Has anyone taken one of Nathan's FF tours? I'm a Canadian history buff but my travelling companion is not. Even so, an 8.5 hour tour of the FF sites sounds a bit long. I know Rick says that you can't find all the sites if you rent a car and go on your own, but do you need to see all the sites to get a good sense of the history of the area? Is the evening tour enough?
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Kerri, I've never taken one of Nathan's Flanders Fields tours, but I agree that an 8.5 hour tour is probably only for those that are really interested in the history. I was in that area a few months ago, and took a tour with Jacques, who was excellent! Unfortunately I don't know which firm he works with, but you might have a look at This Website. I most definitely agree that it would be difficult to find all the significant sites by renting a car and driving around. My suggestion would be to either contact Nathan and ask for recommendations on a shorter tour OR contact one of the other tour companies. Good luck!
Posted by
OP
Victoria, BC, Canada
111 posts
Thanks Ken! I checked out the website and it looks like a good alternative. Did you also visit the Passchendale and In Flanders Fields Museums? The In FF reopens in June 2012.
Posted by
Seattle
5 posts
Kerri, I don't know if you're still watching this topic, but I did the tour with Nathan in, I think, 2006. It was excellent! I chose it because of the stops at the 2 different museums, and the smaller group than (what was available at the time) with another company. There was a group of 4. I would say it depends on your level of interest though.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Kerri, Among the sites our group visited were the Tyne-Cot Cemetery, American Cemetery, Langemark German Cemetery, Varlet Farm (also the site of a battle - we had an excellent lunch there) and the Hill 62 Museum & Trenches. We passed by Vancouver Corner and the statue of the "Brooding Soldier", but didn't get to the Passchendaele Museum. Cheers!
Posted by
Poelkapelle, Flanders, Belgium
2 posts
Hallo Kerri, Being a local here in the Salient, I would definitely recommend the Passchendaele Memorial Museum 1917 over the In Flanders Fields museum. The first one takes you on a chronological tour through the different years of the Great War. The icing on the cake is the reconstruction of an authentic dug-out. The MMP 1917is currently expanding, it should reopen again halfway through next year. Not only has the building doubled in size but a museum garden with reconstructions of different types of trenches has been added too. The In Flanders Fields museum is more focussing on the atmosphere in Europe at the time. From experience (I run Varlet Farm) I can tell you that most people come to realise that they haven't provided sufficient time to do justice to the area. If your friend hasn't got an interest in the Great War, he can visit the city of Ypres or Bruges (only 40 km away) while you are touring the battlefields.
Charlotte
Posted by
Kingsville, Ontario
165 posts
Charlotte, as a local, how do you pronounce Ypres?
Posted by
Poelkapelle, Flanders, Belgium
2 posts
Peter, in Dutch the name of the city is Ieper, which is pronounced Ie (like the ee sound in the word "me") and then "per" which is pronounced like the last part of the word "leper". Since I don't have a clue how to write fonetic, this is the best way to explain it . :)
charlotte