What a full day we have had here in Ieper. We love the camping here. For the first time on this trip, we are surrounded by people tenting as well as some cyclists. We are not alone!!
We have visited the museum, In Flanders Fields. It is an incredible museum with dramatic retelling of personal stories, films and archival material. Unlike some museums with a focus on war, we found this museum to be sobering, enlightening experience.
Attending Last Post is something one must do when in Ieper. It happens every evening at precisely 8 pm, no matter the weather except during WWII.
In this area and during WWI, the loss of life was so immense, that the decision was made to bury soldiers where they died. It is sobering to ride here as cemeteries and monuments are frequently seen in the countryside. This cemetery provides a resting place for the fallen (mostly British and a few Canadians) in this area for a brief period.
At War's end, Churchill campaign aggressively for a monument to be built to remember the fallen of the British Empire. This was undertaken in the 1920's and the number of names that needed to be inscribed presented a challenge to the architects.
We climbed the Belfry (clock tower) at the "Cloth House", now In Flanders Fields museum. Like most European city squares, there is always something going on - performances, markets. It is truly a gathering place.
We were lucky to have such a clear day. After climbing 300 steps up a narrow winding staircase, our legs told us to take a rest day and stay put tomorrow.
At the museum, each person is given a Poppy bracelet which is activated with wifi connections to exhibits. It personalizes the experience based on who you are.
Belgians we have met while cycing the past few weeks, have all told us to be sure to come here and attend Last Post. They all described it by showing their forearms and saying that it made the hair stand on end. They were right.
A number of today's wreath were presented by the family of a fallen soldier who died almost 100 years ago. We'd like to think that the message we feel from our visit to Ieper of education, learning from the past and focussing on peace would help to change the world.
Last Post at Menin Gate. It is impossible to explain the impact that all feel when attending this ceremony, nor can our picture do justice to the crush of people filling Menin Gate. We were lucky to be in the centre but we are unable to get pictures of the complete area as it is too congested.
So many citizens of the British Commonwealth come to honour their countries involvement in the war. We have seen Irish, Welsh, British, New Zealanders, Scottish, Australians (as pictured here) and of course Canadians.
