Menin Gate

Ypres, Belgium is located on the western tip of Belgium, in the quiet province of West Flanders. But during World War I, this area was right in the middle of Germany's path towards France, and, unfortunately for Ypres, it became the center of some of the fiercest battles between Germany and the Allied forces.

The Menin Gate Memorial was built following the war, to commemmorate the Allied soldiers who died in battle and whose graves were unknown. So, with Armistice day just a few days ahead, we thought it was an appropriate time for us to visit this memorial.



Menin Gate lies at the entrance to the city of Ypres, and is on the road where many of the young soldiers passed through to get to the front lines of the battlefield.



The names of over 54,000 soldiers have been inscribed on the memorial's walls. And, as large as this memorial is, there still wasn't enough room for all the names, so another nearby memorial was constructed.





We walked the grounds near the memorial and enjoyed the scenery and outdoors. The fall colors were quickly making way for the arrival of winter...





We originally came to Ypres for what was advertised as a "poppy planting" festival. But, as we walked through the city, there were no poppys to be found anywhere! We did find a few flower shaped paper signs that were left near the memorial, in honor of Armistice Day. I guess the Belgian idea of a poppy festival was just different than ours...



However, the cityscape of Ypres did not disappoint. The centerpiece is the Cloth Hall, a reproduction of the original Cloth Hall that was built in the 13th century...





Even though it was a chilly day, we still managed to make a stop to sample the local ice cream...



The girls enjoyed their bubble gum ice cream! And since it was cold, they had plenty of time to eat it before it melted down their arms...



Our visit to Ypres turned out to be a nice day trip with some beautiful scenery, fresh air and some historical perspective.



Next time, we will know better than to expect poppy planting in November...