Trip Day 37 – Ypres

Another fine day in Brussels and after a slow start, I ended up at my favourite bar, drinking le Choffe and barracking for Portugal with Joseph, my Portuguese bar tender, till 1am. Happily Portugal won the soccer, and a good night was had, interestingly tourists are still taking photos of the Manneken Pis at 1am.

After getting some breakfast I decide another day trip is needed so today I am off to Ypres, this is a 2 hour trip almost to the French border and towards the coast, again like Gent I have no clue what to expect when I get there and I have discovered that the further you go into the country side the increased need for some French is a must as English speakers drop off. The trip also takes me into the edge of the western front and the train passes by several war cemeteries, it is a funny feeling seeing all the headstones set against the backdrop of fields of corn and happy cows.

Arriving at the station I am happy to find that it is a 10 minute walk into the centre of town and the market square, which is dominated by a huge cathedral. I also have another reason for coming to Ypres and that is my Grand Uncle came here during the first world war, Ypres is surrounded on 3 sides by a huge wall and deep moat, and there are only a couple of bridges to enter the city. On the main bridge at the market square there is a memorial to the Australian, New Zealand and English soldiers who died, the archway that covers with bridge is covered, inside and out, in the names, thousands of names, of the soldiers who laid down there lives. Walking around it is a very moving experience, to be honest the idea of trying to get across a 50-100m wide moat and then be faced with 30-40m walls that have German gun emplacements just waiting for you, well it is just suicidal, I can’t image how they could have taken the city and broken the western front stalemate, but they did, and luckily my great uncle survived it.