It's known as the site that is close to where Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote his famous poem…read more It is here that you'll see the Advanced Dressing Station bunkers along a bank of the Yser Canal. These types of medical stations were established very close to the front line. The original one where he tended to the wounded was a roughly made dugout shelter that had a roof covered with wooden boards. The ones that you see today are the reinforced concrete dressing stations built into the bank around 1917. The cemetery was named after the Essex Regiment in memory of the very first soldiers to be buried here from the Commonwealth. There are military cemeteries peppered throughout this region. Many that are buried in these cemeteries are still unknown. Recovery of the dead was difficult due to constant artillery bombardment and the initial gas attack during the Second Battle of Ypres. You'll learn more about that at In Flanders Fields Museum. This was our final stop of the tour. It put everything that we saw that day into perspective. The John McCrae Memorial Site, Monument to the 49th West Riding Division, and the Stone of Remembrance are prominent along with all the beautifully manicured garden of headstones. In the midst of it all are wild poppies that sprout up in the Fields around it. You can definitely see and understand how it all inspired a Canadian infantry field surgeon to write such a beautiful poem after one of his closest friends was killed in battle. I'll leave you with this famous poem. In Flanders Fields by John McCrae In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, through poppies grow In Flanders fields.

A small cemetery by World War I standards, but the medical facilities behind it on the Yser Canal,…read morethe British Advanced Dressing Station (ADS), are its most unusual feature. A line of crude, cold bunkers faces away from the canal and the line of advance of the 1915 German Army. It is difficult to imagine doctors working in near-caves like these - but no more difficult than imagining a civilization that would descend to the lunacy of the Western Front. The ADS saw its worst action in the Second Battle of Ypres, on April 23rd, 1915, when the German Army attacked for the first time under a cloud of poison gas.

It's the gate in the form of a triumphant arch that is seen over the main road leading to the Cloth…read moreHall in Ieper (Ypres). The placement of it is over the road that led these soldiers to battle. The incription that you see, as you're standing in front of it, reads as follows: "To the armies of the British Empire who stood here from 1914 to 1918 and to those of their dead who have no known grave." As you walk under it, you'll see the names of the soldiers who died prior to August 15, 1917 in the Ypres Salient. They are grouped by their regiment. We were told that there wasn't enough room on this memorial to inscribe all of their names. The rest can be found on the memorial wall at Tyne Cot Cemetery. The number of fatalities at the salient was massive. Don't miss seeing the name of Lieutenant A. H. Helmet inscribed under the Canadian Artillery section. He's the friend of John McCrae who is said to be one of his inspirations in writing the famous poppy poem. His wooden grave marker was lost at Essex Farm during the destruction. Try to be at the gate for the 8pm Last Post ceremony if you happen to be staying anywhere near Ieper. This bugle ceremony has taken place at the Menin Gate Memorial since 1928. A great remembrance to all who were lost. There was a little personal connection found in one of the chambers at the middle of the arch. I was surprised to see so many names and regiments listed from East Anglia. It's where we lived for 4 years while stationed in Suffolk. It's just something that presented itself to me while there. On another note, there are a many monuments in the ramparts above it. It's totally worth a mention for anyone who is taking an "In Flanders Fields" tour and has enough free time to see it. There's a Nepalese Gurkha Memorial and an Indian Forces Memorial that are very unique. These are special tributes to the regiments who fought in the WWI battles in Ypres under the Commonwealth. I totally regret not having enough time to walk around the surrounding walls of Menin Gate to see all of it. I'd definitely spend more time here if there's ever an opportunity to visit this city again. It was a very memorable visit!

This is a truly unforgettable experience. Buglers from the Last Post Association have been…read moreperforming the Last Post ceremony every night at 8pm since the monument was built in 1927 (save the WWII occupation). * The ceremony starts promptly at 8pm. If it's a busy day (Friday, Saturday, or summer) I recommend getting there at 7 if you want a good view * It's woth it to take some time to tour the gate afterward - you'll be humbled by the sheer number of soldiers who were killed in WWI whose remains were never found.

It's the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world. There are 11,961 soldiers buried here with…read more8,373 of them unnamed. The Tyne Cot Memorial Wall lists the names of about 35,000 missing soldiers from Britain & New Zealand. Another interesting fact is that this memorial is for the missing who died after August 15, 1917. The ones who died before that date are listed on the Menin Gate Memorial. The large white blockhouse bearing the Cross of Sacrifice is the site where the 3rd Australian Division captured this strategic ridge occupied by German forces in the Battle of Passchendaele (aka the Third Battle of Ypres). There are 4 German soldiers randomly buried behind this blockhouse. They died of their wounds during a time after the bunker was converted into an Australian Advanced Dressing Station. As you walk through the cemetery, you'll see named and unnamed graves from various countries in the Commonwealth. We found graves of soldiers from South Africa, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and even the West Indies. While there, it reminded us a little of the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer. I think it was the circular design of the memorial wall. Tyne Cot differs in that it feels more like an English garden in the countryside. There are beautiful flowering plants at each grave. It adds to the peacefulness around you while reflecting on everything that happened here. It's a must see experience when taking a tour of WWI memorials in the Flanders region of Belgium.

A beautiful memorial to the fallen British Commonwealth soldiers of WW1 at the great battlefield…read more 11, 961 servicemen are buried here and over 8000 are unidentified. It is a somber reminder of the magnitude of lives lost in WW1. It is beautifully maintained and a lasting tribute " there name liveth for evermore".

This is another of those preserved areas where the reminders of the war have been left to help us…read morenever forget. A few years ago there was a movie released called 'Beneath Hill 60' a out how the Australias and New Zealanders dug tunnels underneath the German lines, packed it full of explosives, and detonated it. This is where the events of that film took place. As well as a huge crater, you also find a couple of bunkers here, and one of the things about the bunkers, especially the German ones, is that they were really, really, really well made. In fact people still find it incredibly difficult to remove them. Anyway, like many of the other places scattered around here, this is also one of those places to pause and reflect.

Bruges is just an amazingly impressive old town. Even though big in size at first glance, it's very…read moreeasy to walk and to get around. Most of it is pretty flat, so also suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. Just be aware that some cobbled streets might make it a bit more difficult It's hard to describe what to see and what to do. Your options are endless and one day will not be enough. Just to see to historic center takes more than a day. And that's without visiting museums or taking a little river/canal cruise. Maybe plan the big must-do's. And after that ... or during ... it's just fun to stroll around and get lost in the streets and lanes of Bruges. Some of the sights you really should check out: - Belfort Tower - Markt / Marktplatz - Brugse Vrije - Stadhuis Brugge - Basiliek van het Heilig Bloed - De Burg Square - Huidenvettersplein - Nepomucenusbrug - Meebrug - Sint-Salvatorskathedraal - Bonifazius Bridge - Zuidzandstraat - Dijver - Rozenhoedkaai - Steenstraat - Sint-Amandsstraat And that's just to cover the biggest and most famous sights and streets. Belgian Waffles and chocolate. Give them a try. Surely a must-do. We sampled some. But sadly weren't convinced much. Nothing beats Swiss chocolate. An amazing old town. We really enjoyed it. One of the most pretty historic old towns we know. And we've seen many. Bruges. Really a place you must see at least once in your life. We love it and will be back one day.

Lille is a visually spectacular city, and the Grand Place, for me, was the icing on the cake. To…read morejust sit in this square and marvel at the buildings and soak in the atmosphere is really quite a wonderful thing to do. It's a wonderful place to sit in the sun, and there's a number of bars and eateries in the area too, well worth checking out.

Since it carries the name Bourse it suggests that this used to the the former stock exchange,…read morethough considering that were are now in France I would have thought that the Stock Exchange would have been located in Paris. However, what this place actually is is a market place, and when we wandered through here on Sunday discovered that all of the regional booksellers had descended upon the town to begin selling their wares. Basically you could find quite a number of second-hand French books as well as numerous posters and other things (such as records). There are also a number of shops around the outside that are basically regular shops, but if you are looking for a bargain then definitely step inside and have a bit of a look around.

A brilliant building to check out in the middle of Lille. Inside there is also a book market and…read moresome art works sold which is quite a wonderful use of space in the Old Stock Exchange!