Amsterdam

We left Bruges at 10:00 and went by train to Amsterdam.  

We had to transfer once in Brussels.  

It took a bit to find our B&B which was only a 15 minute walk from the train station however when you're pulling luggage over cobblestones it felt like an hour.  We dump our suitcases and head out for a cold beer in the square.  The selection of beer is nothing like we had in Belgium :(.

Everywhere we look people are smoking pot and partying.  Not sure if this because it's Friday night or not.  Crazy!  It makes me feel so old.....just inhale deeply and perhaps I can ride along???  

Paddle boarding on the canals?  A little eye candy???

We then go for supper.  Mmmmmm....ribs at an Argentina restaurant and then we walk to the north side of the city to visit the Van Gogh Museum which is open until 10:00 pm.  We don't even get lost in this maze of canals!

A china bunny representing Delft.

Bicycles are definitely the way to get around but before I'd try that in Amsterdam I'd have to brush up on my bike skills.  Just trying to walk here is difficult as you have to watch for trams, bicycles and cars!!

The museum is 3 floors and we are getting so tired of walking.  The museum really covers the life of Van Gogh.  It was short...he was 37 when he committed suicide.

My buddy?  Van Gogh and me....

We thought we would be able to get a 'tuc tuc' for the ride home however there were none to be found.  We walked 3/4 of the way and finally found one to take us the rest of the way.  She was so sweet.

The streets are crowded with people having late dinners and drinking (and smoking dope!). So glad to get back 'home' and get to bed.  This is around 10:00 pm.  It stays light quite late.

Ghent

Today Marlene and I took a 30 minute train ride from Bruges to Ghent.  

This town was one of the most important in Europe from 1000 to 1550.  By the end of the sixteenth century though things were sliding downhill as Ghent lost its access to the sea.  Two centuries later things picked up when the city's university was founded and Ghent became a seaport again.

Luckily Ghent was spared any serious damage from the two world wars so it's historical heritage remained intact.

Like Bruges, the canal system makes for a picture perfect setting.

The cathedral.

One of the must sees of the city is 'The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb'.  This is on display in the cathedral.

This is the Castle of the Counts.  It was also used as a prison.  We toured it and the most interesting part was the display of tools used for torture!  Pretty grim...

The view of Ghent from the ramparts of the castle.

And of course a perfect way to finish the day before heading back to Bruges for dinner.  We leave Bruges tomorrow morning for Amsterdam.

A day in Bruges

There is so much to see in Bruges that Marlene and I decided to complete a few of the things we wanted to see today.  There is a walk outlined in the Bruges travel book that we decide to follow.  It covers more of the area outside of the main part of Bruges and will take us by a few windmills by the Damse Vaart Canal.  

We start by the statue of one of the famous artists of Bruges, Jan Van Eyck.

and continue walking beside the canal....it's just so picturesque...every corner is a new photo op!

We reach the outer canal and proceed down the path...shade trees overhead and the wind is blowing.

One of the windmills still here.  There were originally more than 30.  "How big Marlene?"

Lunch at Verloren Hoek (the lost corner).  Lovely neighbourhood but back in the 19th century the police wouldn't even set foot in this area due to its bad reputation.

The entrance to the Beguinage (a monastery)

The convent where the nuns live.  The court yard is so peaceful.  Lovely to walk in.  Note the tree houses.  These were built as a form of art and whimsy?

Gorgeous!

And finally dinner...my long awaited pot of mussels...served with fries and a glass of white wine!  Yum!

And what I didn't take a picture of was the fresh warm waffle with strawberries and whip cream that we purchased for desert on our way back to the bus...good thing we're doing so much walking.  Sooooo....good!

Flanders Fields

Today we went on a day tour to Flanders.  My belief up until this point was that Flanders Field was just an area called Flanders where poppies grew.  Well I stand corrected.

Flanders is a large region which is the Flemish region of northern Belgium.  It's huge.  What we were touring today were monuments from World War I.  An area around a beautiful town called Ypres. (Pronounced Epreh).  We saw so many cemeteries and monuments.  I have only posted a few.

The four years of war (1914-1918) was appalling.  The death rate staggering.  250,000 German deaths and 250,000 Allied troops in this area alone.  Canada played a part in this war and we visited the memorial.

The Canadian War Memorial.  Canadian soil was actually brought in and Canadian trees planted.

 

Our tour guide showing an us an unexploded shell (has been disarmed).  These and many other objects were left behind from the war and reek havoc for the farmers.  They say it will be another 100 years before the area is cleared.  One of the worst things was the gas warfare.  The remnants of mustard gas still affects people today.  It gets into the soil.

Just a fraction of the graves.  Some marked, some not.  Some soldiers were buried together in groups.  Identification was a problem as their dog tags were usually leather or cardboard.  Even if they used metal it was very cheap and was not durable.

The grave of an unidentified Canadian soldier.

One of the most fierce battles, as it changed hands several times, was Hill60.  Huge explosives were used in tunnels dug beneath the German lines.  When they set off the explosives it could be felt all the way to London.

Some of the uneven ground at Hill60.  Peaceful looking now!  This is like a mass grave.  It is preserved so that it will never change.  Thousands of bodies still lie here under the "Hill".

Beautiful horse wondering what we're all doing.

An Allied bunker on Hill60.

Marlene down in the trenches.  Back during the war these were filled with water and clay mud making life in the trenches miserable.  They had terrible weather which made it all the worse.

Poppies growing.  There are very few.  For some reason they don't grow like they used to.

We visited the medical bunker where John McRae worked as a surgeon.  The day after losing his best friend to the war at this bunker John wrote the poem that is so famous today.

Back in Ypres.  What a lovely town.  It was completely destroyed during World War I.  Unfortunately the museum was closed by the time we finished our tour but we got to see a private museum along the way which was really informative.

It was a long day so we stopped for a beer.  This time I decide to try a beer only made in Bruges.  The Bruges Zot!  Was good....a little light for my taste!

And then a delicious dinner of Flemish stew.  This is a Belgium specialty....so are the fries!

This is the Menin Gate.  We return to the gate at 8 pm for the last post.  This is done every night!  Very moving.