A Respite From The Battlefield: Tea At The Talbot House

Children receive their own
tablet to guide them through
the grounds

War is ugly. Regardless of the era, fighting day in and day out is a grueling proposition that quickly takes its toll on the soldiers in the field. Any respite from the fighting is welcome and during the bloody days of World War I, the Talbot House served as just such a refuge for British soldiers on the front line. The Belgian front, and the area called Flanders Field, saw some of the worst fighting during the War but the tiny town of Poperinge, located hear the French border in the far western reaches of Belgium, escaped relatively unscathed. Although it is adjacent to Ypres, Poperinge was part of the unoccupied region of Belgium and thus served as the hub for British forces. And within this pocket of calm sat, and still sits, the Talbot House, a refuge that is referred to as "Every man's house".

Militaries are perhaps one of the last bastions where rank clearly matters; the division between the enlisted and the officers is set in stone with fraternization between the ranks discouraged if not outright prohibited. Traditionally each group has their own pay scales, housing and social clubs.The Talbot House, however, broke with this tradition and served as a respite for all soldiers, regardless of rank, thus getting its moniker.

The Talbot House was built in the 18th Century and was the home of a wealthy banking family before it was hit by a German shell, forcing the family to flee to a safer location. The British army rented the house as an alternative to more controversial respite sites in the town. Talbot House as it is known today was founded in 1915 by two Army chaplains, who for the next three years welcomed soldiers into their little piece of calm between the storms. They set about creating a homey atmosphere, complete with a tranquil garden, lounging spaces, a spacious dining hall and clean sleeping quarters in which soldiers could relax.

Sampling the tea. The verdict?
Delicious!

Today visitors are welcome to explore the exhibits, grounds and partake in the English tradition of tea in what is the original mess hall. The museum is not large but it is filled with interesting and moving displays that provide visitors with a glimpse of what life was like for soldiers enjoying a brief R&R. And this museum welcomes the youngest guests with their own electronic tablet that guides them through the grounds on a type of scavenger hunt. You can look through numerous photographs, documents and relics from the war and visit the former bath house which now hosts temporary exhibits. During our visit we saw an exhibit paying tribute to military chaplains, both allies and foes, from the Great War to today's ongoing fighting in the Middle East. And every guest is invited to sit in the dining hall and partake in a cup of tea served by the jolly hosts. In true British form, the tea is steeped from loose leaves and served in china cups around communal tables. After tea you can take in the ornate details of the sitting rooms then climb the very steep stairs to see the sleeping quarters and the top floor chapel. (A small number of rooms are available for overnight accommodations although a peek into them revealed rather narrow and uncomfortable looking beds). But my favorite part of the museum is without doubt, the garden. Small but well laid out, the garden has  water features, benches and lots of shaded grassy spaces that invite relaxation and meditation. It is easy to imagine soldiers sitting and laying in the walled garden and momentarily trying to forget about the outside world. And had it not been for the rain, we too would have sat in the garden to contemplate.

So when you are in this corner of Belgium take time to visit the Talbot House. It is a tribute to war unlike any war museum I have visited. Stroll the gardens, explore the house and enjoy a cup of tea. If you are of British heritage, or know someone who is, search through the database to see if your relatives were one of the thousands who sought refuge there during the War.

If you go:
The Talbot House
Gasthuisstraat 431-B 8970
Poperinge, BELGIUM
+32 57 333 228
info@talbothouse.be
www.talbothouse.be

Open Tuesday-Sunday 10.00-17.30
Adults 8 Euro, under 7 FREE

Wordless Wednesday: Hops Town

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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