Ypres

I knew we were in Belgium when I noticed that every other building had a Stello Artois sign. This was taken in the town of Ypres which we visited on our second day.

This is the former town hall of Ypres, also known as the Cloth Hall. It now houses the Flanders Field museum, which was one of the most moving museums I have ever visited.

Ypres saw a lot of action during W.W.I, and suffered almost complete destruction, as illustrated in this painting. Like other villages near the front line, Ypres was tastefully restored to it's former glory.

This is the Menin Gate. It was through this entrance to the village that the allied forces provided the troops with constant reinforcement and supplies. The Menin Gate Memorial was erected in memory of all the soldiers who lost their lives fighting here, and the walls of this huge structure hold the names of all the men who's bodies were never found.

This is just one of the several walls devoted to the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives.

Notre Dame de Lorette

Notre Dame de Lorette is the largest W.W.I French cemetery.

A countless number of graves for the many French soldier who died here on the Western Front. I wanted to try and see if there were any Chartrand's buried here, but the graveyard was just too big.

The trenches still remain after all these years in the fields behind the church.

Arras

Here we are in the medieval square of the town of Arras. Arras was at the centre of much of the fighting in World War I, and being right behind the Front Line it was under constant bombardment by enemy shelling.

After the war the whole town lay in ruins. While the old houses around the square were rebuilt evidence of the war is still evident.

After a wander around the village we made our way to this extremely spooky memorial site. It lies just outside the walls of the ancient Citadel of Arras.

It was here, during WWII, that German soldiers executed 218 allied troops of all origins.

This is the Commonwealth cemetery Faubourg-D'Amiens, and it was but the first of many cemeteries we would see on our journey.

Here we are at a German cemetery. The contrast between the Commonwealth and German cemeteries are amazing. The Commonwealth cemeteries are neatly kept, white and heavenly, while the German cemeteries, as you can see, are dark, grey and depressing. This cemetery seemed endless, and the amount of people buried here is horrendous. Each grave marks the burial site of 4 soldiers.

These tomb stones mark the site of a German mass grave, where the bodies of over 18,000 bodies were found.

My trip to France

Here I am on the ferry traveling from Dover, England to Calais, France. I was very excited about being able to take part in this class trip to the Battle Fields of WWI with my placement school.

My first view of France, the other half of my ancestor's homeland.

Burns Night

Every January 25th the Scots celebrate the poet Robert Burns by eating Haggis, neeps and tatties (turnips and potatoes) and drinking lots of whisky. Burns wrote a lighthearted poem called "Ode to the Haggis", and the night which uses the poem as part of a traditional procession to commemorate Burns has been celebrated for over 200 years. And while this dinner may not look very appetizing, it tastes amazing.

We decided to join in the celebration and made our own Burns night dinner. The haggis went down with success, however we still have not grown accustomed to the taste of whisky.

Caerphilly Castle

Caerphilly Castle is Wales's largest moated medieval castle, as well as one of the largest fortresses in Britain. It is famous for it's leaning tower which you can see on the right side of the photo.

The castle was built in the late 13th century to defend the town from rival princes.

Our last day in Wales was well spent taking in this impressive site.

Sayard felt right at home.

A view, through a soldiers look out, of the village of Caerphilly.

Boxing Day

Another Christmas has come and gone. Neil and Tal play one last time before Lloyd and Nic head off.

Baby and me.

After the good-byes had been said, Ruth, John, Rhys took us to the sea. We were quite amazed that the day after Christmas we were taking a stroll along to coast line.

Such a nice family.


Rhys

young love

The boys at play.


I love the fact that we had ice cream by the sea on boxing day. How crazy is that! It was really good ice cream too!!

Ruth and John thought we were crazy, but Rhys certainly enjoyed his ice cream oyster.

The sun sets and it starts to get cold. We head home after a beautiful day at the beach.