A first visit to Poperinge provided an opportunity to attend the nightly Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate in
Ypres (Ieper).
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| Poperinge station (terminus) |
Technical problems with Le Shuttle caused a delay on Friday 24 October. However, there was just enough time for Tim to catch the 19.07 train from Poperinge, arriving Ieper at 19.14.
On a wet and windy night, a walk across town, passing Lakenhallen (
In Flanders Field Museum) at the Grote Markt leads to Menenstraat.
The
Menin Gate (Menenpoort) war memorial is now visible, providing a way through the historic city's defensive walls.
Meeting up with Graham at
St. Arnoldus which offers 25 beers on tap, we found a place to stand under the Menin Gate, protected from the rain but not the wind! At 8pm, the Last Post was sounded and was followed by a short address and some choral music before another Last Post to finish.
Thanks to the
Last Post Association there is a ceremony at 8pm every day which is free to attend with no need to reserve a place.
Afterwards, we weren't the first to enter the
Ypra Inn, on the corner, but we were just in time to secure a table and enjoy a glass of draught
Ypra 'hoppy Belgian blonde' served in a tall stemmed glass. Tim's first beer in Belgium after a long day's travel tasted especially good!
Our next stop in Ypres, recommended by Jezza, author of
Brugge Beer & Pub Guide, as 'the best bar in town', was
Kaffee Bazaar at Boomgaardstraat 9, about 500 metres away, back towards the station.
Arriving at 9pm on a Friday we were fortunate to find a free table in the high ceilinged area by the front window giving a view towards the bar. with lights overhead, on the left side of the long room.
Tim's beer here chosen from a blackboard listing draught beers was Pater Lieven Blond brewed by
Brouwerij Van Den Bossche (6.5% ABV, €5).
It was Graham's round and he chose Hoppin' Frog Barrrel Aged
D.O.R.I.S. the Destroyer, an American Double Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout brewed in Akron, Ohio (10.5% ABV, €9).
We didn't have time to visit another bar recommended by Jezza - Øl Beerbar, next to Ypra Inn, which features eight 500 litre tanks for draught beer. Instead we caught the hourly train back to Poperinge at 10.25pm.
Westvleteren
Having 'topped' his Poperinge trip with Ypres, Tim was able to 'tail' it with a visit to Westvleteren, thanks to a ride in Terry's car, on the way back to Calais for Le Shuttle on Monday.
We wouldn't need to buy take away beers there after a kind Belgian friend kept his promise to donate a crate of 24 Trappist
Westvleteren 12 to our group. Bless!
With the crate safely loaded into Terry's car we set off for the Trappist brewery's renovated '
In de Vrede' taproom near to
St. Sixtus Abbey.
There's a large car park and a giant version of a Westvleteren beer glass, made from beer crates, outside the entrance.
Inside the spacious and airy contemporary space, there are plenty of large tables with bench seating.
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| Cheers Terry! |
Table service allowed us to look at the menu and soon our '
Croque monsieur' and Westvleteren beer orders were taken and delivered. Tim enjoyed
Westvleteren Blond (5.8% ABV). It was interesting to see an old 'British road sign' mentioning Swindon and Southend. A notice mentions 'During WWI many camps were built around the St. Sixtus Abbey where soldiers could rest. The sign shows the campsite where the regiment stayed. (period 1917).'
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| St. Sixtus Abbey behind a high brick wall at exit from In de Vrede car park |
All too soon it was time to depart, to give time for a supermarket stop before boarding Le Shuttle.
