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!!!!!!!