• Gabrielle IngramTravelerEurope
    Norwich Pipe Band playing in Ypres
    Ypres Cloth HallA glass for every Belgium bierThe cadet bugle bandWalking toward Menin Gate which is part of the city rampartsWaiting for the 8pm ceremony to commence in a few minutes. Note the sun!The Norwich Pipe Band make an entrance

    Ypres and Menin Gate

    September 2, 2017 in Belgium ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We ended our foray into Flanders with dinner in Ypres and then the Last Post Ceremony which has been held under Menin Gate every night at 8pm since 1928 (save a few years of WWII) as the local way of honouring those who fell in WWI. People travel from around the world to attend, play or lay wreaths. On our visit we were lucky enough to witness an extended ceremony and hear the Norwich Pipe Band from the UK and a local bugle band of cadets of some sort. There were around 1,000 people attending which, for a ceremony that happens every night of the year regardless of the weather, is rather amazing.

    The kids were on the hunt for Belgium waffles afterward, but the places had either closed or sold out, so they had to settle for Belgium ice cream in a waffle cone instead.    Read more