Dark Ages back to life

The smell of honey cakes, horse shit, burned wood and warm straw. In some villages in France, you can not only smell these things, but you can relive the time in which they were not so uncommon. During August, some villages in the France province of Aquitaine celebrate the time in which these villages came to be. With the weapon of the House Plantagenet and colours of the Duchy of Aquitaine on banners, the old stronghold of Eymet looks just like it has come back from the 12th century. The smells, the customs, the market, it’s like you’re walking through the streets of Eymet back in history, when Henry the Second of England and Eleonor of Aquitaine where the rulers of Aquitaine, Bretagne and Normandy.


Eleonor, Duchess of Aquitaine. It all started with her. When she became duchess, she married Louis the Fourteenth, future king of France. But when their marriage was disbanded, she married Henry the Second, duke of Bretagne, duke of Normandy and two years after their marriage, king of England. The fact that this couple had more influence in the entire coast of France (Eleonors dowry existed of her rights to Aquitaine, which Louis lost when they divorced, and Henry got when they married), was something Louis the Fourteenth, now king of France, didn’t take too well. He declared war to Normandy, Bretagne and Aquitaine, to break the influence of this noble couple. But the couple brought the fortresses to the villages and cities, and during times of peace, these fortresses brought economic welfare to the villages, which stayed loyal to the Plantagenets. Too bad for Louis...

And because of this welfare, the villages return in history during the month of August. With workshops archery and calligraphy for visitors, markets with wood turners, banker masons, bakers and the local ‘curer’ with healing stones and herbs. Apparently, witches didn’t have to be scared to end up on the stake back in the 12th century. Her tilt-cart is covered with scarves, plants and weird looking jars and bowls. The falconers show their birds proudly near the old pigeon house, in a garden full of beautiful blooming sunflowers. There is a bookstall which only sells books with the Dark Ages as subject, there are handmade bags and leather belts, handmade sculptures and carvings, handmade honey and candles and, of course, handmade honey cakes and sugar pies. The stall keepers walk around in perfect looking costumes. The sight, and smell, is almost authentic. Except for the fact that everyone is cheerful and happy, which probably wasn’t authentic in a time of war...

City and Outside - Part 1

Close your eyes and focus on your ears. All around you, you hear voices. The smell of the burnt fumes of cars, apparently, the lights switched to green. Suddenly, you hear the breaks of a bus. Doors open, and people flow out of the giant vehicle in front of you. The sound of their voices, all in different languages, fill your ears. It becomes harder and harder to even hear your own thoughts. A cycle rings his bell, and curses loudly. He almost got hit by a car. The owner of the car sticks her head through the window, and starts yelling at the cycler. “...THE PAINT!!...” It’s all you can hear through the rest of the noises.


Fumes fill up your nose, and mess up your sense of smell. Someone is standing beside you, he (or she, of course) is smoking a cigarette. While cars drive past you, you hear people talking through the phone. Yelling, laughing, sobbing, all in different languages of which a few you can actually understand. The smoker standing next to you flicks the remains of his (or hers) cigarette away. It ends up on the street, where it keeps smoking until there is nothing left. On the other side, a person is laughing loudly into his phone. Suddenly, the traffic light goes green. People start pushing each other out of the way, only so they can cross the street faster. Your head starts throbbing, it is too warm, it is too crowded, the people around you start to annoy you more and more. And just at the point where you can’t take any more of it, you open your eyes.



Beneath your feet, old leaves rustle. Something falls behind you, you turn around. Small rodents fight over a beechnut. Small beams of sunlight fall through the leaves. A robin chirps loudly, it tries so hard to be louder than the old crow a couple of trees further. Your nose starts filling up with the smell of dry trees, damp leaves en fresh ground. A couple of meters away hangs a bunch of breams, so ripe that their almost asking to be picked. Slowly, your head becomes idle, all the pressure floats away, the peace returns.