Ambrosia Hotel Ypres

... the morning and finding a seat is a tough job, but I think I've learnt how to push my way through the crowd! I often end up sitting next to the really smelly person though or the drunk guy or in the same carriage as a beggar and his son. To get to work I have to go 24 stations, which takes half an hour or so, and gives me a good chance to do a fair bit of people watching!<br>It's fairly easy to spot the British people on the metro, they're the people that sit there staring at ...

... therefore imagine how disturbing it was to see this torture machine in real-life! <br>Parts of the exhibition were very interesting, and the artist takes inspiration from contemporary society and when explained, some of his works make a lot of sense, but some of them are incredibly strange!<br><br>Yesterday I took a trip to Dunkirk with two other English girls, my guide-book says that Dunkirk is the most interesting of Nord-Pas-de-Calais ...

As busy as a beaver<br> <br>The last two weeks seem to be a bit of a blur to be honest, it feels like I've accomplished very little in a rather large space of time but as I look back, a lot has been crammed in!<br><br>First of all, work! Last week I was still observing classes. Fortunately I was able to meet more of the English classes and only went to one French class which I did find quite useful. <br><br>Students at Sévigné don't see English as ...

... and go to school. There was a nice little Canal down the middle of the town and very cute shops and restaurants for all. We then piled back on the bus one more time and headed for the WWI memorial Museum in.... I dont remember. It was equally as awesome and housed some great war paraphernalia. <br><br>All in all, this was a great trip. Very exhausting, we were always on the go, but very helpful to understanding every aspect of architecture.Stay tuned for Amsterdam!!!<br>

... a street stall and took a walk around Vieux Lille up to the Catédral Notre Dame de la Treille which is an incredible building. It was built during two different centuries and the modern front of the building has only been finished for ten years, having been completed in 1999.<br>Monday eventually arrived and it was back to work for both of us; I was up at seven to catch the metro and eight to be at school by nine. This week I have only been observing classes, however not only English ...

... all the explosives they were handling) and more. Above ground it was surprising to see how close together the Canadian and German trenches were. <br><br>The Vimy Memorial is truly awe inspiring. The figures carved of limestone are all allegorical not to mention stunning in their magnitude as well as beautiful in their physical perfection. Their poses evoke strong emotion. As one might expect, I was drawn to the weeping woman figure which ...

... slick no man&#8217;s land. <br><br>Still, with all this death, there were still stories of hope-the Christmas Truce of 1914, when soldiers from both sides took a break from carnage to celebrate Christmas by exchanging cigarettes, German sausage, whisky and jam, and sang carols (which, unfortunately, did not happen in all areas. William Tyrell, a Lieutenant, wrote in his diary &#8220;Thursday 24th. Christmas Eve. No Peace ...

... soldiers are buried. At least half of these are unidentified and have on their gravestones the inscription, "A soldier of the great war. Known unto God." When you arrive you can't see the cemetery itself and you walk down to a museum where there are a collection of photographs and an explanation of the Australian troops role in the Battle of Passchendale. It is quite a sombre place, made more so by the voice recording of a British schoolgirl that is reading out ...

... the recruiters came so that he could go overseas to fight in the 'great adventure'. We also stopped at a German cemetery nearby where, according to German military tradition, 'comrades in death' lay buried in graves of 20 to 30 soliders. Most chillingly, in the middle of the cemetary was a giant mass grave where, since the Belgians were unwilling to give any land to the German aggressors to bury their dead in Belgium, the remains of 25, 000 German men lie buried in a single pit. The ...

... Ieper's Lille Gate, crossing the deep green colored River Yser through a large stone bridge, we marveled at the beauty of this old town. The buildings and cobblestone streets were lined with enchanting brick buildings, bearing the typically steep Flemish roofs. It was incredible to think that this lovely ancient town was razed to the ground during the war. For the Germans, Ieper had been important because they planned their raid ...