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.

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.

These are the only trenches left intact from the Battles of Ypres in World War I. They are a grim…read morereminder of how millions of soldiers lived and died during the four years of the conflict. The farmer who preserved the (British/Canadian) fortifications passed them on to his grandson, who still operates a private cafe and museum on the grounds. The museum is a bit hokey, but the trenches themselves are certainly real enough. And what an odd name for the place - it was anything but a sanctuary, and within a few days of the conflict's start, any wood had been completely blown to bits.

A great place to visit & experience the Ypres salient battle field. Trenches & tunnels to explore…read more A museum full of artefacts & photographs including old slide boxes to view. It is also strewn with old shells. It's 10 euros to enter. There is a cafe for coffee & snacks. The only problem is the the 15 cats that have free rein & their associated smell within the cafe area.

There is a story that we were told in High School about how on Christmas Day 1914 the Germans and…read morethe English decided to stuff this whole killing each other, climed out of the trenches and started playing a game of soccer. One of the main reasons this happened was because all the commanding officers went home for christmas, but when they returned and discovered that the men were playing soccer with each other instead of killing each other they had an absolute fit. Anyway, this is where that game was played, and there is even a memorial, as well as some trenches, to remind us that most wars are started, or even continued, by ordinary men, but rather the generals and the politicians who sit miles away in their comfy rooms while us ordinary folk slug it out for little to no reward.

I didn't come down here on the tour, but rather searched for it the morning we were heading off to…read morego for a drive around France. Mind you, they can be a little difficult to locate namely because it is hidden away in an industrial area to the north of Ypres. The trenches appear to have been rebuilt and one of the reasons is that the sandbags have actually been made out of cement. While it isn't as fancy, or as authentic, as some of the other places around here, it is still worth checking out if you are like me and like checking out trenches.

The Menin Gate, also known as the Menin Gate Memorial, is an incredible site (both day and night)…read moreas it is located on the eastern side of Ypres, Belgium along its historical wall. If you follow the road out of the city, it will go to Menin. During World War 1, hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers passed through this point on their way to the Ypres Salient battlefield. Death tolls were high and only 10-15% were identified and buried in a marked grave. After the war, British architect Reginald Blomfield designed the massive arch, deliberately giving it the appearance of a Roman triumphal arch while making it a memorial to the dead. The walls are covered with the names of ~55,000 Allied servicemen who died in the area and have no known grave. Everyday, there is a local tradition to have a memorial ceremony honoring those servicemen. It is held at 8:00 PM and is free to all those who attend. It is best to come early as there can be a lot of people who attend and limited space is available for a good view.

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!

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.