On Flanders Field

Okay okay okay – here’s the scoop. We are staying for a few days in a town called Ieper (7km from the race site). Not Leper, but Ieper with an “i” or traditionally spelt Ypres. Haha, does it ring a bell for anyone else? We were advised to stay in this town (only 7km from zonnebeke) because of accommodation availability. It’s has good accommodation because its very “touristic.” But I misunderstood the kind belgie woman and thought she said Futuristic (kinda the absolute opposite).

So, here is why this town should have rung a bell. This relatively ancient city used to be famous for its cloth production but eventually fell to political wars, disease and plundering. It’s more commonly known for its position in WWI as a central front line where the allies held and advanced ground against the German Amy. Ypres is situated on the traditional land of Flanders (now part of Belgium and Netherlands), and today now represents one of the standing city monuments of the war, complete with a museum “In Flanders Field” and post war reconstructed buildings that capture the original look of the city pre-war. This city had a lot to do with the outcome of the first war, and Canadian troops played a big part – which explained the abundance of Canadian flags in shop windows. I should have known better, but it’s pretty cool where the bike can take you.

Cool stuff about this place. I’m not a great shopper, I prefer riding my bike around as a souvenir, but the flavour of this little town needed some quality shop’hoping action. Lots of clothing stores, and as much as I could prob use some Euro style, I didn’t check these out. The good stuff was in all the Belgian Chocolate shops, Waffle Shops, and cute pub-style restaurants. They also make a pretty good line of local brewed Bier’s (beers). The sweetest part, is street waffle stands. The picture below is of me and a Belgie waffle dude. They are amazing! Like no waffle you’ve ever had. They have a slight chocolate/caramel taste and you get it hot off the grill. MMMM.