Tanks in Town part deux

Today was the parade of tanks and vehicles to conclude the 65th Annivesary of Mons' liberation (Sep 2, 1944). There were various activities throughout the day but we decided to catch the vehicles as they passed through a local town. So after hanging out at a local park for a few hours we headed to Hyon which was the last town they vehicles would pass through before heading into Mons. They were supposed to arrive at 1530 but didn't get there until 1630. We weren't sure if they were going to bring the big tanks down the little road they had designated for the route. A local lady was asking me in broken English if they were. I guess her house had a crack in it from all of the vibrations that the tanks have created in past parades. So we waited and finally they came. It wasn't too crowded where we were and it made for some awesome viewing. Emilie and Tori were waving American flags and wearing my Grampi's WWII Army hat, dog tag, and shoulder patches. The vehicles as they passed by were waving to the kids and showing the "V" for victory sign. We figured out why it took so long. All along the route people were stopping the tanks and vehicles to give the riders shots of booze. One local said that it was a tradition kept from the original liberation. We had one such lady near us and it definitely held things up a bit. After the parade we headed to Mons' Grand Place to welcome the liberators. The Grand Place was packed with people and they were parking the tanks and vehicles in front of the Hotel d'Ville. It was getting late and it being a school night and all we decided to head home. It was quite a day.

Tanks in Town

Annually the city of Mons, and the surrounding area, celebrates their liberation from Nazi control in World War II. Part of this celebration is the "Tanks in Town" weekend. Various WWII vehicles "invade" the area and go on display. This year is the 65th Anniversary (September 2nd) of the day when the Americans rolled into town. Today we attended the display day. A wide selection of fully operational tanks, half-tracks, personnel carriers and any other sort of WWII vehicle used were on display. A few of them were driving around the grounds. In the center of the display area was a tracked vehicle circuit. For a fee folks could ride on a tank around the circuit. In typical European style the only thing separating you from a few tons of moving machine was a thin ribbon or old tires. This was truely up close and personal. The girls enjoyed running between two sections of the course to see the tanks drive by. It was awesome. The whole afternoon was quite unique. Tomorrow is the parade of vehicles. The entire lot of vehicles will follow a 30 km route that will end up in Mons' Grand Place. This will be the culmination of the liberation festivities. Check out http://www.tanksintown.be/ to see more.

First Day of School

Today the girls began 4th and 2nd Grades at the Canadian Section of the SHAPE International School. The girls have been bugging our neighbor Steve to take them for a ride on his Harley-Davidson. He has let the girls sit on the back to see if their legs were long enough to touch the foot pegs. Once that was figured out he offered to ride the girls to school someday. Emilie asked if he could give her a ride on the first day of school and Tori asked for the second day of school. Steve agreed and so the count down began (for about the last two months). Today was finally Em's day (Tori can't wait for tomorrow). She donned the helmet and gloves and held on to Steve as they rode in style to school. Tori rode with Mommy and we all met up at the school for the new school year welcome from Principal Beaulieu. After the welcome all the kids went with their respective teachers to go to their new class rooms. Another school year beginning and both girls are very happy to see their friends and teachers again.