Ieper; Saturday, 26 March, 2016

I had a large breakfast as I was intending on doing quite a bit of walking today. I headed out of the hotel and over to the start of the city Ramparts. These were built in the 17th and 18th Century as Ieper (Ypres as it was then) has always been a strategically important place. The ramparts now encircle around half the city and include the impressive Menin and Lille Gates.

With quite a few photo stops along the way (and a detour back to the hotel when a bird scored a direct hit on my jeans) it was well into the afternoon by the time I finally made it to the end of the ramparts by the station.

I decided to make a detour away from war and defence and look at something that Belgium is more happily known for. Picking up a bus (I had originally intended on catching a train, but the service was temporarily suspended due to a fatality on the line), I headed into the neighbouring city of Poperinge, the capital of the Belgium Hop industry – vital to Belgium Beers.

In the centre of town is the building that was the former town scales and is now a museum dedicated to Hops – their history, importance in the process of making beer and how they are produced.

After visiting the museum I had nearly an hour to kill before the train back (which had now started running again – I’d checked online) so I had a wander around the town before heading back to the station and into Ypres.

By the time I got back from Poperinge it was about half seven so I headed down to the Menin Gate to take in the last post ceremony before heading out to find some dinner.