We had a great time taking a waterway cruise when we were in Amsterdam. There are approximately 1,500 bridges and over 100 kilometers of waterways, which made it a great way to see the city.
Cruise boat tour in Amsterdam
We boarded the tour boat and we were met by a very colorful Captain called “Rudy”. He welcomed us on board and explained the history of Amsterdam.
Captain Rudy explaining the history of Amsterdam during the cruise.
Captain Rudy was very funny and entertaining with some interesting stories.
Shelley and Ray on a Boat cruise in Amsterdam
We began our boat tour in the main canal and saw some of the iconic buildings.
View of the modern art building in Amsterdam
The tour then headed down some of the smaller canals in Amsterdam.
A small bridge over a canal in Amsterdam
There is lots of boat traffic on the canals and it is used as another form of a roadway. It was interesting to see the system they had for when going under a narrow bridge opening. The Captain radios on a common channel to say what bridge and direction they are heading. If someone is coming the other way they would arrange for what boat had priority.
Some of the canals we went through were very narrow and the bridges were quite low.
View of a low bridge the cruise boat went under during the tour
Sometimes the cruise boat would hit the side of the canal wall when making a turn to go under a bridge.
Narrow canal that the cruise boat took during the tour
We enjoyed the two-hour cruise looking at the unique building throughout Amsterdam. Some of the buildings are built on pylons and have shifted and sunk over the years, making the buildings lean sideways.
Building shifted and leaning on another building in Amsterdam
There were some buildings built on the very edge of the canal making access to the building easy by boat.
Access from the canal to apartments and buildings.
We enjoyed the boat cruise and saw some interesting buildings from the canals. Our Captain was very entertaining and made the cruise even more enjoyable.
We went to explore the city of Ypres in Belgium and take part in the last post ceremony. The city is beautiful with a rich history and was even raided by the Romans in the first century.
We walked through the city of Ypres looking at the stores, shops and admiring the architecture. We came to a chocolate store which we couldn’t resist going inside and checking it out.
Ray, Anne, and Jim in the Belgium Chocolate store
After checking out the assorted chocolates we continued down the street toward the main plaza. We stopped at the main plaza and enjoyed a cold beverage at a pub close to the Cathedral.
St Martin Cathedral in Ypres, Belgium
After exploring the old quarter of Ypres, we walked along a path that followed the Kasteelgracht river. There was a stone wall that ran parallel to the river. We stopped to take a break and sat on the wall enjoying the scenery.
Shelley relaxing along the wall beside the river.
We walked the trail for a period of time and then headed to the Menin Gate Memorial to the missing.
Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres Belgium.
The Menin Gate Memorial to the missing was built-in 1927. The gate is dedicated to the unknown graves of British and common wealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres battles and World War One. From 11 November 1929, the Last Post has been sounded at the Menin Gate Memorial every night and in all type of weather. The only exception to this was during the four years of the German occupation of Ypres from 20 May 1940 to 6 September 1944.
We arrived at around 6:45 pm and lined up along the sidewalk to wait for the playing of the last post to begin.
crowds of people gathered for the Last Post ceremony
The gate is very large and there is a hall of memory which contains the names of 54,395 Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Ypres Battles but whose bodies have never been identified or found.
Menin Gate memorial wall with inscribed names of missing soldiers.
For us being at Ypres and seeing the Last Post was a very somber and emotional experience. It is one of those events that is surreal and will stay with us for a long time. By 8 p. m. there was a very large crowd present for the start of the Last Post.
The start of the Last Post was incredible, although there were crowds of people it was completely silent. The three volunteer firefighters marched to the center of the Menin Gate with a bagpiper. It was a stirring moment, with the acoustics of the gate making the bugles, even more vibrant.
Bagpiper and three volunteer firefighter buglers at Menin Gate
Flags were lowered by two individuals as the Last Post began.
Flag persons at Menin Gate Last Post
After the Last Post was finished, a former British serviceman walks to the center of the gate and recites a part of the ode of remembrance.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.
The recital is followed by a moment of silence and then the sole bagpiper played a song.
After the bagpiper was finished there was complete silence and selected people began to lay wreaths at the memorial in the Menin Gate.
Person returning after laying a wreath at the memorial in Menin Gate
After people laid the wreaths at the memorial, the ceremony was finished and people quietly began to leave the Menin Gate. It was a very touching event and one that we will remember for years.
After visiting the Passchendaele Museum, we went only a short distance down the road to the Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth military cemetery in the world.
Tyne Cot Commonwealth Cemetery in Belgium
We arrived at the main entrance of the cemetery which contains an arched entranceway with a stone curved wall. when we went inside the cemetery walls we were struck by the magnificence of the cemetery. There was a section of the cemetery with a curved commemorative wall that listed 34,957 names of missing soldiers.
Wall of inscribed names of missing soldiers
The features of the wall were very stunning and breathtaking. We walked around the wall reading some of the names of the missing soldiers.
There were rows upon rows of white gravestones with beautiful red flowers in bloom planted along the graves. The contrast of the white gravestones and red flowers made it very vibrant.
The cemetery was very large and there was an impressive central monument located in the cemetery.
Central monument in the Tyne Cot Commonwealth Cemetery
We walked through the cemetery and read some of the gravestones. There were coins on some of the gravestones as a sign of someone visiting their grave.
The cemetery was very impressive and was a beautiful monument for the Commonwealth fallen soldiers. We were honored to be able to visit the worlds largest Commonwealth cemetery.
We went to the Memorial Museum Passchendaele which is in Zonnebeke (Flanders Fields) in Belgium. On our way to the museum, we could see fields of poppies in Flanders fields. We stopped and took a walk through the field of poppies before heading to the museum.
Shelley and Ray in a field of Poppies in Belgium
The main building is a former château which has been converted to the museum.
The main building of the Memorial Museum Passchendaele
We entered the museum which was devoted to the 1917 Battle of Passchendaele. In 100 days almost 500,000 men were killed for only 8 kilometers gain of ground.
There were numerous displays focused on equipment and weapons of the 1917 Battle.
We walked through the halls looking at the different exhibits and reading about the Battle of Passchendaele. We came to a section of the museum called Trench experience.
The museum created a representation of a dugout and trench system which you can walk through.
Ray in the trenches of the Passchendaele Museum
The dugouts were well done and had multiple rooms on display including a kitchen, living quarters and latrine.
Dugout area in the museumOfficer room in dugoutLatrine in dugoutMedical room in the dugoutSleeping quarters in dugout
We then walked through to a trench system which was duplicated from the battle of Passchendaele.
Shelley in the trenches of Passchendaele Museum
Shelley in one of the trenches at the museum
We finished the museum tour by stopping at the garden area of the museum and relaxing in the shade. We enjoyed learning about the battle of Passchendaele and the amazing heroes of the first world war that fought here.
We visited one of the World War One sites that most Canadians can relate to. We went to the Essex Farm Cemetery and Advanced Dressing Station in Belgium. It is also the location where John McCrae wrote his famous poem “In Flanders Fields”.
Ray on the path to the Field Dressing StationJohn McCrae Monument
We walked down a path that led to the field dressing station. There were several rooms made in concrete under the ground that was used to treat soldiers. This is where John McCrae served as a medical doctor for a period of time during the war.
The Field Dressing rooms
We went into the rooms which were small, damp and they had low ceilings.
Field Dressing room
In the room, there were Canadian flags, crosses, poppies and other memorials dedicated to the Canadian soldiers who died during World War One.
The Essex Farm Advanced Dressing Station is where Major John McCrae composed the poem “In Flanders Fields”. There was a plaque explaining the history of the poem and Major John McCrae.
Plaque with history of John McCrae and the poem “In Flanders fields”
The Poem was also inscribed on the plaque.
In Flanders Fields inscribed on plaque at Essex Farm Cemetery
After visiting the dressing station and reading the information on John McCrae we went into the Essex Farm Cemetery.
We walked through the cemetery reading the names of some of the soldiers who died during the first world war.
Gravestones in the Essex Farm Cemetery
We came across the gravestone of a Soldier named Valentine Joe Strudwick who died at the age of only 15.
Gravestone of soldier Valentine Joe Strudwick age 15
It was interesting to see the location where John McCrae wrote the poem “In Flanders Fields” It was also a moving experience to see the cemetery and see the gravestone of a 15-year-old soldier.
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