Belgium and Hercule Poirot
Several years after the last reading of some of my very favorite mystery novels, I'm
inevitably drawn back to them.  When that happens, I take a volume down from its
honored place on the shelf and spend - once again - an enjoyable time in the company
of an old friend.  This was the case recently with Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot series.
I just finished the last of my Poirot books yesterday.
When the time came to choose a topic for this week's Friday's Journal, my mind was
still fixed on the brilliant - if somewhat eccentric - detective, who's famous for using
his "little grey cells" to solve crimes that have baffled Scotland Yard.  And, especially,
on the often-repeated correction concerning his nationality:  "No, no, monsieur, I am
NOT French...I am BELGIAN!"
Where else could we go this week, but Belgium?  And no other quotes would do,
but quotes from the most famous - he would say, deservedly so - Belgian detective
ever to grace the pages of a British who-done-it...Hercule Poirot, himself.  The
pictures on this page are from Belgium.  It's clear that Monsieur Poirot's
pride in his native country was perfectly justified.   -- Nancy
Poirot:   Human nature has an infinite capacity to surprise.
~   ~   ~
Poirot:   It is the truth I require, Hastings...the truth and some aspirin.
~   ~   ~
Mrs. Van Schuyler to Poirot:   You foul French upstart!
Poirot:   Madame, I am not a French upstart, I am a Belgian upstart.
Mr. Fraser:   Who are you anyway?  You don't belong to the police.
Poirot:   No, monsieur, I am better than the police.
~   ~   ~
Innkeeper:   Was the accommodation all right, Mr. Poirot?
Poirot:   No, Monsieur Naughton, the accommodation was all wrong.
The duck feather pillows - they feel as if the ducks are still in them!
The two pictures below were taken at the Grand Place in Brussels, where,
every other August, since 1971, a huge "flower carpet" has been displayed.
It contains a million begonias, covers 19,000 square feet and attracts
tourists from all over the world.  The Grand Place is the central square
of Brussels and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Captain Hastings:   I assure you, Poirot, you wouldn't be seasick on a
ship like the Queen Mary.
Poirot:   No sea travel for me, mon ami; it is 20 years ago that I came to
this country in a boat across the channel.  Still, I am not recovered.
~   ~   ~
Captain Hastings:   Just look at that view, Poirot!
Poirot (distastefully wiping dirt from his highly polished shoes):   Views
are nice, Hastings, but they should be painted for us, so that we may
study them from the comfort of our own home.
Captain Hastings:   Is there anything in the English cuisine that you like?
Poirot:   The English, they do not have a cuisine, mon ami, they have only
food.  The meat is overcooked, the vegetables are too soft, the cheese is
inedible...and the day the English create their own wine is the day I return
home to Belgium.
~   ~   ~
Captain Hastings:   I think I'll take a walk in the garden before turning in,
it will clear my brain.
Poirot:  You might have done that before we played cards.
Poirot:   Always I am right.  It is so invariable that it startles me.  There
is but one Hercule Poirot, and I am he.
Poirot:   You have been thinking again, Chief Inspector.  I have
warned you about that before.
~   ~   ~
Captain Hastings:   What are you going to tell the Chief Inspector?
Poirot:   Nothing, for the time being; he will learn soon enough that
his open-and-shut case has the broken hinges.
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Friday's Journal
Tell a friend:
The most well-known face of Hercule Poirot -
actor, David Suchet, who has played the role
on PBS' Masterpiece Theater for many years.