Day 8 Monday - April 25, 2016

Today is our first full day in Rome, and are taking a private guided tour of the Vatican.

Our Tour starts out in the Vatican Museum and travels through unbelievable halls full of art and sculpttures, the crowds are also unbelievalble as well, but it is worth it.  They don't allow photographs in the Sistine Chapel, but I did find a photo on-line to use.

 Sistine Chapel

Vatican Museum. 

Vatican Museum - Map Room 

Remember these are painting done in the 14th century 

St. Peter's Bisicala 

St. Peter's Bisicala

Vatican Museum - Map Room

St. Peter's Bisicala

St. Peter's Bisicala

Ken and Karen in St. Peter's Bisicala

Even Cuthbert wanted his photo take in the Vatican in Rome, he is not Catholic but may convert if he thinks there is some kind of advantage.

Rome

After 5 hours of touring time to head for our hotel and an afternoon rest.

Day 7 Sunday - April 24, 2016

Today we are leaving Arras, France and traveling to Rome, Italy.

We will take the TGV from Arras to CDG Airport in Paris, a trip of 50minutes at a speed of 270km/h on some of the smoothest track I have been on, and I will add very posh first class accommodations for a relative short trip.  This is train #5102 which is a double set of TGV cars, it will go on to Marseille and Montpellier as the train will spilt into to separate trains (#5102 and #5104) after Lyon not unlike the VIA Train to Ottawa to Montreal that splits in Brockville.  But this is no VIA Train, in fact based on my TGV experience and that of years Past this makes poor VIA a second class service.

In Paris we will switch to an Air France plane from Paris to Rome, in Rome a private car will take us to the hotel in central Rome.

All taken in Rome around our hotel

Karen in Rome

Day 6 Saturday - April 23, 2016

This is our last full day in France, and we have had such a wonderful time in Arras it will be hard to depart, but tomorrow we are heading to Paris on the TGV and on to Rome by air.

On the top of the hill is Courcelette the site of the battle for Courcelette, the entire town was flattened, nothing left standing by 1918.

The Canadian Cemetery  at Courcelette

ADANAC is CANADA spelled backwards, this was done so we could have own cemetery  and not call it Canada, the Commonwealth Graves Commission was giving Canada a hard time so we fooled them.

ADANAC Cemetery 

The village of Courcelette, France today (2016)

More later on Albert, France

Day 5 Friday - April 22, 2016

Today we are going to visit battle site from WWI in  the Somme River Valley, this will include Tower of Ulster, Mouquet Farm, Courcelette, Achonvilliers and of course Beaumont Hamel the site of the Newfoundland Monument.

Battle of the Somme

Ulster Monument
36th (Ulster) Division Memorial

The British Memmoral

Mouquet Farm

Lt. Col. (ret) Ed Rayment, our Tour Guide and a very knowledgeable 

French Countryside around Mouquet Farm, on the road to Achonvilliers

An original WWI (well preserved) Trench in Achonvilliers 

An original WWI (well preserved) Trench in Achonvilliers 

Town of  Achonvilliers (France)

Karen with Cuthbert in Achonvilliers (France)
Cuthbert is into WWI history and has a depth of knowledge unequal 

Beaumont Hamel - Newfoundland Monument

Danger Tree

Two Unknown Solders

Trenches

Still undetonated explosives in this area of Beaumont Hamel

    

The Lochnagar mine was a mine dug by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification known as Schwabenhöhe, in the front line, south of the village of La Boisselle in the Somme département of France. The mine was named after Lochnagar Street, the British trench from which the gallery was driven. It was one of eight large and eleven small mines that were placed beneath the German lines on the British section of the Somme front. TheLochnagar mine was sprung at 7:28 a.m. on 1 July 1916, the First day on the Somme. The crater was captured and held by British troops but the attack on either flank was defeated by German small-arms and artillery fire, except on the extreme right flank and just south of La Boisselle, north of the new crater. The crater has been preserved as a memorial.

Canada Day -  July 1, 2016 - 100th Anniversary at Beaumont Hamel at the Newfoundland Monument

Photo form 1916 (from Heritage Newfoundland)

Day 4 Thursday - April 21, 2016

Today we will visit Canada's War Memorial at Vimy (Vimy, France) and another of other sites this time all in France.

This is France's National Cementary called Notre Dame de Lorette with Cathederal and monument to France's shoulders who lost there lives in WWI, this place is very large with 45,000+ buried here.

Panorama view of Notre Dame de Lorette with Cathederal and Monument.

On our way to Vimy 

VIMY RIDGE

A long distant shot (1.3km) of the Vimy memorial, yes it is very tall, the lands are designated "Canadian soil" so it is like being at home, except prices are still in Euros.

Canadian Forces built a complex system of underground tunnels, over 11km, these were used as Communication Tunnels and to keep shoulders on the frontline supplied.  There was also a network of trenches, and at one point the enemy (German shoulders) we only 15m apart, each shouting at each other through sniper holes or German "pill boxes".

Tunnels

Trench

Trench

Trench

German "pill box" sniper post at Vimy Ridge

German Morter Launcher facing at the Canadian Side

Vimy Monument

Ken at the Vimy Monument

This is a Audi, have not seen one of these in Canada.

Lunch today was at the LeRelais Champanard Resturant, with lots of wine from Pays D'Oc.

After lunch we visited the famous Canadian Cemetery at Cabraet Rouge.  Canada's unknown soldier was interned here, but several years ago was repatriated back to Canada and is now interned at the Tomb of the Unknown in front of the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

Special Grave Stone of the unknown soldier.

One last stop of the day was this destroyed church.