Vladslo - Diksmuide - Nieuwpoort
Thursday we had a lot of different activities. The day started around eight o’clock. The bus brought us to Vladslo. Unfortunately, we arrived a little bit later as planned, but we still saw the Vladslo German war cemetery thoroughly. There were six pupils who gave an explanation about Käthe Kollwitz and her son Peter, who is buried at this cemetery. The statue of the Grieving Parents, Karl and Käthe Kollwitz themselves, was also mentioned by the students.
At ten o’clock our guide André Gysel joined us on the bus to give us some more information about the Yser Tower and the Trenches of Death. We haven’t seen the Yser Tower on the inside, because of the restoration for the memorial of the Great War of this year, but we could see it on the outside and the guide even showed us the ruins of the old Yser Tower. After this, we drove to the Trenches of Death and made a short walk.
After these two activities it was time to eat spaghetti in Sea Star Terminal in Nieuwpoort, to warm up a little bit. After lunch a guide was waiting for us at the fish market, because it was raining a lot and the weather was very cloudy. Our umbrella came in useful. It was a two-hour-tour in which we saw how Nieuwpoort was crucial during the First World War: the inundation that brought the German army to a stop was planned and realized in the harbor of Nieuwpoort. We also saw statue of king Albert I on his horse. From the Fish Market we walked to the seaside by following the river. After this long hike and long day we deserved our hot chocolate! To end our day we went bowling with the whole group. It was an unforgettable experience.