Belgian Tour

and Pullan after a hard struggle found their way into the semi-finals. The other two semi-finalists, Miers and Williams also came from the same School, Archbishop Holgate's. These four played in a minature league for the deciding position. It was cut short, however, by the fact that Miers beat both Peterites and his School colleague to win the championship. Herring also drew with Williams after a very long and exciting game.

Pullan must be congratulated on his fine performance, as it was the first time he had entered.

THE BELGIAN TOUR

A DIARY OF THE TOUR

In the Easter holidays Mr. LeTocq and Mr. Craven again took a party of boys to the Continent. This time it was for a tour in Belgium.

There was again a midnight start; and by mid-day the party was moving through calm waters on the "Prince Baudouin", watching the dark clouds roll away and enjoying the sunshine. We landed at Ostend, continued by motor-coach to Bruges, and tackled with gusto a week's meat ration at the Hotel Wellington.

We spent the second day in Bruges itself, a charming medieval town, dominated by its Belfrey and the massive brick spire of the Eglise Notre-Dame. It is a town in which to stroll at leisure, a town of picturesque waterways and winding streets, where in quiet, secluded quarters lace is still made with the old skill and patience. It is an appropriate home for the art-treasures it contains. Among these the Memlincs and Jan van Eyck's "Vierge au Donateur" remain vivid in the memory.

The brisk modern traveller cannot remain long in contemplation, and the following day we were on the road, making for the grottoes of Han-sur-Lesse. Courtrai, the first stop, was quite a pleasant town, but badly war-scarred. Tournai, our next stop, was quite the most badly damaged town we saw, but even so it had its interests, the five towered Cathedral being one of them. After having lunch at Mons some of us visited the interesting war museum there. By this time we had left the Flemish part of Belgium, and after Mons we watched the country change from flat plains of West Flanders to the varied, wooded landscape of the Ardennes. Han itself proved a delightful village, an ideal spot for a country-lover's holiday. The boys were billeted out among the local inhabitants. 38

Whether ancient pagan rites are still performed in this remote region I do not know. But at dawn next day a pig was sacrificed under the critical eye of Farmer Burdass. (I believe he still carries the tail in his pocket.) Or perhaps the ceremony has something to do with the freemasonry of farmers. Anyway the omens must have been favourable, for we soon penetrated into that eerie underworld of stalactites and stalagmites where the River Lesse, and perhaps Lethe and Phlegethon, winds for eighteen hours before re-emerging. And we all returned safely.

Our next halt was at Dinant, famed for its "couques" (gingerbread shapes) and "dinanderie" (brass-ware). We had stopped there awhile the previous evening, and felt it invited further exploration. It was indeed quite the prettiest town we visited, nestling as it does between high cliffs and the River Meuse, and with an impressive citadel. We climbed the 408 steps to this, wandered along the banks of the Meuse, then off once more to Namur and Brussels.

Half a day was hardly sufficient to do justice to the capital of the country. We had a quick look round, did some hurried shopping and set off on the last leg of our journey. We called at Heckelghem to see the sand carpets (reproductions of old masters in coloured sand) and spent a pleasant hour in Ghent. This is a fine old town, little damaged by two world wars. We visited the Cathedral, the Castle, and the Quays. Then back to Bruges.

Sunday we spent exploring some of the corners of the town we had not yet seen, watched a procession of the Catholic youth of West Flanders and had a glimpse of a religious play performed in one of the public squares. Then to round off the tour we added an excursion to Antwerp to our programme. We had hoped to visit the "Mountpark" there; but unfortunately her sailing was delayed and we missed her by a day. Nevertheless we enjoyed the excursion, the view over the Scheldt from the top of a skyscraper, the Art Gallery, the docks, and the race back along the "autostrade" which runs smooth and straight from Brussels to Ostend.

We now had to turn towards home. The crossing threatened for a while to be a rough one; but the boat hugged the French coast and finally emerged into smoother waters. Soon a fish and chip tea and a brusque waitress were reminding us that we were back in England.

It was a good holiday. We would gladly have prolonged it. We only saw enough of the Ardennes to make us want to see more. But there will no doubt be further opportunities. Where shall we go next year?

The following notes have been written by members of the party :

SOME IMPRESSIONS OF THE BELGIAN COUNTRYSIDE.

When a person who has been used to the English countryside goes to Belgium he is liable to think the Belgian countryside a little bare, especially when travelling across the flat Polder country from Ostend to Bruges. The absence of hedges gives the country a naked air, and the patch-work quilt effect so typical of the English countryside is entirely lost. The Polder country has few trees and a great many drainage ditches. The small farms in this area, of which there are a very large number, are found in the middle of their own area of land and are not grouped together in villages as in other parts of Belgium.

Further inland than Bruges the flat country continues but the rows of trees, mostly poplars, become more numerous, and there is a certain amount of woodland, all very neatly kept. A feature of the farmsteads over all Belgium is the woodpile, always carefully stacked and often with a thatch roof. This country gradually merges into gently undulating country which precedes the actual hills of the Ardennes. The waves of low hills of this district disappear into the distance giving a marvellous view.

This type of scenery gives way to more hilly country which is heavily wooded between Dinant and Hans-sur Lesse. The scenery in this district was by far the prettiest we travelled through.

Whilst in Han sur Lesse I had the pleasure of sleeping in a farm house. The house, in grey stone, was extremely modern in design and was fitted with all modern conveniences. It was spotlessly clean. The farm, although small by English standards, had on it some twenty-five head of cattle, including nine cows in milk. All black and white Friesian cattle. Besides the 2 roan draft horses and 8 days old foal there were several pigs and a few hens. It was here that Wheatley and I made ourselves useful by helping to haul a pig for slaughter for which we received the due reward of the pig's tail, now preserved in spirit as "un Souvenir de Belge".

W. J. Burdass.

SOME RANDOM IMPRESSIONS

The Belgians are a very industrious people, and one is impressed by the speed with which they do their work. We found everything very clean and most of the people very well dressed. Another characteristic of the Belgians, is their politeness and their habit of shaking hands with everyone who comes and goes. The majority of Belgians are devout Roman Catholics, and, on the Sunday, nearly the whole of Bruges seemed to turn out to go to the church services and to see the youth parade and the pageant afterwards.

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