Invasion of Holland Day 1

First day of the invasion of Holland 2010 (via France & Belgium). Left Lincoln at 06:15 for the 10:20 Tunnel train and managed to get to Folkestone for 09:30. Text waiting on the phone and its Mrs G with a panic on because the downstairs loo cistern valve has noticed I'm not there and decides to pack up and overflow all the time. No.2 son sorts out shutting the water off & No.1 son organises a mate who is a plumber who sorts it all out for £30 - panic over.
Arrive in France at 11:50 french time (1 hour ahead), and it's on to the A16 and A25 heading for Ypres. Get there and park right by the old cloth hall in the centre and have a walk around. Over to the Menin Gate - 50000 names on it from British & Commonwealth countries for those with no known grave. Very sobering. This area deserves a trip of its own, as I passed no end of signs for war cemeteries on the way.
Talking of war cemeteries, I've just finished a book about the battle of Passchendaele so decide to visit the village and area to see what the area looked like, and whilst there visit Tyn Cot, the largest British War cemetery with nearly 12000 graves. What struck me was that most of the headstones have 'unknown soldier' whereas I always thought most of the headstones had names. Alot of those names are 18,19, 20 year olds and as you walk into Tyn Cot you hear a recording of a young womans voice reading there names and ages out from the list of burials - very moving as it happens. Around the wall are plaques containing a further 35000 continuing the list on the Menin Gate.
Onward to Brussels and winding back a few hundred years and Waterloo, which I get to just as the visitor centre is closing so I dont get to go up the Butte de Lion, a 140 foot mound with a big cast iron lion on top.

Heading for the digs tonight, a Formule 1 hotel in Brussels. Exciting experience getting around Brussels in the rush hour, filtering etc, but I must say the drivers are very aware of bikes. However the hotel is crap - what a dump, stinks of fags, full of eastern europeans on there way to the airport? and in the middle of a souless business park. - won't bother with them again. Its a bit hit and miss when you book stuff on the internet. Anyway, the Ibis acros the way has a bar and restaurant so its a few beers and a pizza and an early night as I'm knackered from just finishing nights. Overall the weathers been good, Belgian roads appalling and done about 390 miles all in. Tomorrow, start at Joes Bridge and then along the 'Corridor' to Nijmegen.