Can You REALLY Move The French-Belgian Border By Accident With A Tractor?

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  • Опубликовано: 10 июн 2024
  • YES WE ARE ASKING THE BIG QUESTIONS AGAIN. In early May 2021, a Belgian farmer hit international news when he moved a stone out of the way of his tractor, and accidentally shifted the French-Belgian border 2.3m into France. Or did he? Is it actually possible to move a border just by moving a stone? And why did he suddenly feel the need to move it, when it's been there for 200 years? I went to the little village of Bousignies-sur-Roc to find the truth behind the story...
    INSTA - / the.tim.traveller
    TWIT - / thetimtraveller
    FACE - / thetimtraveller
    CREDITS
    Voice of Madame Wélonek by Francesca Vitti
    "Map Men" theme music originally by Jay Foreman - • MAP MEN
    "Stonehenge" song originally by Ylvis - • Ylvis - Stonehenge [Of...
    Latest Belgium travel advice - www.info-coronavirus.be/en/tr...
    AND NOW FOR ALL THE ARTICLE LINKS
    BBC: www.bbc.com/news/world-europe...
    CBS: www.cbsnews.com/news/belgian-...
    Der Spiegel: www.spiegel.de/panorama/belgi...
    France Bleu: www.francebleu.fr/infos/insol...
    La Voix Du Nord: www.lavoixdunord.fr/992266/ar...
    New York Times: www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/wo...
    SudInfo.be - www.sudinfo.be/id392001/artic...

Комментарии • 1,9 тыс.

  • @supersourbob
    @supersourbob 3 года назад +4665

    Tim is now doing high risk border conflict documentaries.

    • @steveaustin2686
      @steveaustin2686 3 года назад +48

      Worst of all is that he evidently stirred up the llamas and aliens too.

    • @Korilian13
      @Korilian13 3 года назад +58

      He shouldn't risk his safety like that for a few clicks. Think of your family Tim!

    • @gadaadyn8190
      @gadaadyn8190 3 года назад +3

      Well, shoot 🤣

    • @geonerd
      @geonerd 3 года назад +24

      The wine and chocolate smugglers are ruthless! ;)

    • @bigblue6917
      @bigblue6917 3 года назад +14

      @@geonerd I see you avoided the truffle hunters. A wise decision.

  • @GenialHarryGrout
    @GenialHarryGrout 3 года назад +1380

    While crossing from France to Belgium, Tim carried French soil on his shoes which was deposited in Belgium, and France wants it back

    • @bapgames4210
      @bapgames4210 2 года назад +24

      Lol bien trouvé !

    • @phlerpen
      @phlerpen 2 года назад +29

      I like that he started playing the music from Tintin when he crossed into Belgium

    • @K0sm
      @K0sm 2 года назад +8

      There's no need, Belgium is a French region already.

    • @jeanpierreragequit1726
      @jeanpierreragequit1726 2 года назад +1

      hahaha

    • @johnbrown9542
      @johnbrown9542 2 года назад +2

      I stole a rock from Mexico once’s when I illegally swam the Rio Grande for about five minutes

  • @RussellNelson
    @RussellNelson 3 года назад +554

    0:50 You CAN move the border between NY and Pennsylvania just by moving a stone. While the border was intended to be a straight line, they marked that line by placing 1 foot square granite markers every mile and at significant roads. As you might imagine, they didn't do a perfect job, and so they vary a bit. Rather than have the line constantly resurveyed and the markers moved, the decision was made to have the location of the markers be the official location of the border. And, if a market has gotten lost, the border then runs on a straight line between the two markers on either side of the missing stone.

    • @ShadowDragon8685
      @ShadowDragon8685 3 года назад +178

      But what happens if, hear me out here, some _nefarious person_ comes along and, say... Collects all the stones, each and every last one of them, and grinds them to gravel before anyone notices?
      Did this _supervillain_ just reduce the number of States in the Union to 49 through the forcible merger of New York and Pennsylvania into New Pennsylvania? Pennsyl York?
      (Boring answer: they'd probably just properly survey the border, and then look for our hero to send them to prison for disproportionate amounts of time.)

    • @francisdec1615
      @francisdec1615 2 года назад +17

      My home province used to be Norwegian, but it was ceded to Sweden in the Roskilde peace treaty in 1658. People in the neighbouring province destroyed one of the granite markers and moved the border about 2 kms in one place. This was tolerated by the authorities, since it was a conquered "enemy" province. Ironically the whole parish in the neighbour province was transferred to the county that was later made out of our province in an administrative reform in 1967, because the border was too close to the municipality seat on our side of the border. You couldn't do that nowadays, I mean moving a province or county border and have the authorities accepting it. It's also a crime, of course.

    • @towaritch
      @towaritch 2 года назад +2

      That's so lazy

    • @noidea2568
      @noidea2568 2 года назад +10

      @@ShadowDragon8685 That's so cartoonishly evil, I love it.

    • @MyRegardsToTheDodo
      @MyRegardsToTheDodo 2 года назад +16

      The US really aren't good with borders. One time after the war of 1812 they decided to build a fort on the US-Canadian border and after spending around 275,000 USD (back then!) they discovered that the fort was sadly on the wrong side of the border. They stopped all work at the unnamed fort (which was inofficially called Fort Blunder) and about 20 years later received the land from the Canadians. They then built another fort on top of the ruins of Fort Blunder, which became known as Fort Montgommery. They also aren't good with directions. In 1938 Douglas Corrigan, a pilot, started in New York City, heading for Long Beach. 28 hours later he landed near Dublin, Ireland. Until he died he claimed that he did this by accident.

  • @johnladuke6475
    @johnladuke6475 10 месяцев назад +8

    I like how Tim is utterly horrified at the concept of trespassing on private property, but is satisfied to sneak across an international border to solve the problem.

    • @liv-oi6vg
      @liv-oi6vg День назад +1

      It's Schengen area so he's not actually sneaking. We have international freedom of movement in Europe.

  • @DonBalasso
    @DonBalasso 3 года назад +2075

    My theory about who moved the stone is, a british youtuber living in Paris ran out of video ideas during lockdown. So he secretly moved the stone just to film a video about it a couple of weeks later. ;-)
    Love your videos, always very entertaining :-)

    • @RemiCardona
      @RemiCardona 3 года назад +132

      I'm fairly sure he's responsible for the 4-way No Entry sign bungle in downtown Paris as well!

    • @WillN2Go1
      @WillN2Go1 3 года назад +30

      @@RemiCardona I think you guys are two scenes away from a hit movie idea.

    • @joermnyc
      @joermnyc 3 года назад +13

      Tim: “Je m'en suis tiré aussi, s'il n'y avait pas eu ces enfants qui s'en mêlent!”

    • @JostSchwider
      @JostSchwider 3 года назад +2

      Sounds plausible... 👈

    • @edwardlane1255
      @edwardlane1255 3 года назад +2

      thanks, I've now learnt the french word for meddlesome :)

  • @stephaniesews6603
    @stephaniesews6603 3 года назад +1837

    "Showing my negative test to the border" had me cracking up. Did the border accept the test?

    • @thorsteinj
      @thorsteinj 3 года назад +139

      It was left speechless by the results...

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 3 года назад +63

      Well, the border wasn't sure where it's supposed to be.

    • @Polyglot_English
      @Polyglot_English 3 года назад +2

      Детерминизм это Свобода 🤙

    • @chicobri
      @chicobri 3 года назад +26

      Well, the border didn't reject the results, so I guess it was passively accepted and tacit permission was given at that time. Semantics!

    • @nakoda1610
      @nakoda1610 3 года назад +1

      no, they diddnt

  • @vader6106
    @vader6106 2 года назад +138

    “So how do you plan to invade France?”
    “Don’t worry, I have a stone”

    • @xaius4348
      @xaius4348 2 года назад +9

      Why go after france when you can move France towards you

    • @DavidKnowles0
      @DavidKnowles0 2 года назад

      @@xaius4348 because everyone loves to invade France!

    • @il_principe
      @il_principe Год назад

      That would probably be sufficient to make the french surrender yes

  • @TheRealDoctorBonkus
    @TheRealDoctorBonkus 3 года назад +202

    I appreciate the Tintin theme when you entered Belgium and Ylvis “Stonehenge” when finding out it’s a mystery. Attention to details is what gives this channel the final push!

    • @KroltanMG
      @KroltanMG 2 года назад +6

      I hadn't quite put my finger on Tintin, but now it's evident!

    • @Dark_Peace
      @Dark_Peace 2 года назад +8

      As a Belgian, I noticed it right away, I like ytbers who have good refs

    • @danroro1722
      @danroro1722 Год назад +3

      @@Dark_Peace As a Tintin fan, I also noticed the Tintin theme tune right away! As a bonus, it was discreetly played at the very moment when Tim sneaked into Belgium. Serious stuff 🧐!

    • @handlessuckdick
      @handlessuckdick Год назад +1

      I didn't realize it until near the end when he stopped talking and I heard it more clearly, but when I did, I was so taken aback and excited; barely anyone knows what Tintin is here in the U.S.

    • @sheevone4359
      @sheevone4359 4 месяца назад

      Amazing that others noticed that. Normally I'm the one that doesn't get the music references, now I assumed it would finally be the other way round.

  • @SanderEvers
    @SanderEvers 3 года назад +941

    I lost it when you showed your negative test at the border. Really funny.

    • @matsv201
      @matsv201 3 года назад +74

      Passning central eurupean borders is almost sureal.
      Remeber once passning into swizerland that have much harcher border Security
      "Border crossing is unmaned, please call this number of you have anything to declare"

    • @nonchip
      @nonchip 3 года назад +24

      just because there's nobody to look at it doesn't mean you shouldn't show it ;)

    • @JonatasAdoM
      @JonatasAdoM 3 года назад +6

      "Belgium best country. Checkpoint not required."

    • @nomadMik
      @nomadMik 3 года назад +9

      @@matsv201 France into Switzerland was actually the toughest border crossing I've ever experienced, and I've crossed some pretty dodgy borders. But none of them involved eight uniformed guards and an apologetic looking German shepherd. I think they got a dud drug tip-off.

    • @nomadMik
      @nomadMik 3 года назад +13

      @@matsv201 Then again, when I was a kid, well before Schengen (or before the Wall came down), I found myself accidentally in Germany, when I'd gone bike riding in the Netherlands. I didn't have my (Aussie) passport on me, so I had to do a lot of riding around, avoiding checkpoints, to find my way back.

  • @BangersAndMash98
    @BangersAndMash98 3 года назад +480

    8:40 "I can bring you..." *B-Roll with a Dacia Sandero pops up* "...Good News!"
    Absolutely beautiful.

    • @juststeve5542
      @juststeve5542 3 года назад +32

      I wonder how many get that reference! :-D

    • @nicopavvi8494
      @nicopavvi8494 3 года назад +30

      So Tim is a fan of James May?

    • @Jehty_
      @Jehty_ 3 года назад +4

      Oh God.
      I didn't know about that meme.
      Definitely worth to look up :)

    • @nephilimcrt
      @nephilimcrt 3 года назад +4

      Good catch!

    • @JasonEllBowling
      @JasonEllBowling 3 года назад +4

      I'm glad that you pointed it out so that I didn't have to. This is wonderful!

  • @silverbackwrites
    @silverbackwrites 3 года назад +101

    7:27 that's not just viral journalism, it's also a perfect example of circular reporting.
    Someone publishes a thing as fact, everyone else, believing that Someone #1 has properly done their research, then goes on to cite that thing as if it were true; little made up tidbits get added along the way and, sometimes, the circle actually closes, with Someone #1 then citing all those other articles, believing that they had also done their research.

    • @Septimus_ii
      @Septimus_ii 2 года назад +12

      It's a big problem with niche wikipedia articles because wikipedia is often the best online source so other websites copy it, sometimes word for word. They when someone comes along looking for citations the only thing they can find is all the websites that copied the original wikipedia article.

    • @DavidKnowles0
      @DavidKnowles0 2 года назад +2

      I remember being taught this in Drama class for some reason. We all sat around in a circle, the teacher gave someone a sentence or two to whisper to the next person and by the time it was whispered around the circle by the end it was completely different.

    • @ErikB605
      @ErikB605 2 года назад +3

      @@DavidKnowles0 I love that game. Though it was a lot easier to convince people to play when we were still children :D

    • @monad_tcp
      @monad_tcp 2 года назад

      I always knew academy was a MLM pyramid

    • @aelfric7483
      @aelfric7483 Год назад

      just like the dishonest media knowingly spreading the misleading buzzfead story against trump which was a fake dossier

  • @noelphilips
    @noelphilips 3 года назад +461

    No video is complete without a Captain Slow reference.

    • @keithphilbin3054
      @keithphilbin3054 3 года назад +5

      Hey Noel, great channel yourself ! 👍🏻

    • @thefareplayer2254
      @thefareplayer2254 3 года назад +4

      It makes my heart happy to know you watch The Tim Traveller's videos!

    • @Polyglot_English
      @Polyglot_English 3 года назад

      Детерминизм это Свобода 🤙 🤙 🤙

    • @Schatzjaeger2
      @Schatzjaeger2 3 года назад +9

      Good news:

    • @Rockshowsnodeth
      @Rockshowsnodeth 3 года назад +12

      I was just thinking that myself. "Good news!" Whilst showing a Dacia Sandero.

  • @JagoHazzard
    @JagoHazzard 3 года назад +1527

    That’s pretty crazy, but one time someone moved the border so far that Hainault ended up on the Central Line.

    • @trainzmarcel2074
      @trainzmarcel2074 3 года назад +28

      i keep seeing u in the comments of videos i watch

    • @Castlebank_Sidings
      @Castlebank_Sidings 3 года назад +14

      Ha ha ha I just commented along the same lines..... No pun intended although it was central to my thinking

    • @lukestevens8735
      @lukestevens8735 3 года назад +19

      I would have been tempted to rotate the stone around its vertical axis...

    • @AmedeeVanGasse
      @AmedeeVanGasse 3 года назад +44

      @@trainzmarcel2074 If you like The Tim Traveller then you should follow Jago Hazzard's channel too!

    • @Castlebank_Sidings
      @Castlebank_Sidings 3 года назад +9

      @@AmedeeVanGasse Jago is now a legend in his own time

  • @vasy7579
    @vasy7579 3 года назад +621

    I love the theme of the old "Tintin" cartoon in the background!! As a Belgian citizen, I appreciate it greatly :)

    • @JamesTobiasStewart
      @JamesTobiasStewart 3 года назад +32

      Yes as a big Tintin fan, that was a lovely touch.

    • @hedgehog3180
      @hedgehog3180 3 года назад +25

      Could recognize that tune anywhere.

    • @bagaskaraiqbal7a
      @bagaskaraiqbal7a 3 года назад +6

      YES

    • @chipsk8361
      @chipsk8361 3 года назад +16

      As an American who grew up on those books (and the cartoon series) I also appreciate it

    • @HarshKumar-tw3st
      @HarshKumar-tw3st 3 года назад +10

      So I wasn't the only one to recognize it :)

  • @robinwijnant
    @robinwijnant Год назад +11

    The reason why the stone was moved is probably because some hikers needed a way to go over the fence

  • @DaveP1991
    @DaveP1991 2 года назад +16

    As a Brit you missed a golden opportunity to have just left a small Union Jack in the disputed area to claim it, as is traditional.

  • @user-fp6dt1os1l
    @user-fp6dt1os1l 3 года назад +264

    I'm pleased to hear that a major border war between France and Belgium is "avoidable"

    • @kobusg7460
      @kobusg7460 3 года назад +16

      I was also starting to worry about "The Start of WW3 was due to a Stone", ha-ha. What a relief that the matter is being resolved. Hopefully. After all, France and Belgium are not the highest-ranked-countries in resolving any matters - in fact, isn't that the very reason for Belgium's existence?
      Tim's career as "front-line war journalist" has begun :-)

    • @Lunch_box
      @Lunch_box 3 года назад +11

      I heard France immediately surrendered

    • @SeverityOne
      @SeverityOne 3 года назад +17

      Currently, no border wars are permitted due to Covid-19 restrictions.

    • @Elwene2fr
      @Elwene2fr 3 года назад +15

      @@kobusg7460 Isn't France the country with the most victories in the world ?
      (it's not a pride because war shouldn't exist, but I don't think we can say they don't stand a chance)

    • @lucasstr5653
      @lucasstr5653 3 года назад +1

      None wants a meaningless border war with one of our biggest ally

  • @aplanosgc6963
    @aplanosgc6963 3 года назад +245

    Playing the Tintin opening theme as you enter Belgium. I see you're a man of culture.

    • @dyobodraode2554
      @dyobodraode2554 3 года назад +7

      So many memories

    • @CyriaqueBouchet
      @CyriaqueBouchet 3 года назад +5

      Was about to say just that! Delightful!

    • @MachuThePichu
      @MachuThePichu 3 года назад +6

      It is honestly a musical masterpiece and deserves more recognision

    • @dyobodraode2554
      @dyobodraode2554 3 года назад +2

      @@MachuThePichu I agree

    • @MaJuV
      @MaJuV 3 года назад +1

      Glad I'm not the only one who noticed. Made me giggle when I heard it. :-D

  • @stampycatfan01lol
    @stampycatfan01lol 2 года назад +72

    I can’t tell if the moment where Tim says “good news” while a Dacia Sandero is in the frame (8:42) is a coincidence or if it was done on purpose, but I love it.

    • @jameswilliamson4508
      @jameswilliamson4508 2 года назад +6

      I just watched this again for the first time since it was first published and caught it! Yes definitely deliberate - great little easter egg :)

    • @JimmyMish
      @JimmyMish 3 месяца назад

      It has to be on purpose.

  • @skygge1006
    @skygge1006 2 года назад +32

    When the German “tractors” start pulling up and you know something went wrong

  • @jameswilliamson4508
    @jameswilliamson4508 3 года назад +611

    This is precisely the kind of serious coverage of critical geopolitical issues that are the reason I subscribe to your excellent channel. 10/10

    • @ommsterlitz1805
      @ommsterlitz1805 3 года назад +9

      It's a serious act of war and France must now create a new empire and annex all the left flank of the Rhine so the glorious _Natural Border of France_ is once again achieved and the border unmovable.

    • @auxencefromont1989
      @auxencefromont1989 2 года назад +2

      @@ommsterlitz1805 germany : divert the rhine toward the atlantic

  • @KarimMaassen
    @KarimMaassen 3 года назад +214

    That Tintin music when going into Belgium

    • @vcalblas
      @vcalblas 3 года назад +24

      Also: Tintin is called Tim in Germany. And as we all know Tintin travels a lot. Which means that... the Tim Traveller is Tintin! Which only makes me wonder, where does he hide his little white dog in all these videos?!

    • @georgH
      @georgH 3 года назад +3

      Came down to just see this comment 😊

    • @ochadeshita
      @ochadeshita 2 года назад +1

      That "what's the deal with Stonehenge" cover.

    • @J0naz05
      @J0naz05 2 года назад

      @@vcalblas Maybe Haddock takes Struppi/Snowy because he is too old now, i mean this Tim looks not that old but a bit older than the Tim i know from Herge

    • @matthings4133
      @matthings4133 2 года назад +1

      Yes! Was about to say the same

  • @ShadowDragon8685
    @ShadowDragon8685 3 года назад +63

    "Since the 1940s, when, because it's on the French-Belgian border admittedly quite a lot happened."
    Thank you, Tim, now I know what the attempted snorting of a chunk of banana that was in my cereal up my nose feels like.
    Spoiler: It's not pleasant, but I laughed nonetheless.

  • @MNTwinsGeek
    @MNTwinsGeek 3 года назад +42

    It's great to see that the British are still defending Belgium's border sovereignty, just like in 1914 and 1940. Hopefully this time turns out a little better.

    • @leef8433
      @leef8433 Год назад +3

      Yea they sucked in 1940

  • @TheZapan99
    @TheZapan99 3 года назад +353

    Tim should look into the French-Italian dispute of the Mont Blanc border, where a similar incident was caused by a ski instructor fencing out a disputed slope to avoid accidents, prompting the Italian government to issue a diplomatic complaint for territorial invasion.

    • @ReddoFreddo
      @ReddoFreddo 3 года назад +86

      I love how we send Tim off all over Western Europe to investigate mildly interesting geographic oddities.

    • @tuneskramer69
      @tuneskramer69 3 года назад +10

      So next vid, Tim on the Mont blanc. Nice!

    • @ericpraline
      @ericpraline 3 года назад

      Oh yes

    • @panzerknoef
      @panzerknoef 3 года назад +17

      Yes. Send the lad up Mont Blanc, I support this idea

    • @RoadDestination
      @RoadDestination 3 года назад +18

      @@tuneskramer69 No, the Mont Blanc is not in Nice....:-)

  • @mikosoft
    @mikosoft 3 года назад +513

    Playing Ylvis' Stonehenge at the end. I see you're a man of culture.

    • @totodelc8962
      @totodelc8962 3 года назад +71

      And tintin too in Belgium...

    • @jeffreyshort4531
      @jeffreyshort4531 3 года назад +11

      I would have expected Spinal Tap as well :)

    • @Slowsk1er
      @Slowsk1er 3 года назад +7

      Brunost

    • @hjalfi
      @hjalfi 3 года назад +7

      @@totodelc8962 And _'allo 'allo_ in France.

    • @Hannah_Em
      @Hannah_Em 3 года назад +10

      I'm very glad to see so many other people noticed that reference, too! it's such a classic song

  • @StevenPurdy88
    @StevenPurdy88 3 года назад +18

    Loving the Yorkshire/French accent mash up. You've literally entertained me through a small portion of my lunch break, excellent work Tim!

  • @sjbertsch
    @sjbertsch 3 года назад +5

    This is why our village in Switzerland walks our border every year, checking if the neighbors have moved the border stones. It’s a big party...we roast sausages. The major stones on the French border seem safe, but you never know if the neighboring village is up to no good. It’s tricky because the border stones have different symbols, depending on what century they were placed.

  • @thefareplayer2254
    @thefareplayer2254 3 года назад +1216

    Tim: “I must cross into Belgium.”
    *Is in the woods in the middle of nowhere*
    *Still shows negative PCR test.*
    Never change, Tim!

    • @winnipeginstinct
      @winnipeginstinct 3 года назад +55

      then clarifies a minute later that he doesnt need to have a negative test if he is leaving in less than 48 hours

    • @KuK137
      @KuK137 3 года назад +8

      @@winnipeginstinct He doesn't have negative test on way back to France, technically, not on entry to Belgium :

    • @youraveragemexorican
      @youraveragemexorican 2 года назад +4

      I changed it from 666 likes 667
      HA *I AM THE DESTROYER, MORE TERRIFYING THAN SATAN HIMSELF*

    • @stevenwilliams3038
      @stevenwilliams3038 2 года назад +2

      Don't want the border to fine you

    • @alexng704
      @alexng704 Год назад

      Belgium....Then comes The Adventure of Tintin music

  • @eliassirvio2779
    @eliassirvio2779 3 года назад +215

    Oh man, so many extra points for the Tintin soundtrack!

    • @MichelFortin898
      @MichelFortin898 3 года назад +7

      I also noticed ! Extra points indeed well deserved!

    • @statesecretmusic
      @statesecretmusic 3 года назад +6

      Ahhh you beat me to it. Who would've known that a video about pedantry would have so many detail-oriented people in the comments.

    • @mfaizsyahmi
      @mfaizsyahmi 3 года назад +7

      From his look and his content, I'd say he's a modern day, grown up Tintin, with slight change in name.

    • @bahnspotterEU
      @bahnspotterEU 3 года назад +6

      @mfaizsyahmi. In Germany "TinTin" is already called "Tim", making this reference perfect for a German like me.

    • @ddemaine
      @ddemaine 3 года назад +1

      Sneaky use of BBC Question Time theme tune too

  • @jfrancobelge
    @jfrancobelge 2 года назад +6

    I happened to get lost in that rural area, lost on a web of small country roads - that was a relatively long time ago before I had a GPS in my car. Thought I was on the Belgian side until I saw a yellow mailbox on a wall, then I knew I had inadvertently crossed the border into France because mailboxes in Belgium are red. I am a Frenchman who's been living in Belgium for a long time, so I'm home in both countries anyway.

  • @grossniklaus
    @grossniklaus 3 года назад +7

    I love the “Tintin” cue when Tim crossed over into Belgium! Just perfect!

  • @iCorx
    @iCorx 3 года назад +94

    Oh my god the Tintin music when you crossed the Belgian border.
    Brilliant !

    • @jyb906
      @jyb906 3 года назад +3

      it happens everytime we cross the borders... Don't know where th sound is coming from...

    • @invock
      @invock 3 года назад +2

      What do you mean "Tintin music"? It's the Belgian national anthem.

  • @alexmills6086
    @alexmills6086 3 года назад +173

    Tim answering the most pressing questions we didn't know we needed answers for. Brilliant.

  • @iDk-dp1bi
    @iDk-dp1bi 2 года назад +3

    “The voice of the north” and then Last of the Summer Wine theme starts playing. Amazing.

  • @daveh3299
    @daveh3299 3 года назад +10

    Everyone is mentioning the Tintin music but the Treasure Hunt theme playing while he was looking for the stone was genius! 😂

  • @Eddyspeeder
    @Eddyspeeder 3 года назад +702

    Let's picture this: You are looking for a stone that EVERYBODY has been talking about, but you don't know where it is and searching for it might take hours. You get off a bus in a town and you conveniently speak the local language (albeit not the Ch'ti dialect). Now the only thing standing in between you and a whole village of people you could potentially ask is: you're a man.

    • @bacicinvatteneaca
      @bacicinvatteneaca 3 года назад +11

      People speak/used to speak flemish in the area, not ch'ti

    • @pawion
      @pawion 3 года назад +35

      @@bacicinvatteneaca Picard is the historic language, not flemish that used to be spoken in the Westhoek area, very far from there.

    • @bacicinvatteneaca
      @bacicinvatteneaca 3 года назад +1

      @@pawion really? Picard all the way up to Belgium?

    • @legreg
      @legreg 3 года назад +9

      @@bacicinvatteneaca It's more like a continuum of langues d'oïl.

    • @pawion
      @pawion 3 года назад +5

      @@bacicinvatteneaca yes, Picard all the way up to and inside Belgium. They spoke Walo-picard in Hainaut.

  • @Happymali10
    @Happymali10 3 года назад +133

    1:36
    As a German, I probably shouldn't have laughed.

    • @swededude1992
      @swededude1992 3 года назад +1

      You Germany have a small borderdispute between Switzerland and Austria about a lake in the south.

    • @sapphiredawn5773
      @sapphiredawn5773 2 года назад +8

      @@swededude1992 he was talking about ww2. R/woosh

    • @sapphiredawn5773
      @sapphiredawn5773 2 года назад +16

      Germany winners of tour de france 1940

    • @APersonOnYouTubeX
      @APersonOnYouTubeX 2 года назад +1

      @@sapphiredawn5773 yes and no

    • @APersonOnYouTubeX
      @APersonOnYouTubeX 2 года назад +1

      @@sapphiredawn5773 I prefer yes

  • @alexisjordan3303
    @alexisjordan3303 3 года назад +7

    Tim, watching your videos and hearing the Tintin and Games without Borders tunes, as a Frenchman who grew up on these shows, is a sort of mental candy. Thank you.

  • @shadowski1839
    @shadowski1839 Год назад +1

    "Good News!" while showing the Sandero was a very nice and subtle thing. Love it!

  • @matsv201
    @matsv201 3 года назад +146

    "I now just got 47,5 hours to get out of belgium"
    Missed a chance pf playing "Living onnthe edge"

    • @SportyMabamba
      @SportyMabamba 3 года назад

      Push It to the Limit would also fit

    • @matsv201
      @matsv201 3 года назад

      @@SportyMabamba yea.. there is probobly a few Great alternatives

  • @BrianRonald
    @BrianRonald 3 года назад +62

    I, for one, appreciated Tim not resorting to lorem ipsum.

    • @steveaustin2686
      @steveaustin2686 3 года назад +2

      IKR

    • @parcelmonious
      @parcelmonious 3 года назад +7

      Me too. Never had to take two screenshots of a video just to read made up news before :)

    • @steveaustin2686
      @steveaustin2686 3 года назад +2

      @@parcelmonious I'm on my PC (yes, I AM a dinosaur), so I could just rewind and enlarge the screen to read it. :)

    • @arvibi3084
      @arvibi3084 3 года назад +10

      Here to say that I too read the whole newspaper.

    • @Pouckie90
      @Pouckie90 3 года назад +4

      I hope he enjoyed the pub even more after writing those stories :p

  • @Mindartcreativity
    @Mindartcreativity 2 года назад +28

    I grew up and live in Luxembourg, close to the French border. When I was a kid I always went on walks with my grandpa through a forest where the border is. Directly near a water spring on the Luxembourgish side there were also these border stones. During our walk we went there to refill our water bottles
    and I would quickly go over the other side of the stone and take a piss on the French side😂I always found it hilarious😂

    • @ohitsrusher842
      @ohitsrusher842 2 года назад +5

      Good thing you stopped, if you did it to much they might've surrendered and lost all their land. Who would the British be able to make fun of then?

    • @antoine1915
      @antoine1915 Год назад

      don't worry, france piss over luxembourg verbally every day

    • @jacobeii
      @jacobeii Год назад

      true hero

    • @il_principe
      @il_principe Год назад +1

      Belgian luxembourg or the grand duchy of luxembourg?

  • @KabouterRPG
    @KabouterRPG 3 года назад +8

    When you broke into the Northern English accent I nearly wet myself. I was NOT expecting that. And then Stonehenge. Well played, sir. Well played indeed.

    • @cigmorfil4101
      @cigmorfil4101 3 года назад +1

      I was wondering about Last of the summer wine theme just before that point.

  • @mixererunio1757
    @mixererunio1757 3 года назад +66

    It's interesting that they kept that N for Netherlands and didn't carve B there, after Belgium got independence. Another interesting thing that when Czechoslovakia broke apart, border stones on Polish-Czech (and probably the rest of borders) side were recarved and repainted from CS to simply C.

    • @ThibaultLapers
      @ThibaultLapers 3 года назад +3

      Because it is simple from the Treaty of Kortrijk in 1820 separating France and The Netherlands as Belgium became independent in 1831 only

    • @dickjohnson4447
      @dickjohnson4447 3 года назад +8

      Norway could come along and point at the N and claim it theirs

    • @SuperBlooper057
      @SuperBlooper057 3 года назад +1

      The thing is, that sign clearly is from, at earliest, the 20th century.

    • @workaholica
      @workaholica 3 года назад +3

      Simply claim the letters stand for "frontière nationale".

    • @57thorns
      @57thorns 3 года назад +1

      Just how many thousand border stones would need to be changed?

  • @ncw911
    @ncw911 3 года назад +22

    Playing Tintin's theme when crossing the border is genius.
    Bien joué !

  • @Gasmanic
    @Gasmanic 3 года назад +2

    Everyone is rightly praising the musical choices in this episode, but I think there needs to be a special shout-out for the way the Question Time music seamlessly segues into the main theme music (via a Picardie third, no less). So musically satisfying!

    • @hapticflapjack
      @hapticflapjack 3 года назад

      thank you! I was trying to place that musical cue, and couldn't place it.

  • @tulippasta
    @tulippasta 3 года назад +16

    Love your work Tim. As an Australian I just find it fantastic that these cool old stones engraved "1819" on them are littered around the place... and that no one has stolen them! What a great conversation piece!

    • @fumanchu4785
      @fumanchu4785 2 года назад +3

      150kg! Can't hide them in your pocket..

    • @RichieLarpa
      @RichieLarpa Год назад

      No surprise, you do not have bordering countries, which I am sorry for. Crossing a border without restictions and immediately is an unexplainable joy.

  • @l.a.k
    @l.a.k 3 года назад +59

    Tim: *enters Belgium*
    Tintin theme: *intensifies*

    • @aerjenvantorre514
      @aerjenvantorre514 3 года назад +7

      Timtim

    • @Eldiran1
      @Eldiran1 3 года назад +1

      @@aerjenvantorre514 in which language did we say timtim ? And how do you call the dog , milou ? (I'm french and we use the same name as the belgium one)

    • @aerjenvantorre514
      @aerjenvantorre514 3 года назад +1

      @@Eldiran1 haha i know i'm from belgium myself, it was a joke cause his name(guy in the video) is tim

    • @Eldiran1
      @Eldiran1 3 года назад +1

      @@aerjenvantorre514 ah of course ! To be fair , i know milou is named differently in a lot of other country .

  • @soly-dp-colo6388
    @soly-dp-colo6388 3 года назад +64

    I love the Tintin music in the background ! :D

    • @takix2007
      @takix2007 3 года назад +11

      The adventures of Timtim, of course 😉

    • @matsv201
      @matsv201 3 года назад +10

      Its just how it sounds in belgium all the time

    • @DentorumM4687
      @DentorumM4687 3 года назад +2

      Was looking for this one. Anyone knows the name of it?

    • @soly-dp-colo6388
      @soly-dp-colo6388 3 года назад +1

      @@DentorumM4687 This soundtrack? ruclips.net/video/CO30GpyPQPA/видео.html

    • @namine3676
      @namine3676 2 года назад

      @@takix2007 In Germany Tintin's name is Tim.

  • @hadri1
    @hadri1 3 года назад +8

    The Tintin song and the Stonehenge song were amazingly placed :) Also great angry article! Simple but effective, great work. I'm hoping the peace stays long enough for me to visit.

  • @mxyz6888
    @mxyz6888 3 года назад +1

    The „good news!!!” with the 2 Dacias in the background got me! You re such an easter egg master.

  • @SwinkMcloud
    @SwinkMcloud 3 года назад +23

    This is hysterical. Love how you showed your papers at the border. Love how you settled international conflict to prevent a war. Genius.

  • @thatsnice6948
    @thatsnice6948 3 года назад +30

    Yes, another Belgian video. When you come back to Belgium, be sure to visit the Ronquires boat lift (or Strep-thieu)

  • @SeArCh4DrEaMz
    @SeArCh4DrEaMz 3 года назад +2

    As a belgian i can actually appreciate the tintin opening music when u crossed the border.
    nice touch mate ;)
    cheers

  • @KayJay01
    @KayJay01 Год назад +2

    That shot of the Dacia Sandero while saying "Good news!" at 8:43 is the greatest reference I've ever seen. Well done!

  • @Raezioo
    @Raezioo 3 года назад +71

    I'm from Belgium myself, and the moment I saw this in the news, I thought: "This would be a perfect topic for Tim to cover." Guess I wasn't wrong 😁

    • @OHOE1
      @OHOE1 2 года назад

      Herd that Tintin music in the video

    • @prazertixa1
      @prazertixa1 Год назад

      Ik zin ne vloamink mo Ken nog nooit da gezien of der van gehoord.

  • @opes
    @opes 3 года назад +5

    As soon as I heard the "GOOD NEWS", I paused, backed up the video, and there it was. The most important car ever

  • @VictorVlam
    @VictorVlam 3 года назад +1

    The Question Time theme is used in the background when the questions are on screen. Nice touch.

  • @RM-bv1xm
    @RM-bv1xm 3 года назад +2

    I love the fact you played an instrumental version of Ylvis - Stonehenge at 8:30. Brilliant attention to detail; yet another reason this channel is one of the best on youtube in my opinion.

  • @bartholomewdan
    @bartholomewdan 3 года назад +58

    Tim, I have to ask. Was you saying "good news!" at 8:42 with a Dacia Sandero in frame a coincidence or not?

    • @StuartPoore
      @StuartPoore 3 года назад +7

      Didn't understand until I watched this :- ruclips.net/video/TIUQq7t6brM/видео.html

    • @Snowshowslow
      @Snowshowslow 3 года назад +3

      @@StuartPoore Thanks so much for that! I was wrecking my brain trying to find a pun in there, but it was just a TopGear reference I hadn't heard of before :) Mind at ease now 🧘

  • @Cuv266
    @Cuv266 3 года назад +30

    This reminds me of that Franco-Belgium comedy movie called "Nothing to Declare"

    • @paulbrouyere1735
      @paulbrouyere1735 3 года назад +5

      Then you should definitely also watch ‘Bienvenu chez les chti’s’

  • @kawaiibenson8925
    @kawaiibenson8925 2 года назад +1

    I love it that as soon as you enter the Belgium border the Tintin theme starts playing.

  • @kassistwisted
    @kassistwisted 3 года назад +6

  • @DanCojocaru2000
    @DanCojocaru2000 3 года назад +5

    The "good news!" brightened my day a lot! That's such a brilliant reference!

  • @iaw7406
    @iaw7406 3 года назад +7

    8:42 I love how you say "GOOD NEWS !" whilst showing a Dacia Sandero.
    Great !

    • @robertkirchner7981
      @robertkirchner7981 3 года назад

      Although I believe Captain Slow's catchphrase was, in fact, "Great News".
      I could be wrong.

    • @iaw7406
      @iaw7406 3 года назад +3

      @@robertkirchner7981 it varies

  • @car8070
    @car8070 Год назад +1

    8:40 i love that top gear reference, well done, sir.

  • @poja82
    @poja82 Год назад

    The dry british humor of this vid is amazing. Showing the test at the border is just brilliant. BRILLIANT.

  • @JayeOFarrell
    @JayeOFarrell 3 года назад +5

    The "Dacia Good News" joke was thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed!

  • @nedcaderni
    @nedcaderni 3 года назад +9

    The Ylvis Stonehenge piano cover was an exceptional touch

    • @TravelSignal
      @TravelSignal 3 года назад

      I was hoping for Spinal Tap 🤣

  • @TheSynthnut
    @TheSynthnut 3 года назад

    Top work Tim, your scoring is hilarous and much appreciated!

  • @BoonBreyne
    @BoonBreyne 3 года назад

    The negative PCR test,
    The TIntin music,
    The sneaky advertisement criticism,
    The signs of potential civil unrest...
    What a fantastic video!! :D It was not the first one I saw on this channel, but definitely convinced me to subscribe :)

  • @Mra393
    @Mra393 3 года назад +6

    I love the music at 5:31, where Tim crosses the border, being a single piano cover of the animate Tin-tin series.

  • @awkwardaquamarine19
    @awkwardaquamarine19 3 года назад +15

    What a coincidence, I am a part-time professional pedant too! I'm a freelance copy editor working from home. Thanks for the video! This is practically the only way I could "visit" France. (womp, womp!)

  • @timpaniman71
    @timpaniman71 3 года назад +1

    One of your best videos yet Tim! Perfect combo of fact and humour.

  • @SamuelFurse
    @SamuelFurse 3 года назад

    Masterful use of the theme from Question Time when you were asking your questions. It's all in the details. Great stuff :)

  • @xxxggthyf
    @xxxggthyf 3 года назад +32

    Aliens. Definitely aliens. Probably fans of H2G2 who knew that the word "Belgium" was considered an obscenity on every planet but this one.

    • @Zebra_M
      @Zebra_M 3 года назад +3

      I'd bet on a criminal gang of llamas but what do I know?

    • @Snowshowslow
      @Snowshowslow 3 года назад

      * on every planet 😉

    • @xxxggthyf
      @xxxggthyf 3 года назад

      @@Snowshowslow I quite like Belgium... Well... Bits of it anyway.

    • @Snowshowslow
      @Snowshowslow 3 года назад

      @@xxxggthyf I do too, honestly. It was just an obvious joke I couldn't resist.

  • @Roeckx
    @Roeckx 3 года назад +44

    7:30 At the time you say you probably made a mistake in this video, it shows "Hainault, Belgium" on screen. "Hainault" however is an old spelling, the correct way to write it is "Hainaut".

    • @truckerallikatuk
      @truckerallikatuk 3 года назад +6

      Pendantry battle!

    • @JeremiCzarnecki
      @JeremiCzarnecki 3 года назад +2

      Thank you for pointing that out so that I don't have to :D

    • @yagi3925
      @yagi3925 2 года назад

      As far as I know, "Hainault" is still the correct spelling in English, as Shakespaere's language has retained the old French spelling.

    • @Roeckx
      @Roeckx 2 года назад

      @@yagi3925 You could use Hainault when referring to the historic county of Hainau(l)t. The current province however is Hainaut.

    • @yagi3925
      @yagi3925 2 года назад

      @@Roeckx In French or in English? You're eluding the main question, I'm afraid.

  • @spacemanmat
    @spacemanmat 3 года назад

    Saw this on the news, thought about your channel. Great to see you have done us proud.

  • @spotontheroad1
    @spotontheroad1 3 года назад

    Love this video. Keep up the great work. Always interesting👍

  • @zeberto1986
    @zeberto1986 3 года назад +11

    Loved the outro with Ylvis Stonehenge, what a tune.

    • @CmonSoundz
      @CmonSoundz 3 года назад

      This one and the Tintin Music, love this channel!

  • @owain_rj
    @owain_rj 3 года назад +8

    Loved how the Tintin soundtrack started playing the moment you entered Belgium

  • @RockiesSweden
    @RockiesSweden Год назад +1

    Oh my god that's Ylvis's "Stonehenge" as background music that's brilliant

  • @indoora
    @indoora 3 года назад

    Your commentary is absolutely the best.

  • @vndl23
    @vndl23 3 года назад +8

    Loved the one about asking for directions, my wife and myself used to argue like cats and dogs about the same.

  • @mitch8072
    @mitch8072 3 года назад +36

    Dear Tim, i have still one big question: is it wheel chair accessible?

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L 3 года назад

      Doesn’t look it.

    • @anishraja9655
      @anishraja9655 3 года назад +1

      Probably, but we should note that only the insane ( plus the odd British Travel-RUclipsr who just needs some time to kill and decides to visit an ongoing border-conflict) would come there.

    • @gazpachopolice7211
      @gazpachopolice7211 3 года назад +3

      Depends. Can you mount your wheelchair on a tractor?

    • @anishraja9655
      @anishraja9655 3 года назад

      @@gazpachopolice7211 No.

  • @Questerer
    @Questerer 3 года назад +1

    This is the first video I found from your channel. I love the research you did to get into Belgium and respect the private property signs. Good on you and you got my respect. You also got my subscription.

    • @flitsertheo
      @flitsertheo 3 года назад +1

      Main problem with trespassing out there is that property owners in that region usually own a hunting rifle.

  • @Mattheq
    @Mattheq 3 года назад +1

    Loving the Last of the Summer Wine theme on accordions

  • @Islandgirl4ever2
    @Islandgirl4ever2 3 года назад +10

    I LOVEEE this video.. I just stumbled upon it.. Last week, I read the news article with a student of mine and we looked up border stones on google.. I had no idea what they were, actually.. Neither did he.. We read on wiki about the treaty and other border stones around the world.. So, it was a cool learning experience. I work with him tomorrow, so I'm sharing this video and we will discuss it.. Cheers.. and thanks.

  • @Radinden
    @Radinden 3 года назад +9

    This may be one of your finest selections of musical jokes: I fear we're of a similar vintage as I was immediately charmed by the Treasure Hunt theme music...

  • @florisbackx1744
    @florisbackx1744 2 года назад +1

    There is just something so enjoyable to your video's. Just an absolute pleasure to watch!

  • @DavidBeddard
    @DavidBeddard 3 года назад

    Your musical choices are en pointe as ever, Tim! 👍

  • @TrevorSturman
    @TrevorSturman 3 года назад +4

    I reckon it was put back in the right place, Tim just moved it again for the clicks. I do love the "shows negative test at border" part

  • @DanLoudShirts
    @DanLoudShirts 3 года назад +4

    Investigative journalism with interesting facts brought to us in an amusing style with apt music. Always a pleasure to watch these videos! Long may they continue!

  • @robertjones3223
    @robertjones3223 3 года назад

    Awesome video, your videos are always worth a watch

  • @smallberries
    @smallberries 3 года назад

    I love these videos. Thanks Tim

  • @davidwong9230
    @davidwong9230 3 года назад +8

    Did you hear how the farmer met his wife? He tractor down 😆

  • @ronik24
    @ronik24 3 года назад +13

    Great as always! :-)
    Fun fact: in the German version, Tintin is called Tim...
    Also, there are slight visual similarities, only missing is the dog (called diffrently in most languages) ;-)

    • @dennisengelen2517
      @dennisengelen2517 2 года назад +2

      I'm from the Flemish part of Belgium, and here we call it 'Kuifje' which literally is what his hairstyle is called in Dutch a 'kuif'. But we make words smalle by adding 'je', 'tje',.. So 'a carrot' is 'een wortel and a little carrot can be called' kleine wortel' or 'worteltje'.

    • @Jobotubular
      @Jobotubular 2 года назад +3

      Struppi, as I recall, in German. Much better than the English Snowy, which doesn't carry any of the character of the original, Milou

  • @EudaemoniusMarkII
    @EudaemoniusMarkII 3 года назад

    Always entertaining and informative. Thank you.

  • @TrevorMoses312
    @TrevorMoses312 11 месяцев назад +1

    8:42 Good news in the James May fashion followed by a shot of a Renault Sandero 😂😂