Belgium

Week 36 — April 19th - May 9th (Sally).

Péronne was a great base for us as from there we were able to visit many of the WW1 sites that until now have only been names on War Memorials — Pozières, Albert, Mont St Quentin, Delville Wood, Bullecourt, Le Hamel and of course Villers Bretonneux. We knew Tony would be retracing his steps with the tour but it was a good chance to do it by ourselves and with the help of "Walking with Anzacs"which was only published about a year ago, we were able to understand the sequence of the battles. Those of you who have heard Ross Bastiaan speak will be interested to know that we found one of his sculpture/maps at each Australian memorial or site of interest. They too are a huge benefit when one is trying to understand why so many lives were lost for such insignificant gains. Tony and Peter were at the Dawn Service at Villers Bretonneux on ANZAC Day. It was a bitterly cold morning but the ceremony was very moving and it is hoped it will become an annual event. (See our website for more.)

Near the little village of Flers we found the NZ Memorial and a cemetery with a wall of 1205 NZ names who fell in the space of 2 months, and they are the ones with no known graves. Then we went on to Villers Bretonneux with the 11,000 Australians' names who have no known graves. After much searching I found my Great Uncle's name among them. One of two brothers who died there. Now the battlefields are the most beautiful farmland, acres of crops as far as the eye can see and the little villages have all been rebuilt, but everywhere one looks is a cemetery. All beautifully kept with flowers planted in front of every grave.

After two days I was happy to catch a train to Paris to meet up with Margaret and Peter James and from there Margaret and I went by train to Vernon for an overnight stay, to make sure of seeing Monet's garden before the crowds arrived. We actually arrived 20 minutes before the gates opened so were first in the door and then did a hurried walk through to the water garden only to find the back gate opens at the same time so there were still people there before us. What a wonderful place it is. I had seen it once before in the Autumn when it was a riot of dahlias, roses all in russet and orange colours. This time it was a spring time garden, a palate of Impressionist shades — pale pinks, lavenders and blues. Bluebelles under apple blossom, cream hyacinths and almost luminous pink tulips over blue forget-me-nots. Definitely should be on everyone's wish list to see.

From Vernon we caught a train to Rouen where we walked our feet off in the cobbled streets and the shops, [how nice it is to have someone to browse the shops with] and then moved on to Amiens where we were to meet up with the men folk again. After four cities in four days it was good to be back to our more relaxed way of travel; ie. sitting on a boat that does 8kmph.

From Péronne we resumed our northward tour up the Canal du Nord. Very industrialized as it was only built in the last 100 years to ease pressure on the St Quentin Canal but interesting for Peter as he could study the sand plants, conveyor belts, silos etc. At Lille we retrieved the car and drove into Belgium to find the grave of my other Great Uncle who died at Passchendaele and from there we went to Ypres for a very moving ceremony at Menin Gate. A large contingent of Australians there, so a march with some old diggers, Australian flags, a young boy reading The Ode, wreath laying and, of course, The Last Post played by the local fire brigade. The Last Post has been played there every night since 1919 except for a time when Ypres was occupied by the Germans in 1940-1944. Our last day with the car we packed the guys off with a thermos to do one last day of WW1. They were away 9 hours, but did manage to visit Vimy Ridge, Fromelles, Messine Ridge, Passchendaele and Tyne Cot Cemetery and came home well satisfied that they had seen more than they ever expected.

From Lille to Kortrijk in Belgium and then on to Gent the locks got larger and the barges even bigger, we were definitely a small fish among them and were pleased to turn into the very pretty river Lys for our last few miles. This part of the river is lined with the most expensive houses we have seen in Europe, acres of lawns and landscaped gardens. A welcome change after several days of factories and loading bays. Gent was a great place to moor. We were right in the heart of the city so could easily walk to the historic area with its cafes and resturants and enjoy a Belgium beer plus a meal of Mussels and Frites while watching the world go by. From Gent for the princely sum of two euros each we went to Bruges for the day. What a fairy tale city that is. Cobbled streets, canals and every corner a photo opportunity. Brussells was also only a short train trip away and that too was an interesting city. We did a bus tour so saw a lot of the city including the acres of new EU buildings plus the interesting old part. Even managed a short time in the Art Museum where I was mesmorised by two rooms full of Reubans and a huge selection of Flemish masterpieces. There was also a visiting exhibition of Flemish paintings from British Royalty but they will have to wait for another trip. Just too much to absorb in one day.

We have now left the cities of Belgium behind and are on our second day travelling south

on the Dender river. A twisting stream with green pastures, overhanging trees and a million water birds around us. The countryside is so green and lush, we have even seen them making hay already, such is the growth. The temperature is in the high twenties and with all the water around it is a bit like living in a green house, one can almost hear the grass growing. The t-shirts and shorts have come out of winter storage, as has the sun block cream. Hopefully this weather will continue as we wend our way south into the Meuse valley and back into France.

We are enjoying Belgium immensely, the people are extremely friendly and almost everyone speaks English, the food is good and they seem to be enjoying a very high standard of living. Bicycles every where but some very expensive cars as well and everyone seems to be outside celebrating the beautiful Spring weather.