After a lovely lie in (till 7.55!) everyone was up and enjoying their first continental breakfast at the hostel. First challenge to tackle this morning was what to eat for lunch so all the children walked down to the local supermarche to buy some food to eat later. This involved a bit of budgeting so everyone in the group had enough food, some great team work and even a little bit more French speaking!
With our newly purchased food in tow we all jumped on the coach for the short drive to Ypres to learn more about the battles that took place around Flanders fields. We had previously learnt about some of these in our ‘Highs and Lows of the 20th Century’ topic. On arrival we first visited a stunning cathedral and spent some time sketching the beautiful artworks inside. Daniella and Sonia exhibited some amazing focus and artwork as they recreated lots of the features of the church with incredible accuracy.
Later we walked to the Menin Gate, a memorial arch built to commemorate 54,000 men who lost their lives in the fierce battles fought in the area. We spent a little time here and then sat in the square outside the Flanders Fields museum for lunch. The groups created their culinary masterpieces (mainly delicious sandwiches) and tucked into their food.
With fuel in our bellies we headed into the Museum and explored some of the interactive displays. There were loads of facts about battles we had studied in school to deepen our understanding. After a long exploration we went to a Belgian chocolate shop to buy some wonderful treats!
Finally we boarded the coach and went back to the hostel to get changed for our dinner, tonight was our ‘smart’ meal and there were some exceptional outfits on show, namely John’s snappy three-piece suit and Gbotemi’s flowery dress! We all enjoyed some delicious pizza and pasta then headed back to the hostel for showers and bed. We’re all excited for Paris tomorrow although slightly shocked that we have to wake up at 6.15am!