Sam, I am: France

Wednesday, 3 July 2019

Mixed Emotions

Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial
Beaumont Hamel , France
Canadian National Historic Site

July 1st is a day of celebration in Canada; it is our national holiday marking the anniversary of Confederation in 1867, when the British North America Act came into effect. Like all Canadians, I joyfully celebrate Canada Day with pride. But as a Newfoundlander, this day marks an additional and more solemn anniversary; Memorial Day marks the anniversary of the Battle of Beaumont Hamel on the first day of the Somme Offensive during the World War 1 (July 1, 1916). This anniversary predates Newfoundland’s joining Canada, when Newfoundland was a dominion of the British Empire.

As I sit here and listen to the pouring rain on this Canada Day, I can’t help but remember the 2018 girl’s trip; a driving tour of Belgium and France. A stop at Beaumont Hamel wasn’t discussed per say as we just knew it would happen. Upon arriving after 15.5 hours of travel from Canada, a 4.5-hour time change coupled with 2 hours in customs at Charles de Gaulle Airport, we excitedly went to pick up our rental vehicle. Que le plaisir commence!!

Well, not so fast ladies! Our rental agent decides the vehicle we rented; a SUV was going to be too big for what we needed. He spent the next hour to no avail trying to find us a smaller vehicle. By this time, I must admit I am convinced we rented a Bus! We finally get out to the vehicle, said SUV, which supposedly could hold up to 8 passengers. We stared and kept saying, “are we sure this is the correct vehicle”? It was! Oh, and the only way it would hold 8 passengers was if they were Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, even then it would be a tight fit.

Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial

Trail of the Caribou

Engaging the GPS, avoiding flashbacks of “Recalculating is a four-letter word” experiences from Sicily and we are on our way to Beaumont Hamel. Eventually, we exited as directed by the GPS onto a small paved road. We travelled several kilometres without seeing another vehicle, coming to an intersection, and continuing as directed; our two-way lane quickly became a paved cart path. Yikes! All I could think was hopefully we had better not meet vehicles along this path. Of course, we did; one. A few kilometres more and we arrive at the end of the said cart path in Beaumont Hamel, where we are greeted by a sign with directions to the Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial. I can safely say Prime Minister Trudeau and his entourage did not travel our route in July 2016. The route we travelled to Beaumont Hamel generated a lot of laughter and more than a few flashbacks to our travels in Sicily.

One of the trenches at Beaumont Hamel

Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial is a memorial to all the Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who fought in WWI, including those who have no known grave. The whole site is a cemetery and should be remembered as such. It is one of only two Canadian National Historic Sites outside Canada: Vimy Memorial is the other. I am not sure how to describe Beaumont Hamel except as a haunting symbol of remembrance to both human courage and resolve, as well as, arrogance and stupidity. Beaumont-Hamel is stunning and extremely thought provoking, bearing the scars of trench warfare to this day. It remains essentially an “untouched" battlefield where the original trench lines, artillery shell craters and the remains of barbed-wire barriers are still visible, softened only by the passage of time. The monument of the great bronze caribou, the emblem of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, stands atop a cairn of Newfoundland granite on the highest point overlooking the former battlefield. The stunning caribou sculpture is facing its former foe with head thrown high in defiance. At the base of the statue, three bronze tablets bear the names of more than 800 Newfoundlanders (the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve and the Mercantile Marines) who died in the war and have no known grave.

So, for myself and most Newfoundlanders, July 1st is a day of mixed emotions. One of pride and joy as well as sadness and sorrow; and now it has also become a day to remember the start of another great adventure with good friends.

Bronze Caribou at Beaumont Hamel (British sculptor Captain Basil Gotto)
Emblem of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment

The following web sites are excellent resources for information on the Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial:

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/overseas/first-world-war/france/beaumonthamel

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-world-war/fact_sheets/beaumont-hamel

Saturday, 29 March 2014

Paris is Always a Good Idea!

Notre Dame Cathedral

I somehow developed a fascination with the Louvre and the Chateau de Versailles when I was growing up. The reasons for the fascination escapes me, but I remember telling my mother I was going to visit them. My first trip to Europe included Paris and both places were on my agenda. I'm sure my husband was not expecting to spend 2 days at the Louvre, nor to be back several times since. My next visit is little more than 6 weeks away. It's a 2.5 day stop over enroute to Sicily for the biennial girls trip. Time to order my Paris Museum Pass. I'm not going to debate it's value, except to say, I don't do lines. I plan to enjoy every minute of my time.

I think Paris will make an excellent prelude to Sicily. I can visit museums, indulge in French food, pastries, fine wine, and get accustomed to being on my feet for 10-12 hours a day and not on a golf course! I am actually considering something different, taking a Paris Night Photography Tour. We did a Photography Tour in Venice and loved it.

Basilica of Sacré-Coeur

This will be a solo visit and after the pickpocket incident last summer, my husband doesn't want to visit Paris any time soon. When one travels several times a year, sooner or later an incident of some sort will happen and in Paris pickpocketing is a profession. Our story was one of 90% vigilance with a minor lapse, stealthy fingers and the ideal set-up. When we exited the metro on a visit to Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur, his first comment was "take care as this is the ideal place for pickpockets". No kidding, there was no visible security, lots of tourists and just as many professional thieves of all types. The metro was basically empty with no one standing behind us while we waited at Anvers Station. Upon entered the car, my husband got separated from me and boxed in by 2 men who got on as the all clear signal sounded. I tried to get his attention but they would not move and were talked very loudly drowning out my warnings to him. When I got his attention, we were at the next station (Pigalle) and all three jumped off (including the one who had been seated with a walking cast and crutches and who was obviously part of this gang). They got his wallet out of a front pocket that had a zipper closure; getting away with some euros, his ID and credit cards. This is where the story should have ended; but as we made our way back to the hotel, two young girls (8-10) with an adult handler tried to pickpocket him as we watched in total disbelief. The Metro was not crowded and I now suspect at least half the passengers were professionals. So take heed, vigilance is always required. Adding insult to injured pride, my travel lens broke making the visit to Montmartre an expensive one. The good news was the credit cards were cancelled within 20-25 minutes of being taken as we had photocopies of them back at the hotel. The passports as well as my credit cards were in the hotel safe. The hotel advised us that Blanche, Pigalle and Anvers stations on the Blue line 2 were notorious for pickpockets. We were lighter in pocket but wiser (at least I hope so).

Château de Versailles

I have bought a security handbag as an added precaution and off I go. I can safely say a visit to the Louvre is definitely on the agenda, I need to visit some of my favourites (and no the Mona Lisa is not one of them). Who knows, maybe it's time for a return visit to Versailles but with a 2.5 days visit, there is only time for a taste. Add in a few favourite sites such as Notre Dame, Rodin Museum, Museum D'Orsay, the Paris bridges, the Eiffel tower at night and the time will fly. The wiser and more cautious me still thinks that Paris is always a good idea!