belgium

It was sunny and warm every day. We drove to Ypres (Ieper) and walked as far as we could on the ramparts of the city. At the Menin Gate I looked for the regiments from Nottinghamshire and read their names. The light came through the arches and lit the wreaths of paper poppies. We ate bread and cheese sitting by the city moat.

My favorite thing in Bruges (Brugge) was the Begijnhof, now a Benedictine cloister. It is a square full of tall trees, whose shade falls across whitewashed buildings. Some have green glass windows, like the one above the door here. The house numbers were painted on by hand. Bruges was full of little loops of painted metal reading AVE MARIA, tourists riding bicycles, waffle-sellers. I bought poppy candies in a little jar.

Later we drove to the seaside, to Oostende, where I found candy shaped and flavored like violets and sticks of rock caramel, and my first pier, and an arcade to make Mr. Benjamin proud. And the sea, of course, which was cold and full of big waves, and me. Later we went home, rode our bicycles, made a cake.

Now I am back in England, with many sweet things and many sweet things to recall.