On My Own

---

Well, everyone from the short couse left yesterday, so today I decided to see a new town. Got up this morning and hit an open air market for coffee and a pastry. Wandered around Gent for a while and then went to another market for a half dozen oysters and a glass of wine. Then I hopped a train to Ieper (Dutch, Ypres in French), which was where some very significant fighting took place during WWI. Unfortunately the "In Flanders Fields"museum was closed until February, but I still saw St. Martin's Cathedral, the Menin Gate which is a monument listing the names of the 54,000+ British soldiers who died at Ypres and whose bodies were not found, and walked about halfway around the fortified walls of the city (it was a long walk). Took the train back to Gent and had a relatively cheap, but delicious, steak dinner. I capped off the night with a Westmalle Dubbel (a nice trappist beer I've grown rather fond of over the last two weeks) at Waterhuis aan de Bierkant. Overall, a very pleasant first day on my own in Belgium.

---

Photos

What are These People Waiting For?
Why are these people standing outside on a cold Sunday morning? See the next photo for your answer.

For Wine and Oysters
Every Sunday in the Kouter Market in Gent, you can get oysters and wine at an outdoor stand. Wonderful.

Flower Market
Another view of the Kouter Market. Even in winter they have the flower market every Sunday.

The Belfry of Ypres
Yet another huge old building. The WWI museum is housed in this building, but unfortunately it was closed when I went. Guess I'll just have to go back.

The Menin Gate
"To the armies of the British Empire who stood here from 1914 to 1918 and to those of their dead who have no known grave"

The Menin Gate
"Here are recorded names of officers and men who fell in Ypres salient but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death"

The Fortified Walls
Ypres is a well fortified city with steep, high walls surrounded by a moat.

Ypres Reservoir Cemetery
Their name liveth for evermore

Comments

[Mom]

Ieper
Would like to go there, see the WWI stuff and eat some of those oysters and drink wine - how far from Brussels??