Day 3: Good-bye Ghent, hello Sjeng!
We loaded onto the bus, said good-bye to Ghent, and headed out into the Flemish countryside. Our destination: the past! We were traveling back in time to explore the monuments to World War I.
Fun facts: Belgium actually has three official languages: Dutch (Flemish), French, and German.
French is the predominant language in southern part of the country, where Brussels is. The Flemish dialect of Dutch is the predominant language in the northern part of Belgium, where Ghent and
Bruges are. And Flanders, or the Flemish region, is the northern region of Belgium comprised mainly
of Dutch speakers. And if that wasn't enough, Bruges and Ypres are located in West Flanders, and
Ghent is located in East Flanders. Whew!
French is the predominant language in southern part of the country, where Brussels is. The Flemish dialect of Dutch is the predominant language in the northern part of Belgium, where Ghent and
Bruges are. And Flanders, or the Flemish region, is the northern region of Belgium comprised mainly
of Dutch speakers. And if that wasn't enough, Bruges and Ypres are located in West Flanders, and
Ghent is located in East Flanders. Whew!
In Flanders fields the poppies blow. . .
Our first stop was the town of Waregem, where the Flanders Field American Cemetery is located.
The cemetery is operated by the American government and the Belgian government grants us the
site's free use as a permanent burial ground in perpetuity without charge or taxation. Upon arrival,
we were greeted by a staff member and given a private tour. There are 368 graves here, and a wall inside the chapel has the names of 43 soldiers missing in action.
The cemetery is operated by the American government and the Belgian government grants us the
site's free use as a permanent burial ground in perpetuity without charge or taxation. Upon arrival,
we were greeted by a staff member and given a private tour. There are 368 graves here, and a wall inside the chapel has the names of 43 soldiers missing in action.
Next, we drove to to the town of Ypres where we picked up our local guide, Kristin. With her, we drove through the Ypres salient, which is the area around Ypres where several World War I battles took place, and where there are now many cemeteries. Kristin explained that there are so many Commonwealth cemeteries here because during the battles, the dead were buried where they fell, and the cemeteries grew around those first graves.
The first one we visited was the Essex Farm Cemetery, which is notable for its monument to John McCrea's famous war poem "In Flanders Fields." McCrea wrote the poem after witnessing the burial
of his friend at Essex Farm. More than 1,000 soldiers are buried here, with more than 100 of them unidentified.
of his friend at Essex Farm. More than 1,000 soldiers are buried here, with more than 100 of them unidentified.
A plaque, decorated with a paper poppy, engraved with
the handwritten text of McCrea's poem
Our next stop was the German War Cemetery near the village of Langemark, one of only four German cemeteries in Flanders. It was in this location that the first gas attacks were used in WWI. The cemetery originated as a small group of graves in 1915 and grew to have more than 44,000 soldiers buried.
"Comrades grave," the largest of the mass graves, contains nearly 25,000 soldiers, with about 4,000 names unknown
Many WWI battles took place in the fields and farms of Flanders, and after leaving the land
decimated, most of the battlefields were reclaimed and returned to farmland. Seeing so many cemeteries was offset by the sight of many green fields and lush crops.
decimated, most of the battlefields were reclaimed and returned to farmland. Seeing so many cemeteries was offset by the sight of many green fields and lush crops.
We took a break from the solemnity of the cemeteries and drove to Varlet Farm, located smack in the middle of the WWI battlefields. We stopped there and were treated to a delicious, traditional farm lunch prepared with local Belgian specialties like local Passchendaele cheese! The owner of the farm, Dirk, also showed us a collection of WWI weapons and artifacts that have been unearthed from their fields.
After lunch, we visited one more cemetery: Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery
and Memorial to the Missing (or Tyne Cot, for short). It is the largest cemetery for Commonwealth
forces in the world, for any war. Nearly 12,000 soldiers are buried or commemorated in Tyne Cot,
and over 8,000 of those are unidentified. It was a bit surreal to walk among the gravestones of so
many unknown soldiers surrounded by a thriving Belgian farms.
and Memorial to the Missing (or Tyne Cot, for short). It is the largest cemetery for Commonwealth
forces in the world, for any war. Nearly 12,000 soldiers are buried or commemorated in Tyne Cot,
and over 8,000 of those are unidentified. It was a bit surreal to walk among the gravestones of so
many unknown soldiers surrounded by a thriving Belgian farms.
Before saying good-bye to Kristin, we made one last stop: Sanctuary Wood Museum Hill 62 (so named because it is located near a Canadian monument to the 1916 Battle of Mount Sorrel, aka Hill 62). We visited the museum and explored an actual preserved section of a real British World War I trench line.
Finally, we bid farewell to Kristin and to the past and made our way to our final stop of the day . . .
Bruges!
Sjeng dropped us off at our hotel, and after checking in and getting situated, we all walked
together to Seafood Bar Belge where we ended the day with another delicious group dinner.
together to Seafood Bar Belge where we ended the day with another delicious group dinner.