27 May

Well, today started out sort of as I expected.
When the computer was busily doing its processing and uploading last night, I heard a loud TV in French in the room next to mine. I was just about to sigh and think I would not be able to get a good night’s sleep when it went off just before I actually got to bed.
In the morning I went down for breakfast and found five places set – there are four ladies staying for a time, but then didn’t get down to breakfast before I left.
I prepared to go out, taking the laptop with me this time so I could write up my blog while out and perhaps add the photos in. I set out for Ostende, thinking it would take me some time and in less than half an hour I was in the middle of Ostende. I parked, had a look around the beachfront, then dove along the beachfront. First impressions are that there are huge numbers of people who come here (to the beach) for holidays. Everything was set up for many people, and it made me wonder whether people leave their crowded dwellings and move en masse to another crowded place for their holidays. The beach had different coloured sand, as if it had been shipped in for the summer. Within a few minutes, one ferry had left and another was coming in. There must be a huge traffic across the North Sea!
When I drove along the beach front, it went for what seemed like kilometre after kilometre, with a promenade, a dual tram track and the road. Then the land side became dunes and there must be a museum in there as there are gun emplacements from WWII still visible there – and some restored to beautiful condition. When I went for a walk out there along the promenade, the beach sand was grey and signs were prohibiting swimming (either that, or you’re not allowed to wave while standing in the ocean). The weather was bracing (read cool and moist), so I thought I would go to Ypres and look around there in more detail. I was there in less than an hour and parked, got some literature from the Tourist Bureau and then looked at the In Flanders Fields museum. Before going there I visited the gents’ – not unusual and hardly worthy of note except that I closed he door on the way in, but being of glass it didn’t make much difference. While using the facilities, I thought that at least the angle gave some privacy – until realised that the wall between the ladies and gents was also glass (clear glass, I might add). Ah well, the Belgians are out-Frenching the French.
The museum was crowded with – you guessed it – school excursions. Behaviours – the same as our kids (girls taking photos of girlfriends in front of displays and not reading anything or answering the material they had – boys trying to outdo each other at anything). The material was really interesting, so much so I didn’t take (m)any pictures. One aside was that the Australian troops had to be stationed outside the area because of their rowdiness and poor example to other troops. However, that didn’t stop them from being very successful in action.
I had an ice cream (memo to self: be neat and tidy in having chocolate ice cream while wearing white (now chocolate and white) shirt) and then set off on the “In Flanders Fields Route”. I stopped at a number of places, but only a few stand out especially. The first was the dugout in which the lines about the Flanders Fields poppies were penned. The second was a German War Cemetery – compared to the Commonwealth, a sad and understated place. The third was Tyne Cot Commonwealth Cemetery, with nearly 12 000 graves, a tribute to the futility of war.
Then I went to the Passendale Museum. It was very interesting and an experience which anyone visiting this area should not miss.
I returned to Ypres and had a pizza for tea.
I went to the car to write up today and found I was on a WiFI net, so checked my email. I shouldn’t have, as the reply from TomTom made my blood go superheated. “Service” is no help and even though they have been notified of the problem, if I’m back in Australia after the warranty time is up, I will most likely be on my own. I will be having a long discussion with the Trade Practices Commission when I am home!
I started writing, but stopped about 7:15 to go down to the Menin Gate and wait. I was standing with a woman from Australia and a family from Norfolk in England. We chatted and the ceremony started – a little different from yesterday as there were standard bearers as well as a few wreaths laid. I winced as flags hit and laid on the ground, but there were about five hundred people present, many schoolchildren and even soldiers for the German army.
I left not long after and saw a couple looking closely at my car and thought they were the ones from yesterday who were going to turn up today. It turned out they were a couple from Camberwell, but he had grown up in Western Australia.
After that I drove back to my lodgings, processed the photos (and had to do some backing up as my disk was full again), finished my blog and eventually uploaded everything before going to sleep.