Jule's Hikoi: Belgium

It's been a bit busy lately with trips to London to see Kate and her mum and sister over from New Zealand. A lovely reunion of family over a tasty meal and a wander around that city I enjoy so much. I find the trains and Undergound so much easier the more I use them, and the Trainline app helps with tickets and journey maps. Kate and co were heading onwards to Italy, to Venice to celebrate Kate's birthday in style.

My next trip was to check out an education fair, finding my way in a new part of London. Finding the best coffee, twice, made the day go well! Didn't quite get the footwear right, vanity over practicality, so my back and feet suffered for the next day or so. I have now purchased a pair of proper walking boots, ones suitable for the next few adventures and for summer expeditions to Wales and the moors. They make a big difference and are not ugly. I'm a bit fussy about my footwear!

Last week was one spent well in Belgium and France. Exploring transport and accommodation options for three of us rather than just me was interesting. Flying was expensive, the Eurostar was too. The Eurostar won out for sheer convenience and off we set first thing on the train to St Pancras, with the news Heathrow had computer problems and flights had been cancelled, phew good choice to train. The trip was lovely, across English and French countryside, under the channel to Lille.

Car hire at Lille was not the best. I had the wrong license and had to talk my way out of a young driver penalty as I'd not had my Aussie one long enough. Rookie mistake! Driving on the left for the first time in a while was fun, more fun for me than my passengers I suspect. Fancy giving me a car with gears as well, what were they thinking! AirBnB came to the party with the loveliest base in Ipre, Apartment Aurora. An apartment with the best outside area for late afternoon relaxation in the sun. Very much needed after days exploring, driving and being driven. There was also free parking close by.

So we were set for a week of battlefield and history tours, laying wreaths at the Menin Gate and heading off for some light entertainment in Bruges. Claude is the best tour guide and he took us to the places we wanted to go plus a few other places as well. I'd been there before so some of it was revisiting with someone knowledgeable, other places were new to me and the stories were amazing. Personal. So many New Zealanders left behind, and so many Germans too. Langemark Cemetery was sobering. All the remains interred there not at rest, not welcomed for their part in the devastation of the countryside. Remains of husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, uncles, friends. A sad place, a very large place with remains sharing gravestones and interred in The Kameraden Grab (Comrades Grave) for the thousands of unidentified dead being brought into this cemetery.

We were all quiet, reflective, at the end of the day. Wandering to the Menin Gate to experience the daily commemorations was appropriate. It was freezing, emotional and packed with people watching in silence and bowing their heads as the last post rang out over the town. Wandering back we came across a fenced off piece near some excavations. It seems they uncovered an old canal and human remains so work is stopped for now. Fascinating to see what lies not too far below the surface.

Tuesday saw more exploration after a much needed sleep in. The Memorial Museum Passchendaele at Zonnebeke didn't disappoint. I had visited in 2013 and remembered the small girl with us was quite afraid walking through the closed in trenches. There are many soldiers and nationalities represented in this lovely old mansion with stories told of the tough war time.

The next day we were warred out so my long planned return trip to Bruges was on the agenda. Part two follows. Here are some pics.