Nous sommes arrivés à Paris

Yesterday began with a delightful homemade spinach quiche, coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice. Mario is an outstanding cook, and has treated us like royalty during our stay!

He even came with us on the bus to the train station and made sure we were on the right platform for the train to Rotterdam. We switched trains in Rotterdam and arrived in Paris at 5:30. We didn't get to our hotel room until 6:30 though, and lugging heavy suitcases up Paris Metro stairs left me panting and sweaty.

The hotel is charming, and our room is wallpapered with about a gazillion pink cherubs. I was going to count them for you, but the task proved too daunting. There are 22 on the back of the door alone! They are on the draperies too, but thankfully not on the bedclothes.

We did a little walk around the neighbourhood, then a bit later, found a nice little Spanish restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious dinner, accompanied by live flamenco guitar. A bit more of a walk on the way home, and that was it.

Friendship, food and music -- what else does one need?

Yesterday we took the train to Haarlem with Mario to see Susana, an online friend who I've known for nearly 10 years. Susana met us at the station, and we had a lovely day of walking and taking in little concerts in the gardens at the hofjes (small complexes of public housing built in the 17th century for the elderly and infirm). We had lunch in a little restaurant with a great view of the city, and connected with her husband Juan, daughter Vera, and friend Gonzalo.

Lively conversation, more walking, a beer in a local brewery located in an old church, and a wonderful dinner at their place later filled out the day. I'm so glad we were able to meet these lovely people -- I hope it won't be the last time.

Vocal ensemble Diogi, from Haarlem

Haarlem is small, and the pace is a lot slower than in Utrecht. We walked all over -- it's a wonder people have cars at all, as the city is so walkable, and certainly very bikeable.

The highlight of the day was getting to make virtual friendships a reality. Another highlight was the organ of Sint-Bavokerk (Grote Kerk). It is one of the world's most historically important organs. And not only did we get to see it, we got to hear it. It simply started playing while we were admiring it!

The sound was incredible. And I was moved by the fact that I was listening to the same instrument that had once been played by Mendelssohn, Händel, and the 10-year-old Mozart, who played it in 1766.

It was built by the Amsterdam organ builder Christian Müller, between 1735 and 1738. When it was finished, it was the largest organ in the world with 60 voices and 32-feet pedal-towers. In Moby-Dick (1851), Herman Melville describes the inside of a whale's mouth:

"Seeing all these colonnades of bone so methodically ranged about, would you not think you were inside of the great Haarlem organ, and gazing upon its thousand pipes?"

Car-free in Utrecht

Yesterday we enjoyed Mario's cooking again for breakfast. Chilaquiles! After, we turned in our rental car. We were going to use it for today's trip to Haarlem, and on Monday drive to Amsterdam to turn it in -- but it occurred to us that it makes much more sense to turn it in here in Utrecht and do the rest of the travel by train. This is not a city you want to be driving in. One-third of its people are on bicycles, and it's pretty crazy on the road for car drivers.

After we turned in the car, we bought our train tickets, then went on a bit of a walking tour. We visited the Domkerk (St. Martin's Cathedral), and enjoyed a choir rehearsal. The 22-voice choir was very good, and was accompanied by the pipe organ, a harp, cello and double-bass. An unexpected delight. I love how cathedral acoustics work -- the sound just hangs in the air for a moment. Lovely.

The choir director would stop them, explain what he wanted them to do differently, then start again from just before the problem area. So interesting to be able to hear them actually working on a piece, rather than just performing.






After, we went to the Spoorwegmuseum (railway museum), which is located in an old station. Another unexpected delight. There was a little one-man play with a really wonderful actor playing a conductor of the Orient Express. The set rotated between inside and outside the train. Super professional performance.

There were tons of trains (literally), but one of the highlights for me, since we have been so focused on war this trip, was a little worn, wooden baggage car tucked away at the back of the yard outside. It reportedly transported human cargo to concentration camps in WWII.

After the museum, we went for a little coffee, had more of Mario's delicious cooking (risotto -- yum!) and in the evening, we walked to the local ice cream maker and had ice cream cones. A very satisfying day!!

Bumper to bumper from Ghent to Utrech

We left Brugge yesterday and drove to Ghent, where we had a look through the Sint-Niklaaskerk, which was built in the 13th century in the Scheldt Gothic style (named for the nearby river). It's a beauty; we particularly liked the ornate altar with its twisty pillars.

The church, the nearby 95-metre tall Belfort (belfry), and Sint-Baafskathedral (Saint Bravo Cathedral) are important landmarks in the medieval skyline of the city centre. We didn't climb the belfry, but we did go to the cathedral -- for us it was the main attraction for one reason: The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by Hubert and Jan van Eyck. But first, let me tell you about the building.

Sint-Baafskathedraal is based upon the Chapel of St. John the Baptist, a primarily wooden construction. It was consecrated in 942, and traces of the original structure are evident in the cathedral's crypt. The chapel was expanded in 1038 in the Romanesque style.

A new choir, radiating chapels, expansions of the transepts, a Chapterhouse, nave aisles and a single tower western section were all added during the 14th through 16th centuries. Construction was considered complete June 7, 1569.

So the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (also known as the Ghent Altarpiece) is huge, and safely encased in a glass display case in a darkened room. No photos were allowed, even without flash, so I have nothing to show but a link that will take you to photos and a fascinating description. We listened to a very thorough description on individual headsets -- it went through the many details of the painting and explained the symbolism and various elements of each panel. Absolutely fascinating. So do have a look at the link. Amazing! http://www.artbible.info/art/lamb-of-god.html

After Ghent, we crawled to Utrecht on a number of incredibly congested highways. The 1.5-hour journey stretched to three hours. Most unpleasant. But we quickly forgot the traffic when we arrived at Mario's!

Mario made a wonderful mole poblano, tortillas, quesadillas, guacamole, and a tarte tatin for us, a lovely neighbour, and two new friends from Germany who just returned from a year-long trip to the U.S. and Canada. Wonderful food, good music, lots of laughs, and great conversation until after midnight!

From Waffles to Michelangelo

Waffle with strawberries, whipped cream, and warm chocolate sauce. Oh yes!

We started out with a good breakfast buffet, then we headed for the Groeningemuseum. It houses a comprehensive survey of six centuries of Flemish and Belgian painting, from Jan van Eyck to Marcel Broodthaers.

Highlights include a collection of Flemish Primitive art, works by a wide range of Renaissance and Baroque masters, as well as a selection of paintings from the 18th and 19th century neo-classical and realist periods, milestones of Belgian symbolism and modernism, masterpieces of Flemish expressionism and some post-war modern art.

After, we had a snooze back at the hotel, then went to Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady) to see the Madonna of Brugge. It is the only Michelangelo sculpture to have left Italy during his lifetime. Bought for 4,000 florin by cloth merchants, the statue has been in Brugge ever since, with two notable exceptions. In 1794 it was shipped to Paris, then returned in 1815, after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo. The second time it left Brugge was in 1944, when German soldiers smuggled it to Germany, wrapped in mattresses in a Red Cross truck. It was found and recovered the following year by the "real" Monuments Men.

Later, we went for a walk in Minnewater Park, to Gentpoort -- one of the four remaining medieval city gates. In the niche above the roadway is a sculpture of Saint Adrian, who was believed to protect the city during times of plague. Nobody has come down with the plague while we've been here, so it must be working.

In Brugge

Driving to Brugge (Bruges) only took an hour, and we can't help but chuckle that our B&B hosts Dieter and Sophie seemed to feel that a trip to Brugge was a major expedition!

The hotel is perfectly situated; we found it right away, and we can walk everywhere from there. The room wasn't ready when we arrived, so we walked to the main square and checked out a big market with beautiful produce and flowers. On that square is also the Belfort, an 83-metre tall bell tower with a 47-bell carillon. We heard it play The Roses of Picardy!

Then to the Burg -- a square lined with beautiful old buildings. Among them are the Stadhuis, with a carved façade that was completed in 1375, and the Oude Griffie (old recorder's house) with its Renaissance façade. 

Along the way we heard a wonderful trio, expertly playing a Mozart favourite. And it just seemed to be the perfect fit this beautiful old city -- a city where even the street performers are masters at their craft. Bobbin lace is everywhere. So is chocolate. I find both irresistible.

After this first taste of the city, we checked into the hotel, got settled, showered, and arranged to keep the room for an extra night. Our friend in Utrecht is busy until Friday, so this gave us an extra day to take in this gorgeous place.

We headed out again -- this time to the eastern part of the city, to Kruispoort, one of the four remaining city gates. Most of the city wall was knocked down in the 19th century, but these gates, and the moat remain. The Kruispoort gate was built in 1402. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Napoleon and the German army all entered Brugge through it.

 

Next we visited the Jerusalem Chapel. It was built in 1428 by the influential Adornes family, who had it built in the style of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It has a round tower, an macabre alter with a lot of skulls and ladders, and a replica of Christ’s tomb! It also has the tomb of Anselm Adornes and his wife Margaretha Van der Banck. The Jerusalem Chapel remains in family hands, having been passed down to generation after generation.
Here's a very thorough and interesting article on the chapel: http://www.philipcoppens.com/bruges_jer.html

 

We stopped for dinner on the way back to the hotel. I had Asperges op Vlaamse wijze -- fresh white asparagus in sauce with chopped egg. Delicious! Fred had chicken, and we shared an ice cream with chocolate sauce. It's not a dessert we would order at home, but here, where the chocolate is so amazing, it is a wonderful treat.

Monuments, museums, cemeteries, and surprises

We drove to Vimy today to see the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, which is dedicated to the memory of all the Canadian soldiers killed during the First World War, but particularly for those who have no known grave.

Getting there was a bit of an adventure, since Sybil (our GPS) didn't know that parts of her route were completely closed. We would turn to avoid the closed road, and Sybil would do her darnedest to make us turn around and try again. When she finally gave up and programmed a new route for us, I swear I could hear a whiff of annoyance in her voice.

When we pulled into the parking lot, we realized we had parked right next to Carl, yesterday's tour guide! He greeted us and shook our hands, then returned to his tour.

We took the free Vimy tour with a young student guide from Montreal and only about eight participants. Very informative and interesting. We saw the dips and bumps everywhere that are the remains of shell craters and old trenches. We also went underground to tour a small part of the extensive tunnel system dug (by Welsh miners, mostly) at Vimy. The 800-metre-long tunnel we toured is called the Grange Subway and was used to bring men and material to the front without the Germans knowing. On the eve of the battle in April 1917, some 900 Canadian soldiers waited in that tunnel, not allowed to speak, smoke, or move around for 36 hours straight.

After, we explored the huge monument. It took 11 years to build, and Edward VIII, in his capacity as King of Canada, officially unveiled it on 26 July 1936. The ceremony was one of the King's few official duties before he abdicated the throne.

The figure of a cloaked young female stands on top of the front wall and overlooks the Douai Plains. The woman has her head bowed, her eyes cast down, and her chin resting in one hand. Below her at ground level of the former battlefield is a sarcophagus, bearing a Brodie helmet, a sword and draped in laurel branches. The saddened figure of Canada Bereft, also known as Mother Canada, is a national personification of the young nation of Canada, mourning her dead.

There are 20 carved figures, and I won't describe them all here. But the meaning of each is covered in the wiki, and is definitely worth exploring. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_National_Vimy_Memorial

 

After Vimy, we visited the Passchendaele Museum (the obsolete spelling is retained in English, and appears that way in the name of the museum) in the Zonnebeke Chateau. It had an impressive collection of artifacts, and was very well organized. As well as artifacts, it had video of veterans describing their experience, and a wonderful short film that showed the movement of the various battalions as the battle progressed. A very good museum to visit.

Next, we stopped at the German cemetery at Langemark. Some 44,000 soldiers are buried there. It was a little disheveled, as there is a restoration project underway.

We also had an unscheduled stop at a little memorial just down the street from our B&B. The memorial (honouring the British cavalrymen who died holding the line here in 1914) is accessed through a narrow pathway between two houses. Fred came upon it quite by accident, then came and got me. We signed the beautiful leather-bound guest book.

Passendale and "Last Post" at the Menin Gate

The Brooding Soldier -- an 11-metre tall sculpture at the St. Julien Memorial

Passendale (Flemish spelling for Passchendaele)
It was gloomy and pouring rain for our battlefield tour yesterday, and we thought it actually enhanced the experience. (Sorry for the dark photos -- I'm without editing software here.) Our tour guide Carl arrived completely prepared. He knew where to find the place where Fred's grandfather was wounded, and everything he told us was specific to the Canadians. He even had a few pieces of information that Fred didn't know, so that makes him one super guide!

Carl's tour started with the St. Julien Memorial. During the war, the location where the memorial now stands was known as Vancouver Corner. Visible for miles around, the memorial stands 11 metres tall. It is surrounded by gardens of tall cedars trimmed into the shape of artillery shells and low cut cedars trimmed to look like shell explosions. Some of the soil of the gardens was brought from various locations across Canada to represent the broad spectrum of Canadian men who fought there in 1915.

He kept pointing out the high points in the landscape and reminding us where the opposing armies were positioned and what the sight lines were. Very useful -- actually seeing the landscape from many different angles. The advantage goes to whoever has the higher ground, even if it's only a few metres' difference. So obvious when you see it. He explained how the first gas attack worked, and we stood where the Canadians were that day as he pointed out the high point where the Germans opened the gas cylinders. Gravity and wind did the rest. There's a great description here: Ypres 1915 - Canada and the First World War - History - Veterans Affairs Canada

Tyne Cot Cemetery
We stopped at Tyne Cot -- the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the world. We saw the grave of Private James Peter Robertson (1883–1917), a Canadian awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery in rushing a machine gun emplacement and rescuing two men from under heavy fire.

The Cross of Sacrifice (below) was constructed on top of an old German pillbox in the middle of the cemetery. There are four German graves for men that were treated here after the battle, when the pillbox was used as a dressing station for wounded men.

 

Around the cemetery is a long wall -- the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing. The names of some 35,000 soldiers are inscribed on this wall. The wiki says that the walls of the Menin Gate couldn't accommodate all the names, so they chose a cut-off date, and these are the names of the missing after Aug. 15, 1917.

Carl also had some wonderful stories about individual soldiers. One was about a grieving mother from Saskatchewan who wanted to bring her son's body home rather than leave it in a faraway grave. So she came to Tyne Cot, scoped the place out, then at night dug up her son's grave and bagged up his bones. The authorities caught her before she got on the boat for home. Her son was reburied in a different cemetery -- leaving an empty space at Tyne Cot which still remains.

And he told a lovely story about having gone to a cemetery on Nov. 11 one year. There was another man there, moving from headstone to headstone, speaking softly. After he was done, Carl talked to him. He was a local fellow who decided one day to choose a different cemetery each year on Remembrance Day and speak the name on each headstone aloud. Isn't that touching?

At one point as we were driving alongside a farm, Carl noticed an unexploded shell sitting at the side of the road. Even today these things are still resurfacing in the fields. The Belgian army does a regular collection run around the back roads, and farmers know to put the shells by the side of the road for collection. We stopped and looked at a selection of recovered shells, guns and grenades in somebody's garage. (And on the same corner there was an automated vending machine where you can buy baskets of fresh strawberries; it was way too cool to resist buying a basket.)

The Last Post
Since 1928 the Last Post has been played under the Menin Gate Memorial in Ieper at 8 o'clock sharp. This evening the ceremony took place for the 29,982th time. We arrived nearly an hour early and still weren't the first people there. We were all cheek by jowl by the time the ceremony started, but the crowd respectfully obeyed the request to remain silent throughout. Not even applause is permitted. We all stood in silence for the 15-minute event, then dispersed quietly. (Something I forgot to mention in my Waterloo post was that they had us observe a minute of silence. Imagine 50,000 people sitting in complete silence -- really quite something.)

Getting settled in Zandvoorde

A busy street in Ieper (Ypres) on a rainy morning

Yesterday we had a Big Adventure in Brussels. We had reserved a car to rent, but the rental office was closed, so we went to the office at the airport and asked why we had been directed to a closed office. Turns out we had reserved the car for the 24th, not the 21st. Ha!

We got it all sorted out, and drove to our next stop: Zandvoorde, near Ieper (Ypres). We are in the Kunstmin Guesthouse -- a cool little B&B that is a converted forge. Very interesting space -- we'll be quite comfortable here for the next three days.

It's cold and rainy today, so we drove into Ieper to buy jackets. This afternoon we'll be taking a WWI battlefield tour with a fellow who seems to be a real expert on the subject, so tomorrow's post should be full of interesting things!

Meanwhile, here is a look at our B&B, and at a nearby Zandvoorde British Cemetery, where 1,583 servicemen of  WWI are buried or commemorated. Out of those, 1,135 are unidentified. Most died in the desperate fighting around Zandvoorde, Zillebeke and Gheluvelt in the latter part of October 1914.