Like Yertle the Turtle...

...our cats are the rulers of all that they see!
While the two 17 year-olds rarely show enough energy to take advantage of our marvelous back yard, the two younger ones, Max and Gina, spend nearly every waking minute (all 6 or 7 of them per day) outdoors, when given the chance. Max is usually content to simply laze under the shrubs or roll on the warm deck. Gina is the hunter of the family, often found stalking bugs of varying sizes and smells. Just yesterday she "blessed" us with her first official big game kill: a mole. While we were on the phone with our son in the States, she ceremoniously delivered her Cargo of Carcass to our feet, in the house. The poor little mole was at least partially still alive when delivered; I rushed him outside and deposited him in the yard next door where he hopefully has recovered, with one heck of a tale to tell his grandmoles. Gina, as you can imagine, was none too pleased with Dad - if this is how he thanks her for such hard-earned gifts, she just might think twice before bringing us another. Or so we hope.

Watch Out, Lance Armstrong!

Well, maybe not quite yet. We are, to put it politely, novices on two wheels. You've heard of the Wild Hogs? Maybe we should have the moniker the Timid Lambs, or perhaps the Speedy Slugs. We've only ventured out a couple of times together on our bikes and we set our personal best today, with something like 8 or 9 miles covered. Not exactly ready for the Tour de France, I guess. Fortunately, if you're going to go biking, whether seriously or like us, this is the country: not a hill as far as the eye can see. While there are bike lanes on many roads, Belgians drivers are certainly not nearly as bike-friendly as those in neighboring countries. So I guess the tres chic helmets are a must...
By the way, notice the healthy crops in the field behind me? On the right, it's obviously wheat. What about on the left? At long last, we've solved this mystery: they're potatoes. They have beautiful white and yellow blossoms, all apparently for naught, since the vegetable is growing underground.

Where Napoleon Met His...

We live in Waterloo, only about a mile from the actual site of the famous June 1815 battle where Napoleon, once and for all, was given the boot, never to return to power. Napoleon's northward march from France had forced the attendees at the Congress of Vienna to put a hasty halt to their parties and soirees and send an allied army (primarily British under Wellington and Prussian under Bluecher) to defeat the Little One. In one of the largest single-day battles in world history, there were well over 50,000 casualties. In the vicinity there are still several original buildings which have survived from 1815 to the present, having endured a couple of other wars in the 20th century. To commemorate the battle, a large hill was formed, with a fierce lion placed atop it, facing toward Paris as if to say, "Don't even think about doing this again!" But they do:
Every few years they recreate the battle, with thousands of folks dressing up and playing the roles of French or allied troops. Even a few females participate (you'll see one in my picture), but I'm not sure how true to history that really would be. Once again, here in 2009, Napoleon lost. I'm reminded of the truism: "If at first you don't succeed, try try again. But if you still don't succeed, give up. There's no sense in being a damned fool about it!" Maybe Napoleon will think about it next time, but I doubt it...

Independence Day in the UK!

What better way to spend the 4th than in the enemy’s capital?!? OK, 220 years later I think we’re all past that now. So, it was fun to spend a marvelous, long, hot day in London; my first visit since 1999; Lucie’s first since 1985. It’s fun to compare and contrast our two countries and cultures and now, having spent about 9 hours in England, I can speak as an authority. So here is our scorecard, based on all this extensive research:
Travel – the train ride was nothing short of wonderful. Just under 2 hours from downtown Brussels to downtown London, on the smoothest set of rails I’ve ever felt. It departed exactly on time and arrived one minute early. It cost about $110 R/T per person, which certainly seems reasonable. When compared with train travel in the U.S. : ADVANTAGE – ENGLAND
Friendliness of big city folks – where in America would you find a subway station employee who not only goes out of his way to give helpful directions, but also sings two songs in praise of America, all for the benefit of these two almost-lost Yank tourists? ADVANTAGE – ENGLAND
Weather – gimme a break; this is London we’re talking about. It shouldn’t even be considered a fair fight. But yesterday it was in the low 80s with almost total sunny skies. The locals were dying of the heat; we were loving it. Just as nice as at home. ADVANTAGE – TIE
Sights – London has a wealth of sights, like every other huge city. Trying to see them all in one day is an effort in futility, but our feet can attest that we almost died trying. But here’s the one downer: admission to St. Paul’s Cathedral (a church…) was 11 pounds (about $20) and Westminster Abbey ran us 15 pounds each (almost $30!!). I think the most expensive museum in all of Washington D.C. is the Spy Museum, which still charges less than half of the Abbey’s price. OK, the sights aren’t quite on an even par, but still, early every major museum in our capital costs nary a farthing, as the Brits might say. ADVANTAGE – USA
Beer – taste, as they say, lies on the tongue of the beholder. While I can appreciate a good British bitter or IPA, on a day as warm as yesterday, a *cold* one would have really hit the spot. 20 years ago, I’d have to say advantage England, but with the true wealth of American microbrews these days… ADVANTAGE – USA
Food – Don’t make me laugh. ADVANTAGE – USA
Great Way to Spend a Great Day – it really doesn’t matter. When you’re with the one you love, sharing beautiful sights and experiences, whether it’s in the UK, US, Belgium, Germany, or Outer Slobovia, who cares? ADVANTAGE – THE TWO OF US.

The Dog of Bruges

I was so proud of myself, catching this pooch in such a great pose when we visited Bruges. There it was, a once-in-a-lifetime photo op, worthy of National Geographic, Time, or at least maybe the National Enquirer. Then we watch the movie "In Bruges" and what do we see, but our Brugian Dog, in the same window above the water! So now I'm wondering if he's real or just a statue, there for chump tourists to take a picture of... I sure hope he's real; heck, he was the only thing Lucie found to like about the movie!