Europe #2

Belgium
We spent three nights in a camp at Ypres (aka Iper). We biked into the town in minutes. The second day while I was attempting to get my leg through my bike I suddenly found myself on the cobbles on my back (in front of luch time hordes of people!!) with the bike on top of me. One couple stopped and I said I'm ok, and as they moved off I muttered to Ken, I want to cry!! Managed to get on properly the next time and get back to 'home' where I did have a cry and check out my scrapes and bruises! The main one being that I appeared to have twisted my right leg below the knee so it was painful for weeks, especially walking downhill or down stairs or if I knelt on it! Guess I was was very fortunate I didn't break anything!

Every night since 1928 there has been a Last Post ceremony at 8pm at the Menin Gate, a very big structure engraved with many many names of fallen soldiers. The first night we got there just before 8pm - couldn't see a thing, so next night we were there 7.30pm and we still had to fight for our pozzie! When the official party came out Ken said, that's a New Zealand soldier! He placed a beautiful wreath. The man who said the 'they will not grow old as we grow old....' piece was also a New Zealander. So after the ceremony was finished we went over to speak to the soldier. He was being photographed by an Australian woman saying how wonderful to see one of 'their men' there. I said, no he's not, he's one of ours!! Stupid woman!! Anyway he is Lt Colonel Mike Beale, NZ Defence Attache to Belgium based in London. (I googled him and his wife is a squadron leader). I asked him who the thers in the party were and he introduced us to a woman, Paula Wilson, the NZ ambassador to Belgium!!! (also to Luxembourg and Romania, also deputy head commissioner). Chatted to her and she introduced us to Andrew Matheson, the man who said the 'grow old' piece. He is in charge of the NZ branch of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) WW1 centenary commemmorations. As we were turning away we discussed finding the Maori soldiers names that we had been told were on a wall. Another man spoke and told us where they were. He too worked in the embassy - he said as a sort of secretary. I said, 'oh a gopher' and he said yes something like that. As we were leaving him he gave us his card - David Dewar 2nd secretary defence and economics!!!! Gopher??? oops....... It was a very special evening. There is an official photgrapher there every night and puts photos on a website called www.last-post.be (I think) 10th July was the evening we were there and if you know where to look you can see Ken and I in a crowd picture! All these important people were there because on the monday there had been three 'boys' reinterred at Tyn Cot cemetary after their remains had been found by a farmer in his field - happens quite regularly I gather. These ones were South African. We went to Tyn Cot the next day. It was so called by British soldiers from the Tyn area and 'cot' is a term used for cottage. The cemetery is massive!


Bruges was next on the agenda. Parked the van on the ring road and cycled in. A very pretty town. Had a canal ride. Every other shop sells lace - handmade of course! - not! But still beautiful - and yes I did buy a tiny piece.

Anything we buy has to be tiny or lightweight - preferably both - as we don't know what space/weight we will have to carry home. We are going to leave stuff boxed up in the van when it's shipped home but there's lots of extra special things we won't trust to leave in it.

The next few days we had with friends at Herenthouth sleeping in their driveway. One day they took us to the site of the Battle of Waterloo. We climbed 256 steps (I think). They had rails both sides so I hung onto them and sort of swung my right leg coming down each step. For a bite to eat we had another interesting food - croque monsieur. Toasted ham and cheese sandwich! Croque Madame has an egg on top!

Paula took me to her hairdresser. I asked for short but not hedgehog and I don't like the tops of my ears showing - something got lost in the translation because I got a hedgehog cut and my ears stick out!! Ah well - it'll grow - at least it'll be a bit cooler!