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Tag Archives: France

Europe 2014 Day 9

15 Mar

If you read the Day 8 post, you know why this is delayed.

Day nine, our last day in Europe 😦 Man, the time has just flown by. I guess as they say that’s what happens when you’re having fun right? We’ll have to make the most of today and enjoy every moment.

So the internet (or as they say here the “wefe”) is still down, so I still cannot post yesterday’s blog. Hopefully it will be working by the time we return today so I can catch up and everyone knows we’re still alive. It’s amazing how we come to depend on it…first world problems right?

Anyway, we will be leaving the hotel at just after 8:00 so we can start a sightseeing tour of Paris. Should be interesting and give us a good sense of the city (well, maybe the kids since I’ve seen it before). Not quite clear on this afternoon’s agenda, but I know a lot of them wanted to go up the Eiffel Tower. Great, more stairs!

Well, I’m sitting here at the north gate of the Hotel des Invalides as the kids work through the museum with Mr. Cappello and Ms. Borgo. Normally I wouldn’t pass up a chance to visit a military museum, but I just wanted to sit for a bit and while I did that I could work on the blog. I figure it’s going to be another late night and I have two blogs to post.

I’m resting in the shade as it is probably well over 20C outside…it is absolutely gorgeous! I’m going to be sad to leave this behind for the snow and cold of Thunder Bay. I do miss the boys though and I guess it is time to head back to realty.

So the day has been great so far. A bus picked us up at the hotel and brought us into the centre of Paris where we met up with our guide for the morning. Corine would take us around the major sites in the city to give us a bit of sense of what Paris is like. We made a few stops along the way, the last of which was at the Place du Trocadero, which gives a good view of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately there is a lot of pollution in the air, which made the view less than ideal.

Place du Trocadero, March 2014.

Place du Trocadero, March 2014.

Afterwards the bus dropped us off near the Tower. The original plan was for most of the kids to go up the Tower, but the poor visibility and long lines made us change our minds. Instead we would head east toward the Hotel des Invalides, stopping for lunch along the way. Here we would split up, with St. Ignatius remaining at the museum and St. Pats heading toward the Champs des Élysées after a short visit. So here I sit…

Eiffel Tower, March 2014.

Eiffel Tower, March 2014.

Sigh. I’m sitting again, this time outside a perfume museum just north of the Paris Opera. I’m tired…exhausted would probably be a more apt term. It’s been a long day!

So after the Hotel des Invalides, we headed north across the Seine to the Champs des Élysées. The kids had a little time to look around before we were off again, this time to the Opera and a rendezvous with Felicity and the St. Ignatius crew. We walked the short distance to the perfume place and soon we’re off to dinner.

Alexandre III Bridge, March 2014.

Alexandre III Bridge, March 2014.

Paris Flowers, March 2014.

Paris Flowers, March 2014.

I’m beat! My feet are killing me! It has been a very long day. We are waiting for the bus to come and take us back to the hotel. I can’t wait to go there and put my feet up. I’m sad that we leave tomorrow (especially since we have to be on the bus at 7:30), but we’ve had a great trip.

Dinner tonight was at a place called “L’Arlequin Cafe,” which was quite a distance from the Opera. That made for an interesting ride on the Metro in which we were packed into the cars like sardines. Dinner was some sort of beef stew with carrots and potatoes, which was okay. Dessert was fruit salad.

Our night would conclude with a visit to the Louvre, which involved another packed ride on the Metro back in the direction of the Opera. A lot of the kids were excited to visit this fantastic museum. We didn’t have a lot of time, so our little band did the Mona Lisa, Venus di Milo and Hammurabi’s Code.

The Louvre, March 2014.

The Louvre, March 2014.

Hammurabi's Code, March 2014.

Hammurabi’s Code, March 2014.

Anyway, I better go. I need some sleep and morning will come way too soon. The bus leaves at 7:30 for the airport. Until then…

 
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Posted by on March 15, 2014 in History, Travel, Writing

 

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Europe 2014 Day 8

15 Mar

My apologies in the delay posting this. The wifi at the hotel was terrible, so I was unable to post this two days ago.

Day eight kids. Sadly we are down to our last few days of the trip. I can’t believe how quickly things have flown by! We’ll have to make the best of our remaining time and savour every memory.

So we’re on our way to Crepon for some Norman culture with a tasting of local juice and sweet breads. I never done something like this so it should be interesting. We will be greeted by the mayor of the village, so it’s almost like we’re VIP’s.

Back on the bus now heading toward Paris, which is about 4 or so hours away. We had a great morning of exploring French culture. In Crepon, we were met by the local mayor who took us on a tour of the village. We saw a monument to the Green Howards, a British regiment that liberated the town on June 6, 1944. From there we visited the local church, done in Romanesque style and dates from the 1200’s.

Saint-Médard-et-Saint-Gildard, Crepon, March 2014.

Saint-Médard-et-Saint-Gildard, Crepon, March 2014.

The last part of our visit to Crepon took place in the town hall, where we sampled the locally produced apple juice, brioche and biscuits. I think the kids enjoyed this part, and they certainly had their fill of food. I must have ate 10 biscuits…they were fantastic! I even spent the 4 euros to buy a package to take home to Canada.

From Crepon we hopped back on the bus for the short drive to Creully for mass. Too bad we didn’t have time to look around as it looked like a very beautiful little town. The church was called St. Martin, which dates from I believe the 1300’s. Again the church very was nice and it was neat to experience mass in another language. Fr. Martin is originally from the Congo and was very grateful for our visit.

St. Martin, Creully, March 2014.

St. Martin, Creully, March 2014.

Wow, what a long day! So I’m standing here on the street in Paris at 11:00, still dressed in my long sleeve shirt. If you remember we’ve been going since 8:00, so the bed is going to feel great, that is when I get this blog done!

I left my iPad back at the hotel, so I’m trying to do this last part on my iPhone, which is rather interesting. I’ll try to describe the very busy but very exciting last part of our day.

After checking in to the hotel, we trudged the relatively short distance to the RER (light rail) station to head into centre of the city. For the teachers (and Felicity) this was going to be an interesting (and at times stressful) experience. We rehearsed staying in our small groups and how to enter/exit the cars and where we were going.

Our journey would take us from the RER to the Metro, which was even more interesting to enter and exit. We made it in one piece and then proceeded to Notre Dame Basilica for a quick visit. The Basilica is such a beautiful church; I wish we had time to go in.

Notre Dame, March 2014.

Notre Dame, March 2014.

Dinner tonight was at a place called “Flammekeuche,” which serves all you can eat pizzas in the Alsacian style. As on our last visit, we were seated in the basement, which resembles at Medieval dungeon. We gorged ourselves on the awesome food, and then ate more when they brought out the dessert pizzas. The meal was highlighted by a man who arrived and sold roses to anyone who wanted one for 2 euros. I bought one for my wife…I hope she liked it.

Alsacian Pizza, March 2014.

Alsacian Pizza, March 2014.

Flammekeuche, March 2014.

Flammekeuche, March 2014.

We had one more stop before we boarded the bus for hotel. Montmartre is the highest point in Paris and has a beautiful church at the top. It was back on the Metro for the ride, which included a transfer between lines. A bit stressful again, but we got to our destination fairly quickly.

You can take the Funicular up the hill, but most of us decided to take the stairs and work off dinner. It is a heart-pounding, leg-destroying 140+ stairs of agony to the top. I was lathered and winded when I got up there, but that was probably because I tried to race with the kids. The view was spectacular, but we didn’t have much time to look around very much.

Sacre-Coeur Basilica, March 2014.

Sacre-Coeur Basilica, March 2014.

Anyway, we’re still waiting for the bus, but I should go. We have an early morning tomorrow for our last day in Europe. Until then…

 
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Posted by on March 15, 2014 in History, Travel, Writing

 

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Europe 2014 Day 7

12 Mar

Day 7 is calm and very foggy. Daylight gives us a much better impression of the chateau and its grounds…stunning! I would definitely come back here if given the opportunity. Before breakfast I had a chance to walk around a bit and it was very beautiful with the fog, trees and the small waterfall. I’m interested to see what it is like when the fog lifts. We are really in the heart of Normandy and it is so pretty and idilic here.

So we are about to leave for the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, which is literally five minutes away. We are so close to the beaches it is amazing. This should be a great day of remembering, exploring and discovery.

We’re back on the bus now, making our way past Arromanches toward the American cemetery behind Omaha beach. Beny was probably the most touching yet, mostly because we had a lot of time to look around. The cemetery holds the remains of over of 2000 Canadians who were killed on or in the weeks after D-Day. It also has the unfortunately distinction of having the most number of brothers buried in any Commonwealth cemetery at 9 (but I counted 11).

For the soldier visits, I gave our students all the sets of brothers to research. Jessica, Brenna and I had the 3 Westlake brothers of Toronto, who were killed serving with the Queen’s Own Rifles and the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. Thomas and Alfred, who were with the Queen’s Own, are buried side by side in the cemetery.

Rflm A. Westlake, March 2014.

Rflm. A. Westlake, March 2014.

Rflm. T. Westlake, March 2014.

Rflm. T. Westlake, March 2014.

Pte. G. Westlake, March 2014.

Pte. G. Westlake, March 2014.

I spent the rest of the time wandering around, reading the headstones and inscriptions. The morning fog provided a surreal atmosphere in the cemetery. As a Canadian I am filled with with pride and honour at the sacrifice of our young men all those years ago. This visit really hit me hard, and as a parent it ripped my heart out to read the inscriptions from mothers and fathers to their children. I cannot even fathom losing one of my boys.

The American cemetery at Omaha beach was an interesting visit. There are over 9,000 US fallen at this site overlooking the beach and is quite massive. I’d never been to an American cemetery before and it has a totally different atmosphere and feel. Even the headstones are very different, though I think that the inscriptions at Commonwealth cemeteries add more of a personal touch.

Omaha Beach Cemetery, March 2014.

Omaha Beach Cemetery, March 2014.

So we’re heading back east now, on our way to Arromanches. This was where Gold Beach was located, along with the British part of the Mulberry Harbour. There is a big museum there with many static outdoor displays of military equipment. This vistas from the cliffs are quite beautiful!

Well, so much for the vistas in Arromanches! The fog is just beginning to lift, so it was hard to see much on the beach. The tide was much farther out than when we were here in 2012, so I was able to walk right down to the Mulberry pieces lying in the sand. It was very neat to be that close.

Mulberry Harbour remains, March 2014.

Mulberry Harbour remains, March 2014.

Lunch was good, though painfully slow. I had waffles with chocolate, white chocolate and whipped cream, while Jo-Anne had crepes. Too bad it took an hour and a half of the two hours we had in the town. I would have liked a little more time to look around and take pictures. Anyway, we’re back on the bus headed toward the Juno Beach Centre.

The visit to the Juno Beach Centre was great, even though I had been there before. Afterwards, we had a little time to look around the on beach, which is officially know as Mike Red Sector, Juno Beach. We then hopped on the bus for the short ride east to Bernieres-sur-Mer. At this location, Nan White Sector, Toronto’s Queen’s Own Rifles landed on June 6. In a matter of 10 minutes the battalion suffered nearly 50% casualties in the dash across the beach. There is a German bunker preserved there and it really gives the students an idea of how far the soldiers had to run to get off the beach.

German bunker at Nan White Sector, Juno Beach, March 2014.

German bunker at Nan White Sector, Juno Beach, March 2014.

We are now on our way back to the chateau; if it wasn’t for the fog it would have been a fantastic day. It was so warm with very little wind and the tides were very low. Dinner will be at 7, so that will give us a little bit of time to look around the grounds and explore the area. I’m not sure what is on the menu for dinner, but I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

Well I’m just about out of energy and I think it’s time for bed. Even though we didn’t do a lot of walking, it was certainly a long day and we saw a lot of things. Dinner at the chateau was great and we got a chance to look around the area and get a real sense of what it is like. Tomorrow we have an early morning; a visit to the nearby village of Creuly and then off to mass before we depart for Paris. We probably won’t be checking into the hotel until very late, so it will be another long day.

Chateau du Baffy, March 2014.

Chateau du Baffy, March 2014.

So the next you’ll hear from me I’ll be in Paris and we’ll be on the final leg of the trip. I have to be up at 6:00, so I’m out for now. Until then…

 
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Posted by on March 12, 2014 in History, Travel, Writing

 

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Europe 2014 Day 6

11 Mar

Good morning Day six! We’re on the bus waiting to leave for Vimy. There is a bit of fog this morning, but mind you it is before 8am and maybe it hasn’t had a chance to burn off. Our journey should take us about an hour and a half. Can’t wait to get there!

So it’s hard to believe that we’ve already arrived at the halfway point of the tour already. Where does time go? It has been an awesome time so far, and there is so much more yet to come. Today is the transition from the WWI part of the tour (Ypres, Arras, Somme and Vimy) to the WWII part (Dieppe and Normandy). Many of the places we will visit are a contrast between tragedy and triumph, the proud moments in our history and the darkest days. In the end we will commemorate it all, and remember those who fell.

We’re back on the bus now on our way to Dieppe. Again it was another amazing visit, and such a huge part of Canadian history. Even though I was at Vimy in 2012, it was still a very emotional event.

We started off at the visitor centre, and then made our way up the ridge to the memorial. It is really something that you cannot describe to ascend that hill and see that amazing sight. The memorial itself is massive and fills one with pride to see this towering tribute to the success and sacrifice of our nation. There is also undeniable sadness, especially when one sees the statute of Mother Canada, her eyes and head down in sorrow.

At the memorial we met Jessica, who is with the Vimy Foundation (which works to educate young Canadians about this part of our history). She did a little ceremony, and then presented us with our with our Vimy Pilgrimage medals, which are given to all young Canadians who visit the memorial). Following this we had a another short prayer service led by Ms. Papich.

We had an appointment to visit the tunnels and trenches at 10:40, so there was a little time to look around the memorial. This is always a time for quiet reflection. I spent a bit of time taking in the Statute of Mother Canada; as I mentioned earlier it always gets me. Maybe now as a parent it takes on a lot more meaning and makes me think of my own boys (we were able to Facetime with them last night). I truly can sympathize with the sorrow of the parents and the nation as a whole; 60,000 Canadians represents a huge sacrifice on the part of an entire generation.

Statute of Mother Canada, March 2014.

Statute of Mother Canada, March 2014.

The tour of the tunnels and trenches was amazing! In 2012 we were able to see the trenches, albeit very rushed and the tunnels were closed. I had seen video of the Grange Tunnel before, but it was something to experience it firsthand. This piece of Canadiana really puts you in the place of the soldiers preparing for battle. Carved into the soft chalk, it allowed supplies to be brought forward safely and sheltered the men before the battle. I can’t wait to watch the video I shot when I get home.

Grange Tunnel, March 2014.

Grange Tunnel, March 2014.

As I just mentioned, we literally had to run through the trenches the last time because of time constraints. This time was much more leisurely, and really allowed to experience what they were like. I shot a lot of video here as well, and I’m sure it will be a lot more detailed than my one from two years ago.

On our way out of the area, we stopped at a German WWI cemetery. I had seen and read that they have a very different feel than the British Commonwealth ones. The Neuville-Saint-Vaast Cemetery contains nearly 45,000 burials, usually with four soldiers to a headstone. The huge number of interments and the rows of crosses stretching on and on really make it much more sombre place. I think it made a big impression on the students.

Neuville-Saint-Vaast German Cemetery, March 2014.

Neuville-Saint-Vaast German Cemetery, March 2014.

It seems as though the sun is trying to poke out now; it has been very foggy this morning and as a result been very chilly. I hope it get warmer and goes up to the 15C or so it was supposed to be, since Dieppe is on the sea and will be a lot winder. Well, I’m going to have a nap for a little bit.

We’re on our way out of Dieppe now. Unfortunately we did not have a lot of time in Dieppe, basically a little of time to wander around on the beach. I think it did give the kids an appreciation of the difficulties faced by the soldiers as they stormed up the beach. The headland cliffs are quite prominent, and the distance across the beach to the town is very far. The tide was much farther out than the last time I was here, and the climb up the beach was very steep. The sun refuses to come out and it is quite windy and cold on the beach. Too bad I don’t have my parka here!

Dieppe beach, March 2014.

Dieppe beach, March 2014.

It’s late now and I’m just getting down to finishing the day’s entry. I’m a bit tired; we’ve travelled very far in a short period of time and saw a lot of things. We are settled in our rooms and the kids are in bed for the night.

So after a drive of a couple hours, we arrived in Caen and turned south toward Falaise. Not quite halfway between the cities, near Cintheaux, lies the Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery. It is one of the two cemeteries in the area (we are going to see Beny-sur-Mer tomorrow) and contains the graves of nearly 2800 Canadians killed in the fighting in the area. We made a special request to visit this cemetery, since it wasn’t originally on our schedule.

This cemetery holds some special significance since it contains the graves of soldiers from the Thunder Bay area, and also graves from those who served in the Lake Superior Regiment. In my Gr. 10 History class I teach my students about the Battle of Verrieres Ridge, which was a very tragic event in Canadian military history, but which remains unknown to many people. In that battle the Black Watch, the Royal Highland Regiment of Canada based in Montreal, was decimated during their portion of the attack on the ridge. Only 20 men survived unscathed from the 325 that began the day.

Like our other cemetery stop, the students were assigned graves to visit. We began with a prayer service at the entrance to the cemetery and then proceeded into the site to view the graves. I assigned myself Major Phil Griffin, who took command of the Black Watch during the battle and was killed leading his men forward. In addition to their own soldier, I gave all the students a special task; they were to visit the grave located at XVI G 11. Buried at this location was Private Gerard Dore, who was killed on July 23, 1944 serving with Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal. He was only 16 years old. I thought that this would help to emphasize the tragedy that is war.

Grave of Maj. Griffin, March 2014.

Grave of Maj. Griffin, March 2014.

Grave of Pte. Dore, March 2014.

Grave of Pte. Dore, March 2014.

After our visit we drove back through Caen and turned northwest toward Colombiers-sur-Seulles and the Chateau du Baffy. It is too bad that we arrived after dark and we really could not see much of the buildings and the grounds as they are sure to be quite amazing! The chateau was constructed in 1735 and served as a German Headquarters during WWII. I’m sure we’ll have a chance to look around tomorrow during the day.

Anyway, I better get rolling…it’s almost midnight here. Tomorrow we are off to the Beny-sur-Mer Cemetery and Juno Beach. It should be a great day and hopefully the sun will come out and warm us up! Until then…

 
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Posted by on March 11, 2014 in History, Travel, Writing

 

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Europe 2014 Day 5

10 Mar

Day five is bright and sunny. It is supposed to be very warm again today, with highs around 17C. I am very tired this morning, but that is a long story. I’m looking forward to today’s journey, especially since we’re going to a few places that I’m not as familiar with.

Rolling on the bus now, on our way to Thelus. Once again we are travelling through the countryside and it is really neat to see this part of the country. It’s supposed to take about an hour and a half to get to our destination, so I can relax and enjoy the view.

So we stopped at a neat little memorial, called the Zivy Crater Memorial, which is a crater that was turned into a memorial to the Canadian artillery. It was neat to see this very interesting memorial, especially the design of it. Even better, the stop provided us an opportunity to do some “Norm Christie-ing.” I guess I should explain.

Norm Christie is a Canadian historian that narrated a series of programs of the history of Canada’s wars (WWI-King & Empire, WWII-King & Country, Korea). In the documentaries, Christie often shows the battlefields and while he does that, he finds remains from the war. This includes shrapnel and shrapnel balls, bits of clothing, metal, etc. It is a neat part of the programs.

When we were here in 2012, we jumped into a farmers field to look for objects and found some stuff. Today was no different. On the short little walk to the memorial, I found a shrapnel ball. We looked on the way back, and a St. Ignatius student found one too. Hopefully we’ll have more chances to do this again.

Wow, that was awesome! What a great experience. I would certainly recommend this attraction to anyone; it was worth the 13 Euros to go in.

We broke up into 3 groups to go in to the quarry and I led to first group in. We were given headsets to hear the commentary as well as helmet to protect our heads (especially from the dripping water). The elevator took us down 30 metres into the ground, which amazed me at the depth. The quarry was originally used from the 1400, but was abandoned by the beginning of the 1900’s. New Zealand miners dug new tunnels that linked the various quarries together.

We had a guide that took us around in relatively pitch black, so I used the the video camera in the night shot mode. It gave everything that eery green glow. It was really amazing to see the work that had been done, and how thousands of soldiers had lived in damp cold for quite a while before the Battle of Arras opened on April 9, 1917. There were many artifacts on display that had been found in the tunnels.

Wellington Quarry, March 2014.

Wellington Quarry, March 2014.

So we’ve left Arras and now are on our way to Pozieres, which is located near Albert. This is the site of the Somme battles of 1916. We are going to stop for lunch and then proceed to the Thiepval Memorial, which is a huge Commonwealth Memorial from the Somme. It was so warm that I zipped off the bottoms of my pants…yes, March 10th and I am in shorts and a t-shirt!

We’re now in the city of Albert, having to come to pick up our guide for the afternoon. Lunch was at a great little place called “Le Tommy,” obviously referencing the term for a British soldier in WWI. Our meal was a huge ham, cheese, tomato and lettuce baguette…certainly not a low-carb meal! The restaurant is also part museum, and had a lot of memorabilia and information of the Australian troops who were in Pozieres in 1916.

We’re on our way home now after a very productive day. It’s now getting dark and I think everyone is looking forward to dinner at the hotel. After yesterday’s very long day, I think the earlier end to the day will be very appreciated.

After lunch we picked up our tour guide for the afternoon Lucien in Albert. We then proceeded back toward Pozieres to go to the Thiepval Memorial. I had seen pictures and video of the memorial before and knew it was very large, but nothing could prepare me for what I saw. Situated atop the Thiepval Ridge, the memorial is so large it dominates the surrounding area. It’s massive bulk contains the names of over 72,000 British soldiers who went missing during the Somme battles. A small British and French cemetery is located on the grounds as well.

Thiepval Memorial, March 2014.

Thiepval Memorial, March 2014.

From Thiepval we drove a short ways down the road to the Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial. The land the memorial sits on belongs to Canada, so it is manned by young Canadians under the direction of Parks Canada.

It is a very beautifully preserved battlefield, complete with trenches and shell craters. It really gives one a sense of what trench warfare was like. The centrepiece of the park is the statute of the caribou, which is the symbol of the (Royal) Newfoundland Regiment. If you’re not familiar with the story of what happened, the regiment went over the top on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916. Within twenty minutes they had been annihilated, suffering some 90% casualties, a tragedy that affected nearly every family on the island.

Newfoundland Memorial, March 2014.

Newfoundland Memorial, March 2014.

Just down the road is another WWI site, which is the Lochnagar Crater. It was formed when the British detonated an underground mine packed with 60,000 pounds of ammonal, which formed a crater nearly 100 metres across and 30 metres deep. It was neat to see and gave us more time to do more “digging” for artifacts.

Lochnagar Crater, March 2014.

Lochnagar Crater, March 2014.

We returned to Albert to drop off Julien and thank him for his time. Our next stop was a little farther away in Cambrai. Felicity knew a local man who is a very passionate amateur WWI historian. In 1998, after 6 years of research, he unearthed a nearly intact British tank that dated from the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917. The tank, “Deborah,” was destroyed in action and resulted in the deaths of 5 of her 8 man crew. It was very interesting to see something like that so up close and Philip was such a knowledgeable and enthusiastic speaker.

"Deborah," March 2014.

“Deborah,” March 2014.

So tomorrow is going to be one of the most important days on the tour. In the morning we will be travelling to Vimy Ridge, which is one of our most revered foreign monuments. This time we will have time to take in the tunnels and spend more time on the monument. In the afternoon we’ll make our way to Dieppe and then on to Normandy.

I better get going. Early day tomorrow…we have to be rolling for 7:45. Until then…

 
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Posted by on March 10, 2014 in History, Travel, Writing

 

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Big ol’ jet airliner, don’t carry me too far away!

05 Mar

Well, it depends on how far is too far. Does 6215 kilometres count?

If you don’t recognize this, they form part of the chorus of the Steve Miller Band’s iconic song “Jet Airliner.” This time tomorrow I’ll be on a plane across the big pond, but it’s a Boeing 777, not a 707! I cannot put into words how excited I am, even though I did a similar trip two years ago. There are a lot of nerves too; the weather is always a factor and this time there are 22 kids, not 7.

Speaking of the weather, it’s actually a bit of a reprieve getting out of Thunder Bay and the lousy weather we’ve been experiencing this winter. In my last post I spoke about a possible big dump of snow; well, we got that 30cm and more. It was actually enough to close the schools for the day! Cleaning it up wasn’t fun though and it’s hard to believe that with the big yard that I have, the banks were actually getting too high for the snowblower to reach over them. If that wasn’t enough, it got cold again. Last Thursday it was -45C with the wind; I think just about everyone has had enough with Old Man Winter!

After the storm, February 2014.

After the storm, February 2014.

Mountains of snow, February 2014.

Mountains of snow, February 2014.

March break is just around the corner, though it doesn’t feel much like it. The temperatures climbed a bit this week, but I’ve been too busy to notice. There has been a last minute rush of preparations for the trip. There are so many little things to take care of, on top of all the big things. I was burning up the email with my counterpart from St. Ignatius Alicyn Papich as we worked out the fine details before departure. I spent time today getting all of our travellers checked-in via the web, so it’s one less thing we have to worry about tomorrow. I need a vacation from the vacation and we haven’t even left!

In the last couple weeks Alicyn and I have been going back and forth via email with our Tour Director Felicity. The tour, Canada’s Battlefields, has a rough template of places we will be visiting, but all the details need to be worked out. Felicity has been fantastic so far, offering many ideas and potential places we can see on each day. Even though I saw some of these places in 2012, I’m excited to see them again. Good thing for it too, as it is helping to displace some of the nervousness I’m feeling…I’m such a worry wart!

There are a couple of places I’m very pumped to see. I’ve never been to Amsterdam, so that will be a whole new experience. We were at Vimy Ridge in 2012, but that was with 4000 other people during the 95th Anniversary celebrations and it was rather busy. I’m looking forward to a more relaxed visit. Felicity has also suggested that we take in the Wellington Quarry, which is located just south of Vimy in Arras.

When we travel to Normandy, we will be staying at a very neat “hotel.” We were supposed to stay in the city of Caen, but I guess this place had an opening and they moved us. The Chateau du Baffy dates from the 1700’s and was used as a headquarters by the Germans in WWII. It is located only 6km from Juno Beach and reminds me of a little rustic country inn. It will give us a good opportunity to thoroughly explore the Normandy area.

I guess part of the reason why I’m excited is the kids. I met with them yesterday at lunch and they were literally bouncing. It is great to see the exuberance of youth! For many this is their first trip across the ocean; for some it’s their first trip in a plane. Most of them will have never been away from home and their parents for so long. I’m sure there is a bit of apprehension mixed in too, but traveling with their friends on the trip of a lifetime will overcome that quickly enough.

So with the insanity that has been my life over the last couple of weeks, I have had zero time to devote to any railway work. I was very busy in the last week writing newsletter for the Silver Mountain and Area Historical Society, which went out yesterday. Our annual general meeting is coming up on March 22 and there was work to be done on that. I’m sure when I’m back from the trip and things settle down there will be time to get back on track.

Anyway, I better get rolling. I need to finish packing and I have a busy morning ahead of me. The forecast is calling for a bit of snow, but hopefully it doesn’t impede our flight to Toronto and then on that big ole’ 777 to Europe! My next post will be from the beautiful city of Amsterdam. Until then…

 
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Posted by on March 5, 2014 in History, Railway, Travel, Writing

 

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Where did spring go?

17 Apr

Today the temperature sits at -4C and there is snow on the ground; it seems as if Mother Nature cannot make up her mind. This is a far cry from the nearly 20C temperatures we were enjoying three weeks ago. I’m sure it will sort itself out soon enough, I hope.

Anyway, a week ago I was standing in the pouring rain at Vimy Ridge; it’s hard to believe a week has already passed. It is good to be home and I’ve finally recovered from the jet lag. It was kinda touch and go there…I nearly fell asleep in class a few times on Wednesday. The pictures have all been downloaded from my camera, all 1316 images or nearly 6gb worth. Wow, I am shutter happy! All video I took is now on my computer too, 24gb of HD content. I was down to the last 10 minutes of recording time on the camera, so that 24gb is about 3 hours of video. I haven’t had time to sort through it all, but I did upload a few highlights to YouTube (From Ypres and Vimy). You can see them by clicking on the following links: Menin Gate Ceremony, Vimy Song by Lizzy Hoyt, Vimy Ceremony Last Post.

In front of the Eiffel Tower, April 2012.

I can honestly day that it was one of the best trips I’ve ever been on, and certainly one of the most special. I’ve already spoken to my classes about it, but I cannot wait to share

more of my experiences and photographs with them. We are already planning ahead to Vimy 2017 and are really hoping that there are similar tours that will be organized by EF. Now having experienced a student tour for the first time, I know what to expect and how to better prepare. Not that I wasn’t ready, I didn’t lose anyone, but there’s always those little things that you cannot anticipate unless you’ve actually done it.

So needless to say I did not get any railway related work done in the last week. I spent my time getting caught

up on all the things I left behind while I was gone and making YouTube videos. I’m sure I will make some time this week to get back to my other life. I still have a few tweaks left to do on the MN History article and then maybe I’ll starting on the Leeblain article for the Thunder Bay Historical Society.

If the weather cooperates, I’m hoping to get into some hiking soon. If the snow goes away this weekend, I’ll try and get out next weekend. I still need to get back to Rosslyn and the few remaining pieces of railway and shoot some video. With those rails obscured by the brush, it’s best to get at them now before everything leafs out and they are even harder to see. It will be May in a few weeks and that marks the beginning of hiking season. I know that it will be a busy spring and summer, but I am going to try and get out as much as I can.

Anyway, I must run. I’ll leave you with one of my favourite pics from the trip. Until then…

Cloth Hall in Ypres, Belgium April, 2012.

 
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Posted by on April 17, 2012 in Miscellaneous, Research, Travel, Writing

 

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Vimy Day Eight

10 Apr

Well, we’ve started the journey home. I am sitting here at Charles de Gaulle airport waiting for our flight to Toronto listening to some classic rock. Our wake up call was at 4:00 today…thank God this is the last early morning we have. That obviously means though that our trip is over. The past 7 days have been a whirlwind of events, but it was such an awesome experience.

The streets of Paris were amazing, filled with great European culture and architecture. I wish there was more time to explore and take pictures. Two days are not enough in such a great city, but we were on a schedule. I never did see the inside of the Notre Dame Basilica, but the cathedral in Rouen was very impressive as well. I must get back someday, maybe with the family.

Having this time before our flight gives me some time to reflect on the past week, especially on our visits to the battlefields. I think that this was tremendous trip for the students that they won’t soon forget. I am glad that I decided to lead this journey/pilgrimage to France. It took me away from my family for a week, so I too had to sacrifice. However what I gave up pales in comparison to the blood several generations of young Canadians spilled for their country.

We’re in the air now; in the beauty above the clouds my reflection continues. It’s funny how you always think of things after the fact, like how I am right now remembering a few things that occurred yesterday that did not make it into my blog. The one I want to mention was probably the most poignant, which took place during our silent march from Givenchy to Vimy. As our group passed by the Vimy Memorial, we were jolted by a sudden gust of wind from our right. It was almost as if some force was trying to direct our attention to the left, towards the memorial. I’m not sure if everyone else was struck by this occurrence, but it certainly had me looking to the heavens. Someone wanted us to remember.

Now my thoughts drift to our first visit to a Canadian war cemetery, the one at Dieppe. Since the bodies were originally buried by the Germans, the headstones are laid out in German style, back to back and close together. Probably because of the close internment of the dead and because it was our first, the visit was so moving. We had a lot more time to spend there, so you really had a chance to read the names and inscriptions. I won’t soon forget how overcome I was.

After some lunch and a much-needed nap, I am a bit more refreshed. While I was dozing, I thought of our visit to Juno Beach. It was another occasion that needed way more time to fully absorb and explore, but we did our best. I was glad that we got to Bernieres sur Mer where the Queen’s Own Rifles landed at Nan White Sector. Seeing that bunker that I’d taught my students about so many times and walking those blood stained beaches was amazing. The bag of sand I brought home is not some sand from a French beach; it is a piece of Canadian history, purchased with the blood of our youth.

On the last leg now after a hectic connection stop in Toronto. It will feel good to be at home; I know my wife and boys will be waiting for me at the airport. I am excited to see them as this is the longest I’ve ever been away from them. Maybe my homecoming is part of this journey. We get to go home while there are those who never got that opportunity. I should mention this to the kids, that our ability to go back to our families and loved ones is part of their sacrifice. We definitely take our freedom for granted.

Well, I need to wrap things up as I’ve been awake for the better part of 24 hours. I need to get some sleep as I am back to work tomorrow…with a new perspective on what I teach. I will definitely have some great stories for the kids. I know I will enjoy relating my experiences to them and hopefully this has made me a better teacher. And hopefully it will teach them the importance of remembrance. I will end today with one of my favourite poems from the war, written by A.E. Housman. I will be back in a week after a much needed break. Until then…

HERE DEAD WE LIE

Cross of Sacrifice, Bretteville sur Laize Canadian Cemetery.

Here dead we lie
Because we did not choose
To live and shame the land
From which we sprung.

Life, to be sure,
Is nothing much to lose,
 

But young men think it is,
And we were young.


 
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Posted by on April 10, 2012 in Miscellaneous, Travel, Writing

 

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Vimy Day Seven

09 Apr
Five a.m. wake up call…3 hours of sleep…should be epic! Wow am I tired. This is going to be a long day, but it will be an awesome experience. This will be a once in a lifetime event for students and teachers alike. We will be at Vimy in a few hours, so I need to sleep a bit.

It is six o’clock p.m. and we are finally in the bus. I have been a soldier and I am a teacher; I have prepared for and taught about war. For the first time in my life I understand what it means to be a soldier. Standing in the shadow of Canada’s greatest military monument in the pouring rain and wind, I went to school. It is amazing how it takes a journey across the ocean to fully comprehend what sacrifice really means. I’ve always remembered…now I know I’ll never forget.

This was one of the greatest events I’ve ever experienced in my life. When we arrived at Vimy we went through quite the process. We had to be issued special Vimy medals, arm bands and meal tickets. From there it was into a large building to receive candles and our lunches. We then marshalled for a 2.5km parade from Givenchy to the Vimy Memorial.

As the parade time neared, the gavity of what we were going to be part of started to sink in. As our march began, it was something to behold. I’ve never been part of anything like it. Picture thousands of high students and teachers walking in total silence along a route that Canadians fought on nearly a century before. What really struck me was how reverent and respectful the students were…I couldn’t have been any prouder than them.

The walk also epitomized what Vimy Ridge was all about; Canadians together as a nation. The students and teachers of St. Patrick and St. Ignatius Thunder Bay, and Ridley College St. Catherines walking side by side with a high school from Newfoundland. Just as all 4 Canadian Divisions fought together that day, we marched in solidarity as Canadians wherever we were from.

It was fantastic to witness the reaction of the French people, who lined the streets smiling, waving and holding Canadian flags. They understood so well what is this event was all about; I was so proud to be a Canadian and a teacher. I would put this march near the top of all the trip moments.

Vimy Ridge National Memorial

When we crested the ridge and saw the wide Douai Plain stretch before us, you really understood why the ridge was so important. Even though it was overcast, the panorama was spectacular. It was then that we saw the memorial up close for the first time. It was a sight to behold and more breathtaking than I ever imagined. We had arrived.


We then moved past the memorial towards Vimy Canadian Cemetery Number 2 for a special EF Tours service. Our route took us past the preserved battlefield of the park, pockmarked with an unbroken sea of shell craters. The fences and signs warning of unexplored ordnance made it so real. The story of the park states that there are 60,000 trees on the site, one for every Canadian killed in the war.

The service was nice, as they lined up everyone in front of a grave. There were readings by students and the playing of the Last Post and Reveille. From there we proceeded to the memorial for pictures and a visit. The only unfortunate part was that we were pressed for time and we couldn’t spend a lot of time looking around. We did get some group photos with the memorial and were able to get on the monument to look around for a bit (they kicked everyone off to prepare for the VIP’s).

I really wanted to get some photos of Mother Canada or the Spirit of Canada weeping for her fallen sons. It is the heart of the monument and sits right in the middle, by herself looking over the Douai Plain. What a moving sculpture…it would have been nice just to have some quiet time there and reflect. We then had to hustle to eat a quick bite before we were off again.

One of the biggest attractions at the park are the preserved trenches. When the park was being created, veterans help to reconstruct part of the trenches along what was called the “Crater Line.” Both sides dug underground shafts in the soft chalk and tried to blow up the other’s trenches. It left massive craters all along the ridge. This area shows the German trenches on one side of a crater while the Canadian trenches are on the other side 50 feet away. The veterans filled sandbags with cement to create the walls, which gives it a very authentic look. Near the Canadian trench is the entrance to the Grange Subway, which was an underground tunnel that led from the trenches to the rear areas. Too bad it was closed because of the volume of traffic.

The next event on the agenda was a ceremony at the monument with all 4000+ students attended by the Governor General, His Excellency David Johnston. We did a lot of waiting and the weather turned very nasty; I Tweeted that it was almost as if the heavens were weeping for Canada’s fallen too. The rain was pouring down and coming in at times sideways. Last night’s honour guard was there again, along with the 22é Regiment band, this time in full dress with Bearskin hats and red tunics. There were speeches, along with a beautiful song by an Alberta woman whose name escapes me now. Then there was the Last Post, Reveille and the Lament. For a while I forgot how cold, tired and sore I was. When I have time, I will post clips to YouTube.

After the ceremony we headed back to the bus; we were supposed to go to a concert a nearby stadium next. However, given the fact that everyone was drenched and exhausted, we decided to forgo the concert in favor of returning to the hotel. We would have liked to have stayed, but because of early flight, we would have to have left by 9:00 for the bus ride to the hotel. Everyone managed to get in a shower and then head off to get some food.

Since I’m up in 5 hours, I’ll sign off. Until then…

The Spirit of Canada (Mother Canada)

 
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Posted by on April 9, 2012 in Miscellaneous, Travel, Writing

 

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Vimy Day Six

08 Apr

Happy Easter! This is the first time I’ve spent a major holiday away from home, so I’m really missing my wife and kids. I’m sure they went to mass in the morning and then enjoyed the goodies the Easter bunny brought.

Right now we’re on our way to the Nine Elms Cemetery in Thelus for our cemetery visit. Each student was assigned a soldier to research at a specific cemetery as part of the tour. Should be an interesting event. 

While I have a moment, I thought I would comment on the experience of eating breakfast in France. I normally eat a bowl of cereal in the morning, so this is quite novel for me. Breakfast has been buffet style, with the usual fair of cereal, fruit and yogurt. What is interesting is all of the cheeses, meats and various breads available. Not a good meal if you’re watching your carbs!

After a two hour drive, we arrived at the Nine Elms Cemetery (which is about a 10 minute walk from the Arras Road Cemetery where we parked). It is a pretty little cemetery right beside the highway. Before we visited the graves we held a small service by the cross of remembrance to pay tribute to those that fell. 

Grave of Private Ecobichon, 15th Battalion, CEF.

We were given enough soldiers that I also had one to research. Sidney Ecobichon was born on Jersey in the Channel Islands in 1897. He lived with his parents in Peterborough before enlisting and being assigned to the 15th Battalion. Ecobichon was killed in action on April 18, 1917. I believe he was originally buried in the Arras Road Cemetery, but was transfer to Nine Elms and rests in an area called the Arras Road Memorial.


While we waited for the bus, I decided to look in the adjacent farmers field to see if I could find anything. Almost instantly I found a shrapnel ball; very quickly I was joined by several other treasure seekers. It was the most excited I’d seen the kids! We turned up many more shrapnel balls, bits of metal, a German cartridge and I found the base of an artillery shell. Sadly we had to retire to the bus! 

An hour drive later we arrived at the Tyne Cot Commonwealth Cemetery near Ypres, Belgium (or Ieper). It holds 30,000 burials! The size of this cemetery is just staggering…it almost beyond comprehension. The headstones stretch on and on. It really gives you an idea of how massive the loss of life was during World War One.

On the ride to the cemetery my fellow chaperones Riley, Kerry and I decided that we would do

Grave of Lieutenant Drummond, 13th Battalion, CEF.

a little investigation. We wanted to look up some Canadians who were buried there. Our collective brainstorming recalled that two prominent Canadians we interred there, Drummond and Norsworthy. Lieutenant Guy Drummond and Major Edward Norsworthy were both members of the 13th Battalion, the Black Watch. They were both killed on April 22, 1915 at the Second Battle of Ypres when the Germans first used chlorine gas. The gas devastated the Algerian troops beside the Canadians, and both officers realized that their entire left flank and the road to Ypres was wide open. They charged into the gap with members of the Watch and surviving Algerians; they were killed holding the line.


Grave of Major Norsworthy, 13th Battalion, CEF.

Supper was in Ypres, at a place called Gasthof Zweerd. There were many other Vimy travellers there, and the square was a sea of black and red jackets. For the first time I left a restaurant full, after our meal of meat salad? and chicken/sausage pastry with fries. We then had a bit of free time, so I headed across the square to buy my wife Jo-Anne some Belgian chocolates. I know she’d rather have something from Tiffany’s but, I did my best.


As I walked around, I noticed a sign with the name of the Governor General on it. I then noticed a large Canadian military presence in the square…something was up. Soon a military honour guard assembled, made up of what seemed like infantry reserve members from many units (including the LSSR). I had to leave as we had to head to the Menin Gate for the Last Post…in retrospect I wish I had left earlier. The area around the Gate, which is a Commonwealth Memorial was already filling with people. The Menin Gate is inscribed with the names of nearly 55,000 men who are missing around Ypres, more than 6,000 of whom are Canadian.

Since 1928 they have held a Last Post ceremony everyday at 8:00 at the Gate (with the exception of WWII). The Governor General, His Excellency David Johnston arrived at the Gate preceded by the band of the Royal 22é Regiment and the honour guard. The ceremony was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever witnessed, well other than my wedding and the birth of my children. I spent the entire time taping the ceremony; when I have time I’ll make a highlight video and post it to YouTube.

Anyway, I have to get rolling since tomorrow we have to get up at 5:00 and it will be a very busy day. I will leave you with another poignant photo…the age of this young boy from Newfoundland will shock you. Until then…

Grave of Private Barter, RNR.

 
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Posted by on April 8, 2012 in Miscellaneous, Travel, Writing

 

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