Just going with the flow

If in the introduction to my previous blog post I might have given you the impression that blogging has become a bit of a chore, with deadlines and the like, then nothing could be further from the truth. I love my blog with a passion and I absolutely relish the interaction with my fellow bloggers and readers. In fact, in times of stress, blogging has always been my lifeline as it allows me to put things into perspective.

The latter rings particularly true in case of our September holiday, which in all honesty didn't exactly go according to plan.

At least the weather gods seemed to be putting their best foot forward on Wednesday the 4th of September. The morning sun was bathing the landscape in that hazy golden glow which is so typical for the time of year and the forecasted highs of around 22°C sounded very promising.

I dug out my trusty travelling companion - the denim maxi skirt I found in Think Twice in May 2023 - and combined it with a charity shopped t-shirt top, a close-up of whose funky print you can find here.

The fabulous haori I layered on top was a gift from my friend Inneke. Well, it was actually intended for my other friend, Inez, but as I wouldn't be seeing her until after my holiday, I thought I might as well try it out myself :-)

The day's forecast for - mostly - dry weather with lots of sunny spells would have been perfect for either that trip across the border I've been going on about or a day at the seaside. In the end, however, we decided to stay local and just go with the flow.

On the day before we left, Jos had developed a nasty-looking boil called a furuncle on the back of his leg, which hadn't got any better so far and thus had us a bit worried. Therefore, we drove into Poperinge to seek advice and supplies from a chemist. Having obtained instructions, ointment, dressing pads and plasters, we walked around the corner to the town's green lung, the Burggraaf Frimoutpark. 

Opened almost exactly 22 years to the day, the park was named after one of Poperinge's most famous sons, Dirk Frimout, who in 1992 was the first Belgian in space. 

The sculpture Jos is standing next to isn't a victim of vandalism or gale force winds; this is actually the way it is meant to be. The six meter long hollow bronze sculpture is called "Shot at Dawn" and originally was the focal point of the eponymous 2016 exhibition held in the town. Apparently its creator, the Dutch artist Anno Dijkstra, was inspired by Poperinge's War Memorial in the Market Place. You can catch a glimpse of it here.

The park is usually our first port of call on the Sunday of our arrival, when we have to share it with  families enjoying a Sunday stroll and groups of loitering youths. This being a weekday, however, we had the park practically to ourselves. In fact, I think we only met a single dog walker and a young couple sitting on a bench.

As long as the weather gods are on their best behaviour, I absolutely love this time of year, the sights and scents of Summer reluctantly passing the torch to Autumn making my heart sing and putting a spring in my step. 

As the sun had by now been eclipsed by the grey sky she would be playing hide-and-seek with all day, I'd replaced the haori by one of my favourite light-weight blazers.

 

We meandered along the reed-edged boardwalk leading through a marshy area and along a duck-filled pond, although this time around the ducks were rather conspicuous by their absence.

Then we returned by way of the main path which is lined with a series of garden rooms proudly displaying the flowers of the current season - much appreciated magnets for the local bees - and the gracefully dying seed heads of the last.

After leaving the park, we strolled through the town, reacquainting ourselves with Poperinge's by now well-known landmarks. The ancient hop-picking equipment (above, top left) is standing in the courtyard of the town's Hop Museum, while "De Spellewerkege" (above, top right) by local artist Rik Ryon commemorates Poperinge's former lacemaking industry.

Then we had huge cups of cappuccino on the terrace of La Poupée, one of the cafés lining the Market Place. The one with the whipped cream is the Belgian version of cappuccino ordered by yours truly.

In front of La Poupée is a gold sculpture of a girl balancing a serving tray. This is a tribute to Eliane Cossey, an attractive red-haired girl who worked at her father's café during the First World War. She was given the nickname of Ginger by the officers who came from far and wide to see her.

On our way back to where we'd parked our car, we paid a brief visit to the town's principal church which owes its name to Saint Bertin, who was abbot in the French town of Saint Omer in the 7th Century. 

Once again, Jos took a breather on one of the church chairs, while I explored its rich interior. The flower decorated sign is kindly asking people to pay € 0,20 chair money, which I'm afraid we neglected to do. I'm sure Saint Bertin must have told his friends the weather gods about our miserly ways.

Back at the cottage, we had lunch while discussing plans for the afternoon. We'd already earmarked a short local walk about 10 minutes from the cottage, when one look outside our window made us reconsider our options. The sky had taken on a moody granite grey hue from which, surely, rain would be pelting down any minute. Our weather app being ambiguous about the matter, we thought we'd better be safe than sorry and return to Poperinge to visit Talbot House instead.

During the First World War, Poperinge was part of unoccupied Belgium. Away from the turmoil of battle in the Ypres Salient, the town became the nerve centre of the British sector, with thousands of soldiers passing through the town each day when going to and returning from the front.

Thus, Talbot House was opened in 1915 by army chaplains Neville Talbot and Philip "Tubby" Clayton, as a club house for all soldiers regardless of rank. For many, this place became their home away from home, an oasis of serenity in a world gone mad. It was a place where people could forget about the war for just a moment, hence the sign next to the front door saying: "To pessimists, way out!"

Although we didn't know this at the time, Arthur's Dugout is part of an interactive family trail, during which Private Arthur Pettifer takes you on a tour through the house from basement to  attic. Obviously, we just had to have a look at what was down there, hadn't we?

Talbot House has been a museum since 1931 and is still run by British wardens. You can even spend the night in one of the guest rooms (above, bottom left). 

In fact, in the week before our holiday Talbot House was a contestant in the Flemish version of "Four in a Bed". Sadly, but rather unsurprisingly, they didn't win, as obviously the house was lacking the latest mod-cons and the en-suite bathrooms of the other contestants. 

By Thursday the weather gods had abandoned all pretence of trying to please us and treated us to an utterly grey and blustery day. Thankfully, no rain seemed to be at the horizon and, at 20°C, the temperature was still reasonable enough for us to go ahead with our planned visit to the seaside. After all, the forecast for Friday was looking pretty dire and there was no way we would be heading to the coast on a Saturday, so that this was our only chance to do so.

The gale-force wind dictated that I wear the only pair of trousers I'd brought and don my famous green raincoat to keep the shivers at bay.

As we'd stopped at my brother's - who moved to the area in the Spring of 2023 - on our way to the coast, it was well past midday before we'd parked our car in De Panne and found ourselves a place to eat. 

Then we braved the wind, trudging over the wet sand into the direction of France, accompanied by the soundtrack of the waves which kept chasing each other endlessly, their tips edged with frothing white foam.

But wait a minute, France, you say? Well yes, De Panne is Belgium's most westerly seaside resort. Next stop the French seaside town of Bray-Dunes! 

You can either walk along the beach or - when the tide is high - along a concrete walking embankment which runs all the way from De Panne to its French neighbour, a bracing 5 kilometer walk.

About halfway in you can find De Panne's latest attraction, the Westerpunt vantage point, which was opened in the Spring. If you squint and know what to look for, it can already be spotted from De Panne's main beach (above, top left), even if the view was rather marred by foggy weather conditions on the day of our visit.

I stumbled across this architectural masterpiece while doing some holiday prep in the weeks before our trip and instantly put it on my list of must-sees. So, propelled along by the fiercely whipping wind and with the waves crashing against the sea wall, we walked and walked until we were face to face with the mighty structure.

The Westerpunt is a geometric, low-rise staircase that takes you from the walking embankment up into the air, until you are virtually floating over the beach - or the sea if the tide is in - before taking you down again.  

The structure is six metres high and stands autonomously from the concrete walking embankment. Although it might sound incongruous, the concrete actually fits in nicely with the beach and the dunes in terms of colour and texture and - hopefully - will be able to withstand the harsh maritime climate.

Months of rising and falling tides had deposited a veritable sandpit halfway up the first flight of stairs, so that it was actually already becoming part of the beach. 

Jos refrained from joining me but was able to take a handful of pictures with his phone. 

They actually make it look more spectacular than it felt, as even yours truly, having absolutely no head for heights, had no problems whatsoever going up there. 

So, that was one thing which could be checked off our list. Please do visit again if you want to find out what we did next!