Sunday, April 15, 2007

Battle of Waterloo

Waterloo, Belgium – October 1996

It was the perfect time, as I had just finished reading a collection of books set in the 1800s around the time of the Napoleonic Wars. There was a detailed account of Napoleon Bonaparte’s defeat in the Battle of Waterloo by the British led by the Duke of Wellington. So when I heard the organizers were planning a trip to Brussels, I jumped at the chance.

We left Coventry on a Friday evening by coach. The journey down to Dover, across the English Channel and into Belgium took around 10 hours or so, which we mostly slept through. We arrived in Brussels early in the morning and after going round the ‘right’ spots in Brussels and taking pictures, the five of us parted ways from the rest of the group.

We took a bus at Avenue de Stalingrad and made way to Waterloo. The bus ride took about 40 minutes and we arrived in Waterloo town. It didn’t look at all like the pictures in the guidebook. The place of the old battlefield was supposed to be a large expanse of field with a conical mound in the middle. But we were in a town bustling with what looked like locals instead of tourists. After a few polite enquiries, we found out that we should have got off at a place called Butte du Lion. Since it was within walking distance, we decided to hike up to the place.

Butte du Lion, or Lion's Hillock. And sure enough, even from afar we could see a sculpture of a lion on top a mound in the middle of the open space. Lion, signifying the British who won the battle on June 18, 1815. If it was the French who won the battle, the sculpture would have been that of an eagle.

Near the battlefield was the Visitor’s Center and Panorama of the Battle. The Visitor’s Center is the place to get more information on the Battle of Waterloo. There were movies and slide shows on display but we didn’t stay long. Next door is the circular building which housed the painting of the battle. The viewers will be standing in a raised platform in the middle of the room and all around is the circular painting. You’ll feel as if you’re in the middle of the battle. What with the sound effect… you REALLY feel like you’re in the middle of the battle!! It’s no surprise to see some people unconsciously trying to block the muskets aiming at them… ehehheh.



Then it was time to climb up the 226 steps to the top of the mound. On top is a viewing platform with the lion standing on a pedestal in the middle of the platform. The view from the top was beautiful, overlooking the entire battlefield. You won’t see the English or French infantry and Calvary on the field but there’s where you imagination comes in. Legend has it that the lion was cast from the weapons the French left behind during the battle. But I don’t know how true that it. I couldn’t see if there was a “Made in France” anywhere on the lion :D








The mound was the last of our visit. There was also a waxwork museum nearby but we were not interested. So it was time to get back to Brussels. Just enough time to grab some dinner and find our way back to the bus stop for our return journey back to Coventry.

"All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavor to find out what you don't know by what you do; that's what I called 'guessing what was at the other side of the hill.'"
The Duke of Wellington, 1815, the Battle of Waterloo