Our aim for today was to visit the war memorial in Villers-Bretineux, the site of a very large battle in WW1 where many Australian boys and men died. As a result of these events a century ago, the people in VB have developed a wonderful relationship with Australia, and as we entered the town today there were signs welcoming Aussies and pictures of kangaroos.
Last night we were booked into accommodation on a farm called Les Babylon.
This morning we were served breakfast before we set off to Villers- Bretineux.
This year on ANZAC Day, a brand new information centre called the Sir John Monash Centre was opened. It has a fantastic series of audio visual displays explaining the battles that took place here, and how a decisive battle was won here by the Australians under the leadership of John Monash. The centre, like the war cemetery and monument are located right on hill 41, where the heaviest fighting took place.
It is quite a moving experience to stand on this now peacefully field and look over the graves of those who died here so far from home.
Right on the top of the hill is a tower which we climbed to get an overview of the cemetery and the surrounding countryside. What a view - and so peaceful now. It is hard now to imaging how fierce the fighting was here 100 years ago.
After 2 hours it was time to move on and continue the drive to Bruges in Belgium. We arrived late in the afternoon, delayed somewhat by an accident on one of the freeways we travelled on. Bruges is a fantastic city and we visited here, for one day in 2014 while on a cruise. We are here for three nights before we move on to Holland.
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