On the ninth day of our travels, we witness not only a memorial for the soldiers that put their lives at risk during WWI in Ypres against Germany nearly a century ago, but to remember the horror and bravery that should never be forgotten. This was essentially an archway that contains over 50 000 names of those who had lost their lives during the war but were never found, which is heart braking none the less. Seeing this ceremony has easily shows us to be grateful for the life you have currently and that no person should ever dismiss the memory of this fateful event during the 20th century.
I can honestly say this was a real privilege to get to see a collection of tourists, citizens, and different generations come together and unite to honor all of the fallen soldiers, having a few groups of different people come up to respectfully place reefs, poppies, or other things on the side of the arch. Seeing all of these people gathered around the arch at once, listening to the pipers play, was truly a highlight of the Europe trip for me,and even to say I watched the Menin Gate ceremony made me grateful.
To be continued....
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