Ghent's Saint Bavo Cathedral

Doh!  Remind me to never post cryptic messages on my blog again.

At least not without explaining in full to my mom first.  I woke up to three emails demanding details.  

It's nothing really.  We're moving house in London soon and

are REALLY looking forward to less than a 3 hour commute each day.

Y'all seemed to really like the Ghent photographs.

Thanks for the comments and social media love.

It's a fantastic place and you have to go there!

Here are a few more pics from the Saint Bavo Cathedral.

Visiting a massive gothic cathedral just never gets old, does it?

I hope you all are having a wonderful week.

I'm so enjoying this beautiful London weather and the long days are good for my soul.

Where is your favorite cathedral?

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Ghent in Photos

Still a bit lost for words, but got some news that could potentially change things.

How's that for cryptic?  I'll keep you posted as I know more.

In the mean time, here are some photos from Ghent, Belgium.

It doesn't really need words.  What an incredible city?!?

We almost decided against popping over from Bruges on the train,

but I'm so glad that we did.  It's straight out of a fairytale.

Probable the most picturesque European city I've seen so far.

Doesn't our lunch look divine?

Best meal-eaten-while-sitting-in-the-sun-people-watching-in-a-gorgeous-city EVER!

What city reminds you a a fairy tale?

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Bruges in Photos

You know those days when you have a million things that you should do?

You plan all day how productive you're going to be once you get home from work.

Then you get home, shoes and bra off before you're even fully in the door.

And then you watch 6 episodes of Orange is the New Black and drink wine.

While wrapped up in your woobie.  And scarfing chinese take out.

That.

Here are some photos from our weekend in Bruges, Belgium.

   

 

  And I call myself a travel blogger.  I'm so sorry I don't have much to say today.

I hope the photos show the true loveliness of Bruges.

Belgium is one of my favorite European countries and always gives me a special moment.
I will never forget walking back to the hotel and seeing the canals at night.
 

The black water was perfectly still.
A crystal clear mirror reflecting the beautiful architecture of the city.
I felt like I could dive right in and fly to the rooftops.

 Have you seen Bruges at night?

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Ypres - a City of Peace

Our Easter trip was a bit of an odd combination of the serious and the silly.  We started with visits to some war memorials and ended with two days of drinking Champagne.  After taking the EuroTunnel to France we drove on to stay overnight in the Belgium town of Ieper, also know by the French name Ypres.  We were only there for a short time.  But, I definitely want to return and explore the fascinating history of the area in more detail.  

Ypres is a charming Belgian town with cobblestone streets and medieval spires surrounding a welcoming central square.  At first glance, you would never know that this picturesque town was completely decimated during World War I.   For four years between 1914 and 1918, this city was on the front line, surrounded by Germans on three sides and defended by French and British forces. 

This region was the scene for some of the bloodiest battles in history.  Ypres sustained four years of concentrated warfare and constant bombardment.  This is also the place where chemical warfare was used for the very first time.  Another name for Mustard Gas is Yperite because this is where is was first used in 1917.   Ypres and the surrounding area is dotted with museums, memorials, cemeteries and battlefields.  

But, that isn't the end of the story.  After this city was left a pile of rubble, the people returned and brick by brick restored their city to its former glory.  Some said it should just be left as it was, a dark memorial to a devastating war.  But, the inhabitants didn't have time to debate the issue.  They wanted their home back. 

The Cloth Hall in the photo above was originally built in the 13th century.  In the medieval period, it was one of the most important international centers of the cloth trade in Europe.  It was rebuilt as close to its original design as possible.  It is now home to the In Flanders Fields Museum.

This museum tells the story of the Great War using the faces and voices of real people.  It's a state-of-the-art interactive museum.  Admission is 8 euros and the poppy bracelet is one additional euro.  You use the poppy bracelet to access personal stories throughout the the museum that are selected based on your age. 

Walking through the museum is a very moving experience.  They've done an impressive job of pulling together museum pieces, photographs, paraphernalia, weapons, uniforms, music, literature, poetry, maps and video to tell an incredible story from many different angles. 

As you leave, you pass under red and white banners that list every single war across the globe.  The museum shares the human experience of war with the mission of preventing it from happening over and over. 

I was also very proud to find a special exhibit dedicated to the role that America and Herbert Hoover played in feeding and providing for the people of war torn Belgium through the Commission for Relief in Belgium.  The CRB fed thousands Belgians through their volunteer work. 

On the site of an old medieval gate, there now stands the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing which opened in 1927.  More than half a million Allied soldiers died in this area during World War I.  This gate is in memory of those whose bodies were never found.  The gate is covered in panel after panel containing the names of 54,896 British and Commonwealth soldiers that died in the Ypres Salient between the start of the war and August of 1917.  The massive structure is covered on every side in names and it still isn't big enough to hold them all.  An additional 34,000 who perished after that date are recorded elsewhere. 

Every evening at 8pm since the monument opened, buglers from the local fire brigade and the Last Post Committee play the "Last Post" in a traditional final salute to the fallen. 

The stories of Ypres from not even 100 years ago draw you in once you start exploring them.  So many voices from the past can be heard if you listen closely.  The Ypres that you visit today is a beautiful European town.  But, they haven't forgotten the stories of their past and are determined to share them so that we never forget.  Ypres is now known as a "City of Peace."

Our next stop... Luxembourg.  

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