I thought about visiting Brugee in Northern Belgium but for some reason, I wanted a break from historic buildings and architecture. As I was surfing things to do in Belgium, about 1 hour from Brugee, I noticed a piece of history which I have heard about however never thought I would go there. So I got into my car, drove 2.5 hours and decided today to visit...Ypres.
If you don't know much about Ypres, it is the town where the battle of Passchendaele on the Western Front was fought in World War I. The town of Ypres is on the western side of Flanders. I went to the Tyne Cot Memorial Cemetery - it is an amazing place. It is in the countryside of Zonnebeke and up on a hillside overlooking the surrounding valley. See the photos below.
As you see, the memorial wall is very large and it hold the names of all the soldiers lost in the various battles found in this area between 1917-1918. There were approximately 12,000 soldiers who lost their lives fighting buried here, where over 8,000 are unnamed and 100 are unknown. The memorial is for soldiers from New Zealand, Australia, Britain, and Canada.
The Cross of Sacrifice
About 5-minutes from the Tyne Cot, is the Passchendaele Memorial Museum.
When you travel about 15-minutes North, you come to the St. Juliaan Memorial or as it is known the Vancouver Corner (the Canadian Memorial for those who participated in the 2nd battle of Ypres). The statue, "The Brooding Soldier" is 11 metres tall and can be seen for miles. There is also a small park surrounding it.
I also visited the "Trench of Death" which is located about 35-minutes from Zonnebeke. It is located near the town of Diksmuide.
If I had more time, I would have done the entire "Poppy Trail" - There are tons of monuments and historically significant sites to visit here. So many Canadians lost their lives here a hundred years ago and it was worthwhile to see this historic area.
Until later..........Mary
