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.