Crimson Coast (Reflections)

[smallhobbit]

It was a fascinating tour - I learnt such a lot.  Not as emotional as last time, although there were times, like the Last Post ceremony.  It was more quiet reflection, and seeing what went on behind the lines, so vital and yet recalled far less often.  One of the tour party was able to find his grandfather's grave and lay his poppy there, which was really good.



The above is a piece of modern sculpture, called the Three Wise Noses, which is on De Panne beach.  One head looks towards England, one towards France, and one inland in Belgium.

Belgium and the area of nearby France has a lot of history, and I'd like to know more.  I'm currently trying to find a suitable book (in English) which doesn't cost an arm and a leg, or was written fifty years ago.  The two photos below show where Marshal Ney had his headquarters during the Napoleonic Wars.

 

We were in the Flemish speaking area of Belgium, and at one museum all the exhibits were listed only in Flemish.  Also, a couple of the museum bookshops only have Flemish books which was a little frustrating, and, to me, rather surprising.

We did have one funny incident.  We were in a cake shop in Nieuwpoort, and TD asked for two cakes in French.  The reply came back in German, so I finished the conversation in German. 

And speaking of cake (from Poperinge):



Despite being tiring it was an excellent trip, and I'm so glad we went.

 

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

What a fancy cake. What are those things on top?

I am so glad you had a good time and learned a lot.

[smallhobbit]

They were gold coloured Maltesers (small balls of chocolate covered malted milk).

It was a great trip - I'm still reflecting on it.

[debriswoman]

Yes... the more you see, the more you want to find out.

[smallhobbit]

Definitely - I'm looking forward to when we go again next year.

[margaret_r]

That cake looks yummy! I've enjoyed reading your experiences on the tour and I'm glad it was a worthwhile and enjoyable experience for you.

[scfrankles]

How touching that a fellow member of the tour party was able to visit his grandfather's grave.

On a lighter note, what splendid and impressive cake ^__^ And I'm kind of intrigued by the language aspect - it does indeed seem surprising that museums that surely must attract a lot of foreign visitors, and which are located in a country that has three official languages, are only stocking books in Flemish.

Also rather intrigued by the cake seller using German. I can understand them perhaps not being fluent in French, or simply not wanting to speak it. But it surprised me that they used German to communicate with the two of you, instead of going, "Oh, tourists. I'll try English." But perhaps they assumed your husband was from another part of Belgium or from France and thought German was a safe bet as a lingua franca. As I say, intriguing. And it's wonderful you got to try out your German skills, even if you weren't expecting to ^___^

[smallhobbit]

Leger are very good about ensuring where possible family are able to visit their graves, and the guides do all they can to help them find them.

We were surprised at the emphasis on Flemish (I understand there's a strong nationalist push in the area, which I'd be interested to learn more about), but it did make it harder to understand things. I can read enough French to follow basic labels, and could understand some of the Flemish by its resemblance to German but generally the effort was too much.

As for the cake, I can only assume TD (The Daughter)'s French was so bad the proprietor thought we were German (on the basis the English always ask in English); it amused us though. I have some experience in buying cake in German, which stood me in good stead ;)

[scfrankles]

I can only assume TD (The Daughter)'s... Ah, yes ^^" Sorry for mixing her up with your husband ^___^

[luthienberen]

Sounds like a very inspiring and thought provoking tour. It is a shame that the books weren't in English. I have come across the problem a couple of times in Poland in tourist areas (as you were in), where English speakers were relatively common. I wish you luck in finding a suitable book. Yummy looking cake!

[smallhobbit]

It was so worth doing. I'd planned on buying something to take home, but it saved our money (which we then spent on chocolate!). My local library are looking to see what's available for a history book.

[luthienberen]

At least the money was well spent then! Chocolate is always a win in my book! Oh good luck, I am going to try my library again to see if they have perhaps improved since I last went a number of years ago.

[smallhobbit]

I generally reserve books online so I can access books from the whole of the county. There don't seem to be any books on Belgian history though (once you've ruled out the two world wars and Napoleon). My local branch has a very limited selection.

[moth2fic]

It must have been a very interesting tour. We've mostly done the French and German areas.

Way, way back, on our honeymoon, (it's our golden wedding this year) we were driving through Belgium and nobody would respond to either French or German but everybody accepted English. I now have a Belgian friend who tells me it's almost impossible for a non-Belgian to second-guess which language to use and English is both the safest option and widely understood. After all, nobody learns Flemish... It seems very short-sighted to stock only books in Flemish in what is a popular 'tourist' area for people with an interest in history.

[smallhobbit]

It was very interesting - and an area I knew very little about.

We'd probably have been okay in English, although I prefer to at least attempt to speak 'foreign'. The day we were in France we needed to speak French, and even in Ostend our waiter wasn't confident in English. If anything I'd say there was a hint of Flemish nationalism around, which might tie in with some of the general European mood.

[luthienberen]

That is really useful, I will have to give it a try :-). Shame there is no books on Belgian history and surprising. You can't be the first person interested in the general history of Belgian!

[smallhobbit]

It's a good facility to have, so well worth trying.

I'd accept something which included more than Belgium, because I know the country was under foreign rule for centuries.