I'll tell ya what won't work

I've heard commentators suggest that the US drastically raise gasoline taxes as a way to discourage consumption, thereby reducing our dependence on imported oil, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and putting the Orioles back atop the American League. While I'm in favor of all those things, raising gasoline taxes will not accomplish them. We were in the Netherlands today and spent several hours sitting in some of the worst traffic jams I've ever seen anywhere. So I'm here to tell you that not one single Dutchman is staying home just because his gas costs $9 a gallon.

The day is complete when...

we've seen the usual convoi exceptionnel (wide load) on the road - or, alternatively, a  cow...umm...relieving itself in the field. both almost daily sights in our part of the country.

We decided it's spring

For various reasons we had not been able to get down to the flower market at the train station in Mons for the last several Sundays. So we decided earlier this week that would be our destination after church today. Divine Providence apparently approved because we had an absolutely gorgeous day. It got up to 15 (59 Fahrenheit) degrees today, the warmest it's been since last fall.

We sorta went crazy buying flowers. We filled the two bedroom window boxes (the pansies in the one on the ledge outside the bathroom window weathered the winter well and are blooming like crazy). We filled the wheelbarrow. We filled the tub on the deck and still have some left to put in the other tub when the tulips Sarah's friends gave us are done.

We call this the Back Forty. It's about a third to a half of our lawn. I mowed it last week because the grass was--no kidding--10 or 12 inches high in spots.

I waited so long because it wouldn't stop raining, and our yard just might be below sea level. As you can see from this post-mowing photo, despite a week without rain it hadn't quite dried out. It was like mowing the Everglades.

In a really stupidly trivial way, though, it made me understand just a little of what the troops on this part of the front had to put up with during the Great War.

Old Elegance

Antwerp is full of gorgeous old buildings. The top picture is shot from inside the central train station. (The thought ran through my mind that I could be arrested by over-zealous homeland security types for taking such a picture.) The bottom picture is, if you double click on it and see, a bank.

We wondered how much destruction Antwerp suffered during the war(s). Obviously, and fortunately, some of its graceful old buildings survived.

The Nationaal Scheepvaartmuseum in Antwerp

Sunday we went to the Scheepvaartmuseum, a museum about ships. We were surprised upon entering that 1) is was free that day! and 2) the first floor exhibit was about the shipping lines that catered to emigrants sailing to the US. We had no idea it was such a booming business back at the turn of the century - so much so that there was competition among various shipping lines, which led to better accommodations for steerage-class passengers. I found this all the more fascinating because my Grandpa Mendl actually sailed from Antwerp, probably on one of the Red Star Line ships we read about at the exhibit.

The photo above is from the other part of the museum, the part where they have scale models of various sailing ships. While this wasn't as interesting to me, I did have to admire the beautiful workmanship of the models.

Tempting, very tempting

I think we spotted a trend in Antwerp.

It was probably a good thing the store was closed by the time we passed by. Red is sooooo tempting. Double click on the picture to get the full effect.

You know you're in Belgium when...

This morning I went to the Cora--like a Walmart only without the greeters. It's attached to a slightly seedy mall in which are three or four pretty nice, unseedy cafés. In one of them sat a little old lady drinking a Stella (probably the best of the standard pilsners brewed here in Belgium), and at another table sat a little old man drinking a Westmalle double, which is an excellent dark beer brewed by Trappist monks. The time was 0845. That's a record early beer sighting. This is such a beer country.

Coins

This could be considered another in Rita's "You know you're in Europe" series, but I like buying stuff with change. Fairly major stuff, like bread, or a four-clip of beer. Maybe it's because I'm old enough to have actually handled silver dollars made of silver, but I don't share the aversion to coins many of mah fella Uhmuricuns have. I like pulling out a handful of change and realizing you've got 9 euros (about $152 at the current exchange rate). They have 1- and 2-euro coins, so you can buy a couple of loaves of bread and pay for it with change.

You know you're in Europe when...

you drive down the street in your neighborhood and there's a guy taking a whiz right there where all the neighbors and every car going by can see him.