Bruges - Belgium - Part 1 - Exploring the City

                         

I visited Bruges for the first time just a few months ago in September as part of an extended road trip to France and Belgium.  I loved the city and posted the above photo on my Instagram account today, which has prompted me to share some photos on Travel Tales of our few days in the city.

We stayed right in the heart of the city, we arrived by boat as part of our trip was taken on the canals of Belgium, more photos of which I will share here in another post.  Above is the boat which was our home for a week, the white one with the bicycles on the stern deck.  It was a lovely mooring, don't you agree?

The rest of the photos will take you on a virtual stroll around the streets of Bruges and speak for themselves. Enjoy your visit!

Enough for today, hope you have enjoyed your virtual stroll around the city? I have so many photos still to share, that I shall save for further posts when I will share Market Day in Bruges and some from a cycle tour we did!

If you have already visited this lovely city maybe this post has stirred memories and if not maybe it has inspired you to visit yourself.

Armistice Day - Lest We Forget - Brigadier James Hill

       

Today in honour of Armistice Day I want to pay tribute to one man amongst the many thousands.
        
Why James Hill, well just because in September I had the privilege of visiting Pegasus Bridge where his statue is. Brigadier Hill commanded the 3rd Parachute Brigade on June 6, 1944 when 2,500 men jumped into enemy territory in Normandy with the vital task of holding the eastern flank of the Allied forces against the German counter-attack while the troops on the beaches secured a foothold in Europe.

His statue is one of only two commemorating British officers in France. The other belongs to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery - the commander of Allied forces in Normandy.

    Text Below with courtesy of  Wikipedia

1. James Hill

   British Army Officer

   

   Brigadier Stanley James Ledger Hill DSO & Two Bars, MC was a British Army officer, who served as commander of the 3rd Parachute Brigade, part of the 6th Airborne Division, during World War II. Born in Bath, Somerset, Hill was educated at Marlborough.

   Brigadier Stanley James Ledger Hill DSO & Two Bars, MC was a British Army officer, who served as commander of the 3rd Parachute Brigade, part of the 6th Airborne Division, during World War II. Born in Bath, Somerset, Hill was educated at Marlborough College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst before joining the British Army in 1931 and being commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers. He commanded a platoon for a short period, and was then attached to the command post of Field Marshal Lord Gort during the Battle of France in May 1940, where he oversaw the evacuation of Brussels as well as the beach at De Panne during the evacuation of Dunkirk. After a brief period of time in the Irish Free State, he volunteered for parachute training and joined the 1st Parachute Battalion, and was its commanding officer when its parent formation, the 1st Parachute Brigade, was deployed to North Africa.

    

   • Born: 14 Mar 1911 · Bath, England
   • Died: 16 Mar 2006
   • Education: Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
   • Parents: Walter Hill

   Timeline

   1931:

   Born in Bath, Somerset, Hill was educated at Marlborough College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst before joining the British Army in 1931 and being commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers.

   1940:

   He then commanded a platoon for several months, when the battalion was stationed along the Maginot Line, before being promoted to the rank of Captain in January 1940 and joining the staff at Allied Headquarters.

   1943:

   By February 1943 he had recovered from his injuries, and was flown back to England where he met up with Brigadier Gerald W. Lathbury, commander of the newly raised 3rd Parachute Brigade.

   1945:

   In May 1945 Hill served as military governor of Copenhagen, for which he was awarded the King Haakon VII Liberty Cross, and then assumed command of the 1st Parachute Brigade and oversaw its demobilisation.

   2004:

   On 6 June 2004 he attended the 60th Anniversary of the Normandy landings, and a bronze statue of him was unveiled at Le Mesnil crossroads by Charles, Prince of Wales, Colonel-in-Chief of The Parachute Regiment.

   2006:

   He died on 16 March 2006, aged 95.

The following links may be informative if you are interested in reading more. 

Wikipedia - James Hill    World War II      PegasusBridge - History Learning Site

           

World at Work 10 - Market Day(Part Two) - Nyaungshwe - Myanmar (Burma)

Continuing with my World at Work series of photos taken on my travels.  As promised in World at Work 9 - Market Day - Nyaungshwe - Myanmar (Burma) this is a continuation of my market visit, as I took far too many photos to share in one post. 

With the recent troubles in Myanmar, I have been thinking often of what a lovely visit I enjoyed to this beautiful country. I hope and pray I will be able to return one day.

These Market Day photos have I hope given you a glimpse into day to day life for some of the people of Myanmar.  

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of this wonderful country.



World at Work Links to Previous Posts

World at Work 1 - Fabric Weaving - Mandalay - Myanmar

World at Work 2 - Recycling - Bansko - Bulgaria

World at Work 3 - Fishermen - Marta - Italy

World at Work 4 - Sailors - Star Ferry - Hong Kong

World at Work 5 - Dried Seafood Market - Western District - Hong Kong

World at Work 6 - Washday - Ayeyarwady River - Mingun - Myanmar

World at Work 7 - Mya Thaw Tar Lacquer-ware Workshop - Bagan - Myanmar

World at Work 8 - Street Vendors and Delivery Men - Xian - China

World at Work 9 - Market Day - Nyaungshwe - Myanmar (Burma)

Dahlia - Flower - The Beauty of Mother Nature

I enjoyed a fabulous road trip recently and I came home with over a thousand photos on my camera! I am planning to share some of these over the coming months on this blog if I can find the time.

I miss blogging as I have always enjoyed the interaction with others around the world, so I will do all I can to post from time to time. I cannot promise that the real world will not get in the way though.

This dahlia photo is a particular favourite of mine that I have also shared on Instagram where I do still post everyday!

Doors of Budapest - Hungary

           

I have a fascination for doors and always take photos for my collection when I am travelling.

Budapest was a wealth of wonderful old doors, many of which are huge and ornate.

No particular favourite from this collection, but I do like the wooden ones with ornate carvings the most.  The last one is particularly enormous as you can see from the gentleman standing in the hallway!