We arrived in Zurich, at 1pm exactly on time. Walking the ~1km to our Air BNB accommodation we are taken aback by the amazing old buildings and character, particularly of the old town which is where we are headed. After settling in and putting some washing on (washing machine and dryer definite bonus) we went out for a walk around town and to do a bit of a loop around the Limmat River. We started to get some “across the river” views of the Cathedral and some of the amazing buildings that line it.
The first major building we came across was St Peter’s church. Until the start of the 20th century the steeple was manned as a fire watch and it is also home to Europe’s biggest church clock. The town’s oldest parish church (first church dating back to 8th or 9th century) and the current one being consecrated in 1706.
Next was Fraumunster Church; the Benedictine Abbey
which was founded in 853 and was mainly home to noble women. It had the
right to collect tolls, hold markets and mint coins in medieval times. It
is a huge presence on the Munsterhof square which is also edged by another very
attractive looking building, the Zunfthaus Zur Meisen (guild house) which dates
from 1757.
We crossed Munster brucke, the stone bridge dating
from 1836-1838 (the original wooden bridge it replaced was from the Roman era)
and over to the Cathedral. The Grossmunsters present structure commenced
in 1100 and was inaugurated in 1220.
The next morning we had booked an excursion
“Heidiland and the Great Country Tour”. We set off at 11am on a bus with
~20 others and after a quick drive around the city headed out towards our first
stop of Rapperswil the “City of Roses”. It has a 13th Century
medieval castle and old town. A very cute place with loads of character (also
happens to be the home of Martina Hingis – the tennis star).
Our final stop for the day was Vaduz, in the
Principality of Liechtenstein. The sixth smallest country in the world
Liechtenstein is a constitutional monarchy headed by the Prince of
Liechtenstein (one of the richest men in Europe). It is bordered by
Switzerland to the west and south and Austria to the east and north. It
is tiny with an area of just over 160 square kms and approximate population of
37,000. Vaduz is the capital and we got to spend time here wandering the
pedestrian street, eating their famous Apple Strudel and marvelling at the
Prince’s home, Vaduz Castle (the oldest parts of which date back to the 12th
century).
We went for a walk to gain a better lay of the land, found the supermarket (Switzerland is expensive) and had lunch sitting on the edge of Lake Lucerne to watch the people go by. The weather was warmer and the sun very welcome so we spent some time in the afternoon just enjoying that before heading back. With the view we have from our room and the expense of restaurants here we decided to do anti-pasta in before heading downstairs for a drink to end the evening (our accommodation just happens to be in the hotel above Mr Pickwick’s Pub).
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| Lots of midgeys flying about! |
From there it was up to the city walls. A part of the rampart walls built in 1386 is still almost entirely intact. You can climb four of the towers as well for great views of the city. The Zyt tower is home to the city’s oldest clock (1535), which is allowed to chime every hour one minute before all the other city clocks.
We walked back down into the city and along one of the shopping streets, the shops are all high end and even passing by the windows is enticing! We headed a little further out to one side of the city to the Lion Monument (Lowendenkmal). The “Dying Lion of Lucerne” is one of the world’s most famous monuments. It is dedicated Helvetiorum Fidei ac Virtuti (“to the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss”) – for the soldiers who died attempting to protect the Tuileries Palace in Paris during the French Revolution. The monument was carved in 1820-21 and is 10m in length by 6m high. It’s a beautiful monument and set in a lovely park to the side of the old town. It was described by Mark Twain as “the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world”.
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| Postal delivery |
The following day we were off to Wengen. Wengen is in the Bernese Oberland in central Switzerland and is 1,274m above sea level. Its residents (~1,300) swell to 5,000 in the summer and 10,000 in the winter due to its alpine location. Three trains later we arrived in the car free village in no time (it is only able to be reached by train). It is poised on the side of the mountain with fabulous views of the glacier capped peaks above and waterfalls on the way down into the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
We were immediately pleased we had decided to stay here (rather than just visit) - the relaxed atmosphere and views were enough to know the right call had been made! The views out to the small towns on the trains were amazing too - as the valleys got larger and greener and less populated small towns starting popping up built into the foot of huge mountains or perched on the sides of them. Switzerland is turning out to be greener than NZ and also with stunning vistas.
After getting to our accommodation (in an 1895 Victorian hotel) we decided to make the most of the fantastic sunny weather so headed straight for the cable car that was going to take us up to Mannlichen (2,227m). Once there it was a 15-20 minute walk to the observation deck (2,343m). The views were something else with eye catching peaks covered in snow and ice to the greenery of the Lauterbrunnen Valley and Wengen looking completely insignificant at the bottom. It was simply beautiful and a great introduction to the Swiss Alps. From here we can see the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau peaks amongst others.
Day 2 in the Swiss Alps saw us heading for Jungfraujoch. The Jungfraujoch station (3,454m) is recognised as the "Top of Europe" and at the top is an observation structure (often referred to as the Sphinx) that sits on top of the saddle between the Jungfrau (4,158m) and Monch (4,107m) mountains.
The visionary (Adolf Guyer-Zeller) first thought of
building a tunnel through the alps to reach the saddle in 1893. Unbelievably (as you can't imagine anyone would have agreed to
this) construction began in 1896 and took 16 years to complete. He had originally planned to have 7 stations inside the tunnel
before reaching the Sphinx however it has only two and the track concludes
under the building; from there you take an elevator up to the Sphinx viewing
point (~3,571m). It is however a
complete marvel from an engineering and construction point of view and the
railway station at Jungfraujoch is still the highest in Europe. The trains from Lauterbrunnen up including those that go to the
Top of Europe have a cog track in the centre as well as the two normal side
tracks that a typical train would have to ensure that they can get up and
down the steep slopes - and we can vouch for how steep some of these are!
We stepped out on to the viewing platforms and quite
simply WOW! The day was super
clear, no wind, and the snow covered mountains and glaciers were absolutely
beautiful. After working our
way through the attractions within the mountain (videos, ice palace and
sculptures etc) we headed towards the "snow fun" area available for
those wanting to ski, snowboard, sled and zip line (and a queue of
people willing to have a bit of fun).
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| Pointing at Jungfraujoch |
We had previously decided to try and get over to Zermatt
the following day and upon waking and feeling "ok" opted to give it a
go. Most of the day was going to be spent admiring the
Swiss Alps from trains anyway :o)
Five different trains from Wengen to Zermatt and as
previously mentioned absolutely flawless. The scenery was completely stunning so no time to get bored or
over it.
Huge mountains, snow peaks, glacier coloured rivers
and lakes, really green pastures and forests, a 35km rail tunnel through the
alps and the super cute houses that make up the country villages on the way. There is no way you could get tired of this scenery.
Zermatt is the home of the Swiss Alps most famous peak, the Matterhorn (4,478m), and is much more a ski resort. There were more people around and lots of high end shops built to tempt those tourists having a "resort" style holiday. It does however still retain the village "cuteness" that we've seen and experienced elsewhere.
We arrived in Zermatt around 11.20am after securing tickets for the next three
legs of our journey (via cable car) made the short 15 minute walk through town
to the first station. We got our first views of the Matterhorn about
half way through our walk and they were fantastic. It's a monolith peak that screams Switzerland having graced any
number of travel brochures and with a blue sky as background couldn't have
looked better.
At the top the skiers were having a great time (the
ski field up here is open every day all year), and the views we had were
exceptional. Funnily enough when
we got back into town it was clear again, so obviously only one side of the
mountains were having a bad day! Given the availability of snow it's not surprising the ski teams
training were from all parts of the world (Croatia, Swiss, Russian, French,
Swedish etc). They were also very
professional looking and no doubt excellent skiers.
We arrived in Bern, the countries capital at
1pm. The 15th century old town is a riverside city and a
Unesco World Heritage site.
We made our way to our accommodation -
this time through AirBNB and it was amazing!!! A fully self-contained perfectly presented 1 bedroom apartment
with lovely hosts. Ability to use washing machine and cook (yah a
home cooked meal) a fridge, coffee machine, TV and wi-fi. Instantly felt like home away from home.
The next day after a reasonably relaxed start we set out just before 11am to explore the old historic city of Bern. There are lots of buildings and interesting landmarks to see but the beauty of this place is literally just wandering the streets and enjoying the sights. The medieval centre is its own attraction with 6km of covered arcades with cellar shops and bars descending from the streets. A fire in 1405 meant that the wooden city had to be rebuilt in the current sandstone we see today. The other Bern icon is its fountains - there are 11 decorative fountains (1545) in the city depicting historic and folk characters. The most famous is the Ogre (a giant snacking on children), but we saw almost all of them including the Ensign, Justice and Messenger fountains.
We passed the Church of the Holy Spirit (1726-29) and Prison Tower (1640 although the original was 1256) before making our way down Marktgasse (street). The streets here are lined with the most exceptional buildings, adorned with statues, coats of arms and finials making everywhere you look a marvel to the eye.
From
here we started headed uphill to the Rose Garden and viewing points - all great
places to get a fantastic view of Bern sitting on its peninsula surrounded by
the Aare River.
From
there we walked up Junkerngasse (street) and admired the old sandstone
buildings/houses (some of the dates on them were back to 1555) and covered
arcades before reaching the viewpoint in front of the Cathedral and the old
monastery house (which was very impressive with its multitude of
shutters!).
Munster
(or the Cathedral) is the 15th century home to Switzerland’s highest spire
(100m). You can usually climb this but the spire is under renovation. It
is still an imposing site though and of course has its own square to look down
on as well as the Moses Fountain.
Next – the Cathedral which began construction in 1019 and was added to in various stages, finally being completed in 1500.
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| 1437 House |
Finally the Spalen Gate – this is considered the most beautiful
city gate in Switzerland and it is a landmark for Basel. It was part of
Basel’s fortifications that date back to 1400. We walked through some
amazing squares and little streets and alleys with the oldest houses we’ve
seen. It’s a very cute place and a nice way to kill a couple of hours
before venturing to the Airport.
Things we will remember about Switzerland:
Cow bells
Green pastures (really green)
Lakes and rivers
Swans
Cable Cars
Trains and tunnels
Mountains
Belgium & Luxembourg with another snippet from
Germany (29 September – 6 October 2016)
We arrived in Brussels a little after 10pm after our flight was
delayed just over an hour and made our way to the town via the train. Our
hotel wasn’t far from the station but in the dark and not knowing where we were
going made it a little more challenging. Thankfully a friendly clerk in
the Hotel nearby helped point us in the right direction.
The next day we planned to do the walking tour that started at
1.30pm from the Grand Place which is an absolutely stunning square due to the
buildings that surround it. They are highlighted in gold and exude wealth
and extravagance and were originally merchant guilds/houses (dating back to the
17th century). They are joined by the Town Hall and original
Breadhouse (now a museum) which are by far the larger of them.
After spending some time here learning a bit about the history and admiring the views we headed away from the square down a ‘souvenir’ street, passing by Tin Tin’s wall. Tin Tin (a cartoon strip character now comic character) was created in Belgium before the Second World War and has an interesting history.
After spending some time here learning a bit about the history and admiring the views we headed away from the square down a ‘souvenir’ street, passing by Tin Tin’s wall. Tin Tin (a cartoon strip character now comic character) was created in Belgium before the Second World War and has an interesting history.
We arrived at the most famous fountain in Belgium, Manneken
Pis. It’s a little boy peeing into a fountain and is a landmark statue
(61cm high). The original was placed there in 1618/19 however it’s been
stolen a number of times through the ages and the one here now dates to
1965. There are lots of legends associated with how this came to be
however none that the Belgians can be sure are true.
Past the old stock exchange building (1868-1873) which is no longer
in use but will soon be the official Beer Museum (from 2018) - the first stock
exchange in Brussels was founded by Napoleon in 1801.
Then onwards through Rue des Bouchers - the original area that
the meat market occupied which is now filled with restaurants and cafes all
touting for your business and then the beer drinking ‘place to be’ which
was also just off this street. Mental note – Delirium Tremens, a place to
visit a bit later on!
On towards the 1846 St Hubert’s galleries – an original market
place used by the more fortunate. It was built with a roof so the patrons
didn’t get wet (it rains a lot in Belgium). Here you can get the best
waffles and Belgian chocolates (although you can get variations of these all
over the city).
On to St Michael Cathedral which was absolutely huge from the
outside. A chapel dedicated to St Michael was on this spot from as early
as the 9th century however the larger construction commenced in the
11th century and additional parts were eventually completed in
1519.
From here it was a walk along the Royal Park to the Royal Palace
and Square.
The tour was fantastic – we got to see a fair bit of the city
and it’s sites but almost more importantly learnt a bit more about Belgian life
– their local and traditional dishes and where to buy them, what beers to try
and where (there are over 3000 varieties in bar Delirium Tremens) and where to
find the best waffles. As Rodrigo (our guide) put it, Belgium is not the
place to be on a diet!
We opted to backtrack to the Cathedral and went inside for a
visit. It was, as they always are, quite beautiful and enormous
inside. A little different to most in the concrete statues that adorn the
pillars and the organ that was located half way down rather than at the
back. Much bigger than it first appeared and nice as everyone was showing
it the respect it deserved with silence (which is not always the case).
From there it was back to the Galleries to try the famous
waffles and then to the beer house. Delirium Tremens is quite famous for
its variety of beers, being a Friday night we were not alone as there was a
continual flow in and out the doors. We managed to find a seat and tried
a number of the different beers available – all very different flavours –
liquorice and cherry being two of the distinctive ones. The place has a
fantastic vibe and the decorations make you feel like you really are
experiencing the best of Belgium. Not wanting to crawl out (some of the
beers are 8 and 9%) we left to have some dinner before calling it a night.
Next morning and we’re off to Luxembourg. The train ride (3.5hours) went quicker than expected, sorting photos
and doing notes as well as watching the scenery change. Again it started to get quite green (not as green as Switzerland
though!) with farming and agriculture along the way. We arrived just before 2pm and walked the ~1.5km to our hotel and after
settling in headed straight out to the centre of the old town about a 15 mins
walk to find the tourist office.
The following day was exploration day, firstly in
Trier (which is actually in Germany but really close to the border). Trier is Germany's oldest city and the only Roman imperial
residence north of the Alps. An hours train trip
got us there and after walking about 500m we came across the huge old town gate
which is the world's best preserved Roman city gate (2nd century AD) and the
town's landmark.
A cup of coffee to kill time before the tourist
centre opened then we got a map and went exploring. It's a tiny town but there were a few sites to see mostly not
too far from the centre market square (Haupt-market). A beautiful square (as so many are) edged with pretty buildings
and loads of character and is home to Germany's oldest market cross (958) and
the 1595 St Peters Fountain.
There were a couple of old Roman bath sites, quite
large and seemingly still under excavation apart from one which was a little
more obvious and somewhat restored (but dates back to the 4th century).
St Peter's Cathedral (central part 4th century) which is the oldest bishop's church in Germany and houses the tunic of Christ (Holy Robe) and alongside it the earliest Gothic church in Germany (13th cent).
We passed the Throne Room of Emperor Constantine the
Great (4th century) - an ugly and huge building in the scheme of things, the
oldest Roman bridge north of the Alps with original pylons dating back to the
2nd century.
Trier was a really cute and characteristic town to
walk around and after spending a couple of hours exploring we were back on the
train to Luxembourg.
The afternoon was dedicated to exploring
Luxembourg's Wenzel Wall and Grund (the lower part of the city in a ravine). Historically the poor people lived in the lower part but now it
is one of the most expensive places to live. Luxembourg City is surrounded by huge walls a lot of which still
remain.
There are fantastic views of the place from almost
every vantage point as long as you're willing to climb up and down a lot of
stairs.
Some of the points
to note on the walking tour were the “Maierchen” or defensive bridge where you
can still see the wooden gates to stop people entering the city via the
canal.
Second gate,
Neimenster (now a meeting place for social events), lots of the Wenzel wall and
smaller Grund gates.
We walked the
Corniche and viewed the Castle Bridge which was built out of red sandstone in
1735 and replaced the original wooden bridge.
However the highlight of our walking tour was at the very end
when we reached the Casemates. These
were an immense underground military defence system, the first of which were
built under Spanish domination in 1644. At their peak the casemates and galleries were 23km long and had
the capacity to protect 35,000 people in the event of an alert or bombardment
(World Wars I and II). They could house
thousands of defenders with their equipment and horses, including artillery and
weapons workshops, kitchens, bakeries, slaughterhouses and other
infrastructures. After the
neutralisation of Luxembourg in 1867 the fortress was evacuated and was to be
dismantled. What was done took
16 years (reducing what remains to 17km) however because of its location under
the city the network could not be destroyed without damaging infrastructure. They have been open to the public since 1933 and are still a
hidden treasure to those interested enough to visit.
By the time we'd finished our exploration of Trier
and Luxembourg City it was time for dinner, we head back to the main square for
a Mexican meal. Then after a quick
supermarket visit we raced the rain home (which had finally given in) and spent
what was left of the evening booking and planning the next few days. This really is the part of travelling that people underestimate
- the keeping up with your photos and notes, the planning itineraries and
booking accommodation and transport etc - it all takes a huge amount of time
and although it isn't work it is the part that perhaps is less enjoyable. Lucky for us we are both pretty organised and efficient people
so the hours it takes us is really as short as it gets.
The following day we were back on the train to
Brussels, and then onto Ghent. We arrived ~2pm and
after finding the accommodation and settling in went out to explore. We are only here for one night so are determined to see a few
things and get a feel for the place.
Ghent is full of photogenic canals, medieval towers,
restaurants, cafes and museums. Its home to ~251,000
people and from a tourist perspective most of the sights are all within
strolling distance of each other. We started in Veerleplein (square) and the location of the old
fish market. It was given this
location in 1689 and has a huge gatehouse in the corner with statues showing
Neptune (sea God) watching over the rivers Scheldt (man) and Lys (woman).
Right across the road is the 12th century Castle of
the Counts. It is the only
remaining medieval fortress in Flanders (the area) with its defence system
still virtually intact. It comes with a
moat, turrets/towers and arrow slits (even medieval style toilets) and really
does look like you imagine a castle would. The fact that it is still here and intact is remarkable as it
was converted into a cotton mill in the 19th century. Thanks to the meticulous restoration work done Ghent still has
its castle and now a major tourist attraction as it houses a unique collection
of torture equipment and weapons. Climbing the castle towers gives you great views of the city and
inside the castle has the most amazing fireplaces. They are so huge they take up almost a
whole wall wherever they are placed, and there are a few - it snows here in the
winter.
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| Lesley in the fireplace |
Walking through the streets was amazing as they were
lined with incredible old buildings and so much charm. We walked through Graslei and Korenlei, the area which was
Ghents' inland medieval port lined with wonderful guild houses, One of which (Korenstapelhuis) dates back to 1200 and has the
oldest stepped gable in the world. They are quite something and the area is very much still the
heart of historic Ghent.
Next was St Michaels Church, a late Gothic church
that was started in 1440 but unbelievably not finished until 1825. From the bridge alongside there are great views towards the
"towers". First up is the
early 12th century St Nicholas, the protector of merchants and sailors - the
splendour of the building was meant to highlight the wealth and power of the
merchants.
Second tower was the Belfry (14th century). It's a Unesco listed building and was built as a symbol of
freedom, power and prosperity. They often housed
the city's archives and vaults so were often the safest places in the city. Ghent's Belfry is topped by a dragon which is now the city's
symbol.
The final tower along our walk was St Bavo's
Cathedral. The oldest parish
church in Ghent it was built on the site of a previous church dating back to
the 10th century, however this building is 1559 when the church officially became
Ghent's cathedral.
On the way back the light was changing which was
really pretty and the buildings are even more eye catching. Statues atop buildings stand out with the backlight of the
setting sun and you can't help but admire the beauty of buildings built in the
age before modernisation.
We had a lovely relaxed dinner in the square by home
(Vrijdag Markt), seemingly in the only "busy" restaurant around the
square (and a nice outdoor heater to take advantage of), contemplated our quick
Ghent visit and readied ourselves for moving again tomorrow.
The next day we were off by train again (this train
travel is great) and we arrived at our accommodation in Ypres just before 1pm. During WWI Ypres
(pronounced eepr) was bombarded into oblivion (that is completely flattened)
while futile (and now famous) battles raged between trench networks in the
surrounding poppy fields. Today they have
rebuilt their "medieval" city and the battlefields (called Ypres
Salient) are a memorial and a permanent reminder of the horrors of war). Knowing this it is very hard to believe this place is less than
100 years old as it looks like it has been here for centuries.
Ypres is tiny (population ~35,000) so easily
walkable and we centred ourselves off their main square "Grote
Markt". The main building
"Lakenhallen" is a reconstruction of the 13th century cloth market
and it dominates the main square. It also is home to the museum "In Flanders Fields"
Before we ventured in there we took the short walk
to Menin Gate. This famous huge
stone gateway is the town's main memorial site and is inscribed with 55,000
"lost" British and Commonwealth WWI troops whose bodies were never
found.
(There are actually 90,000 and there is another
memorial outside of the city with the remaining 35,000). At the gate they hold a memorial service with the "last
post" every night at 8pm so we will be back.
Just behind the Lakenhallen is St Martin's Church. The original construction started on the church in 1230, and was
finished in 1370. There had previously been a church in the area, dating from the 10th or 11th century. The church was officially Ypres' cathedral from 1561 to 1801
(the difference being that a cathedral is the designated principal church
within a diocese) but after WWI the little that was left had to be completely
removed.
The church was rebuilt following the original plans,
although it has a slightly taller spire now.
We headed into the museum around 4pm thinking 2 hours would be plenty as it shut as 6pm (we found out we were wrong about that!). The museum is extremely well done taking you through all aspects
of the war, the tragedies, personal stories, soldiers, nurses, doctors and
ordinary people. There are numerous
relics like weapons and clothing amongst a multitude of other things. It was obviously very moving and we made it through about 2/3rds
before getting the "signals" to leave.
After planning to do a day trip out into the
Flanders fields tomorrow we decided to go for a walk around the town. It didn't take long as the place is small but it was very
picturesque. We headed to
Rijselspoort (Lille Gate) where one of many cemeteries is located. Everywhere you go in this town there are signs pointing you to
one or more of the almost 150 Commonwealth cemeteries in the wider area.
From the gate we walked the other way along the
ramparts just taking in the sights and serene location. A few runners and walkers joined us and before we knew it we
were back at Menin gate having circled half the city.
We decided to stay out and find somewhere for a drink and dinner before the memorial service and whilst we were there we could see the hordes of people walking by as much as an hour before the service was due to start to get a "spot". We headed down around 7.45pm and as much as we didn't have a front row standing spot we could easily hear and feel the service. The tradition of this moving service began in 1928, and it starts with buglers (always from the fire department) playing the last post. Every evening can be different depending on who turns up, but there is prayer, a minute of silence, wreath laying and anthems sung. Two of the fire departments buglers have just retired (one at 91) so they are in the process of training two new firemen to add to the contingent.
The following day we decided to head back to the
museum to finish what we started. Little did we know that the last third was the most emotional. Name after name of those that perished, examples of grave types,
pictures of those maimed, and to top it off to prove the world didn't learn a
thing, a list of tragedies - wars, genocides, civil wars etc. that have
happened since. Even putting these
notes together is a fight against tears - will humanity ever learn?
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| Remains of Ypres Cloth Market building and Square after the War |
On a brighter note just after we left the museum we
met Jack, our tour guide for the afternoon. What a treasure of a man - he has lived and breathed this
history all his life, has met numerous veterans and has no end of personal
stories to share. As much as you would
think they are all sad, most were quite uplifting. We were with him for several hours but could have listened to
him for a week!
Our first stop was Essex Farm. The cemetery here was established next to an advanced dressing
station (ADS) which was operational from 1915 to 1918. Quite often cemeteries were located next to medical tents for
obvious reasons. The ADS was set up
by the Canadian Field Artillery and the now famous Lieutenant Colonel John
McCrae MD was located there. Dr McCrae wrote the
war poem "In Flanders Fields" after witnessing the burial of his best
friend.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
There are 1,204 graves here, 104 of which are
unidentified. This is the first
real "war" cemetery we've seen in that the graves are not all
uniformly spaced or facing the same direction. The headstones are placed exactly where the bodies were
originally placed, in the direction that they were facing. There are also groups of headstones very close together where
comrades all died at the hands of the same shell or battle, on the same day. A notable gravestone is that of a 15 year old boy - as his
brother was already in the army he convinced his mother to let him join. He lasted less than 12 months and did not reach his 16th
birthday. This kind of reality
is nothing short of extremely heart-breaking, and every gravestone has a story
of a life not long lived.
The ADS was originally timber dug outs within a
trench that was later concreted. The saying the soldiers had for these trenches and conditions
was "we lived like rats & smelt like pigs" which gives you a
pretty good indication of how horrific it was. It is certainly no wonder that they don't talk about these
things after the fact.
From here we headed towards some of the memorials
and on the way we drove through the fields that were the home to many battles
and thousands of soldiers. At the time of the
war it rained a lot and most of it was bog, to the point where lots of soldiers
actually drowned. The area is still
home to many thousands of bodies not yet found as well as a multitude of other
things - shrapnel, bits of guns and other fighting instruments - to the point
where even today the yearly "iron harvest" is on average 240 tonnes
of war refuge. One of Jack's mates
(a farmer) was digging up his field a few years ago and after finding 100
artillery shells thought he should ring someone - they found ~750 by the time
they were finished. This is the local’s
reality even today.
We went on to the Welsh memorial site where a red
dragon takes pride of place and then on to the German cemetery at
"Langemarck". There are four mass
grave German cemeteries in Flanders, this one holding up to 45,000 souls. They are quite different to the Commonwealth cemeteries in that
the headstones are flat and dark in colour often with multiple names on each
and there are dark grey crosses scattered in groups of three. It's quite a solemn look in comparison.
Next was the St Julien memorial (Canadian) - or more
commonly called the "Brooding Soldier". It represents the 18,000 Canadians that went to battle here and
of course the ~6,000 casualties. This memorial, as well as another French one we visited, were
the sites of the first German gas attacks - an absolutely horrific and at the
time unexpected weapon of war.
From here it was more close to home as we visited
the NZ Memorial "Gravenstafel". Here the Kiwi's took part in the Battle of Broodseinde on the 4th
October 1917 and victoriously took the ridge called Gravenstafel Spur
overwhelming the German forward positions and capturing 1,100 prisoners (at a
cost of 1,700 casualties including 350 deaths). The British concluded as a result of this being so
"easy" that the enemy was faltering so ordered the Kiwi's to push for
Passchendaele Ridge on the 12th of October.
However by then the German lines had been replenished, the Flanders
terrain was a muddy bog and artillery support had become ineffective. The futile attack resulted in NZ's greatest disaster with 845
killed and another 2,700 wounded. The Canadians who took over from the NZ division later took
Passchendaele at a cost of 16,000 lives.
Our next stop was Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves
Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing, where the other 35,000 lost souls are
named.
Tyne Cot is the largest Commonwealth Cemetery in the
world, for any war; with 11,956 burials (8,369 are unnamed).
It is quite unreal here - there are headstones that just
go on and on and have what is now a beautiful backdrop, of the land that housed
the war that killed them. The cemetery itself
is beautiful and the Cross of Sacrifice that marks Commonwealth War Graves
Cemeteries is built on top of a German pill box in the centre of the cemetery
(apparently at the suggestion of King George V). This is a quote from his speech in 1922:
We can truly say that the whole circuit of the Earth is girdled
with the graves of our dead. In the course of my pilgrimage, I have many times
asked myself whether there can be more potent advocates of peace upon Earth
through the years to come, than this massed multitude of silent witnesses to
the desolation of war.
— King George V, 11 May 1922
— King George V, 11 May 1922
Our last stop for the day was Hill 62 (Sanctuary
Wood).
Mainly a museum but it still has maintained trenches
and artillery shell holes out the back to view, of course these are not as deep
as they once were as nature tries to heal its wounds. The museum was again a stark reminder of the horrors of war with
thousands of photos to view. Thankfully we didn't
have time to view them all as it would have been a bit much, what we saw was
enough to know this should never happen again.
One of the more amazing of Jack's stories was about
"Harry" Patch (real name Henry John Patch). Harry was the oldest surviving combat soldier from WWI and
visited Flanders in 2009 when he was 109 years old (he died aged 111). You could tell from Jack's stories that he was really taken with
the old vets and explained how they had trouble revisiting certain places (some
they wouldn't go to at all). Harry went back to
put a memorial on the spot where he lost his friends (and was also injured
himself). The amazing thing
about these people is that after all they've seen they are even more determined
to enjoy life and live every day to the fullest. They never forget though, and neither shall we.
Back in town again we headed indoors for a while before venturing out to the Menin gate memorial service (this time we were early so we did have front row positions). The ceremony was just as moving; this time we could see the buglers which was nice. It's amazing how so many people can be so quiet when the moment requires it.
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| Jack (our guide) leading the Memorial Service |
We left numerous NZ RSA poppies in a number of
different memorial spots while we were in Ypres and although we already had
respect for those that lived and fought through the war, we have much more of
that and a better understanding now. Like Harry quote says "to me, it's a license to go out and
murder" (war that is)... that is not ok.
Ypres itself is an inspiring place - the fact that
they have rebuilt their city to its former glory and have tasked themselves
with making sure no-one forgets is a true credit to them. Long may that continue. "Lest we Forget"
On our way to Bruges the next day and after a couple
of trains, a bus then a short walk we made it to our accommodation. A great room in an 18th century building and another great
location - easy walking distance to the main squares.
First was Brug Square where the City Hall resides. Built from 1376 to 1421 it is one of the oldest city halls in
the entire historic Netherlands region. Its opulence speaks to the city's economic and political power
at the time.
Then to the main Markt Square in the heart of the
city.
The two main buildings are the 12th century Belfry
and the Provincial Court. In the centre of the
square stands the 1887 statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter
de Coninck, seen as patriotic heroes for their
passion for their Flemish identity.
It is also home to the tombs of Charles the Bold
(the last Valois Duke of Burgundy) and his daughter, the duchess Mary.
The church is immense and beautiful from the
outside, particularly troublesome to try and get a photo of though - although
wandering the streets around it gave us plenty to look at. The buildings along the canals are beautiful and some we saw
dating easily to the early 1600's.
Beginhof was our next point of call. Dating from the 13th century it still houses a convent of Benedictine
nuns. The surrounding area was really
pretty as it lies alongside a canal and a 1776 gateway bridge. Must be a nice place as the ducks and swans have also taken up
residence!
Through a lovely peaceful park and on towards the Gentpoort
gate, originally part of the city's defensive walls and then to the most
photographed spot in Bruges - Rozenhoedkaai. It's a romantic spot where two rivers meet and simply due to the
'prettiness' attracts loads of tourists trying to get the perfect shot.
Almost done we headed to our last "viewing
point" for the day - the former Hanseatic quarter (a commercial
confederation of market guilds and their market towns). It really is just a spot to check out the buildings (which are
all so cute and photogenic) and there is also a statue here of Van Eyck.
We were done, and had walked our legs off so headed
home for a bit before venturing out a bit later for Japanese (which was really
good).
Our last night in
Belgium, we have really enjoyed our time here. Yet another amazing country filled with history that is worth
the time and effort.
What we will remember about Belgium:
The roof lines
Beer varieties
Frites (Belgium’s famous fries)
Waffles
Historic buildings
Cemeteries
Memorials
Respect
The destruction
Canals
Churches
Cobbles (some of the worst yet) |
| Waffles on a stick! |
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