In 1815 Napolean escaped from exile to once again threaten Europe with his vast armies of men and guns. He marched north into Belgium to confront the allies, defeating the Prussians at Ligny and fighting an inconclusive battle against the British at Quatre Bras. The next day he met General Wellington just outside the village of Waterloo, on the Charleroi Rd. By the end of the day Napoleon's army, and hopes, were smashed.
We made a rather mad dash to Brussels by train to make it to Waterloo, an absolute must see sight for David. Another train took us to Waterloo itself, and then a long walk took us to the battlefield. David could have spent an entire day on the field, but we had to be back in Brussels that evening for the trip to Callais. If you want to make the trip yourself there is a bus that goes straight from the train station in Brussels to the battlefield that's much more efficient than the way we got there.
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| (left) A view across the fields of Waterloo (right) La ferme de La Haye Saint (the farm of saint ???) which still bears the scars of countless musket balls fired at it's Allied defenders. | ||
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| View from the position of the 95th Rifles -- colloquially known as The Sandpit. | ||
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