Belgium

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

The guns of the First World War still drown out the songs of larks after a hundred years. Bombs, mortars and shells are ploughed up every day by farmers and construction workers. Some explode; killing and maiming. Millions of unexploded munitions, a third containing lethal poison gas, lie beneath these seemingly peaceful fields in Flanders…

Piles of recovered munitions are left by the roadsides for collection by bomb disposal teams, (and unofficial relic hunters) and it is estimated that it will take another hundred years before the all clear is finally given.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

More than a hundred war cemeteries dot the landscape around the small city of Ypres, but many of the dead were never found; their bodies blown to smithereens or swallowed into the thick mud churned up by millions of shells. The Menin gate in Ypres bears the names of fifty five thousand Commonwealth soldiers who were never found, but it is just one of many such memorials...

In a moving daily ceremony since the 1920s, the Last Post has been sounded here more than 30,000 times by the Ypres firemen to honour the men of Britain, Canada and the Commonwealth, who fought for the freedom of Belgium.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Canadian doctor John McCrae wrote his epic wartime poem “In Flanders Fields” in this dressing station following the burial of a good friend precisely 100 years ago …

On the 22nd April 1915, the Canadian 1st Division was stationed near the village of Saint Julien, at a place now named Vancouver Corner, when the German Army unleashed the war’s first poison gas attack. The 1st Division was decimated. This statue known as ‘The Brooding Soldier’ was erected in memorium on land which has been given to Canada in perpetuity…

The medieval city of Ypres was totally destroyed during the 4 years of trench warfare, but its iconic buildings were faithfully restored after the war using the original 15th century plans. This is the magnificent Wool Hall…

The war to end all wars, in which some 50 million people died, was simply the starting point of an endless series of wars, and as Remembrance Day approaches we know that there are all too many in the world who are willing to repeat the dreadful mistakes of the past. Perhaps those warmongers and haters would learn a lesson here in Flanders Fields – but perhaps they would not.

In many historic city centres outside of North America the once almighty automobile has been relegated to the gutters and public transport is king. Drivers of cars are treated as pariahs who endanger pedestrians and cyclists and foul both the iconic views and the atmosphere of architectural wonders like Ghent in Belgium...

During the middle-ages Ghent was twice the size of London and, with its neighbour Bruges, was at the heart of world trade. Here is the City Hall and seen as it might have been in the 15th century without a car in sight …

While the auto – obsessed taxpayers of Vancouver recently voted overwhelmingly against paying to improve public transit, and demonstrate loudly against any attempts to increase amenities for cyclists and pedestrians, they are sadly out of step with most of the civilised world. Fast, frequent and relatively inexpensive trains link most communities in Europe. This is the smart electric train that sped us from Bruges to Ghent in 30 minutes for just 6 euros ($9 Cdn) return…

The canals of both Bruges and Ghent are maritime highways allowing goods and tourists to be whisked into the cities' hearts without clogging the roads…

The roads and plazas of the city centres are reserved for cyclists, pedestrians and horse drawn carriages…

And large cycle parks have replaced car parks in many places…

While some cities like London have restricted vehicular access by charging a daily fee, others have simply banned private cars altogether. The centre of Ghent is almost entirely free of traffic other than the electric trams that slip silently through the pedestrian friendly streets…
This vintage tram is passing the famous Castle of the Counts, built by Count Philip of Alsace in 1180 AD…

While this sleek modern tram is whisking its passengers past the medieval halls in Ghent’s market square…

History abounds in these north European cities and can be appreciated so much more without the noise, pollution and inconvenience of infernal combustion engines. We live in hopes of the day when North American city dwellers wake up to the smell of roses and not the stench of gas-guzzlers.

The architecture of the ancient Flemish city of Bruges is simply stunning. Street after street of antique brick, stone and stucco houses, in many cases facing onto a network of canals, evoke strong memories of Amsterdam. The facades of the old buildings are strikingly similar to those of the Dutch capital…

Bruges is an historian’s sandbox. Three thousand five hundred years ago it was a gateway to the Amber Road (a forerunner of the Silk Road); the Romans fortified it 2,000 years ago; it was the richest trading port in the world in the 13th century; English kings. Edward IV, Richard III and Charles II, all sought safe exile here; and William Caxton printed the world’s first English book here in 1473. Here are some more buildings dating from those medieval times…

Bruges has also been at the very heart of European spinning, weaving and lace-making since the 14th. Century. however, today, Bruges is apparently best known as the graveyard of good intentions. Take a close look at all the buildings above and see what they have in common. Here are some more…

Yep – every single one is a chocolate shop. There are more than 40 shops dedicated solely to selling chocolate in Bruges, while a similar number sell chocolates in addition to other forms of confectionery. Add to them the supermarkets and corner stores with confectionary counters and it is clear to see why dieticians just hate Bruges. Hardcore chocolate addicts and members of CA (Chocoholics Anonymous) would be well advised to stay away, although the prices might put them off…

Almost every other shop sells chocolates. Those that don’t sell confectionery in one from or another sell beer, fries and waffles. Not since we unwittingly arrived in Perugia in the midst of the Eurochocolate exhibition in 2011 have we been so stuffed. But, for your sake dear reader, we steeled ourselves to skip the chocolates and shun the beer and chips for a few hours to bring you views of some of Bruges’ wonderful Gothic buildings… like the 300 foot tall Belfry with its carillon of 47 bells…

…the spectacular vaulted ceiling of the City Hall dating from 1507…

…this enormous 500 year old fireplace in the old Law Courts…

and the beautiful mansions that line the canals in this charming city…

Ah - What sacrifices we make for your enlightenment and delight!

It takes exactly two hours to scoot from the centre of London to the heart of Europe on a Eurostar high speed train through the Channel Tunnel, so we had lunch in London and dinner in Brussels, the administrative centre of the European Union. The kingdom of Belgian was in the past one of the world’s great colonial powers and its previous glory can still be seen in its grand plazas and opulent architecture…

The enormous gothic buildings surrounding the Grand Plaza in Brussels were built at the end of the seventeenth century to replace the earlier wooden ones that Louis XIV’s French army destroyed. Many of the city’s wide boulevards and winding cobblestone streets date from the seventeen hundreds, though many have earlier roots. Also dating back in time are the artistic skills which has made this nation the centre of lace and tapestry making for centuries. This Brussels tapestry dates from the mid fifteen hundreds…

But we are not just here for the history and the architecture – we are here for the beer…

Belgian beer is world renowned and here there are more than 1,500 different labels on offer. An arctic chill has swept over northern Europe so we need no excuse to sit in a warm bar and try as many beers as we can…

This is the most iconic Belgian beer. It has been made by Trappist monks in Westmalle Monastery for more than 200 years and is strong enough to knock over a donkey. But Brussels isn’t just famous for its beer. There are the cones of sizzling French Fries, (or should they be called Belgian Fries?), smothered in creamy mayonnaise – no Yankee ketchup here…

And there are delicious fresh waffles piled high with all manner of decadent toppings…

Although there are waffle-makers on almost every corner in Brussels they can’t compete with the sheer number of chocolatiers...

All these old tools are actually edible confectionary…

Brussels is a chocoholics nirvana, with shop-loads of sweet temptations every few metres.
However, by the time we had waded through buckets of beer and a ton of chips and waffles, we could only manage a little chocolate – but there is always tomorrow.

No matter the weather, every visitor to Brussels has to visit its most famous symbol – an icon of such stature that it appears on every tourist guide and piece of city literature. It is such a revered emblem of Brussels that it can be compared to the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. It is, of course, the mannequin a pis…

Yes – it is a small statue of a young boy taking a pee. And it is small; so small that most first timers say, “Really - Is that it?” Yes – that is it; just 18 inches tall; stuck in the corner of a backstreet. And no one really knows why it’s there – maybe it was just a clever marketing gimmick by the waffle shop across the road that got out of hand.