Remembrance Day - France

Today we took a trip to France for Remembrance Day. Our first stop was to the Guillemont Road Cemetery near Guillemont, France. This British Commonwealth Cemetery holds over 700 WWI fallen from the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Liz's Great-Great-Uncle Walter Huggins was a Private in the 9th Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment. He died September 15th, 1916 near Guillemont. The girls laid a wreath on his headstone and Tori created a paper wreath in which they all signed. At 11 am we paused for a moment of silence to honour the fallen. After walking around the cemetery we were getting ready to head to our next stop when we noticed a group of people walking down the road and one person was holding a French flag. We waited to see what they were going to do. As they came by the Mayor of Guillemont asked if we would like to participate in the precession. We joined in and watched as two children placed a bouquet at the head of the cemetery. Following this ceremony the Mayor asked us why we had come to the cemetery and Liz mentioned about her Uncle. He asked if we wanted to get a picture by his graveside. After the picture we were invited to follow them back to their town church. Outside of the church there were two monuments. One was for the 16th Irish Regiment and the other for the fallen from Guillemont. Bouquets were placed by each of these. Following the ceremony we were invited to view the church and then to join in a toast at the town hall. Champagne and bread was served and we all toasted the fallen. We stayed for about another half hour before heading to our next stop. The Mayor and deputy invited us back for next year's Remembrance Day celebration. On our way to the our next stop we found a monument to the Newfoundland Regiment. A caribou on a ridge was pointing towards the front. We made a momentary stop to view the monument. Next stop was Vimy Ridge. Vimy Ridge is one of the largest military monuments in the world. It is dedicated to all of the fallen Canadians who do not have grave sites. The two spires represent Canada and France and there are various figures representing ideals such as Mother Canada weeping, faith, peace, and justice. On our way to the monument we met a Canadian college student who was on a four-month volunteer trip at the monument. She gave us a ride around the monument and described all of the finer points of the monument. After our tour we walked up and took a closer look at this magnificent tribute. Another wonderful day exploring a bit of history and paying tribute to those who gave of themselves so that we can all be free.

Tanks in Town part deux

Today was the parade of tanks and vehicles to conclude the 65th Annivesary of Mons' liberation (Sep 2, 1944). There were various activities throughout the day but we decided to catch the vehicles as they passed through a local town. So after hanging out at a local park for a few hours we headed to Hyon which was the last town they vehicles would pass through before heading into Mons. They were supposed to arrive at 1530 but didn't get there until 1630. We weren't sure if they were going to bring the big tanks down the little road they had designated for the route. A local lady was asking me in broken English if they were. I guess her house had a crack in it from all of the vibrations that the tanks have created in past parades. So we waited and finally they came. It wasn't too crowded where we were and it made for some awesome viewing. Emilie and Tori were waving American flags and wearing my Grampi's WWII Army hat, dog tag, and shoulder patches. The vehicles as they passed by were waving to the kids and showing the "V" for victory sign. We figured out why it took so long. All along the route people were stopping the tanks and vehicles to give the riders shots of booze. One local said that it was a tradition kept from the original liberation. We had one such lady near us and it definitely held things up a bit. After the parade we headed to Mons' Grand Place to welcome the liberators. The Grand Place was packed with people and they were parking the tanks and vehicles in front of the Hotel d'Ville. It was getting late and it being a school night and all we decided to head home. It was quite a day.

Tanks in Town

Annually the city of Mons, and the surrounding area, celebrates their liberation from Nazi control in World War II. Part of this celebration is the "Tanks in Town" weekend. Various WWII vehicles "invade" the area and go on display. This year is the 65th Anniversary (September 2nd) of the day when the Americans rolled into town. Today we attended the display day. A wide selection of fully operational tanks, half-tracks, personnel carriers and any other sort of WWII vehicle used were on display. A few of them were driving around the grounds. In the center of the display area was a tracked vehicle circuit. For a fee folks could ride on a tank around the circuit. In typical European style the only thing separating you from a few tons of moving machine was a thin ribbon or old tires. This was truely up close and personal. The girls enjoyed running between two sections of the course to see the tanks drive by. It was awesome. The whole afternoon was quite unique. Tomorrow is the parade of vehicles. The entire lot of vehicles will follow a 30 km route that will end up in Mons' Grand Place. This will be the culmination of the liberation festivities. Check out http://www.tanksintown.be/ to see more.

First Day of School

Today the girls began 4th and 2nd Grades at the Canadian Section of the SHAPE International School. The girls have been bugging our neighbor Steve to take them for a ride on his Harley-Davidson. He has let the girls sit on the back to see if their legs were long enough to touch the foot pegs. Once that was figured out he offered to ride the girls to school someday. Emilie asked if he could give her a ride on the first day of school and Tori asked for the second day of school. Steve agreed and so the count down began (for about the last two months). Today was finally Em's day (Tori can't wait for tomorrow). She donned the helmet and gloves and held on to Steve as they rode in style to school. Tori rode with Mommy and we all met up at the school for the new school year welcome from Principal Beaulieu. After the welcome all the kids went with their respective teachers to go to their new class rooms. Another school year beginning and both girls are very happy to see their friends and teachers again.