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 beautiful Cloth Hall (Lakenhal in Dutch) with the grand clock tower that overlooks Grote…read moreMarkt in the center of Ieper. I don't know how anyone can miss seeing it. It's the second tallest structure in this city. The taller Gothic looking St. Martin's Cathedral spire behind it is the tallest at 335 feet. The original Cloth Hall dates back to 1304. That building was completely destroyed in WWI. It took about 34 years to reconstruct it back to its former glory. There are statues of Belgium's historical figures in the niches above the entrance as well as the Patron Saint of Ieper (Our Lady of Thuyne). The King & Queen of Belgium (King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth) are to the left of the Patron Saint with Count Baldwin IX and Mary of Champagne to the right of her. There are a few museums inside the building and a café and gift shop as well. The In Flanders Fields Museum takes you through the history and effects of the war in West Flanders. There's also the Yper Museum for anyone who wants to learn about the city's heritage. An additional attraction is the 231 step climb up to the Belfry tower to see the bells and get a broader view of Ieper. It can be added on to any museum entry for just a couple of euros. Our visit to Ypres was part of an In Flanders Fields shore excursion. It was definitely the highlight of the tour. I wish we could have stayed longer.

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!