Ypres, Belgium

13TH AUGUST 2018 YPRES, BELGIUM

On the way to Ypres we went to the World War One museum and Memorial Garden at Paschendale...

then to Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing which has a very moving experience.

We then went to Hill 60, another important site in Australian World War One history. From Wiki - "In 1920, Hill 60 was bought by Lieutenant-Colonel Cawston who later sold a half share in it to J. Calder. In 1930, Calder donated his share of Hill 60 to the Imperial War Graves Commission (now Commonwealth War Graves Commission), which maintains it as a battlefield memorial park." - which means it is one of the few war sites that has been untouched since the war (apart form the sheep that graze on it).

Then we headed to Ypres for lunch and visited the In Flanders Field WWI Museum - this was an interesting museum though a lot of the information we knew from the museum at Paschendale but the museum was crowded so many displays were difficult to see and the museum gives you a special wristband like a watch which you put on some displays so they are in your language and this was hard to use with so many people around, there was also no direction/arrows so everyone would flow and move on instead of crowding everywhere.

After heading to our B and B we walked back into Ypres for dinner and to the Menin Gate - another war memorial where the Last Post is played at 8pm each night - not a dry eye in sight as people reflected on all the lives lost. 

Bruges, Belgium

11TH AND 12TH AUGUST 2018 BRUGES, BELGIUM

Brugge is the Venice of the North as it has canals around the old city and through it too as they were used to transport goods. The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO as it has many old churches such as the belfry from the 13th century and the city hall.

We went on a canal boat ride which was interesting to see the buildings from the water and the guide pointed out some historical facts which wouldn't have known otherwise.  Many of the buildings have the year they were built on them in ironwork.

Ghent, Belgium

10TH AUGUST 2018 GHENT, BELGIUM

We headed to Dinant and stopped at Abbey Leffe where they began brewing beer in 1240.

We drove up to the citadel but didn't go in. There was a World War One and Two Memorial there.

Walzin Castle - I discovered on Pinterest and is hidden away but we found it by walking into the river. My husband took the great photo above.

In the afternoon we visited the Gardens and Chateau of Freyre.

And stopped at Beloeil Castle for a drink...

then headed to Ghent. That evening we both had amazing seafood dishes, Kevin had a traditional fish soup and I had a seafood casserole.

Genk and Arbre, Belgium

8TH - 13TH AUGUST 2018 BELGIUM

We loved the food and the history of Belgium.

8TH AUGUST 2018 GENK, BELGIUM

We left the north west of Germany and travelled through the Netherlands to Belgium. We stopped at Alden Biesen Castle near Genk in the north east of Belgium.

9TH AUGUST 2018 ARBRE, BELGIUM
We stopped at Hoegaarden Brewery but they weren't doing tours so we continued on through the rain.

We then dropped in at Corroy le Chateau but they weren't open to tourists.

We stopped at Namur for lunch and drove up to the citadel/palace.

In the afternoon we walked around the gardens and chateau of Annevoie.

North West Germany

3RD - 7TH AUGUST 2018, VISITING FAMILY IN THE NORTH WEST OF GERMANY.

On 3rd August we left Koblenz and hit the autobahn heading north to visit my aunt and uncle, cousins and their families. When we arrived the temperatures were high so we went to the local swimming pool which was built next to a canal and uses spring water. My father helped to build the children's pool. In December 1972 I was 5 when we visited and the pool/lake was iced over so it was exciting to go swimming in it as an adult. The water was 26C and very refreshing.

We also went for a walk in the Bucholz Forest.

My cousins took me to a Land Garden Show in Bad Iburg which had a great treetop walk and we walked around Schloss Iburg too.

The Rhine River, Koblenz, Germany

2ND AUGUST 2018 CRUISE ALONG THE RHINE RIVER

Koblenz is a German city built at the junction of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers.

We went on an awesome 5 hour cruise along the Rhine River from Koblenz to Bacharach then caught the train back to Koblenz. The day began with dark clouds which cleared to sunshine. The castles along the route include: Stolzenfels, Marksberg, Stertenberg and Liebenstein built by brothers, Rheinfels, Katz, and Schonburg.

Heidelberg and the Mosel

31ST JULY 2018 HEIDELBERG CASTLE

After leaving Rothenburg ob der Tauber we followed the Romantic Route and saw many castles on hills and surrounded by trees. We visited Heidelberg Castle which meant climbing the hill in 36C (nearly 100F) which was tiring but the view and castle were spectacular.

1ST AUGUST 2018 THE MOSEL RIVER

We drove through the rain, (yes, after high temps the previous day we were surprised too) to the Mosel River and took a river castle from Bernkastel-Kues.

After the cruise we headed north to Burg Eltz - which was an awesome castle on the Mosel and took a tour of the interesting interior. Then we headed to our hotel in Koblenz.

September 2018 GPE Challenge/Inspiration

I have created a challenge per month for my Gelatin Printing Enthusiasts Facebook group.

September 2018 Challenge/Inspiration is to use different papers for your prints.  Get out of your comfort zone and try different papers on your plate and see how they react with the colours.

I like to use iridescent or metallic paint on black paper/card, and leaving some of the black showing through helps to make the paint pop.

Some videos to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrpkzvrxgS0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SPMW25jYbs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rylHtECg6_4

Secondhand shops are great for old books and music sheets.

Coloured papers provide other challenges too. Darker paint colours on the paper make the print pop out.

Have fun!