bruges, ieper & calais
bruges is often called "the venice of the north", having never been to venice i can't vouch for that claim but i can definitely confirm that the city is extraordinarily beautiful
the establishment of the city itself dates back to the 9th century but it really came into its own beginning in the 12th century as the cloth trade was booming in europe - over the intervening centuries the city changed hands many times falling under dutch, german and french rule during the various conflicts in the region - as the cloth trade waned in the 15th century and the canals linking bruges to the north sea silted up the city fell into decline and remained rather destitute until the tourism trade of the 20th century brought it new wealth and prosperity
various elements of medival construction still remain in the city (including cobbeled streets) and are now mixed with various modern elements with lots of little secrets in the alleyways
as with other cities in the area many people travel by bicycle and since the land is almost pool table flat its an easy way to get around the narrow streets - as long as you avoid the horse drawn carriages, which is pretty easy seeing as there are bountiful cycle lanes separate from the traffic, a far cry from the situation here in london!
tyne cot cemetery is the largest memorial/cemetery for fallen allied war soldiers in europe - the cemetery takes its name from the shape of the german concrete machinegun bunkers on the site which reminded the conquering british soldiers of the sheep cots from the tyneside region in northern england - the cemetery is the resting place for nearly 12,000 fallen soldiers and contains a memorial of almost 35,000 soldiers for which no body was ever found, many being lost to the seeping mud of the trenches or the ravages of battle
ieper (ypres as its more commonly known) being only 40 miles inland from the belgian coast, was the hub of many important trade routes consisting of roads, rivers and canals leading to the netherlands, france and to the english channel - consequently it grew into an important market place for the region - easy access to the coast meant that the the people of the city established links with the wool trade in england and around the world - during the first world war the city changed hands various times with each side bombing the occupying enemy leaving the city in ruins by the time the war ended
the ruins of the cloth hall in the centre of town as pictured above were reconstructed from the rubble by the inhabitants of the city almost to the exact specifications as before the conflict, the only difference that can be seen today is the lack of glass in some of the framed windows on the upper levels
ieper also has a remarkable cathedral (St. Martin's) just behind the cloth hall which was also rebuilt along with the rest of the city although it was at first suggested that the city remain in ruins as a memorial and a new city be built nearby
the ferry trip was a first for me and unfortunately we were too hungry to get any pictures of the dover coast on our way out spending our time scarfing a full english instead - but on the way back the calais port was well lit and we just caught the sunset setting behind this very busy port
see the rest of the pics here ... enjoy :)
the establishment of the city itself dates back to the 9th century but it really came into its own beginning in the 12th century as the cloth trade was booming in europe - over the intervening centuries the city changed hands many times falling under dutch, german and french rule during the various conflicts in the region - as the cloth trade waned in the 15th century and the canals linking bruges to the north sea silted up the city fell into decline and remained rather destitute until the tourism trade of the 20th century brought it new wealth and prosperity
various elements of medival construction still remain in the city (including cobbeled streets) and are now mixed with various modern elements with lots of little secrets in the alleyways
as with other cities in the area many people travel by bicycle and since the land is almost pool table flat its an easy way to get around the narrow streets - as long as you avoid the horse drawn carriages, which is pretty easy seeing as there are bountiful cycle lanes separate from the traffic, a far cry from the situation here in london!
tyne cot cemetery is the largest memorial/cemetery for fallen allied war soldiers in europe - the cemetery takes its name from the shape of the german concrete machinegun bunkers on the site which reminded the conquering british soldiers of the sheep cots from the tyneside region in northern england - the cemetery is the resting place for nearly 12,000 fallen soldiers and contains a memorial of almost 35,000 soldiers for which no body was ever found, many being lost to the seeping mud of the trenches or the ravages of battle
ieper (ypres as its more commonly known) being only 40 miles inland from the belgian coast, was the hub of many important trade routes consisting of roads, rivers and canals leading to the netherlands, france and to the english channel - consequently it grew into an important market place for the region - easy access to the coast meant that the the people of the city established links with the wool trade in england and around the world - during the first world war the city changed hands various times with each side bombing the occupying enemy leaving the city in ruins by the time the war ended
the ruins of the cloth hall in the centre of town as pictured above were reconstructed from the rubble by the inhabitants of the city almost to the exact specifications as before the conflict, the only difference that can be seen today is the lack of glass in some of the framed windows on the upper levels
ieper also has a remarkable cathedral (St. Martin's) just behind the cloth hall which was also rebuilt along with the rest of the city although it was at first suggested that the city remain in ruins as a memorial and a new city be built nearby
the ferry trip was a first for me and unfortunately we were too hungry to get any pictures of the dover coast on our way out spending our time scarfing a full english instead - but on the way back the calais port was well lit and we just caught the sunset setting behind this very busy port
see the rest of the pics here ... enjoy :)
posted by stephen at 4:36 p.m.
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