The picturesque town that’s like going back in time – and it’s two hours from the UK by train

THOSE who don’t understand history are doomed to repeat it, or so it is said.

But events that happened last century can feel distant and unknowable.

SuppliedSome people find the best way to learn from the past is to immerse yourself in it[/caption]

AlamyYpres is a quaint and picturesque city, famous for lace manufacturing[/caption]

Sure, you can learn from books and films, but the best way to truly understand is to do.

So I’m jumping on to an early-morning Eurostar train to Belgium — and back in time.

The rolling green meadows of Flanders Fields await.

Less than two hours after leaving London St Pancras, we are entering the city walls of historic Ypres, famous for the bloody battles that were fought here in World War One.

Today, Ypres is a quaint and picturesque city contained by a medieval moat that’s 800 years old.

At its heart, the Grote Markt was once the hub of the town’s booming trade in lace manufacturing.

Now, it houses the brilliant In Flanders Fields Museum, named after the poem by John McCrae.

Interactive exhibits tell true stories about the horrors of some of the bloodiest battles in history, with audio devices providing chilling accounts of the human cost of war.

The For Evermore exhibition is beyond moving.

Here you can learn about Londoner Private John Lynn, whose bravery won him a Victoria Cross but cost him his life.

There are also 3D maps marking 200-plus cemeteries where 600,000 dead are laid to rest.

Wandering back into the charming main square, the tranquillity is broken only by giggling schoolkids.

Order a beer from one of the bars lining the plaza and raise a toast to the Tommys who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

As dusk falls and the sun drops behind the Flemish gable roofs, walk five minutes up to Menin Gate.

Every day at 8pm, this giant memorial, which bears the names of 54,000 men carved in Portland stone, becomes the centrepiece of a moving remembrance ceremony.

Local officials halt traffic and buglers perform a stirring Last Post while military personnel, cadets and tourists lay poppy wreaths to those fallen heroes.

Disappearing cows

Next morning, wake to the romantic sound of church bells and birdsong.

After breakfast, take a walk around the town’s ancient ramparts, lined by tall oak trees and surrounded by a charming moat.

Then take a taxi to neighbouring Poperinge.

This small town was a hive of activity during the Great War.

Talbot House, a wartime hostel, became legendary for its heavy drinking, gambling dens and movie theatre.

Established by an army vicar, it offered a morale boost as the bitter bloodshed dragged on.

Today, it’s a visitor centre looking just as it did in 1918, a Tardis-like emporium transporting you back 100 years.

Have tea and scones while learning how the Commonwealth troops were able to restore morale before returning to the fight.

Next stop, a chance to experience a World War One trench and under-ground bunker.

The Passchendaele 1917 Museum is a must-see for its fascinating war memorabilia, including army weaponry and equipment.

Discover why the trenches zig-zagged across the landscape as they did, why Flemish farmers are still, to this day, too scared to smoke while on the toilet and why cows have been strangely disappearing.

Before we say goodbye to our museum guide Jurgen, he offers a heartfelt message: “Thank you to your country, Britain, for the support and huge sacrifice.”

This sense of extreme gratitude is a common theme on the trip.

Finally, stop by Tyne Cot cemetery and pay your respects to the 12,000 soldiers laid to rest here.

The largest cemetery of its kind in the world, the scale will shock you.

They gave their today for our tomorrow and, after visiting this place, you’ll never forget that.

SuppliedVisit Ypres for a chance to experience a World War One trench and underground bunker[/caption]

AlamyTyne Cot cemetery was moving[/caption]

AlamyHere you can learn about Londoner Private John Lynn, whose bravery won him a Victoria Cross but cost him his life[/caption]