Wordless Wednesday: Hydrangea

The Floating Gardens Of Hortillonnages

 Sometimes I joke about finding myself my own little cottage to use as my own personal escape. (Ok, maybe I'm really not joking). You know what I'm talking about; a space that is all mine, serves a reprieve from my daily responsibilities and is all mine--nothing particularly fancy but something that is all girly without a Lego, army soldier or beer bottle in sight. I've taken to calling this fantasy spot a "she shed" or the female version of a man cave. They exists; (probably more on the Internet than in real life). I've seen prototypes and dreamed and then, while on a recent day trip with my travel group, I saw exactly what I've been dreaming about. And now I am really hooked. And while these little cottages weren't the main attraction of our destination, I found my little escape amongst the floating gardens of Hortilonnages in the northern French city of Amiens. Our destination was the gardens and canals themselves but while on board a small boat called a "barques a cornet" as we glided through just some of the 65 kilometers of narrow canals surrounding the 300 hectares of gardens, I saw the cottages I've been dreaming about.

A tranquil spot along the
canal

The gardens themselves date back to the Middle Ages when these gardens were cultivated in the fertile grounds along the banks of the Somme River. While they host a smattering of flower beds and blooming trees, the gardens are gardens in the purest sense growing fruits and vegetables that for centuries provided the produce for Amiens. During the 15th century the gardens covered a total area of 1500 hectares and by the mid 1700s was home to a total of 47 distinct gardens. The area was a well defined community in its own right with a leadership hierarchy to enforce rules. Maintaining the gardens was hard and laborious. Adding to the labor intensive nature of farming the land, all of the necessary equipment, from tools to seeds, needed to be carried in by boat, thus storage sheds were built. Despite all of this, gardening plots were coveted and passed down from one generation to the next.

The gardening space has expanded and retracted over the years as the city of Amiens expanded and modern farming, transportation and refrigeration techniques changed the way farms operate. Today, although smaller than in previous decades, the gardens still produce three harvests a year. The recent trend towards organic produce has created a revival for the gardens and the formation of a new association that is working to preserve, maintain and continue the farming culture at Hortillonnages.

Today, visitors can tour the gardens both by boat and on foot. Touring by boat you see the gardens, which during our visit were in the infancy of their growing season. I can only imagine how lush they will be in a couple of months. But the towering trees provided a green canopy which made the entire area feel magical. Ducks and other water fowl swam alongside our boat and peeked out at us from the rushes and canal banks. You never knew what you would find around the next corner; sometimes it was more woods but other times it was garden plots carefully being tended by their caregivers or the small cottages. By foot, the experience is different. Winding paths parallel the canals but you can see the gardens at your own pace taking the time to sit and absorb the nature around you. The only hint that you are in a city is the spire of the Amiens cathedral on the horizon. If I had to use a single word to describe the experience, I would call it enchanting.

The canals meandered peacefully through the gardens. It
was easy to forget that we were in the middle of Amiens.

But my favorite part of course, were the little cottages set amongst the gardens and canal banks. Most cottages were pretty basic, rustic even, looking like one room shanties. The term 'shabby chic' immediately came to mind as a pastel pink house reminiscent of southern Florida sat next to a weathered wooden structure whose yard was filled with plastic bottle art. None appeared to have electricity yet most were obviously well cared for. With the exception of a couple that were accessible by foot bridge, boats were the only way of reaching them. As such, each had their own mooring spot. A few were incredibly well manicured and whimsical and these had me dreaming about the possibilities. We were told that today most of these cottages serve as weekend retreats for local residents.

I know that weekend retreats weren't the original intent of these buildings but I love what they have become. Each has their own individual personality, from manicured to overgrown, whimsical to utilitarian, I could dream about the possibilities of each of them. It made me realize that  don't need a big beach house or mountain retreat; give me a one room house in a peaceful setting and I could be perfectly content. For the moment I am making myself content with my own little quiet corner in our house but with our next move I'm already planning what my she-shed will be like and these cottages in the Hortillonnages gardens are sure to be my inspiration.

From the bright and whimsical

to the manicured and "fancy"

If you go:

Floating Gardens of Hortilonnages
54 Boulevard Beauville
8000 Amiens, France
Open  09.00-12.00 & 13.30-18.00 from 1 April - 31 October
Adults 9.50 Euro, children 4 and up 4.10 Euro, under 4 FREE
www.hortillonnages-amiens.fr

Les Plages du Debarquement de Normandie

Normandy American Cemetery

Humbling. Simply humbling. That is the only way I can describe a visit to the landing beaches on the coast of Normandy, France.  I've watched Band of Brothersand Saving Private Ryan numerous times yet neither film fully prepared me for the experience of walking over these battlefields. June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, was a day that went down in history and during the long summer of 1944 this stretch of coastline was the scene of some of the most strategically planned yet bloody fighting our country has ever known. Today, seventy years after the fact, these same beaches, villages and fields are both eerily quiet yet filled  by tourists taking the same trek we did. Bunkers and craters mark the battlefields where bombs were once dropped, monuments paying tribute to the soldiers, sailors and airmen who made the ultimate sacrifice sit adjacent to corn fields and grazing cattle  and tastefully organized museums recount all aspects of the battles. American, British and Canadian flags fly alongside French ones in every village and signs and banners thanking the rest of the world for their freedom are as common as stop signs. The entire area pays tribute to their past and reminds us all of the horrors that can ensure should we forget where we have come from.

One could spend weeks if not months visiting and exploring the battlefields, monuments and museums of Normandy. In fact, there are so many historically significant sites in the area that our GPS looked like a field of black dots connected by a few roads. Because this was our first visit and since it was impossible to take it all in over the course of a long weekend, we chose to spend time at a few of the more famous ones along the Normandy coast. I know we missed so many worthy sites (we must go back) but those that we did see moved me in a way that few other places ever have. Nice, enjoyable and fun are not the appropriate words to describe our weekend; moving, humbling and thoughtful are.

Perhaps the best known (to Americans at least) sites are Omaha and Utah Beaches. Today they are flat sandy expanses that mask the horrors that took place seventy years ago. Here the tides ebb and flow quickly, exposing and covering the sands and reminders of the past. We saw a few brave souls swimming in the surf and many more curious waders dipping their toes into the sacred waters. (True to form, we limited ourselves to throwing a few rocks into the water from a craggy perch). There are many places you could start your visit but the Cinema Circulaire in Arromanches provides a moving and comprehensive overview of the landings and battles that took place on the shores below. Set on a hill overlooking the village of Arromanches-les-Baines, and using archival footage displayed on nine high definition screens, the cinema introduces visitors to the story of the landings by Americans at Omaha and Utah Beaches, as well as the Canadian and British landings at Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches and the entire 100 day Battle of Normandy. Both the Musee Memorial Omaha Beach and the Utah Beach Museum house relics, photographs and memorabilia that bring this period alive. Films take you back to 1944 and watching them makes you feel as though you are on the battlefields. Most of all, these museums take the war from a page in history that most of us only learned about in school and personalize it through powerful narratives that bring the battles to life.

But not all of the battle is shown from an Allied perspective. The Batterie allemande de Longues sur Mer has you walking along the remnants of the Atlantic Wall, Germany's defense barrier that protected their troops from attacking armies. Perched atop the cliffs overlooking Omaha and Gold Beaches the bunkers of Longues sur Mer provided German's with a bird's eye view of what was happening on the beachfronts below. Today concrete bunkers in various states of decline, some with their artillery still intact, dot the hills. Visitors are free to climb into and on top of the bunkers and see the same view that the Germans did seventy years ago. We visited on a crystal clear day and the serene views only made the reality of what had occurred here all the more numbing.

A German artillery bunker

And the German perspective of the beach landings

Normandy American Cemetery sitting above Omaha Beach

And last but not least, was our visit to the Normandy American Cemetery. I've visited several military cemeteries in the past, including the hallowed Arlington, but Normandy is in a class by itself. The visitors center provides visitors with a personal introduction to several of the soldiers buried on the cemetery grounds. It is these personal stories, who they were, how they lived, the families the left behind, and how they died that makes the tragedy that much more real. Then there was the cemetery. Set above the very beach where so many of those buried here lost their lives, these 172.5 acres are the final resting places for 9,387 American heros. Included in this number are 45 sets of brothers and four civilians. Marble Latin crosses and Stars of David are laid out in symmetric rows, without regard to date of death, home state or rank, for as far as the eye can see. And despite the throngs of visitors and the Congressional delegation on a fact finding mission (members of the Appropriations Committee) the cemetery had a tranquil feel. A silence hung over the area and we could wander amongst the headstones undisturbed by others. In fact, for much of our walk the only sounds were those of birds chirping and the sea crashing below us. It felt like a fitting final resting place for those whose final moments had been filled with such terror and trauma.

Then....

...... and now

Tribute at Omaha Beach

The Navy Memorial at Utah Beach

Like I said, our entire visit was a humbling experience. Today it is so easy for people to complain about what they don't have in life or how difficult they perceive things to be for them. But I challenge them to take a moment to reflect on what they do have and question if their circumstances are really that bad. For just a moment, they should put themselves in the place of the French families who lived under the Nazi occupation. Or perhaps put themselves in the shoes of the young soldiers who stormed one of the beaches or dropped from the air on D-Day. Then think about their own lives. I know I did and I walked away feeling grateful for those who fought these battles. Its humbling; simply humbling.

If you go:

Arromanches Cinema Circulaire 
Arromanches, France
(33) 02 31 06 06 45
www.arromanches360.com
Open daily
5 Euro for adults, 4 Euro for children and seniors

Musee Memorial Omaha Beach 
14710 Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer
Normandy, France
(33) 02 31 21 97 44
www.musee-memorial-omaha.com
Open daily
9 Euro for adults, reduced admission for children, seniors and active duty military members

Musee du Debarquement Utah Beach

50480 Sainte du Mont, France

(33) 02 33 71 53 35

www.utah-beach.com

Open daily

8 Euro adults, reduced admission for children and seniors

Batterie allemande de Longues sur Mer

Port en Bessin, Bayeax, France

(33) 02 31 21 46 87

www.bayeax-bessin-tourisme.com

Open daily

Free admission; charge for guided tours

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

14710 Colleville-sur-Mer, France

(33) 02 31 51 62 00

www.abmc.gov

Open daily

Free admission

O' Canada

As a parent I often find myself wondering whether or not I am making the right choices for my son. Some decisions--what's for dinner, whether or not to go to the playground or what to wear are minor ones. Some days (or moments) my decisions might not make him happy but the choices do not have lasting results. Others are a bit trickier--such as discouraging a budding friendship that doesn't seem healthy or encouraging him to try a new sport or activity (I'm looking at you swim lessons). The consequences are not necessarily life altering but do effect him longer than the wrong colored shirt does. But then there are the big ones. These are the choices that are life changing and do stay with you forever. And the big, life changing decision for our household in recent months has been that of school choice since in reality, the decision we make know will effect him for the rest of his life.

Sometimes having multiple options is harder than having none at all. After all, with limited choices you power ahead and make the best of it. Here in Belgium we are fortunate to find ourselves in the situation of having several options when it comes to enrolling Sidney in elementary school. As Americans, the obvious choice might be the American section of the international school on base. It is by far the largest school and the one that most people, regardless of their nationality (with a few exceptions of course), naturally gravitate too. There is also the Belgian option, which is actually two separate options really. We could enroll Sidney in our local commune school where his peers would be all Belgian children or the Belgian section of the international school on base which is a combination of local children whose parents work on base and more adventurous internationals. And then there are the other smaller international sections on base which are hosted by various NATO countries with the intent of educating their own students as well as a handful of students from other countries. (Of course there is also the home schooling option as well but for a variety of reasons, including both my and Sidney's sanity, that really isn't an option). So what is a parent to do?

Making educational decisions for your children is such a personal choice. What works for some doesn't necessarily work for others and vice versa. This isn't a good or bad thing; rather it is simply reality. But as a family we've never been people to blindly follow the crowd and opt for the easy choice, so over the past few months we've been doing a lot of school research. Because of this, the obvious choice wasn't so obvious for us. Blessed/cursed with a November birthday, enrolling Sidney at the American school would place him in kindergarten for the upcoming year. But, having spent the past year and a half at the Belgian kindergarten, he would essentially be repeating this past year's curriculum with the biggest difference being everything being done in English rather than French. Due to his pesky birth date, there is no negotiating his being bumped up to the first grade regardless of his abilities. So the repeated curriculum,  combined with large class sizes and my general unhappiness with the school when it comes to communication, had us exploring the alternatives. All of our other alternatives had him skipping kindergarten and moving right into first grade which raised another set of lasting issues. For us, the curriculum is more important than the grade number, but what would always being the youngest student in his class do to him? Sidney's aptitude for the French language had us exploring Belgian schools. My French ability, while increasing, is still limited making me uncomfortable about my own ability to speak the language with his teachers. But, as parents you put aside your own discomforts and do what is best for your child.

A first look at the Belgian options looked promising with a curriculum that would be both challenging and reinforce his budding French capabilities. Then I discovered the close to home bi-lingual option of the Canadian school on base. The program was bilingual and everyone I spoke with absolutely adored the school and the education their children were receiving. The school has small class sizes (a plus for an easily bored and distracted boy), a curriculum that emphasizes music, art and physical educational (subjects that have been downsized into virtual nonexistence in too many American schools) as well as the traditional subjects. Field trips and experiential learning are a regular part of the academic program. Plus the combination of English and French instruction would allow Sidney to continue learning French while honing his English language understanding. (Never having lived or gone to school in an English speaking community has wrecked havoc on his grammar). The more we learned about the school the more we wanted to be a part of it. So the minute the application process opened up we submitted our application then crossed our fingers and waited.

But because I am one who believes in contingency plans, I continued looking into our options. The waiting list for the British school immediately eliminated it as a possibility so I returned to investigating the Belgian options. With the assistance of Google translate, I toggled between the French and poorly translated English pages and liked what (I think) I saw. The Belgian school looked like a viable option should the Canadian school not work out. Sidney even visited the Belgian school with his kindergarten class and reported back that it "was fun, they had great snacks (waffles of course) and that one kid even spoke English". I was ever gearing myself up to attend a parent orientation. It felt great to have two viable options where we would be happy regardless of the outcome. And then our acceptance letter for the Canadian school arrived.

After we did our happy dance and breathed a sigh of relief, the reality began to sink in. While the rest of his five year-almost six year old peers are entering kindergarten our little boy will be starting first grade this fall. How did this happen? Academically he's up for the task but we are setting the stage for his always being the youngest child in his class. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but combined with his small size, I have to wonder whether he will be at a disadvantage in the years to come. Are we making a mistake? A small part of me wonders, but at the moment the advantages far outweigh any doubts we may have. So we are plowing forward. Communication from the school is flowing in and the planner in me loves the fact we already have both a supply list and the academic calendar for the coming year. As a new student Sidney has been paired with a second grade "school buddy" who will welcome him on the first day of school and show him the ropes. Over the next two years Sidney will truly master the French language and this will stay with him for the rest of his life. He'll make new friends and experience and see things that we never dreamed of when we were his age. And he will also be learning English which will make his inevitable transition back to the United States easier.

Are we making the right decision? We think so but only time will tell. I know it won't be all fun and roses and there will be inevitable bumps in the road. But what I can say with confidence is that I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for the next two years. They are opportunities I could only have dreamed about as a student. Sidney may not fully appreciate them at the moment but I hope that some day he does. In the meantime, come August he will be a first grade student at the Canadian school complete with swim lessons in gym class (bonus!), new bi-lingual friends and a moose for a school mascot.

Did I mention that I am excited?

Wanderlust.....

I travel because I must. I love traveling; whether local or afar travel inspires me and nurtures my soul. For every place I check off of my bucket list, two more get added. I'll never experience every place there is to see, but I'm going to do my best at trying. And I'm not alone:

I whole heartedly agree with all of these quotes.  To see more inspirational travel quotes click here.

Wordless Wednesday: Lilac

A Hoppy Weekend In Poperinge

Sidewalk hops

Most days it is pretty cool to be living in the center of Mons. After all, the Grand Place is literally in our back yard meaning we are mere steps away from the weekly markets, numerous museums, local festivals year around and more cafes and restaurants than we could ever eat at. But I said most days. Some days, or weekends, the ensuing crowds and rowdiness associated with the afore mentioned festivals are a reason to flee rather than stay. We learned our lesson during last year's Dou Dou festival meant closed streets, piles of discarded cups and cans and drunken crowds so large that that city workers came down our street at three in the morning armed with street vacuums and power washers. With this in mind we made plans to get out of town during this year's festival and as such, spent the past weekend exploring the Belgian town of Poperinge.

Our goal was to simply get out of town and we chose Poperinge due in part to its proximity--less than two hours from our home, it flat rolling land criss crossed with bicycle lanes and it plethora of breweries. We experienced all of this but what we discovered was really so much more.

We started off the weekend at a lovely bed and breakfast set amongst the fields of West Flanders. We didn't have any real plans upon our arrival but our hosts were quick to make suggestions which set our course for the weekend. First up was bike riding on the well maintained and dedicated bicycle lanes of the area. (Such things simply do not exist in our little part of Belgium). Our route took us through farm land filled with animals and crops and of course the hops stands which the area is famous for. Our ride was so peaceful with the only traffic being tractors and other cyclists. Living in a city it is all too easy to forget how rural parts of the country still are but there was no ignoring it during our ride. And as we quickly discovered, if you are a riding enthusiast, this little western corner of Belgium is the place to ride. Not only are paths well maintained but they are equally well marked with sign posts directing you at each intersection. And with this being Belgium, we were never too far from a local brewery or cafe. So close that we were able to have lunch at and then buy a few bottles of one of our favorite beers to take home. We also made a mid-afternoon pitstop at another cafe and enjoyed yet another local brew while Sidney romped around on the playground.

Beer, the reason Belgian bicycles have
front baskets

But I really want to return to the discussion of hops. I knew that a lot of hops is grown in the Poperinge region, after all there is more than one statue paying homage to the crop and the town is home to a hops festival where people actually dress up like the plant. Our bed and breakfast sat in a field that was filled with hops and pictures of our hosts harvesting hops adorned the walls. Even the windows of the local cathedral have hop themed stained glass. Yes, hops is serious business in Poperinge.

And this hoppy message was driven home when we visited the Hopsmuseum. This little museum, tucked off of the main street, walks visitors through the complete history of hops and hop farming in Belgium. For those not in the know, hops is a key component of beer, so it makes sense that it is a flourishing crop in a country that is renowned for its beer. In fact, 70% of the hops grown in Belgium is grown right in Poperinge. (It also grows throughout much of Europe as well as Asia and North America). One might even call it a weed since it grows at a rate of up to 10 centimeters a day. But to beer enthusiasts, it is the vital ingredient that makes beer, well, beer.

Using individual handheld guides, visitors to the Hopsmuseum explore four floors dedicated to the story of hops. There are the legends---according to some hops was first grown by Lucifer and is the weed of the devil. Then there are the facts---hops is the economic engine of the West Flanders region. Native Americans considered hops to be the cure for insomnia and persistent headaches. Hops thrives in areas with sandy soil and lots of rain which is one of the reasons it grows so well in this part of Belgium. Hops grow in both the male and female varieties but it is the female varieties that are welcome in the hops fields. Along the way there is the opportunity to smell various varieties of the plant, with each having their own distinct aroma. These are but just a few of the hops related facts I learned during our tour.

We visited the museum at the end of our weekend and it seemed fitting. After all, we had already cycled through the hops fields, taken in the hops related statues and sampled the end product of hops. Visiting the museum just completed the picture for us. A weekend in Poperinge made for the perfect respite from the temporary craziness of Mons. We enjoyed it so much that we are already making plans to go back. There are still more bicycle routes to peddle, beers to try and Belgian history to explore. I can't wait.

Paying homage to hops in Watou

Welcome to Poperinge, where hops is king

If you go:

Hopmuseum
Gasthuisstraat 71
B-8970 Poperinge, Belgium
hopmuseum@poperinge.be
+32 0 57 33 79 22
www.hopmuseum.be
Open daily 10.00-18.00, closed Mondays
Adults 6 Euro, children under 6 Free

Poperinge Tourist Office
Grote Markt 1
Poperinge, Belgium
+32 0 57 34 66 76

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