Across the fields of Flanders

The rain in Bruges was relentless last night and we slept to the constant sound of rain on the roof. Sadly our view of the town was therefore rather limited as neither of us fancied a drenching.

The rain had stopped by morning although the skies looked angry, so we decided that we would go to Ypres today to visit the memorial at the Menin Gate where one of Sue`s relatives name in inscribed.

Charles Bishop Rose died on the 7^th June 1917 fighting for a ridge on the front line just outside Ypres. His body was never found.

Another of the thousands of lives sadly wasted in a futile assault to gain a few yards of land in a war that nobody believed in. So sad.

The rain held off so we walked around the town and the Cloth Hall and looked in a few shops.

Ypres host’s a whole industry dedicated to the Great War with souvenir shops selling every kind of tat, Battlefield tours and Cemetery tours. If there`s a euro to be earned then someone is doing it. The commercialisation of death doesn`t sit comfortably, but I suppose people are sufficiently interested and it`s the world we live in.

We didn`t dwell too much on the details of the various Battles in the area although for those interested there is lots of information in the Tourist Office.

Parking in Ypres was very easy, we were about 200 yards from the Menin Gate by the canal.

After lunch we decided to head East towards the border with Germany where the Weather app tells us the sun will soon be shining.

After crossing the fields of Flanders we settled on Lac de la Gileppe as a stopover. GPS 50.586854  5.969171

The Gileppe Dam is an arch-gravity dam on the Gileppe river in Jalhay, Liège province, Wallonia, Belgium. It was built in the 1870s to supply water for the wool industry in nearby Verviers. The monumental structure with its unusually thick profile played an important role in establishing an international standard for masonry gravity dams as a technology for major water supply systems. It was considered one of the strongest dams in Europe at the time, and it was the first dam built in modern Belgium. 

Today there is a modern visitor centre, a tower with a panoramic view restaurant at the top with lifts and every kind of outdoor activity. Think Carsington Water Derbyshire and you`ll get the picture.

The Belgium authorities have kindly provided free overnight parking close to the dam for four motorhomes with, get this, free electricity !

Tomorrow we will head for Koblenz and hope to find some sun.

Menin Gate through which all troops paraded through on their way to battle

Sue at Menin Gate War Memorial

Lac de la Gileppe Dam