Because on Sundays, they are FILLED with antique vendors. It tends to rain a lot in Belgium, so they have the choice real estate at the Market. The weather was so gorgeous today, though, I had a hard time staying inside. We took a break from shopping and wandered over to say HI to Ambiorix. He helped to defend Belgium against Julius Caesar. He's quite the hero in these parts. Caesar even mentioned Ambiorix in his Commentary de Bello Gallco, Caesar's account of the Gallic Wars. I don't think he mentioned those 6 pack abs, though. Ambiorix is facing the Basilica of Our Lady. This building is on the World Heritage List by UNESCO. Roman ruins have been found on the site of the cathedral, and people claim that the first chapel was built here in the early 4th century. The current building was first constructed in 1240, but she's had a little work done since then, due to damage from battles, storms and fire. We decided to relax at an outdoor cafe to enjoy a delicious cup of cappuccino, when out of no where...we heard music! A few minutes later, this marching band appeared and played us a lively tune as they strolled by. Once around the corner, they disappeared again, and the streets were quiet. I told you Tongeren was a magical place. Refreshed, we started off once again on our antique adventure. Those are the old city walls on the right. This is one of the old gates in the city walls. It's in great condition. If you find this gate, take a look to your left and you'll find...Antique Alley. It's a fascinating little alley way filled with antique shops, and their goods are literally spilling over into the walk way. Be sure to head down there and explore. After a fantastic morning exploring Tongeren, we headed back home, ate lunch, and took off to have some fun at a local carnival. Brandon really wanted to check it out. They had some great rides!

This one came with a great view, as well.

Brandon's favorite thing about these street carnivals is the shooting booths. They have pellet guns, and you get to shoot targets like balloons and plastic pieces to earn prizes. In the states, they would never just hand a kid a pellet gun in a crowded area, but they are much more relaxed over here. He did great and came home with a couple of fun prizes.

Everyone was coming out, enjoying the beautiful weather and checking out the games. The local towns put these carnivals on all summer long. Today was a fantastic Mother's Day! I couldn't have asked for anything more. I hope yours was just as great!

Drielandenpunt...It's A-Maze-ing!

St. Benedictus Abbey sits up on a hill near Vaals in The Netherlands. It was an impressive sight to see on our journey today, but it wasn't our destination. We were on our way to Drielandenpunt (Three Land Point). It's the point where Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands all meet. As soon as we arrived, we heard some wonderful music. It sounded a lot like an old Merry Go Round, but it turned out to be this nice gentleman and his hand cranked musical machine. After listening for a little bit, we took off to get a look around the park.

Drielandenpunt is a great place to spend the day if you love the outdoors. They have lots of fantastic hiking trails and outdoor cafes to keep you entertained. We checked out the map and got our priorities straight. First thing...

was lunch at the Taverne De Grenssteen. Not only does it have great food, it's really cool to just sit there and look around. We picked the perfect time to eat, too. By the time we had finished, it was starting to get very busy.

The restaurant had kind of a hunting lodge feel to it. (For some reason, though, I felt like someone was watching me while I ate.)

After a great lunch, we were ready for the real reason we decided to spend the afternoon here...the labyrinth! Drielandenpunt is home to the biggest hedge maze in all of Europe. The maze has three bridges that you have to go over to reach the center platform. It seems pretty simple, but once you get in there, it's easy to get confused.

That doesn't even take the water hazards into account. They add some fun to the mix. I'm sure that in the heat of summer, we would be jumping back and forth through the water, but it was a tad chilly today. There is a hidden sensor on the opposite side of each water hazard that you can use to turn it off temporarily, but someone has to be willing to get wet to reach it. Poor Russ took one for the team and jumped through the water first. Our hero!

Each time we reached a platform bridge, we would try to get our bearings before we started out again. The kids decided that they could do better without the old folks slowing them down, so they took off and left us. Silly kids. Don't they know that with age comes wisdom?

Russ and I were soon at the center platform. Hmmm. No kids. I guess I was right about that age and wisdom thing. (OK, I confess. We cheated. A Big Thank You to the nice Belgian couple who pointed us in the right direction and got us to the center.)

Who is that over there on that platform? Why, it's our lovely kids! Not only did they not reach the center, then ended up back at the first of the three platform and had to start all over again. Hee hee hee.

With a little encouragement (and a few hints), they made it over and we were all reunited once more. They had to brave the water hazard again that Russ had helped us through earlier. Notice the wet jeans? Once you make it to the center, they show you what chaos you went through to get there. We didn't realize it earlier, but there are hidden pictures in the maze. If you look closely, you can make out at least 3 different animal heads and an arrow. Very cool!

After relaxing for a little bit and enjoying the view, we were off through the exit and on to more fun.

They had a pretty little picnic area near the exit to the maze. I'm sure that a little later in the day, this place was packed. We were off to climb the tower, because I heard the view from the top is amazing!

It was well worth the climb! Check out this view! They were having some kind of bike race that went in a big circle around the park through Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands. If you look at the roads at the bottom, you can see some of them. They were everywhere, and you could see them far off into the distance.

Here's a look back at the hedge maze, restaurants, and playground. There was a great view in every direction from the top of the tower. After all that hard work climbing the tower, we treated ourselves to soft served ice cream cones. Don't you wish this was taste-o-vision? Just think of sweet vanilla with the consistency of whipped cream. Yep. It was that good.

These are the three markers that show Belgium, Germany, and The Netherlands all coming together. Those are some of the bike racers on the other side of the hedge. There were lots of them taking a break and having lunch at the park. Exhausted from exploring the hedge maze and climbing the observation tower, we soon decided to head for home.

Interestingly enough, the road home was also the trail of the bike race I've mentioned. Now I can say that I've taken part in an official International Bike Race! One more thing to mark off my strange and unusual To Do list. (We just won't mention the fact that I wasn't exactly on a bike at the time. That will just be our little secret.)