Beyond the fields of Flanders is the city of Ypres (Ypres (Belgium))

Member Name: nixtee

Product:	Ypres (Belgium)
Date:	09/10/08 (498 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful city, delcious chocolate, friendly people

Disadvantages: None!

Ypres (in French & English) or Ieper (in Dutch) is a city in the Flanders area of Belgium.

Most tourists visit Ypres for the same reasons as I did during both my trips to the city. During World War One, battles raged throughout the area and the city was flattened. However, it has being lovingly rebuilt. If you stand in the city square (being careful not to be run down by the cyclists!), you cannot fail to see the beauty of the city. Ypres is often visted by tour companies and schools on WW1 trips and they are very well catered for, in fact you'll find many people in the shops and museums speak English.

Stood to one side of the square you will see the Cloth Hall, a beautiful church-like building with a 70m belfry tower in the middle. This building was almost completely destroyed during WW1, but has since been rebuilt to an exact copy. The Cloth Hall holds the In Flanders Fields Museum, an educational museum which can move you to tears. The museum is informative and includes interactive elements. It took us a while to get around the museum, but it was certainly an interesting visit, especially if you are interested in WW1 or would like to see how your ancestors lived, died and fought through WW1. At the exit of the museum is the usual museum shop. This one is a decent size and sells books, DVDs, CDs, t-shirts, postcards etc.

The Menin Gate Memorial is a large WW1 memorial stood in an arch over eastern exit of the city centre (Menin or Menen is a small Flemish town to the east of Ypres). The Menin Gate is a monument dedicated to the British and Commonwealth Soldiers who lost their lives in the Ypres Salient area yet have no known grave. There are thousands upon thousands of names listed on this huge memorial, yet it was still too small to contain all of the names of those lost soldiers - Tyne Cot Memorial holds the names of those missing after 15th August 1917.

If you are in Ypres in the evening then you may wish to hear The Last Post. The Last Post ceremony is held each and every evening at 8pm sharp, without fail, in memory of those who gave their lives to save Belgium. The road below the Menin Gate is closed and the buglers from the local fire brigade play The Last Post. I have experienced this twice now and it moved me to tears on both occassions, there is an eary silence as people pay their respects. If you do wish to see The Last Post you may want to get to the Menin Gate early as the crowd often spills out from below the Menin Gate.

There are many other places of interest in Ypres such as St. Martin's Cathedral, St. George's Memorial Church, Lille Gate, Belle Almshouse Museum and many more.

Ypres is an ideal place to cycle in and what with the layout of the land (it's very flat compared to here in Mid Wales!) cycling out of Ypres shouldn't be a problem. However, do watch out for cyclists in the city as my Dad nearly got run down!

If you have transport (including a bicycle), you may want to visit others places of interest in the Ypres area.

Hooge Crater Museum is a 10 minute drive from the centre of Ypres. We stopped here for lunch one day and to look around the museum. It was of particular interest to me due to a family friend who'd fought in the area and earned himself a DCM medal at Hooge during WW1. It is only a small museum, but plenty of WW1 memorabilia has been packed in. There is a WW1 cemetery across the road from the museum and the crater is just a short walk away. I'd definitely recommend the cafe at Hooge Crater Museum for refreshments. Bellewaerde theme park is also just up the road, if you're after a bit of excitement.

Around about a 15 minute drive away is Tyne Cot Cemetery. If you are interested in WW1 then this cemetery is one not to be missed. Tyne Cot Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth forces cemetery in the world. There are around 12,000 burials here along with the Memorial to the Missing. The memorial holds the names of over 33,000 soldiers from UK forces as well as over 1,000 names of New Zealanders. There is now also a museum on site (something which wasn't there during my first visit in the mid-1990's).

There are many other WW1 museums, memorials and cemeteries in the area, if you're interested, but I'd be here all day listing them all.

Back in Ypres, there are plenty of places to eat & drink. We visited the Viper Hotel Restaurant on the square one evening (before going to see The Last Post at Menin Gate). We had a 3 course meal consisting of a soup for starter, steak with black cracked pepper sauce, chips & salad for our main meal and a dessert, as well as drinks. The staff were friendly and helpful, and we were entertained by a old man and his guitar.

I've never stayed in Ypres overnight so I can't recommend any hotels, but there are many to choose from.

One shop you must visit while in Ypres is Peter De Groote - Chocolaterie. Here you will find the finest chocolates to take home for your family & friends (assuming you don't eat them all on your way home!). The shop smells delicious and is choc-a-block full of chocolate! The staff are very friendly and speak English (and even accept English money!). Should you be with a coach-load of others, they can deal with everyone efficiently and quickly. I would recommend picking up one or two of their gift boxes as you will get a selection of their chocolates and they are good value for money. Having visited other chocolate shops in Ypres, I would say this was definitely the best!

Many WW1 tour operators visit Ypres, especially if they are going to the Flanders area. You can also get to Ypres via rail (a Eurostar ticket to Brussels is valid for onward travel to other Belgian train stations).

Summary: A lovely city in the heart of Flanders.