Monday in Belguim

I just got into Brugges after a long day of driving and then a 4 hour train ride. I will put today's pics on the blog tomorrow. I got up early, and got out early as I wanted to see the beautiful pastoral countryside in the snow. I also wanted to see it closer to what is was like in the winter of 1944.
I got some beautiful photograph back in the pine forest . There was no one around, just me and my camera. I drove through all the little towns north of Bastogne.
I went in search of a pancake house that I could not find. I broke my reading glasses which caused a bit of a struggle. I saw many cows, most of them very dirty from mud.
This area around Bastogne is beautiful. There are so many tiny towns...most of them have no commercial businesses , maybe a church. To get to a store you have to go to a big town, like Bastogne. Bastogne is way too commercialized. It is kind of the center of many roads. I prefer the little towns.
One town had a welcome sign with every person from the town in the picture.  I love the houses...they are clapboard, painted bright colors, or very dark stone. Landscaping in minimal. Like in holland, I saw a lot of objects in people's windows...not as still life like as in Holland, but lots of things displayed in windows...The bidet seems to have disappeared . I have been in 3 hotels now and there hasn't been one...
People are speaking a mix of languages....in and around Luxembourg, mostly french and some German, here, I am hearing Dutch now. All the signs on the train seemed to be in Dutch.

I went to the War Museum  in Diekirch ( also a famous beer) it was very strange. They have tableauxs of soldiers in fox holes and in all kinds of activities. Germans, Americans , English and on the top floor, the soldiers from Luxembourg . It smelled like my parents basement...all that old stuff that has started to decay. The trucks and cars were interesting...they had a huge room filled with all kinds.

I had lunch at a place called Le Grill. It would not have been. My first choice but times close to the museum. It was raining and I was short on time. It seemed to be a local place. I was late so no special of the house for me. It was some kind of sausage and it was sold out. I would have tried it.
To read the. Easy I had to don the broken glasses. I kept my had over the broken side so you couldn't tell..

Must sleep.