Wednesday 21-10-15
We were up early to make sure we wouldn't miss our train from Brussels to Charles de Gaulle Airport. We boarded our fast train and Rob said I was going a bit over the top with double checking that we were on the correct train. Another man on the train who came from Mexico but spoke english seemed to be even more concerned than me. We stopped at Lille and he went to get off but luckily another man reassured him he was on the correct train to the Airport. A bit later a group of customs officers came into our carriage and checked who was with which bag etc. Rob noticed they all had guns and flack jackets. Of course the poor Mexican fellow had to produce his passport and then the officers searched his luggage. I think the poor guy was beside himself by the time they finished. They just asked us which bags were ours and smiled and walked on.
We arrived safely at Charles de Gaulle Airport and had plenty of time to spare. Our only downer here was that Rob had bought a package of very small wine bottles in the Rhine Valley for David. He had been carefully carrying them around in his backpack and must have forgot they were there so they were taken away from him when we went through security. Oh well, things could have been alot worse. Our flight home was pretty uneventful and Jas picked us up from the Adelaide airport at the end of this wonderful adventure.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Last real day of our holiday
Tuesday 20-10-15
We spent the last day of our holidays successfully navigating our way around Brussels using the Metro system. We caught the Metro to a place called Atomium. Here there was a very large structure that looked like an atom. It was originally built for the 1958 world expo. It was the Brussels exhibit and was meant to be pulled down soon after the expo but quickly became popular and so was left. By 2006 it had fell into disrepair so was totally renovated with new coverings on the spheres etc. A lift took us up to one of the higher spheres and here we had great views all over Brussels. We went down an escalator and here was information and displays about the World Expo of 1958 and it included models and photos of other countries buildings. Quite interesting! Another section included information about the initial building of the structure and then videos of the upgrade. After this adventure we visited a magnificent park located next to Atomium. It was Kings Park and had once been the site of the Expo in 1958. It was now full of beautiful deciduous trees that were gently loosing their Autumn leaves. There were terraces and hedges, lakes and trees pruned to different shapes too.
From here we took the Metro back to the main city centre and checked out a few things we had missed the day before including a female version of the little boy taking a pee fountain and also the Grand Palace. We had been told about a famous Belgium beer house called Delerium cafe and that it had the most number of beers on tap, anywhere in the world. We had a drink there before having a quick bite for tea and heading back to our B&B to repack ready for our trip home. We are taking the train from Brussels to Charles de Gaulle Airport, tomorrow in the morning and start our flight home in the afternoon.
We spent the last day of our holidays successfully navigating our way around Brussels using the Metro system. We caught the Metro to a place called Atomium. Here there was a very large structure that looked like an atom. It was originally built for the 1958 world expo. It was the Brussels exhibit and was meant to be pulled down soon after the expo but quickly became popular and so was left. By 2006 it had fell into disrepair so was totally renovated with new coverings on the spheres etc. A lift took us up to one of the higher spheres and here we had great views all over Brussels. We went down an escalator and here was information and displays about the World Expo of 1958 and it included models and photos of other countries buildings. Quite interesting! Another section included information about the initial building of the structure and then videos of the upgrade. After this adventure we visited a magnificent park located next to Atomium. It was Kings Park and had once been the site of the Expo in 1958. It was now full of beautiful deciduous trees that were gently loosing their Autumn leaves. There were terraces and hedges, lakes and trees pruned to different shapes too.
From here we took the Metro back to the main city centre and checked out a few things we had missed the day before including a female version of the little boy taking a pee fountain and also the Grand Palace. We had been told about a famous Belgium beer house called Delerium cafe and that it had the most number of beers on tap, anywhere in the world. We had a drink there before having a quick bite for tea and heading back to our B&B to repack ready for our trip home. We are taking the train from Brussels to Charles de Gaulle Airport, tomorrow in the morning and start our flight home in the afternoon.
To Brussels by train
Monday 19-10-15
We were sad to leave Ypres as it is a very beautiful and moving place but we needed to move so we were closer to our departure place of Charles de Gaulle Airport. We also had been told that there was a possibility of a train strike so we felt a bit apprehensive. Luckily the train strike was not going to affect the regional lines, only lines in Brussels. We made it safely to Brussels and checked the station out and purchased our tickets on the super fast train, for the airport on Wednesday. We went back to using Air B&B and picked a property out due to it's location. It's less than a 5 minute walk to the railway station. Our host is a lovely French woman, Valerie and she is the single mum of a gorgeous 13 month old boy. Her house is made up of two huge open rooms, one for us and the other with a lovley little kitchen, a bathroom and then a divider for her and her son's bedroom. It is very unusual but very comfortable. Valerie showed explained that most of the Brussels city centre and sights can easily be done by walking and she then gave us a map to borrow. We set off and visited some interesting places. Our first stop was a little disappointing as the magnificent Justice building was covered with scaffolding and there was alot of graffiti everywhere, even on some of the War Memorials. Our view was also marred by thick smog. Things improved dramatically as we visited many other areas of the city with well maintained and architecturally stunning buildings, particularly those in the market square. We had a lovely dinner in a restaurant that served mussels and Rob had been told to make sure he tried these. I had a paella with seafood including mussels and it was delicious. We returned to the market square after dinner to see the beautiful buildings all lit up. They were spectacular. We then found the famous Brussels fountain of the Little boy peeing. It is tiny and around this many of the shops sell Belgium chocolates and also replicas of the fountain. Some of the replicas are actually larger than the statue. All very funny over a small statue. We probably walked about 8 kilometres this afternoon but it did us good!
We were sad to leave Ypres as it is a very beautiful and moving place but we needed to move so we were closer to our departure place of Charles de Gaulle Airport. We also had been told that there was a possibility of a train strike so we felt a bit apprehensive. Luckily the train strike was not going to affect the regional lines, only lines in Brussels. We made it safely to Brussels and checked the station out and purchased our tickets on the super fast train, for the airport on Wednesday. We went back to using Air B&B and picked a property out due to it's location. It's less than a 5 minute walk to the railway station. Our host is a lovely French woman, Valerie and she is the single mum of a gorgeous 13 month old boy. Her house is made up of two huge open rooms, one for us and the other with a lovley little kitchen, a bathroom and then a divider for her and her son's bedroom. It is very unusual but very comfortable. Valerie showed explained that most of the Brussels city centre and sights can easily be done by walking and she then gave us a map to borrow. We set off and visited some interesting places. Our first stop was a little disappointing as the magnificent Justice building was covered with scaffolding and there was alot of graffiti everywhere, even on some of the War Memorials. Our view was also marred by thick smog. Things improved dramatically as we visited many other areas of the city with well maintained and architecturally stunning buildings, particularly those in the market square. We had a lovely dinner in a restaurant that served mussels and Rob had been told to make sure he tried these. I had a paella with seafood including mussels and it was delicious. We returned to the market square after dinner to see the beautiful buildings all lit up. They were spectacular. We then found the famous Brussels fountain of the Little boy peeing. It is tiny and around this many of the shops sell Belgium chocolates and also replicas of the fountain. Some of the replicas are actually larger than the statue. All very funny over a small statue. We probably walked about 8 kilometres this afternoon but it did us good!
Monday, October 19, 2015
Flanders Fields Experience...A day we won't forget
Sunday 18-10-15
We had booked into a small tour of the war cemeteries around the Ypres area. We met up with about another 10 people and joined our tour leader. We were split between 2 mini vans. There were 7 Australians and a family of 5 from UK. Our tour leader was both passionate and extremely interesting. He explained so much about WW1 in this area but I won't even attempt to summarize all that he told us. We visited an old clearing station, the site where John McCrae wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields" and of course many graves all at Essex Farm Cemetery. From there we went to a factory where in the middle of it they found trenches that once was the front line for the British and it's Allies. We visited a German Cemetery which had the graves of thousands of young German students who had been sent to the frontline with little training. We went to the Brooding soldier monument to the Canadians, many who were victims of the early gas attacks. We visited the largest Commonwealth Cemetery in the world, Tyne Cot Cemetery, at Passchendaele and once our guide knew he had quite a few Australians he took us to the monument for the Australian 5th Division and cemetary in Polygon Wood. This is the division my Great Uncle fought with. We saw thousands upon thousands of war grave of both the Allies and the Germans. It really was hard to comprehend and so many have not been identified although now with DNA technology more advances are being made in this area. We also visited a farm where our guide showed us the WW1 ammunition, artillery, guns, etc that are still coming to the surface as farmers plough their fields. We could not believe that 100 years on there is still so much here. When you consider that this area of Belgium saw 4 years of the most intense fighting I suppose it makes sense. When the farmers find something they call a special army number and depending on what has been discovered, it will be picked up in one hour, one day or one week. There are still fatalities each year as people find things and don't realise what they have found. Bones of soldiers are still being found too.
I think if you have the opportunity to visit this area you should do it because no matter what I write I cannot really describe accurately what has happened here. After this very moving and informative tour we went back to Ypres to visit the Flanders Field's Museum, in the magnificent Cloth Hall building. Most of this beautiful medieval building was destroyed in WW1 as was the whole town but it was faithfully rebuilt after the war. Again we were to experience a wonderful and moving time learning more about the war and viewing more interactive productions in this museum. We were also feeling fit and took the 231 extra steps up to the Belfry tower for a great view over Ypres and beyond.
We had booked into a small tour of the war cemeteries around the Ypres area. We met up with about another 10 people and joined our tour leader. We were split between 2 mini vans. There were 7 Australians and a family of 5 from UK. Our tour leader was both passionate and extremely interesting. He explained so much about WW1 in this area but I won't even attempt to summarize all that he told us. We visited an old clearing station, the site where John McCrae wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields" and of course many graves all at Essex Farm Cemetery. From there we went to a factory where in the middle of it they found trenches that once was the front line for the British and it's Allies. We visited a German Cemetery which had the graves of thousands of young German students who had been sent to the frontline with little training. We went to the Brooding soldier monument to the Canadians, many who were victims of the early gas attacks. We visited the largest Commonwealth Cemetery in the world, Tyne Cot Cemetery, at Passchendaele and once our guide knew he had quite a few Australians he took us to the monument for the Australian 5th Division and cemetary in Polygon Wood. This is the division my Great Uncle fought with. We saw thousands upon thousands of war grave of both the Allies and the Germans. It really was hard to comprehend and so many have not been identified although now with DNA technology more advances are being made in this area. We also visited a farm where our guide showed us the WW1 ammunition, artillery, guns, etc that are still coming to the surface as farmers plough their fields. We could not believe that 100 years on there is still so much here. When you consider that this area of Belgium saw 4 years of the most intense fighting I suppose it makes sense. When the farmers find something they call a special army number and depending on what has been discovered, it will be picked up in one hour, one day or one week. There are still fatalities each year as people find things and don't realise what they have found. Bones of soldiers are still being found too.
I think if you have the opportunity to visit this area you should do it because no matter what I write I cannot really describe accurately what has happened here. After this very moving and informative tour we went back to Ypres to visit the Flanders Field's Museum, in the magnificent Cloth Hall building. Most of this beautiful medieval building was destroyed in WW1 as was the whole town but it was faithfully rebuilt after the war. Again we were to experience a wonderful and moving time learning more about the war and viewing more interactive productions in this museum. We were also feeling fit and took the 231 extra steps up to the Belfry tower for a great view over Ypres and beyond.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Visit to Passchendaele 1917 Museum
Saturday 17-10-15
We had a sleep-in at our beautiful B&B and was greeted with a delicious sight for breakfast. Our host had made a compote of fresh berries crushed to a smooth consistency and yogurt. Rob even enjoyed this starter. It was followed by a pancake full of assorted berries. Freshly squeezed juice and coffee was also available. Besides all this, cheese, sliced meats, museli, different breads for toasting and jams were all set on the sideboard if you wanted. Rob and I managed a couple of slices of toast but we were quite full by the time we finished.
Every Saturday morning, the market square in Ypres comes alive with a variety of stalls and we walked down to explore these. Very large special trucks that turn into shops were everywhere. We'd never seen anything like them before. They included butcher, fish, cheese, fruit and veg shops etc. They had full refridgeration and display cabinets. Most of the local Ypres people do their weekly shopping here as food shops seem to be few and far between. There were also all the usual market stalls of jewelry, clothes, shoes and bags etc.
We were booked to take a mini bus to Zonnebeke to visit a museum dedicated to the many battles fought around this area from 1914 to 1918. We were so impressed with this museum and it took us a nearly 2 and 1/2 hours to go through all the displays. A large section was dedicated to the Passchendaele 1917 battles which my great Uncle was involved in. There was a whole section about the ANZACs and the battle of Menen Road, the battle he was killed in. We also were able to experience what the living conditions were like for the WW1 soldiers as they had constructed an underground bunker that you could walk through. We then found the trenches that once again you could walk through. Information about the different types of trenches built by different groups was shown and highlighted. Rob said it was one of the best museums he had been in so that is saying something. After this we had a quick bite to eat and then had to be back at the bus stop to once again be picked up by the mini bus. Once back in Ypres we decided to book a tour of the cemeteries and battlefields. We were lucky to get into one for tomorrow morning.
We had a sleep-in at our beautiful B&B and was greeted with a delicious sight for breakfast. Our host had made a compote of fresh berries crushed to a smooth consistency and yogurt. Rob even enjoyed this starter. It was followed by a pancake full of assorted berries. Freshly squeezed juice and coffee was also available. Besides all this, cheese, sliced meats, museli, different breads for toasting and jams were all set on the sideboard if you wanted. Rob and I managed a couple of slices of toast but we were quite full by the time we finished.
Every Saturday morning, the market square in Ypres comes alive with a variety of stalls and we walked down to explore these. Very large special trucks that turn into shops were everywhere. We'd never seen anything like them before. They included butcher, fish, cheese, fruit and veg shops etc. They had full refridgeration and display cabinets. Most of the local Ypres people do their weekly shopping here as food shops seem to be few and far between. There were also all the usual market stalls of jewelry, clothes, shoes and bags etc.
We were booked to take a mini bus to Zonnebeke to visit a museum dedicated to the many battles fought around this area from 1914 to 1918. We were so impressed with this museum and it took us a nearly 2 and 1/2 hours to go through all the displays. A large section was dedicated to the Passchendaele 1917 battles which my great Uncle was involved in. There was a whole section about the ANZACs and the battle of Menen Road, the battle he was killed in. We also were able to experience what the living conditions were like for the WW1 soldiers as they had constructed an underground bunker that you could walk through. We then found the trenches that once again you could walk through. Information about the different types of trenches built by different groups was shown and highlighted. Rob said it was one of the best museums he had been in so that is saying something. After this we had a quick bite to eat and then had to be back at the bus stop to once again be picked up by the mini bus. Once back in Ypres we decided to book a tour of the cemeteries and battlefields. We were lucky to get into one for tomorrow morning.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Saying goodbyes at Bruges and on our own now.
Friday 16-10-15
We had another early start leaving Amsterdam by 7 am on our way to Bruges in Belguim. Most of us managed a couple more hours sleep on the coach as we left the Netherlands and entered Belgium. We stopped at Bruges around11.15 am and we were given a couple of hours to have lunch and enjoy this beautiful medieval town, with more canals and churches. We couldn’t resist all the delicious Belgium chocolate shops and had to buy just a small amount of chocolate. Well our time had come to say goodbye to the many friends we'd made on this trip. It was sad as we had enjoyed an incredible 18 days with the group. As we headed for the Bruges railway station, the coach and the rest of the group headed back to London. We managed to purchase our tickets to get us to Ypres and found it easy to get a seat on the train even with our heavy cases. Unfortunately we had to change trains at a larger station and had 4 minutes to do this. We managed to quickly find the correct train and lug out suitcases up down and upstairs but when we got to the train it was completely full. It meant we had to wait an hour for the next train. Talking to a lovely Belarusian, he told us it was very busy because the Uni students all return from the bigger towns to their homes on Friday afternoons and that's what we struck. The next train arrived and we stormed on....our suitcases were a bit of a problem. Rob could fit his on the top rack but mine was too wide and so it took up isle space....oh well. I'm sure people thought silly Australians.
We finally arrived safely in Ypres. The people here are so helpful. While trying to find our B&B two different people came to our rescue without being asked. They both spoke perfect English. Our B&B here is beautiful and our host has been so helpful too. We walked to the Menin Gates and got there an hour and a quarter before the ceremony was due to begin. Our host had told us that it is always packed with people. Rob held our spot while I stated to try to find my Great Uncle's name on the gates. I thought I would probably need to come back in the daylight when I had more time as there are thousands of names to search through. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the wall opposite to where we were standing and saw Australian Infantry 5th Unit. In the last column of names, 2nd from the top under the list of privates, I saw Pelham, P. E. V. I was so excited to see his name, on the inside of the gates, high up above the area where the last post is performed every night. At 8pm the service began. 3 buglers played the last post and a young school girl then said the ode. Following this, the life story of an English soldier who was killed in this area in WW1 was read out. Students from about 6 schools went up in groups of about 4 and laid wreaths. It was a very moving ceremony. We are so pleased we have come to Ypres. It is another beautiful, medieval town that was rebuilt after WW1 to be exactly like it was before the war.
We had another early start leaving Amsterdam by 7 am on our way to Bruges in Belguim. Most of us managed a couple more hours sleep on the coach as we left the Netherlands and entered Belgium. We stopped at Bruges around11.15 am and we were given a couple of hours to have lunch and enjoy this beautiful medieval town, with more canals and churches. We couldn’t resist all the delicious Belgium chocolate shops and had to buy just a small amount of chocolate. Well our time had come to say goodbye to the many friends we'd made on this trip. It was sad as we had enjoyed an incredible 18 days with the group. As we headed for the Bruges railway station, the coach and the rest of the group headed back to London. We managed to purchase our tickets to get us to Ypres and found it easy to get a seat on the train even with our heavy cases. Unfortunately we had to change trains at a larger station and had 4 minutes to do this. We managed to quickly find the correct train and lug out suitcases up down and upstairs but when we got to the train it was completely full. It meant we had to wait an hour for the next train. Talking to a lovely Belarusian, he told us it was very busy because the Uni students all return from the bigger towns to their homes on Friday afternoons and that's what we struck. The next train arrived and we stormed on....our suitcases were a bit of a problem. Rob could fit his on the top rack but mine was too wide and so it took up isle space....oh well. I'm sure people thought silly Australians.
We finally arrived safely in Ypres. The people here are so helpful. While trying to find our B&B two different people came to our rescue without being asked. They both spoke perfect English. Our B&B here is beautiful and our host has been so helpful too. We walked to the Menin Gates and got there an hour and a quarter before the ceremony was due to begin. Our host had told us that it is always packed with people. Rob held our spot while I stated to try to find my Great Uncle's name on the gates. I thought I would probably need to come back in the daylight when I had more time as there are thousands of names to search through. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the wall opposite to where we were standing and saw Australian Infantry 5th Unit. In the last column of names, 2nd from the top under the list of privates, I saw Pelham, P. E. V. I was so excited to see his name, on the inside of the gates, high up above the area where the last post is performed every night. At 8pm the service began. 3 buglers played the last post and a young school girl then said the ode. Following this, the life story of an English soldier who was killed in this area in WW1 was read out. Students from about 6 schools went up in groups of about 4 and laid wreaths. It was a very moving ceremony. We are so pleased we have come to Ypres. It is another beautiful, medieval town that was rebuilt after WW1 to be exactly like it was before the war.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
More fun in Amsterdam
Thursday 15-10-15
We had a sleep-in and the coach took us back into the main part of Amsterdam. Some of the boys had booked a Heineken tour and some of the girls were doing the Van Gogh museum. We were dropped off at central station and then had to work out which tram to get to the area where the museums were. We managed to do this and as we had a little time to spare we visit the gardens outside the Rijks museum. We loved the having fun at the fountain. The boys thoroughly enjoyed their trip to the Heineken tour and the girls loved the Van Gogh museum so everyone was happy. Unfortunately the rain continued in the afternoon but it didn’t stop us from doing a bit of shopping and doing a revisit of the red-light district to see what it was like during the day. When the rain got too much we could always stop for a drink or two. We had an early tea and returned on the train to dry out and prepare for our last day on the tour.
We had a sleep-in and the coach took us back into the main part of Amsterdam. Some of the boys had booked a Heineken tour and some of the girls were doing the Van Gogh museum. We were dropped off at central station and then had to work out which tram to get to the area where the museums were. We managed to do this and as we had a little time to spare we visit the gardens outside the Rijks museum. We loved the having fun at the fountain. The boys thoroughly enjoyed their trip to the Heineken tour and the girls loved the Van Gogh museum so everyone was happy. Unfortunately the rain continued in the afternoon but it didn’t stop us from doing a bit of shopping and doing a revisit of the red-light district to see what it was like during the day. When the rain got too much we could always stop for a drink or two. We had an early tea and returned on the train to dry out and prepare for our last day on the tour.
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