I am branching out a little more into the local area. This is another view of Peer. Bikes rule the country, and they always have the right of way. The red paths along each side of the road are bike paths. You are not allowed to park on them, and you constantly have to keep an eye out for the bikes at intersections, because they don't stop. They know they have the right of way, and just assume you will stop when they cross in front of you. There are more bike paths than there are roads. You can travel anywhere you want in Belgium on a bike path.
I went to the Antique market in Tongeren on Sunday with a new friend. Russ and the kids stayed home. They aren't big into shopping for "old stuff". They have the market every Sunday. Tongeren is the oldest city in Belgium. It's beautiful. Lots of narrow roads that wrap around the city center, where you find the Basilica. This is a picture of part of the basilica. I didn't get any good pictures there, because it started to rain when we finished shopping. Good timing on that. The market is in the city center, just down a winding road from the basilica.
This is a statute of Ambiorix. He rallied his people to fight against Julius Caesar in the first century BC. I try to read a little about the areas that I get to visit. Maybe this will improve our knowledge of history. (It certainly couldn't hurt.) The statute is right across from the basilica. It's in a little open area where there are a lot of stores and cafes. The antique market is really large, and winds through the streets of the city center. There are a couple of big warehouses (one is more like an open parking garage) where they have a lot of stands set up, because it does tend to rain here a lot. We lucked out and finished our shopping before the rain really started. Then we enjoyed a cappuccino and waffle at a local cafe. (If you are curious, the waffle comes with a sprinkling of powdered sugar on it, and you can order toppings. I got fresh cherries and whipped cream.. YUM! Michelle got cherries and chocolate syrup.) I hope to go back soon and take Russ and the kids. They aren't big on the shopping, but they will love to explore the city. I'll be my normal tourist self next time and take lots of pictures. (I was trying to blend in a little more this time, and my big camera kind of gives me away. Let's just say that I learned on the second day that the word "tourist" is international. It just sounds better when they say it.)
We are slowly settling into our new neighborhood. We walked around for a bit yesterday afternoon. It's a beautiful little town. There are lots of biking/walking paths around. Because this is such a small base, there aren't a lot of Americans around. I'm sure we appear a bit strange to the locals, but everyone has been really kind to us. 
This is the church with the bells that we have been hearing. You can just see the tip of it from our apartment, so we knew it wouldn't be far. 
You can see most of the town by just walking around a big circle. All of the signs are in Dutch, of course, but there are pictures on a lot of store fronts, so it's not too hard to figure them out. There is a bakery and deli very close to us. We've already been to the little neighborhood market to get a few essentials. 
Belgiums are very conscious of appearance. They keep their homes and yards looking perfect. You don't see any long grass or weeds here. 
Here is a closer view of the church. I'm told that they open it up to tours occassionally, and you can climb up narrow stairs all the way to the top of the bell tower. We'll definitely have to do that. Brandon wants to see what it looks like up there. We are going to get out and see some more of the area today. Have a beautiful day!
This is a view of our new apartment. It's Euro chic! We had no idea what to expect, and were very pleasantly surprised. The man we're renting it from is extremely nice, and met us in front of the building when we pulled up. In fact, everyone here in Belgium is really great. They are very kind people. 
Here is our bathroom. There is beautiful tile throughout the apartment. 
Here is our lovely kitchen. Also cool. Did you notice that there is no fridge. It's hidden on the left side and designed to blend into the other cabinets. The thing that is missing is the freezer. There isn't one at all. I guess it helps you eat fresh produce. I'll take some pictures of the area soon. We are suffering from some serious jet lag, so I didn't take any pictures when we took our little tour of the base and local area today. Today has been a blur. I'm ready for bed. A Belgium bed. How cool is that?
We decided to spend our last Sunday in Anchorage visiting the downtown area. We were happy "tourists" and had a great time today. We walked around the area, visited a lot of the local tourist shops, and bought a few things to take with us. 
We also went to the Bear And Raven Theater and saw a great little movie about the Iditarod. It was interactive viewing, so we also enjoyed a parting view of the northern lights on the ceiling and a light snow fall. 
We traveled on to City Hall, where Russ and I enjoyed reindeer sausages from the corner cart. Good times. The kids decided not to be quite so adventurous, and had lunch at Burger King. I guess they have some issues with eating Rudolph. I, on the other hand, have no problem with it. He was delicious. 
Next, a quick stop at the Visitor's Center beside City Hall to check out the Anchorage sign. It shows the air mileage from Anchorage to major cities around the world. Guess what was on the sign......Brussels! How cool is that? In case you can't read it, it is 4,566 air miles from Anchorage to Brussels. (Double that if you are traveling with kids who do not sleep on planes.) 
The icing on the cake today was having our family portrait taken. When we left Florida, we had our picture taken on the beach. What do you do when you leave Alaska? You have your picture taken with a moose, of course! Hank was only too happy to oblige. Thanks, Hank. We really appreciate it. We will remember you and Alaska fondly.
I know that we went to Seward a few days ago, but I had to head down that direction just one more time before we leave Alaska. We only went as far as Portage yesterday, but it's not about the distance of the drive...it's all about the quality. The Seward Highway sums up all that is great about Alaska in one beautiful package. 
The bore tide was heading back out to sea. There was a fresh dusting of snow on the mountains. Eagles were flying in lazy circles overhead. 
Now here is something you don't see every day. This is a helicopter towing a plane back to Anchorage. I'd love to know the whole story about this, but for now, we'll just have to wonder what was going on. 
We saw several moose along the road. This is a young bull moose getting a bite to eat on the side of the road. He's a handsome devil, isn't he? Since Bob never came back to say "good-bye", this young fellow will just have to do. 
Here is a good looking porcupine. I didn't get a good shot of his teeth, but let me tell you...they were spectacular. (Someone needs a teeth whitening kit. They were bright yellow!) We won't even mention the lovely aroma that wafted up from him. I wouldn't want to undermine his confidence. Still, he was very kind to let me take his picture, and I do appreciate it. 
Even with the rain and wind, it was a beautiful drive. I will definitely miss this. 
At first glance, this looks like a bunch of white dots on the side of a mountain. On closer inspection, you will see that they are a family of Dall sheep, high up on rocks above the highway. You have to understand that this picture was taken with a zoom lens, through the windshield of a van traveling pretty fast on a windy road. All that taken into consideration, it's a pretty good shot. (I get my picture taking technique from my Dad. "Do you want me to pull over?" Click. "Nope, I'm good. I got it. Keep on trucking." I'm quite sure that all the famous photographers use this approach.)
We took the opportunity last weekend to take a few scenic drives. We spent Saturday in Seward, and Sunday in Talkeetna. This is a snowplow train engine on the side of the Seward Highway just south of Anchorage. It's huge! Very cool to look at, too. We've seen it countless times, but this was the first time we actually stopped to check it out up close. 
Sunday's trip to Talkeetna was great, too, but not quite as scenic. The best view on the whole trip is this one of Denali. When you come over a rise right before Talkeetna, you get a super view of the mountains. We also happened to arrive at the same these helicopters were heading through, so it was a double treat. 
