YPRES AND WW1

Ypres or Ieper (pronounced Eeper) as the Belgians call it, is linked intrinsically with the First World War. You cannot avoid it, so it's time for a sombre post on the blog! Devastating battles took place around here and as a result they have the Last Post ceremony at the Menen Gate every evening at 8pm. This has been carried out every day since 1928 apart from 4 years during the second World War when Ypres was occupied by the Germans. The ceremony is very moving with the Buglers playing the Last Post and then many remembrance wreaths being laid. The Menen Gate is in remembrance of all those soldiers, 54,000, who were killed in Belgium and who were never found or never identified and therefore have no proper burial place. All their names are written on the walls, they go on and on, it's mind-blowing, very moving.

Buglers performing the Last Post.

It was particularly significant for me as my grandfather was killed in The First World War and as I turned round after the ceremony, there behind me on the wall was the list of those killed from his Regiment. There must have been about 600 names. Not my grandfather, as he was killed in France, near Arras and is buried in a military war cemetery there. 

The Menen Gate, Ypres.

The next day we cycled to an outdoor art installation about 7km from Ypres. Also linked to WW1 but quite spectacular. I'll let Geoff tell you about that in the next post.

A PERFECT COMBINATION

What great packaging, or am I biased? A good selection of Belgian beers, a moustache and a great quotation. I may adopt the quote as my own.

Found in a shop in Diksmuide.

OOSTENDE

Call it what you like but we know it as Ostend. Unusually for us on our inland adventure we had a trip to the beach. Soraya didn't go she was not impressed with the concept of a big blue wobbly thing. And besides, it's salty! Ostend itself is architecturally challenged, with mediocre high rise apartments lining the seafront. If you want beach huts and a beach that seems to go on forever, it's great. We must say the sand is perfect, so soft.

Margaret considering whether she should take the plunge. The answer's no!

Amongst the apartments and seaside tat there is a remarkable modern art gallery Mu.ZEE. Sorry no photographs allowed. I don't know why. The collection is dominated with cubist works which I like. I fully understand people who don't like it but for me it was good. Unfortunately the gallery could do with a major makeover or perhaps demolition. Interesting to see such a wide collection even if it needed better curation. That aside it is definitely worth a visit. On the sea front they decided to make a splash in red. Huge crushed steel boxes. Many more than in the photograph.

Geoff with the red crushed boxes.

There is a fish market in the harbour area which must sell some of the cheapest fish around. It was limited in choice, very much what had been caught that day. Still, 3kg of very fresh fish for €10 can't be bad. I think these were Dabs.

Flatfish in the fish market.

Judging by the number of very expensive sea going motor and sail yachts moored there is no shortage of money. Perhaps the owners live elsewhere and merely keep their boats in Ostend.

On the beach they were creating complex and huge sand castles for an exhibition to start shortly. They were quite specacular unfortunately hidden behind fencing until the grand opening.

Geoff with 2 of the sand castles.

Our Australian mates turned up as they were moored a few kilometres away, so back to Soraya for a beer to help them down the canal path to their mooring.

Margaret, Christine and Peter. Peter in deep thought.

FRIENDS IN BRUGES

Yes more Bruges. We quite got into it, while keeping away from certain very touristy areas. We decided to go out for a meal with some Australian friends. Where do we go, so many choices? We suggested the 'One Restaurant'. Why? Well we couldn't resist the note on the blackboard outside '.....my husband's cooking is better than his kissing and his kissing is ..... amazing'. Don't know about the kissing but the food was excellent.

Blackboard outside restaurant.

On the way to the restaurant we called in at a specialist beer pub, t'Brugsch Bieratelier, noted for its range of beers. Looking at the interior it is also noted for the bank notes, the beer mats and if you get excited enough your bra! All very confusing.

A pre dinner bar. Not sure the relevance of the bras?

Earlier that day on a cycle ride we stopped for coffee and Margaret found a new friend. She was tiny. I think she was called Princess. Interesting, the photo makes her look bigger than she was.

Margaret and her new friend - Princess.

FLEMISH AND A CONCERT

Flemish....it's not a very well known language apart from here in Belgium. Actually, only in Flandres as in Wallonia, the south eastern part of Belgium, they speak French. I automatically started speaking French to people and got a very curt reply, 'We do speak English you know!' Most people speak very good English but all the signs, labels, notices etc are all in Flemish. It's not an easy language to decipher if you don't know any at all. I'm trying to learn a few basics. 

We went to a concert in Bruges the other night. We always look out for them in any town. This was a piano concert with music by Bartók and a choir. The tickets and programme were all in Flemish but it sounded good so we bought our tickets.

The pianist playing Bartók.

When we arrived we were told it would be a few minutes late as the children had been delayed. Children?? We soon heard them arrive, about 40 of them between ages 5 to 10. This was the choir! The pianist was excellent, if only he'd played solo for longer. The concert hall was interesting 'in the round' it went up in a 'square' spiral. The children came in for most of the performance. They were very good but it was a bit like a primary school concert. Nothing wrong with that as long as you're expecting it. The children left and the pianist sat and had a discussion with a female interviewer for at least half an hour, in Flemish. We were completely lost!! Should we leave or stay and hope the pianist would play another piece? Eventually he did play again. Superb but then the choir came in again. Well, all in a day's navigating/touring in a country with a totally foreign language! At least it finished quite early so we could go to a bar and have a drink afterwards.

TRIENNIAL BRUGES 2018

I was slightly concerned about being in Bruges as it does have a reputation as tourist central. Actually in certain areas it is. Fortunately there are other parts to Bruges that are far more interesting than chocolate...chocolate...600 different beers...chocolate...lace...chocolate...churches and tour groups. I'm sure you get the picture. The town definitely has two distinct sections, the overtly pretty tourist centre and the more normal town around it. That is not to say the 'normal' town is not pretty it's just not on the bulk tourist route and has normal businesses that do not include ......chocolate.

Every three years Bruges hosts a sculpture triennial throughout the city. Pieces are in the streets, on/in the canals and in buildings. The theme this year is 'Liquid City'. Well I suppose they want a theme but really they are sculptures or installations sprinkled throughout the city. 

Margaret inside a sculpture at Grootseminarie.

If you prefer the official stated aim of the Triennial, I quote '..... Not only water, but ideas also flow through the city. Zygmunt Beauman described today's society as a 'Liquid Society', as Liquid Time. Everything is in flux. Nothing is fixed. Everything is fluid. By means of this metaphor, he described the contemporary era as a time of transition. Old forms and thoughts flow past....' Make your own mind up.

A luxurious piece flowing from the altar.

The Triennial linked up with FRAC Centre-Val de Loire in France and borrowed various pieces as above. The others were created and/or commissioned for the Triennial. A very striking piece was the Bruges Whale made from plastic debris that floats in the oceans and was collected from a beach in Hawaii. The drama of this huge whale leaping out of the water at the end of this canal is definitely arresting.

The Bruges Whale by StudioKCA and Geoff.

It takes a full day by bike to visit all the locations and installations. Well worth it and requires a rest every so often.

Margaret taking a rest on 'The Floating Island' by the Korean architectural company OBBA.

Whilst there were some pieces that you thought 'whatever' overall it was excellent with great variety and energy in the installations. Well done Bruges.

SATURDAY = MARKET

As we've said before...another Saturday another market. This time in Bruges. Brugge, Bruge or Brugse, spell it how you like it seems. Back to the market it's all a bit different. The French well known cheeses are gone and it's all Flemish and Dutch. But what are they? A lot are quite Gouda like with a splash of Emmental - Swiss. All good to try. We ended up with a 'Trappist' and a 'Brugge Blomme'. The Trappist turned out to be the tastier.

A good selection of Belgian cheeses.

Further on in the market was a stall selling all manner of fowl, of all ages, as well as rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters. And yes they were very cute. Tempting, but I don't think it would work on a boat somehow! Often they were so young that they didn't need tops to the cages as they could not fly/climb out.

A few goslings/ducklings, hard to tell at that age.

It seems life's cheap when you're a hen, a cage full of day old chicks, 7 for €10. 

Day old chicks.

After the cheeses and the vegetables it was the fruits. They were also so cheap, 4 large punnets of strawberries for €3. It would be rude not to.

After the market we retired to a local bar. A coffee led to a beer which led onto lunch with lots of texts trying to arrange a meal out in the evening with some barge owning Australian friends. As a lot of restaurants were full it took a while to arrange and get everyone in line to meet up later, but it worked out and was great fun.

An excellent view. A couple of Brugge Zots (the local beer) and a couple of Bromptons.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

We love it. Certainly it happens both ways round. We come across these 'lost in translation issues' all the time, the two below were seen while walking around Brugge. Always makes a good laugh.

You wouldn't want to go in there.

The next one, a trainer shop, is amusing as they have used English language however have not realised what 'athletes foot' is in English. All good fun.

Something to avoid and you hope you don't catch.

A NIGHT OUT IN GENT AND A NEW NATIONALITY

When in Gent go out! There are so many good places to go to eat and drink. Fairly close to our mooring Portus Ganda there is a very eclectic restaurant called Au Boeuf Qui Rit.Very small with unusual interiors, actually unusual everything. As Martyn and Charlie were coming out for a long weekend we normally try to surprise them with something off the radar. Au Boeuf Qui Rit ticked the box. We had not been before but we did the research and talked to people. It's very, very small perhaps a dozen covers and all run, cooked, served and sommeliered by one woman. I'm sure sommeliered is not a real word. Not only was she an amazing tour de force the cooking was done in front of you on a wood fired grill. How stressful must be her service?

The entrance.

The food was excellent. OK it was not Michelin 3 star, but we all had great food perfectly cooked. There is certainly a interior decoration bias towards human figures/mannequins, together with a few animals.

Martyn communing with a fellow table guest.

Everywhere you looked is feast for the eyes. What a proprietor, owning, designing, decorating, sourcing the food/wine, cooking and serving all on her own! Wow.

Dancing cows! Why not.

On from the meal a wander around Gent at night. Excellent old pubs, beautifully floodlight buildings and a bit of graffiti. Graffiti in Gent in designated places is not frowned upon. As long as the artist does not overlay better quality work. Who decides?

The crew on the way to a bar.

Earlier that day Margaret received an email she has been waiting for for quite a while. Margaret has claimed her Irish nationality and now has her Irish passport. She has had a friend checking our mail back in Bath. The Irish embassy send the passport by registered post. If it is not signed for and goes back to the sorting office it will be returned to the Irish embassy after a couple of weeks. If that happens who knows if you'll ever get it again. This did not happen and all good. I'm now married to a permanent European!

A email photograph of the passport, finally arrived!!! The face says it all.

DBA GENT RALLY - 2018

DBA (Dutch Barge Association) Rally Gent 2018. What good fun! It all went so fast with a tour of the city, meals in Gent, brewery trip, rowing contest, boules, discussions of barge and navigation matters and of course chatting and yes a few Belgium beers. Of course everyone raised their masts and flew bunting and pennants along with various flags. All very colourful. Would we go again? The answer is definitely yes. Nice to meet old friends and make lots of new ones, as well as having a fun time.

A few of the boats moored in Portus Ganda in the centre of Gent.

One quite nice aspect was an open barge day where other participants of the rally could look around your barge and discuss details. Equally the reciprocal was encouraged. Whilst this was a good nose around another barge I felt the more interesting part was technical discussions of equipment and solutions to common problems associated with propelling your home with all its self-contained systems around the waterways of Europe. 

Plenty of Red Ensigns.

Obviously as well as the pure rally we were in Gent which we would thoroughly recommend. It's a fantastic city with such history and unusually for this part of the world it did not suffer from the ravages of more recent wars, hence it is intact. One aspect of Gent is that whilst it has tourists the town is a real working city with tourists in quite defined places. Unlike some towns which are tourist central and the whole economy is tourism.

One of the many pretty streets in Gent.

Did I mention the bars and restaurants? There are so many and most are very inviting with fascinating interiors.

GENT - VEGETARIAN CAPITAL OF EUROPE

We would never have thought that Gent was the veggie capital of Europe. Apparently Berlin had the title and now it's Gent. Who knows? Either way vegetarianism is a big movement here. As a former vegetarian and Margaret a former wholefood shop owner we were interested to see what was on offer. There is definitely a laid back more veggie attitude here. It's great, well for us it's great. On my morning run I found these vegetable/salad boxes all labelled with the owners/tenderers names. A good idea in a public park? I think so. 

Private vegetable/salad boxes.

Further along the canal I found Lousberg Markt a vegetarian/vegan food cooperative. I was immediately impressed by the bike parking inside the building. Everyone was arriving by bike or on foot. So I thought we should give it a go. Bike moored up and it's time to go in.

Internal bike parking.

Lovely fresh produce, all local. Well some of the cheese may have travelled a bit further. Along with buying produce we decided to have lunch. The menu was very, very confusing. It was only in Flemish. I'm not complaining but it is challenging when our Flemish is zero. Anyway lunch ordered and not totally sure what we had ordered, we were given a green flying saucer. The 'Syscall' is a good idea. You order your food. You are given a Syscall. When your food is ready the Syscall vibrates and makes a tiny alarm sound. You go to the servery and collect your food. The number tells the kitchen staff your order number. All very slick.

Syscall, your dinner is ready, gizmo.

The food arrived and I had thought '......when in Rome.....' I had gone for the total vegan option. I must say on first sight I thought I might have made a mistake. No, it was very tasty, with a bit of chilli sauce. What a yummy and cheap lunch.

The full vegan!