Bonjour France!

After an excellent buffet breakfast   where I was tempted by the champagne on offer but resisted, we had to attend to a serious emergency…Neil has forgotten to pack the charging cable for his GoPro 5! 😂

We had Googled to see if we could find an electronics shop and the nearest was a 15 minute walk so we set off…only to find the little store didn’t have what he needed. However the proprietor directed us to a huge electronics store in the Main Square, which was only 2 minutes from the hotel. I’ll never trust Google again!

The cable duly purchased we made a late start and set off towards Neil’s next must do. The town of West Vletern is home to a Trappist monastery where the monks brew what is claimed to be the very best beer in the world. The beer is in short supply and only available from the monastery itself but we set off in high hopes…only to be shattered to find the monastery gates shut. Neil wont get to sample that particular brew this time.

Our next stop in Belgium was much more successful,we drove into Ypres and parked in the town square which is dominated by the huge Cloth Hall. Inside the hall, is the outstanding “In Flanders Fields” Museum , which documents the history of WWI in this area. Like so many museums these days its very high tech, we were issued with RFID wristbands, each decorated with a red poppy and invited to log in and enter details of what country we came from. Throughout the museum were a number of monitors where you tapped your wristband and were presented with information relevant to your own countrymen who fought in the battles here.

 

We paid the extra to allow us to climb the 260 steps to the top of the tower for a fine view of the town and surrounding countryside. We were a little tentative, Neil because of his discomfort with heights and me because I wasn’t sure if my hamstrings would like it but we were both glad we’d decided to give it a go. The climb was in stages, up winding narrow stone stairs, then a spiral metal staircase to the bell chamber and a final stone staircase. We joked on the way past the bells that you wouldn’t want to be in the room when they rang, and only a minute later they rang out very loudly when we were at the top!

 

The view was wonderful, we could see the square below and on to the Menin Gate. The gate was built as a War memorial to the many  who died here when Ypres and surrounds was devastated during WW1. There is a Last Post service held at the gate every evening and there were dozens of wreaths inside that had been laid at a special ceremony on ANZAC Day last week.

Standing proudly in front of the gate we found the Menin Lions. The last time we’d seen them was in Canberra at the War Memorial as eighty years ago they were gifted to the Australian people by the grateful people of Ypres. As part of the 100th anniversary of WW1 they have been sent back to Ypres to guard the gate for a few months. Ypres is a major stop on the trail of WW1 tours and we saw many shops catering to keen historians. Unfortunately , or fortunately, depending who you ask, the Vickers Machine Gun in this window was not for sale!

A short drive out into the countryside near Ypres brought us to Hanebeek Creek . Neil had done some checking and found the approximate location where my Great Uncle Greg had shown so much bravery under fire in his work as a stretcher bearer that he was awarded a Military Medal.

So next, we set off for France and had a nasty jolt when the first sight we saw after the border was a checkpoint manned by a dozen French soldiers toting machine guns and stopping random cars! The terror threat is taken very seriously here, so sad 😞 We drove first to Fromelles, as it was one of the main battlefield sites that we had not seen on our previous tour of France.

Our last stop for the day was the small museum in Bullecourt that documents the story of the two Battles of Bullecourt. Neil’s father’s cousin, Thomas Henry Brown, died here on May 3rd 1917  100 years ago tomorrow, and we were here to pay tribute to his service. Tomorrow we plan to rise early and visit the lonely field where he died and to lay a poppy on his grave.

 

It was nearly 6pm when we finally arrived at our home for the night, Le Clos St Georges, a gorgeous small chateau that now operates as a B & B. We were warmly welcomed by Genevieve who served us afternoon tea in the conservatory and practised her English telling us the amazing history of the chateau. Built in 1830 it had survived WW1 as the Germans used it as a military hospital. She showed us the many bullet and shrapnel holes in the walls where it had been strafed by air-fire during WW11 before being occupied by Germans again. It was poignant moment when Genevieve broke into tears describing how grateful she and her compatriots are to the Australians and Canadians etc who died trying to defend her country. Sadly , her tears were also due to the fears she holds for the future. I can totally understand her fears, living in a region dotted with war cemeteries and military checkpoints at the border would make anyone nervous and pessimistic about the future of the human race.

We enjoyed dinner in true French slow-food style, starting with an aperitif of Loire Valley wine and more conversation. The table was laid for just us two, as the other rooms were unoccupied tonight and we started with a delicious salad and local cheese and herbs. Genevieve then presented the fine Smoked Jambon  for our approval before putting it on the BBQ on the terrace. We tucked into that with a delicious courgette au gratin , washed down with more local wines. And finished with glace Poivre and chocolate sauce.

Our stay here has been wonderful, for a military history fan it’s been a once in a lifetime for Neil and I just love the beauty of the building, currently swathed in blooming purple wisteria.

We have an early start tomorrow, heading out before  breakfast to follow the lines of the battle. Neil has done so much research and has much that he wants us to do, it will be a busy day.