In Bruges

Belgium - it's smaller in land area than Otago but has eleven million people crammed in, none of which are eating Belgium biscuits (apparently nothing to do with the country!). I realised my knowledge of this country was a bit lacking! After some googling I found the top three things to do in Belgium were: 1. To drink a Belgian beer, 2. To try some Belgian chocolate and, 3. To eat a Belgian waffle - I think we just might like this place!

After another uneventful border crossing (so much for increased border security to combat terrorism - there was nothing there!) we arrived in Ypres, our destination for the evening. As a gesture of gratitude to those soldiers who gave their lives to defend this town, the Last Post has been played every evening at 8pm, come rain or shine, since November 1929. (during the Nazi occupation the tradition was continued in an English war cemetery). We gathered with the rest of the crowds to pay our respects. The sheer number of cemeteries scattered around this region are a stark reminder of the immense loss of young, promising lives. I will certainly never forget the place and the lessons we have learnt from such a terrible war.

Menin Gate - location of the last post ceremony

NZ soldiers remembered on the Messines Ridge

Ypres

We cycled our way through some rather grey weather and arrived in Bruges safely even if we were a little soggy and tired. Our campsite was on the edge of town and was quite full so we felt lucky to find a spot. "If I grew up on a farm, and was retarded, Bruges might impress me, but I didn't so it doesn't" (Ray from the movie In Bruges). Well, I did grow up on a farm, and Bruges did impress me, so take from that what you will...

Outdoor dancing competition

Bruges is certainly picturesque, however its brilliance is also the cause of its major downfall. People (mainly tourists) everywhere, you can't help but think how much nicer it would be with about a tenth of the people. We stumbled upon a particularly large crowd of people who all seemed to be staring into the depths of their smartphones.  It gradually dawned on us they were all playing Pokemon Go. In fact whenever we see an unexpected crowd lately if we peek at a few phones it seems they are all playing Pokemon. I haven't seen much evidence of people "exercising more" or interacting with other people due to this game and its fascinating the spread of people who seem to be obsessed with collecting imaginary creatures!

Pokestop - seriously what is wrong with the world?!

We spent the day wandering the cobbled streets, eating waffles, doing a brewery tour and took a trip up the Belfry. In the evening the views are even more magical and the whole place feels much calmer.

The Belfry at night

Our next stop was Ghent, where after setting up camp on the outskirts we headed into town for a few hours of sightseeing. We checked out the local cathedral, the home of the of the infamous Ghent Altarpiece (some of you may know from George Clooney's The Monument's Men). A section of the altarpiece was stolen in 1934 and to this day there is a detective in the Ghent police force assigned to this case. We weren't able to see the altarpiece as it was being restored in a local museum (or maybe the rest of it has been stolen!?!) and had to settle with looking at some photos of it displayed in the church.
Next stop - the capital of Belgium, Brussels.

 -  Sarah