zondag 25 augustus 2013

Back Again

BACK AGAIN
For two years now, it has been very quiet on this blog. Reason: both of us were too busy organizing and touring.
The maps, documents and media about the tours we do are re-organized now, so we can communicate again on a structural and regular basis. So far, we mainly communicated in Dutch, but since 80% of our clients are English natives, our future blog info will be principally in English (and Dutch).

So what is the main focus for tourism next year in Belgium ?
2014,  100 years first world war (WW1) will be commemorated everywhere in the north of Belguim and northern France, because that is where the front line was all of the 4 miserable years between 1914-’18.
WW1 is NOT a battlefield only story. How did civilians live through these years ? what did they drink ? How did the soldiers eat and drink ? How was social life organized ? Who financed the war efforts ? Which effects of WW1 are still visible along the frontline today ?
All these stories – and many others – are told during a variety of tours along the frontlines in Belgium and France.

In political perspective, WW1 was (almost) unavoidable.
With the industrial revolution at ‘cruise speed’, every European country was looking for new markets abroad to sell its mass produced goods at the beginning of the 20th C.  Labels like ‘made in the UK’, ‘made in Germany’ etc… were important and nationalism a virtue. Other nations were considered competitors. Consensus or concertation between (neighbouring) countries was non-existing and thus the murder on the Crown Prince of Austria Hungaria on the 28th of June 1914, was the spark that set off WW1.
The only reason that it stopped four years later was complete exhaustion from all sides involved…

More about WW1
Contact  bob.beelen@gmail.com if you have any specific question concerning tours or trips in the area in 2014.

In 2015, war is again the leading theme, because June 18th, 1815 was the Battle of Waterloo that shifted the balance of powers in Europe.

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