The Ardennes offensive!
By Shana DevleschoudereThe Walloons go to the Flemish coast and the Flemish (and Dutch) go to the Ardennes "mountains". The refrain is well known. Some, like the Flemish-but-true-Belgian humorist Bert Kruismans, don't hesitate: "During the tourist season, local classified ads and municipal signs prohibiting illegal dumping are in both languages. The Café des Sports, an asylum for the region's last remaining Walloons, has been closed for years. On the other hand, the Beffe brewery, where the Flemish are at home, welcomes visitors with open arms. Welcome to Beffelyhills! In case you were wondering, the name was coined by a Dutchman...".
We're talking about a phenomenon that's been around for a long time. Flanders has always loved vacationing in the Ardennes. But since the confinement of Covid, the phenomenon has become much more pronounced. Some Flemish newspapers are even making headlines about it. Take this article from Le Morgen, published at the start of the new school year, with a headline that could be translated as "Flemings begin to reign supreme in the Ardennes". That sets the tone! And the whole article follows suit. A resident of Rendeux declares: "For the past five years or so, we've been invaded by Flemings, who buy everything. This disrupts the rhythm of the region. And Madame points her finger in all directions: "Marche, Hotton, La Roche, it's all the same. And we're not talking about small gîtes. Because, even if this influx of visitors is good for the economy, it's not without its problems: parties until the wee hours of the morning, littering along the roads, supermarkets raided during the vacation season... life for some locals can seem like hell in high season. Not to mention the soaring property prices that all this entails...