Back to Belgium

I felt quite sad to leave our little hotel on Friday morning which was strange because I wasn't that keen on it when we arrived. I often dislike a new place, especially if it's a bit basic, and then I become quite fond of it! Back to Belgium we travelled on our buses, this time to the town of Ypres. I have been there before with James and the boys, and I feel that the town and all of the countryside around it are steeped in such sad history - I would hate to live there even though it's a pretty town. We went to the excellent Flanders Fields Museum which was a sobering reminder of the war. One thing that particularly stood out for me was a cross section of a tree trunk - the tree had not died until 1994 and you could see clearly marks of bullets in the rings that had formed in the 1st World War. 
And then we set off back to Zeebrugge and the ferry back to good old blighty. Soon a lively game of football was taking place up and down the corridor beside the cabins - but it was the staff rather than the pupils! The staff have all got on really well on this trip and have worked together as a team to support the pupils - which has been vital. At dinner on the ferry our group seemed to be viewed with completely needless suspicion by a grumpy head waiter but we ignored him and enjoyed our meal. Then we went up to the bar and played cards, played bingo and generally had a festive and convivial evening. Later on another game of (staff) football ensued in the hallway outside our cabins, which was put a stop to by a ship's officer (we must have been spotted on CCTV) which I thought was very funny. More card playing, chatting, laughing and coin throwing continued into the wee small hours. We had the coolest wake up call ever - Chris came up the corridor playing an American bugle call on his euphonium!