To Belgium

It was dull, grey and raining when we left Bremen to head east on our way back across Germany, through The Netherlands and into Belgium, but the weather was sunny as we reached the town of Ieper (also known as Ypres) in the afternoon. It is a fortified town and we entered via the Lille gate.

 The cobbled streets were very quiet as it was Sunday, but the tourists were in the main square, filling in time before the daily Last Post is played at the Menin Gate at 8 o'clock.

 The main square is beautiful and the buildings are in the Flemish style.

 The famous Menin Gate.

 The memorial is to honour the Commonwealth soldiers lost in battle in Ieper, who do not have marked graves. AG found her grandfather's brother's name on one of the walls.

The remaining ramparts of the fortified town are surrounded by a moat.

 We also visited the Yorkshire Trenches and Dug-out, which is situated in the middle of an industrial estate on the outskirts of town. Here, we found preserved WW1 trenches.

 The Polygon Wood features a cemetery and memorial to the Australian 5th battalion, who recaptured the area after a 2 year occupation by enemy forces.

 The Last Post at 8 o'clock was a poignant reminder of the tragedy of war. It was still daylight then, of course, so these last snaps were taken much later.