{"id":199,"date":"2015-05-27T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-27T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.littlewanderingwren.com\/2015\/05\/theres-been-more-than-one-battle-at-waterloo-you-know.html\/"},"modified":"2019-04-03T15:56:19","modified_gmt":"2019-04-03T08:56:19","slug":"theres-been-more-than-one-battle-at-waterloo-you-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.littlewanderingwren.com\/staging\/8794\/2015\/05\/27\/theres-been-more-than-one-battle-at-waterloo-you-know\/","title":{"rendered":"There’s been more than one battle at Waterloo you know!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>“Waterloo”<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n
‘My, my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender
Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way
The history book on the shelf
Is always repeating itself…’<\/span><\/i><\/strong><\/div>\n
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What do you know about Waterloo?<\/span><\/div>\n
Do you say the words ‘Waterloo’, and immediately launch into Abba’s famous song?!<\/span><\/div>\n
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If so, you’re right!
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‘At Waterloo Napoleon did surrender’<\/b><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Visiting the Butte Du Lion, Waterloo:<\/h5>\n

Fast forward two hundred years and local Waterloo Blogger Gattina is kindly showing me the famous sights of the Battle of Waterloo<\/a>. It is here Napoleon’s tyrannic rule ended, changing the direction of Europe.<\/p>\n

As we arrive at the man-made Butte Du Lion we notice masses of soldiers ready for action, as if they were going off to fight in 1815.<\/p>\n

The area appears to be a massive construction site, with frenetic activity and workmen trying to finalise building before the upcoming bicentenary celebrations.<\/p>\n

These days, instead of being on horseback, the soldiers are in cars fighting for a parking space!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Butte du Lion, Waterloo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
What is Waterloo 2105?<\/h5>\n

Organisers are expecting 120,000 spectators at the Waterloo 2015<\/a> commemorations on June 19-20 2015. This will be the biggest reenactment of the Battle of Waterloo with 5,000 soldiers, 300 horses, and 100 cannon.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, by then, they will have finished the building works and completed the car park!<\/p>\n

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‘How nice of you to arrange a VIP welcome!’<\/i><\/p>\n

I say to Gattina, as the band swings into full force on our arrival!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It was lovely to meet Gattina, who appears quite used to meeting random bloggers<\/div>\n
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introduced via the Internet, but for me, this was a first!<\/p>\n

I first got to know Gattina through her blog which I love to read as it brings me up to date on my previous life living in Belgium.<\/p>\n

This is what happens when two bloggers meet:<\/p>\n

“Hello”<\/p>\n

Hug (as we feel we’re meeting old friends)<\/p>\n

Photos!<\/p>\n

You can see Gattina’s version of events\u00a0here<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
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There are 226 steps which give a panoramic view of the battlefield.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
The new underground memorial was having its official opening that day
\nwith invited dignitaries, hence the soldiers and the band. TV crews and media, swirl around and Gattina and I snap happily away.<\/div>\n
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We are in blogging heaven!<\/div>\n
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Musicians performing at the inauguration of the Waterloo Memorial<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
We follow a line of soldiers being signed in to the VIP opening,<\/div>\n
check out the cowhide backpacks!<\/div>\n
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After all this excitement and a drink at the cafe,<\/div>\n
to get to know each other a little better,<\/div>\n
we head off to the Ferme de Hougoumont, Braine l’Alleud<\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Hougoumont was the pivotal point\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
in the Duke of Wellington’s defensive line in the Battle of Waterloo.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Once sadly derelict,<\/span>
\nit is slowly being transformed with the help of British donations<\/span>
\nwhich are being matched pound for pound by Belgium.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Peter Snow reports below “It was here at this peaceful farm 200 years ago that 5500 British and German troops died or were injured, in one of the epic struggles of history. Wellington said that the outcome of the battle of Waterloo depended on closing the gates at Hougoumont”.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Here you can find more details of\u00a0Project Hougoumont<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>below:<\/span><\/div>\n
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