Our French and Belgian Adventure August 2018: Day Three - Waterloo

[Em4owen]

Index

Day Three: Tuesday 21st August – Waterloo

I think Ashley and Hayden woke us up this morning at 6.30am but I’d set the alarm for later. Owen and the boys had waffles for breakfast which we’d purchased the day before and I had porridge with fruit. We left the house at 8.30am as we knew it was an hour’s drive to Waterloo but it didn’t open until 9.30am. We timed this well as we arrived just after 9.30am and it was really quiet.

We went to the main visitor centre at Memorial 1815, the main area where the battle happened and where most of the information is to buy tickets. The man serving us explained to us and the group of adults in the queue that the computer wasn’t working so he’d let us in for free (we had to pay later for the rest of the attractions). He took us through to the panorama which is a 360 degree experience of a battle scene with sounds and smells. Ashley and Hayden enjoyed looking at it but Hayden was worried about the dead horses.

From the panaroma, you can then take an exit out onto the area where the famous Butte du Lion is. The statue was erected on a large mound not long after the battle, I believe. There are 226 steps up to it but we all managed this fine.

It helped that it was quiet as I’m not a fan of stairs. Ever since childhood, I’ve had a bit of a phobia of coming down stairs, especially ones which are on spiral staircases like in castles, have many steps or have gaps in them. Luckily, we reached the top and enjoyed the views overlooking the countryside. There’s some binoculars on mounds up there which were a euro each so naturally Hayden and Ashley had to have a go although they were too small.

Heading back down was more of a challenge for us with two little ones and my fear but we managed it without feeling pressurised. I can imagine if we’d been there when it was busier, I would have felt panicked. I like to not feel rushed when attempting stairs.

By this time, the computer was up and running again so after a quick toilet break, we went to purchase our tickets. We went for the Pass 1815 which entitles you to the Memorial 1815 (museum, panorama and mound), the Wellington Museum, the Headquarters for Napoleon and a nearby Brewery (which we didn’t do as we’re not beer fans and we had two young boys, plus we also ran out of time). It cost 20 Euros each for adults and children under 7 were free.

Our next stop was the museum part of the Memorial. The museum was great with interactive screens and games for children, lots of information and objects on display.

Naturally with two children, we were rushed through and must have spent about an hour but I can imagine you’d need 2-3 hours to do it properly. The museum also has a 4D film of the battle which was brilliant, complete with smells and 3D glasses. Hayden and Ashley didn’t like all the booms and gunfire so hid so definitely not for young children.

After the museum, we had our picnic lunch of sandwiches, crisps and fruit. We discovered there were some picnic tables to eat by the Butte du Lion and there was a restaurant on site if you didn’t bring anything. I’d naively expected to be done by now but there was actually a lot to see and do.

From the Memorial 1815, you can catch a bus to the Hougomont farm which was seized by French troops during the battle.

Again there was plenty to see here with statues, a church and a film.

We were there for around 30-45 minutes before catching the bus back (we waited about 15 minutes for it). It was only us and 2 other Spanish gentlemen so very quiet and we enjoyed our walk around. Once we arrived back at the Visitor Centre, we visited the gift shop where we bought plastic lions for the boys (which caused arguments in the car later because they were identical but they both wanted the same one ) , a glass, magnet and a cuddly lion for me, totalling 36.90 Euros.

We left the Visitor Centre at around 2.30pm and drove to the Wellington Museum which was based in the town of Waterloo on the main street. We parked for free nearby and went through a local shopping centre which seemed to pay no adhere to health and safety with wires all over the floor and exposed above whilst renovation was happening. It seems Belgium doesn’t have the same strict Health and Safety guidelines we have here in the UK! The museum was disappointing and very outdated with objects simply displayed in rooms and the boys did not enjoy it.

It was empty apart from us and although we enjoyed the free water machine and little memorial garden, we were only there for about 20 minutes.

This was about the most fun we had here.

Our final stop was the farm which held Napoleon’s headquarters and was now a museum.

We arrived there around 3.30pm. I was expecting another dull, old-fashioned style museum but was instead pleasantly surprised. There were a few more people here too. We were greeted by a lovely man who gave the boys a game to do. In each room there was a chest with activities to do which would then give a code to unlock the treasure chest in the reception/shop area. The boys loved this and the activities ranged from puzzles to replica objects to touch.

There was also a film at the end but we sensed the boys had had enough. We returned to the reception area to open the chest which revealed some lemon sweets. The boys enjoyed this and it was great it was so child friendly. We left here just after 4pm.

It took over an hour to get back and the boys fell asleep in the car. We got back to the cottage at 5.15pm and had a dinner of home made chips, quesadillas and vegetables. We all enjoyed ice cream and sorbet for desert and I think I was so exhausted, I was in bed by 9pm!

Spends: 76.90 Euros.