Thursday 29 December 2011

Christmas

I have just returned from a great break in Bruges.  Imagine being in a country where they brew 1130 different beers, make the most exquisite fries served with curry mayonnaise, and delicious chocolate shops are on every corner.  I thought I had died and gone to Heaven!  Seriously though, for a writer of medieval stories, Bruges is a fascinating place, which has barely changed in hundreds of years.  Due to their conservative nature, the residents of Bruges eschewed the Protestant revolution, and so became a backwater after once being the centre of the cloth trade.  Beautiful old buildings abound, including a complete "beguinage" - the residence of an order of women who chose to live a life in a female community without taking vows as a nun.  Even now, the enclosed district is only available for women to rent.
I also visited Ypres and Ghent, and on Christmas Day made a side trip to a World War One cemetery. It was very sobering to see thousands of small white headstones, many of which had no name on them - simply "A soldier of the Great War".  It was saddening to see all those young men who lost their chance of a life, and reminded me of John Lennon's words - "War is over, if you want it".  I recalled that incident when at Christmas 1914, soldiers from both sides emerged from the trenches and sang songs and played football, only to return to killing each other.  "War is over, if you want it".  If only.

3 comments:

  1. A thought provoking and sobering post although I must say that the headstones are beautiful as is that village.

    Happy New Year, Mr. Morson. I hope it's fruitful for both you and Falconer. Looking to forward to the next book, even it is the last and am sure it will be worth the wait.

    My take on war: War is stupid and people are stupid - Boy George. Says it all.

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  2. Thanks for your comments, and a Happy New Year to you. I think we agree on war.

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  3. Well, not all people are stupid. You (and therefore Master Falconer) are certainly exceptions. :)

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