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.
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