Thursday, May 21-American Cemetary, Belgum, Shooting Tradition

Hallo, Thursday we had a more relaxed day. We went to the American Cemetary that we were all touched by. We learned a lot about WWII and couldn't believe that Netherlanders adopt the grave markers to clean and put flowers by as a fundraiser for the cemetary. There are 8,000 american men buried there. We went to a small town in Belgie-Teuven. It has rolling hills with farmland, old hotels, homes, and shops, and a hotel where the queen will come to stay when she wants to walk around on her own and be invisible. It was ascention day and everyone was out of school and work and there were church services that we saw and many people celebrating oerste communie or first communion. There are lots of people and lots of bikers-just regular people and serious bikers. Hugh's dad would love this! We went in a cafe converted from the oldest school house, Cafe Modern, and had cakes and beer. Some of us had Grimbergen beer which is made by the abby monks and the one I had was 10% alcohol and was nut colored and did not have that beer taste-perfect! We then went to the schuterij, the shooting tradition. Its almost like agrotourism because it was someone's field where the public comes to drink beer, eat, and wait your turn to shoot. Good income for the farmer, however this has been going on for hundreds of years. Everyone stands around drinking and waits their turn to shoot a wooden duck on a stand about 50 feet in the air. It takes about 250 shots to actually shoot the bird down-first its head goes off, then its wings, then the shots go in its stomach and that realy doesn't do anything, and then the wood starts getting weak and one person goes and the bullet finally blows the remaining wood off. Jason was actually the second to last person to shoot before the last shooter actually shot the whole thing down. We had beer all day and french fries met mayonaise or curry katchup (yum!) and sausage. I went up in the anouncer's box and got to call some names to go shoot. I spoke with an old couple who was visiting and celebrating their 45 wedding anniversary. I spoke with some teenagers who spoke little english and some old ladies who spoke no english. Getting to know Netherlands! Tot ziens (see you later), Terri