Le Bleuet

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Ana Maia was born in November 11th 1918, the same day that the armistice was signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea and air in World War I between the Allies and their opponent, Germany.

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She has been a maid since she was a teenager and served the same family, in Aveiro – Portugal, all her life. She never had the chance to learn how to read and the first time she saw the picture of the famous railway carriage of Marshall Foch, was a few months ago.

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I wanted to go there, to the Compiègne forest, to the place where the armistice was signed, but it’s not possible now, due to the coronavirus crisis, so I tried to access to the place by street view of Google maps and, but unfortunately I couldnt reach the site, so I wandered in circles.

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In France, the bleuet de France, in vivid blue, is the symbol of memory for, and solidarity with, veterans, victims of war, widows, and orphans, similar to the British Commonwealth remembrance poppy.

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The face of Europe changed dramatically, since that map in 1884, so it will in the end of our actual crisis, but I am sure that we will have also our armistice soon, so does Ana Maia.