On one of the cultural days, my group and I went out to the countryside, where we ended up hiking through an orchard and having lunch in a quaint little town. Here are some pictures of the pretty Flemish countryside.
When I found out I would have one day off I knew where I wanted to go. Flanders. Now there are many battlefields in Flanders and I ended up just going to one and visiting the Flanders Field Museum in Ypres or Leper depending on if you are French or Dutch. It was very important to me that I went here. My family is connected to both World Wars, some have served, others have lived in a country that was occupied during the wars. I did not go to the well known battlefields. Instead my friends and I walked (yes we walked quite a ways) to Essex Farms, which is one of the smaller sites. Essex Farms is where John McCrae wrote "In Flanders Field" during WWI.
I really liked the shop in the Museum, it was nice to be able to buy books related to the World Wars.
So while us Canadians were in Ypres, fellow Canadians also happened to be there. The Ottawa Fire Department Band. What a cool coincidence!
We also had supper in Leper. I had tomato soup and a plate of fries. Soup and fries was probably the meal I ordered the most. Did you know: "French Fries" were actually a Belgian invention? So of course they would be good here.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step--Lao Tzu
Happy Travels!
Labels: 2013, Belgium, Europe, History, Travel
