A little troubling

Our last day in Belgium we went back to Calais through the battlefields of Flanders, stopping at the a couple of cemetaries and museums (Hill 62 was particularly extensive) and finally Ieper, partially rebuilt after being totally flattened during the fighting. It was fairly moving and disturbing to be there. Huge numbers of men simply threw themselves at each other, hoping not to get shot before the barrels on their opponents machine guns got too hot. The range of items collected by the guy who runs the museum was amazing, as was the still present trench system out the back - really gave a sense of just how immense and utterly destructive the whole thing was.

We did have a look at the Menin Gate, unfortunately we had to leave prior to the bugler, but still a very sad sight. Ieper itself is an OK town, but it only really exists for tourists so that kind of takes something off it.