Tesserae of Travels Through Life - Words, photos and moments of mosaics.

Bruges

After a brief stop in Liege (the 13:01 to Bruges was cancelled and we had to take the 14:01) we made it to Bruges in time for dinner. We were again happy with our choice of hotel – 4 star and surrounded by several nice restaurants. And not far from the train station and Bargeplein (where we meet our day tour to Flanders Fields and where our barge docks).

03 Leige Train Station Margo

06 Academie Hotel

Once settled we took a little tour of the area around our hotel then chose Bistro Delice for our first Belgian dinner. It was delicious! I had the Belgian stew (stoofvles) and frites, while Kathy chose mussels and frites! And beer. Must have Belgian beer.

07.1 Bruges Bistro Delice Eating Stew

Then an after-dinner walk around Bruges capturing the lit up bridges and buildings. Swans were still awake.

10 Bruges at Night

The next day we had booked a tour of Flanders Fields WW1 sites. We waited in the drizzle to catch the Quasimodo Tours mini-bus that would take us around the region and allow us to see that, though WW1 ended more than 100 years ago, it still has a real impact on Belgium today.

04 Flanders Field German Langemark Cemetary
Langemark German Cemetery
11 Flanders Field Vancouver Corner Monument
Canadian Memorial – St. Julien
23.3 Flanders Field Trench Margo
In a reconstructed trench at Hooge Crater Museum

Unearthed bombs are still found regularly in farmers’ fields and they are often just placed along the side of the road. Belgium still pays around 750,000 Euros per year to deal with this problem.

33 Flanders Field Unearted Bomb

37 Flanders Field Hill 60 Bunker
Bunker at Hill 60
46 Flanders Field Site McCrae Sign
In Flanders Fields by John McCrae – a plaque at the McCrae Site
51 Flanders Field Site McCrae Cemetary
Essex Farm Cemetery near McCrae Site
41 Flanders Field Ieper Menen Gate
Menin Gate at Ieper (Ypres)

The Menin Gate at Ieper is a monument to the nearly 55,000 people who died in WW1 in the area who were never found and have no burial site. They came from all over the world including Canada. Every night since 1929 at 8:00 the hold a Last Post ceremony. Kathy and I stayed at the end of the tour to watch it.

58 Flanders Field Menen Gate KandM

Now here it is, your moment of mousse…

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