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.

This is where John McCrae wrote the poem''In Flanders Field''. There are many places to visit in…read morethis area but this stands out as one of the most important because of it's legacy. The CWGC look after here , as they do all over the world, but this is especially poignant. http://www.cwgc.org

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!