Page 52 - Discover Spring 2021
P. 52
What’s Up Doc? CONTINUED
R e ig n o f T e rr o r C O NTINUED
the day old bread.” important role in saving the lives of several
English pilots whose planes were shot down.
Compared to their countrymen in the
north, Tini said her town fared well during Members of the resistance would hide
the war. It helped that it was a rural area with the pilots, and then sneak them into Belgium
several farms. In northern Holland they were and from there back to the UK. She is not sure
eating tulip bulbs to keep from starving, and how many they saved, but she believes that
grinding them up into flour for bread. there were several. In her hometown there
is a labyrinth of caverns, caves, and miles of
Like many other countries during World corridors. These were formed by the mining of
War II, food and other things were rationed in a type of sandstone that is used for buildings.
Holland. Tini remembers her mother trading It is also what is used to make chalk. These
sugar stamps for staples with other wives. mines date back to 1050, when workers first
Shoes, too, were rationed. And so she found began removing the sandstone, or “mergel”
herself wearing the traditional wooden clogs as it is called, and used it to build villages. It
that the Dutch people have worn for centuries, is also referred to as “marl”, and according to
and still wear today for jobs such as working in online sources, it is the remains of decomposed
the garden or in wet areas.
aquatic life, sand and shells.
“We put straw inside the shoes in the Tini’s childhood home was made from
winter to keep our feet warm,” she said, “And this sandstone. “You can actually scratch it
my father tacked pieces of leather across the loose with your fingernail,” George said, “It is
bottom of them so they wouldn’t make so so soft.”
much noise when I walked.”
Still, the material holds up well as a
Teenage boys posed a possible threat building block. In fact, all of the buildings in
to the German soldiers, so two of Tini’s older Tini’s hometown, which she says are quite old,
brothers were picked-up by the Gestapo are made from mergel, and they all appear
and sent to work camps, along with others to be as sturdy as if they were made from
in the town. The family did not know the granite. Mergel contains calcium carbonate the
whereabouts of one of their sons for two years, same material that is in the chalk that is used
until he was able to escape and return home.
on blackboards. In fact, the “chalk” houses
“One day the butcher brought my and “velvet” caves of Valkenburg are tourist
mother a big cut of meat, and told her she attractions today, and have been for hundreds
would need it to celebrate the return of her of years.
son. ‘He has escaped from a work camp up A major reason why these underground
north’ he told her, and would be returning caves are so popular with tourists is because
home in a day or two. We were so happy. We their walls are covered with pictures that have
had such a celebration then. For two years we been drawn or painted over the years, dating
did not know where he was.”
back to Roman times up to and through World
The oldest brother was with the War II. There are also several relief carvings
resistance, and managed not to get caught in the cave walls. Today, Christmas marts are
by living underground in caves. Although setup in the caves and are big drawing cards for
her brother seldom spoke of his work with shoppers and tourists.
the resistance after the war ended, she knew The fact that the caves maintain a
that those brave men and women played an
constant temperature of 12 degrees Celsius
50 Discover Smith Mountain Lake SPRING 2021
