The Green Venice

 

There is a myth in Danish history that Dalgas, an officer and engineer who lived from 1828 to 1894 and was one of the instigators of the cultivation of the Danish heath, once said that "What is lost externally, has to be regained internally" (my free translation). Apparently he never said so, or if he did, he stole it from a Danish or Swedish poet or a Pruessian king. One way or the other Dalgas promoted the cultivation of the heath at a time (1864 to be more precise) when Denmark had lost the southern region to Germany. It was in the same period that fjords were partly drained to create more agricultural land, and on the sandy soil carrots and potatoes were grown.

The cultivation of the heath (now a protected area) had started already in the 18th century when German families had been invited by the king to come to Denmark to grow potatoes because the Danish production of grain and potatoes was insufficient. The family of my maternal grandfather came from the area around Frankfurt in Germany to cultivate the reclaimed land and was one of some 50 families that stayed on in Denmark when the other families were kicked out due to poor results. These people were nicknamed "potato Germans", an expression that we Danes still use about Germans these days.....

My intention is not to write about Denmark but about an area north of La Rochelle where land has been reclaimed for agricultural purposes. It is called the Marais Poitevin.  It has nothing to do with wine (vin), but is a reference to the gulf of Poitou around which land was drained by munks already in the 13th century. Originally the sea reached Niort, which is now some 60kms from the coast! I have done two trips into the Marais Poitevin since I arrived here. One day I went to the dry area on the coast; another day I went to the wet area which is west of Niort and thus far from the sea.

In the dry area (called the Marais Maritime) there are huge fields of wheat, corn and sunflower. The wheat is being harvested these days, wherefore the grain silos are full, the hay is stacked high in the field, and every truck available seem to be loaded with grain. On the coast boats come in with mussels which are washed before being loaded into big sacks. In the small port of Aiguillon-sur-Mer I had a wonderful meal with a buffet of charcuterie, mussels and fries, and a buffet of cheeses and desserts served with wine and coffee, all for the modest price of €11.

In the wet area (called the Venise Verte) canals criss-cross the fields which creates a pretty, green area with fields of grassing cows, poplars boardering the canals, and low cottages with gardens reaching the canal where each family has its own boat. Tourists can rent the plastic version of the traditional boat or take a guided tour on the canals. As the temperature reached 35° I decided to make a break on the grassy banks of a canal where men were sitting lost in thoughts whilst tending to their fishing poles and teenagers were jumping thoughtlessly from a bridge into the greenish water. A couple of older women were chatting non-stop, whilst a father was explaining his sons how to  handle the long fishing poles. His beige 2CV was parked in the shade as a reminder of what French cars used to be......