I’d been awake for an hour, trying to get some sleep, but I was still agonizing, thinking our last day was already upon us. First things first: get up, shower, and pack up our things.

After putting everything in the car, we checked out at the reception desk. It was sad to leave that beautiful, peaceful place with its stunning views behind us. But the day was young, and the road was long.

Off to Calais. We’d been on the road for half an hour when hunger started to grow and we managed to get something French for breakfast for the last time. A bacon and onion baguette and a piece of flan later, we were on our way again. Or wait? Wasn’t the trip supposed to be about seeing World War I sites? We’re near Ypres now anyway. Turn around and head in a different direction.

Two hours later, we arrive at the site of “Hill 60,” an old battlefield where the Australian 1st Tunnel Company dug a full 700 meters underground towards the German trenches to plant 32,000 kilograms of explosives. Today, a large crater is visible, and it also serves as a cemetery for the Germans buried under thousands of kilograms of earth. However peaceful it may be now, I always try to imagine what it must have been like back then. It leaves you speechless.

We continue our way to the Hill 62 museum a few kilometers further on. This museum still has trench craters and piles of scrap metal from the First World War in its garden. Although the museum could certainly use an update, it’s still impressive to see where the Allies were in the trenches, and you get a sense of what it must have looked like back then.

Time for a delicious lunch. In the city of Ypres, we searched for a small pub with finger food. We had tomato soup, a toasted sandwich, and some calamari, all washed down with cider. I can’t get enough of it. After dinner, we took a look at the old Cloth Hall, which was completely destroyed during the First World War and completely rebuilt in the years afterward. The people of Ypres did a fantastic job. Unfortunately, there was a fair going on, so we couldn’t see the Cloth Hall in all its glory. All the more reason to go back.

Home was still two hours away, so after buying a souvenir, we went back to the car where, to my dismay, I discovered a 25-euro souvenir for illegal parking under my windshield wiper. I’ll have to pay that first when I get home tonight.

Six days later, I can only look back on the holiday with immense satisfaction. We did so much, and the days were long. But long, wonderful, and educational. My hunger to learn more about the First World War has only grown, and I even ordered a book to learn more about the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. I can’t wait for my next trip. When I get home, I have a lot of work ahead of me editing all the footage from the trip for my YouTube channel. Stay tuned, as it will be online in the coming weeks.