What's your favourite beer in Belgium?

Visiting Ypres offers up a great opportunity to taste the locally brewed Ypra.  If you like a smooth blond beer - this is a treat.  Our meal in Ypres, at Les Halles in the main square, was really good - a hearty French onion soup topped with phyllo pastry, and our Croque Monsiour and Croque Boum-Boum sandwiches were complemented by our drinks.  The restaurant was absolutely packed out on a Sunday night with locals and tourists alike.  Les Halles is hosting our large group buffet dinner for 200 people on April 5th, 2017 as part of our Return to Vimy Tour.  You don't have to stop at one beer tasting - lots of the pubs around the square have many types on tap for you to enjoy. Sante!

Christine's recommendation

Christine's recommendation

Hearty French onion soup on the menu at Les Halles.

Hearty French onion soup on the menu at Les Halles.

Les Halles packed with locals and tourists for a Sunday night dinner rush.

Lots of beer to choose from for beer aficionados.

First Menin Gate Ceremony Experience: March 12, 2017

I went to Menin Gate to find the name of a fallen New Zealander who was serving with the British Army.  My colleague at work, history teacher James Griffith, shared a documentary video clip, where Belgians were recovering remains of soldiers from the battlefield area around Ypres.  The remains had little to identify them - a buckle from his cross belt which indicated he had to have been an officer and a medallian, that bore three initials on the back of it - "H.J.I."  This was enough to identify his regiment and to identify him from the list of nine known officers from the Warwickshire Regiment in the battle - he was H.J.I. Walker.  The documentary captured the phone call to the nephew of H.J.I. Walker, living in New Zealand, that his uncle's remains were now found.  H.J.I. Walker is one of the 54,000 chiselled names on the wall.

Panel 8 of the Menin Gate with H.J.I. Walker

Panel 8 of the Menin Gate with H.J.I. Walker

This nightly ceremony has occurred every night since 1928 (save for the four years of German occupation starting in 1940).  The Last Post is played at 8PM sharp by the volunteers buglers of the Ypres Fire Brogade.  There were about 400 peo…

This nightly ceremony has occurred every night since 1928 (save for the four years of German occupation starting in 1940).  The Last Post is played at 8PM sharp by the volunteers buglers of the Ypres Fire Brogade.  There were about 400 people in attendance for this night's ceremony.

Menin Gate from the ramparts of the town wall of Ypres after the ceremony.

Menin Gate from the ramparts of the town wall of Ypres after the ceremony.