Day 6, Monday 19/3:

Today we set out for Lille, France’s 5^th largest city. Its Town center is very beautiful, filled with numerous historical buildings. Of particular interest is the 19^th century Cathedral Nort-de-laTrielle. In 1999, the church authorities decided replacement of the west façade of the church was necessary. Rather than attempting to restore it to its former state, it was replaced with a completely modern frontage. This, in my opinion, is a very sensible approach and was quite successful.

We crossed the border into Belgium, stopping beside the River Deule for a picnic lunch before continuing on to the town of Ypres. We spent much time walking the streets admiring the historic architecture, most of which had to be rebuilt after the conclusion of the Great War. We all had steak to a local restaurant before attending the daily 8pm Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate. This was a very heartening experience.