Tag Archives: Belgium

Trench Warfare

Welcome to re-run time. Some of my favorite posts, mostly older and travel related, while I myself am on the road. When I was a pre-teen I was for a while very interested in war stories. Which would explain why in both 2009 and 2014 I visited the Ypres area in Belgium. This post is […]

Musical Mecca

Welcome to re-run time. Some of my favorite posts, mostly older and travel related, while I myself am on the road. While I am away I am busily writing new material which will start appearing here when I get home next month.  I’m already looking forward to sharing the new material with you and hope […]

Highly Overrated

Welcome to re-run time. Some of my favorite posts, mostly older and travel related, while I myself am on the road. While I am away I am busily writing new material which will start appearing here when I get home next month. I’m already looking forward to sharing the new material with you (six posts […]

A Lazy Saturday

Today a series of pictures I first posted on this day in 2015. They are all from my 2014 trip to Brussels, Belgium. I could probably figure out what the buildings are by going back to my photo file, but, as I said, it is a lazy Saturday. If you recognize any, feel free to […]

At Essex Farm

I listened to the national Remembrance Day ceremonies from Ottawa on the radio this year. Felt strange to be observing a time of silence at 5 p.m. my time instead of the traditional 11 a.m. As always on November 11, I was thinking of my maternal grandfather, who came home from that First World War, […]

Remembrance Day 2020

I’m not sure what the ceremonies in Ottawa will look like today. Normally I would tune in for the 11 a.m. service, and will probably still do so. Here in Germany they don’t remember their war dead on November 11, so I won’t be attending anything locally. Over the years I have taken many pictures […]

The Child Soldier

Continuing our lead-up to remembrance day, a post from November 2014. When we visited the Commonwealth Military Cemetery at Essex Farm, near Ypres, Belgium, our guide pointed out the grave of V.J. Strudwick, who was killed in action January 14, 1916 at age 15. The official age to enlist was 18, for overseas service 19. […]

Time To Remember

I was planning on continuing my commentary on the US election today, then I looked at the calendar. It is almost November 11, Remembrance Day. We who have never experienced war can only dimly understand the sacrifices previous generations paid for our freedom. Today though, and for the next couple of days, some older posts […]

That Unending War

I am reading a book about the First World War that brought some memories of a trip to Belgium in 2014 and this post from September of that year. A century later, it haunts them still. The last Canadian veteran of the First World War died in 2010, and I would imagine that is pretty […]

Virtual Music

The Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels, like most cultural establishments in Europe, is closed these days. Usually about 10,000 people go through every month. COVID-19 has hot the cultural sector as had as any other industry. I wonder if the government supports to help museums, theatres, dance troupes and the like through this time are […]