Liege

We decided to head to Liege with friends on Saturday, and check out the Arms Museum. The museum is in an old house that was built in the late 1770's. During the French occupation, Napoleon Bonaparte stayed here twice. Pierre Joseph Lemille, and arms manufacturer and collector, bought the house in 1858. After his death, the city of Liege bought the house and opened it as a museum. It's a beautiful old house, and the museum is very impressive. (You'll have to excuse the pics in this case, because the museum doesn't allow any flash photography.) Can you imagine the work involved to pull this crossbow back and get it ready to fire? Talk about a work out!These rifles have a flint trigger. They are called flintlocks, and were very cool. There was a very large and impressive collection of them in the museum. The museum had a little something for everyone, and not just weapons. There were lots of beautiful statutes as well. One of these had a strange object on her foot. Must be something artistic. We had a super day with great friends. We tried to check out a few antique stores, but luckily for the guys, they were closed. That just means we have to head back another day. More adventures are on the horizon...

Happy Birthday Kaulille!

Kaulille is a lovely little town. She's also a birthday girl (with a few years under her belt, but still young at heart). She is 750 years old! The town of Kaulille is having a month long celebration to honor this exciting event. Is it just me, or do Belgians take every opportunity that comes along and turn it into a party? These people know how to socialize. I think that's how they keep their electric bills down. They are never home. This picture is of the Sevensmolen windmill in Kaulille, built in 1891. We stopped by there today on our many travels. It's a grist mill, and is open to the public on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. Can someone say "field trip"?

I love My PoefPoef Lazy Bag!

I've been on the hunt for bean bag chairs. This might seem like an easy thing to all of you spoiled people in the states, but over here, it's a treasure hunt. I have found lots and lots of them that are small or medium, but I was looking for something a tad larger. I wanted something that the kids could really sink into while they watched movies or played video games. Today... success! I discovered a wonderful store in Opglabbeek. (I know what you are doing now. You're reading the word Opglabbeek out loud. It's a fun word to say, isn't it? For you kids keeping up with the class, you will know from an earlier post that we cool people now refer to Opglabbeek as "The Op".) Anyhoo, the store is called Van Cranenbroek. It's very similar to Big Lots back in the states. They have a little bit of everything at pretty good prices. I only poked around a little, because I was on a mission, but I'd love to go back and explore it further. I found what I had been looking for. They call it a PoefPoef Lazy Bag, and for just under 30 euros, it's a bargain! Besides, I provided lots of entertainment for the locals as I hauled these two bad boys down the aisle and over to the register. For once, people weren't staring at me because I'm American. They were staring at me because I looked a little crazy. Can't say as I blame them. These puppies are HUGE! They are 150 cm square. For those of us mathematically challenged, I looked it up and that's just over 4'9". It looks bigger to me. (Let's just say I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have a minivan.) To give you an idea how big they are, this one is in front of my over sized sofa that my 6'3" hubby can stretch out on comfortably to take a nap. (Before you say anything, Mom, yes...I know that they are brown. I know that everything I've bought lately is brown or beige. I am in the process of getting some accent colors thrown in, but these things take time. Still, doesn't my new rug look FABULOUS!?!?)

Here's what they look like when they are shaped into chair form. They aren't as shiny as they appear to be here. Blame it on the flash. I'm curious to see what the hubby has to say about these when he gets home. I have a feeling he didn't realize just how big an item I was shopping for. This is probably going to be one of those 'roll his eyes and ask why on earth I bought them' type of situations. He should know better by now. I'm just saying.

How Cool Is...Oh, Crap!

I suppose that one has to expect these things when one lives in a castle, but let me tell you something...this Queen was a little freaked out this morning! As fall sets in, the days are getting shorter, so it was dark this morning when the hubby headed out to work. I was standing at the big window right beside the front door, looking out as he walked toward the driveway. As he rounded the bend in the sidewalk, the motion sensor turned on the two lights just outside the front door. Then I saw something swoop down and around the light, and head off again. I thought at first that it was a sparrow, because that was the size of the creature. After another swoop, I realized that it was a bat. Now bats are pretty common here and you see them at dusk and dawn, circling around the yards and eating insects. There are lots of mosquito's here, so I tend to like the bats chomping away on them. I soon noticed that there wasn't one bat, but two. They took turns flying under the overhang, grabbing bugs and circling back out. I was only about 3 feet from them as I peeked out of the window, so it was fascinating to watch them. I'd never been that close to a bat before. After about 5 minutes, the lights started to fade out and that's when things took a turn for the worse.
The bat didn't swoop back out again. This time, he grabbed onto the edge of the light closest to the door and crawled inside the opening. He shimmied his little body up into the hole beside the light and disappeared. Ugh. This is not good. Do you mean to tell me that I have a bat living right above my front door? This would appear to be the case. I watched for a while, but he never came back out. I don't know where the other bat disappeared to. The last I saw of him, he was circling the big tree in my front yard. I shut the curtain, went to get a cup of coffee, and stewed on the situation. Bats kill bugs. Good. Bats have rabies. Bad. No more mosquitoes. Good. Creepy little rat with wings. Bad. Hmmmm. Maybe he was just looking for more bugs. I decided to see if he was still in there. Jess took off on her bus (she has zero interest in getting even remotely near a bat!!!), but Brandon wanted to see what was going on before he went to school. We stepped out onto the porch with a flashlight and pulled the front door closed. (The last thing I want is a freaked out bat inside my house.) Carefully, I leaned under the light and aimed my flashlight at it. A creepy little face blinked back at me. Aughhhh! Into the house with the door slammed safely behind us. Let me rethink this situation. Brandon is rethinking it, too. Why didn't he get to see the bat? He doesn't think this is fair. Fine. Back out on the porch we go. I tell him where to look in the hole and hand him the flashlight. He looks. He agrees that it's a creepy little creature, but he still finds it interesting. The bus arrives and takes the braver of our duo away to school. Back into the house I go, door securely closed behind me. Bat=1. Queen=0. I'm gonna need more coffee to work this one out.

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.

Ghosts In The Attic

I was home alone a couple of days ago. It was an overcast day, with very strong winds howling outside. It was one of those days that you're glad you aren't out there running around. I was being a good little housewife, and scrubbing the second floor bathroom. (Now those who know me really well are starting to think that this is one of those tall tales, but I really was scrubbing the bathroom. It happens. Rarely, but it does happen.) I was up to my elbows in Tilex when I heard a loud slam. I jumped. It sounded like it was my bedroom window, but I had already secured all the windows in the house, because the wind was blowing so hard. Still, I'm not one to hide from a problem, so I set out to see what it was. Off to the bedroom I went. Everything looked fine, but I double checked the window, just to be safe. Nothing amiss here. Maybe I had missed another window. I went through the entire house, checking windows and doors, but everything was locked up tight. I had just closed the curtain on the back sliding glass door when I heard the sound again. SLAM! OK, that's just creepy now. It sounded like it came from right above me--my bedroom. I knew for a fact that the window was locked, but what else could it be? I took off for the master bedroom to find out what the heck was going on. Everything looked perfectly normal! Ugh! I was starting to get a little paranoid, so I checked out every room again. I even looked in the garage. Slam! Now I'm concerned. Slam! This house is so open, and with all of the tile and hard wood floors, sound echoes everywhere. It's hard to figure out where the heck it's coming from. (Every horror movie I've ever seen is starting to come back to me. I'd love to see a ghost, but not in my house when I'm alone.) OK, I can figure this out. Finally, the brain clicks on. I head outside, so I can see all of the windows at the same time, and therefore figure out which one is open. Out the back I go, and then...I saw it. The attic window is ajar, and the sheer curtains are sticking out and blowing madly in the wind. It figures. The attic. Back inside and up to the second floor. Now I'm standing in the upstairs hallway, eying the attic door in the ceiling. You know the kind. You pull down the trap door and unfold the rickety ladder, so you can climb up into the dark, spider web filled attic. Questions start to fill my mind. Who would have been in the attic to open that window in the first place? Do I really want to go up there? Then I did what any self respecting adult in my place would have done. I waited for the 11 year old to get home from school, brought him to the bottom of the attic stairs, and said "You wait here for me and make sure nothing happens." (I didn't even mention what might have happened, but he's a smart kid, and if he had heard me screaming bloody murder, he probably would have figured out that meant go for help.) "Do you want me to go with you, Mom?" he asked. I'm going to have to raise his allowance. "I guess that would be OK", I said. Both of us knew I was being a big chicken, but it was nice that he didn't mention it out loud. Up the ladder we went and found our way to the back of the attic. I opened the window, fixed the curtains, and shut and locked the window securely. If the ghost was there, it was kind enough to stay hidden. Back down the ladder and to the safety of the hallway with a sigh of relief. Whew. I told the story to the hubby when he got home, and he, in turn told Jess when she arrived later on that night. Of course, in his version, when I looked up at the attic window, there was a figure standing there looking back. "You're freaking me out, Dad," she said. Not to worry, I told her. If that were true, I would have moved before she got home.

And I wouldn't have bothered to pack. I'd have just bought all new stuff. I'm just saying.

Aachen, Germany

Well slap me silly and call me an international traveler! Today we decided to check out Aachen, Germany, and that means traveling though three different countries. I know! Three! Of course, that sounds a little more impressive than it actually is. We are situated on the very edge of Belgium, right beside the thinnest part of the Netherlands, so the entire trip took less an hour and a half. Still, it was a fantastic day, and my first trip into Germany.

I don't care how mature you say you are, I know for a fact that you giggled as soon as you read this sign. Ausfahrt is the German word for Exit. (I'm still giggling.)We followed Tom's advice, and he directed us to the center of Aachen. We were in luck, and they were having a big market in the town square today. Even with the rain, it was very popular with locals and tourists. This is Aachen Rathaus, or City Hall. The pictures don't do it justice, because it was absolutely beautiful. The details were amazing. Figures of emperors and kings that were crowned in Aachen are carved into the front of the building. Here is another view of the square, complete with market. The little street that is between the tan building in the center of the picture and the orange building, is the oldest street in Aachen.

I loved these gargoyles. I thought they were fantastic, but the family voted me out. How cool would one of these looked peeking down from the stairway of the house? The tough part would be choosing which one to get.

This is Charlemagne with scepter, orb and crown. He is the founding father of French and German monarchies, and is known as the "Father of Europe." (That's your mini history lesson, now back to fun.)

This fountain was down one of the alleys. It is very cool to look at, but even more fun once you really check it out. It's movable. All of the joints on the characters can be moved, so you can pose them any way you like. I think the adults enjoyed playing with it even more than the kids!

This is the Aachen Cathedral, also known as the Imperial Cathedral. It's the oldest Cathedral in northern Europe. When Charlemagne died in 814, he was buried in the vault of this cathedral. Here is a close up of the walls of the cathedral. Wow!There were so many great little shops along the little alley ways. This one is called Nobis and sold the most delicious gingerbread cookies. I couldn't resist the little hedgehog. I had to stop in and pick up a few things.

I had to back track a little bit to check out the shop called Oil and Vinegar. Bet you can't guess what they sell. OK, maybe you can. They have lots and lots of very interesting oils and vinegar (duh!) from all over Europe. Some are ready to sell, but lots others are in large bottles in the back, and there are samples out for you to try. Pick the ones you want, and they will pour some into smaller bottles for you to purchase. They had other goodies there, too, like pesto. Yum. Sorry, I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't get any pictures in there. This was a beautiful building that we saw on our way out of town. It appears to be part of an old castle.
You know I wouldn't get out of town without buying some goodies, so here they are. I had to have some oil, vinegar, and pesto. I also couldn't resist the mortar. (I've always wanted one of those. Don't ask why, because I just do!) I bought butter cookies for Brandon, and gingerbread cookies for the rest of us. The little bag has small gingerbread cookies covered with white frosting or dark chocolate frosting. Yum! I had to get a hedgehog, too, but I don't know if I can bring myself to eat him. Well, maybe I can. He smells great! Real German gingerbread isn't like what you get in the states, it thick and chewy and tastes soooo good. It's too bad computers aren't scratch and sniff! I'm off to eat some more cookies. If you hurry over, you might get a bite yourself. Maybe not.