During my recent visit to Flanders field, I would love to see how the area is prepared for the influx of tourists expected during the century of war.
As the title of the visit to the Flemish Tourism Bureau handbook says, is this "accessible to everyone?
In the gloomy darkness, only a few flashing lights illuminate the wooden boards of the walls and ceilings.
Nearby I can hear the sound of the pump, which keeps the underground shelter from flooding-or if this is something outside of the atmospheric reconstruction below the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, I will do so
My guide, Geert Delbecque, told me: "In fact, the light is only half what you see here . ".
When I was thinking about how dark and humid the real bomb shelter in World War I would be, geert surprised me again, noting that wheelchair users would have access to the bomb shelter as long as you use the elevator to enter.
Like many tourists, I live in IEP and at first glance it's like a typical medieval city with a particularly impressive city square.
But it may seem like a lie: for most of the time in the war, ipur was surrounded by German forces on three sides and completely destroyed.
Almost everything you can see today is built or rebuilt later. The Gothic-
The stylish cloth hall on the town square is now home to the Flanders Field Museum, which has recently been renovated with floors and wheelchair access lifts.
One of the most memorable exhibits for me is the touch screen, where the Google Earth view of the modern city is covered by wartime aerial photos of scarred terrain.
Overall, the museum provides information and accessible introductions about wartime history and the sites I will see in the next few days.
As you would expect, there are a number of companies that offer car and minibus tours in ipur;
One of them was the front line Tour, and its owner Lionel Rosemont talked to me about arranging trips for disabled clients.
"It's important to book in advance and talk to me about what you need," he said, "so that if you need it, I can provide you with advice on getting in and on the van
"He can arrange a private trip, which is especially useful if you want to see a specific cemetery where relatives are buried, but he also has the standard itinerary for many places I plan to go.
My first day was spent at the remarkable sights of ipur, including Tyne Scott, the world's largest Commonwealth war cemetery.
Its 12,000 simple white tombstone symbolizes the equality of soldiers in death;
This repetition vividly illustrates the scale of the loss of life for the Flemish.
Like the names of the other 35,000 soldiers inscribed on the wall, their resting place is unknown.
Inevitably, some of the places I visited were more accessible than others.
Take the famous door-to-door in iple, which has the names of nearly 55,000 missing Commonwealth soldiers.
It's impossible to get in a wheelchair on the steps on either side of the gate, which means you can't get close to some engraved panels or places that leave the poppy ring.
On the other hand, the main area below the arch is flat, and this is the last sharp post that rings every day at eight o'clock P. M. to commemorate the fallen.
The space is packed with tourists, so it's a good idea to arrive around 7.
Fifteen o'clock P. M. , but there is space in the middle, and the disabled can stay away from the crowd.
Of course, there are more accessibility facilities than routes for people with mobility inconveniences.
For example, in the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917, the bomb shelter may be suitable for wheelchairs, but for people with poor eyesight, spending such a dark environment can be a challenge.
I asked the staff and they advised disabled tourists to arrive early as the school groups filled the place from around ten o'clock A. M. to four o'clock P. M.
While it is not possible to substitute for personal inquiries, throughout my journey I have found that the brochure "accessible to everyone" is both detailed and accurate.
Perhaps most importantly, it does not cover up potential problems.
At Tyne Cot, for example, it mentions a barrier-free entrance, but also warns that "there is a remodeled toilet, but it is difficult to get there due to the pebbles of the path ".
It is clear that by providing accurate information with trainers and working with the website to upgrade the facilities, access to Flanders is taking the visit seriously.
The lonely trumpeter raises his instrument every night at eight o'clock P. M. in the afternoon.
In Menning Gate, a tribute to those who had fallen into the mud and dirt of the battlefield a century ago, and although throngs flocked to the Memorial Hall, it was still an extremely bitter influence.
As a tourist with severe vision damage, this is probably the most powerful experience I have experienced on a trip, which is very accessible and effective for blind and visually impaired visitors
Visiting Flanders has a huge roster of walking guides, all of which are well prepared to deal with visitors like me who need the extra help of stairs, the road and the Museum of reading some very rich visual elements, such as the flandfield Museum located in the center of ipur.
This is one of the best examples of a museum in Europe, which uses an interactive way to commemorate history without the stupidity that usually comes with it --down.
I like recording very much (made by actors)
A true diary written by soldiers, nurses and doctors, detailing the horror of life on the front line, with an apparent lack of emotion.
The visit to the battlefield itself is also affected.
My last morning in the area was spent at the Memorial Museum in Passchendaele (
Right in the nearby village of Zonnebeke)
Outside the venue, there is a new
The establishment of trenches.
Through the detailed description of my guide, I was able to feel my way in the twisted narrow alleys, with wooden floating boards creaking under my feet.
It is impossible not to be affected by the feeling of suffocation, which will immediately be reflected in the fact that when you walk into Warren in the sand pit, thousands of people will spend months enduring this almost suffocating feeling. constant ear-
Split sound of explosive shells
Grateful to be taken out of the trenches and returned to the soft grass on the 21st --
Century zongnibeck, today the contrast between the breeze and birdsong of ipur and the horror of a century ago is no longer obvious.
Visiting the area has had a profound impact on every feeling I feel.
For more information on the Flanders Field, see flandersfield 1418.
The ComP & O ferry offers 23 crossings between Dover and Calais per day, with only £ 45 per trip, accommodating up to 9 passengers.
There is also daily night service between Hull and Zeebrugge, two adults a car, 135 one way, sharing a standard cabin.
For more information and information on booking your itinerary, see poferries.