Ypres, a town rebuilt

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We spent 3 days in this charming town: Ypres in French, Ieper in Flemish. I have heard that the British pronounced it "Wipers"! We like the Grote Markt, the main square, where there is always some activity going on, ie. markets, musical concerts, street drama, demonstrations. Most of the town was destroyed in the First World War. Buildings, such as the Cloth Hall and the Cathedral, were reconstructed to their original state--an amazing accomplishment. We attended the Last Post twice at the Menin Gate. This moving ceremony has been performed by buglers every evening at 8pm, since 1927* when the Gate was inaugurated as a memorial to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient area during WW1 and were never found. Their names are engraved on the walls. *For the years during WW 2 when the Germans occupied Ypres, the last post was performed elsewhere.

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