P. Ferguson image, August 2918.
Thread Eight
Despite those of us who have been drawn to Ypres because of the Great War there are other colours to this town. It is alive and filled with the voices of today and hopes for the future. Ypres – Ieper is filled with community – its own community – its own people. There is colour here – a kaleidoscope of vibrancy with fine shops and dining on the square and the in-between places to discover just around each corner.
Some are surprised to see that the Menin Gate Memorial is within the city, a short walk from the square where traffic is stopped for every evening’s Last Post by the buglers of the Fire Brigade. Since the 2018 Great Pilgrimage has returned home, a fair, midway, carnival has occupied the square offering all the rides and games that children and families enjoy. Guns crack at targets whilst bumper cars bounce into each other as glees of laughter rise up from the occupants. Plush toys are gathered by children as the sounds of music and bistros mix together.
And then there is myself finding joy in the happiness of families. I smile gently with this peace…but as always am on the watch for one more reminder of whence this peace came. It is then that I find myself with the Sorcerer’s Apprentice near to the Cloth Hall…we can only imagine what this town has endured…once the black and white world of conflict…now filled with the colour of peace.
Fantasia (Night on Bald Mountain 2/2)
—–SNIP—–
Previously published Pipes of War website, 12 August 2018