My Thoughts on Vimy Ridge

Apparently I don't post enough blog entries, so here are my thoughts on the Vimy Ridge adventure.

• Arras - COLD

• Taxis in Arras = Tourist rip off (30 Euros each way to go 10 minutes out of town, and this is the ONLY way to get there unless you want to walk the highway)

• Battlegrounds - LOTS and LOTS of gigantic crater shaped holes still in the ground. Totally wasn't expecting this, but they just left it the way it was and planted all sorts of tree amongst the now "natural" landscape.
  

Landscape at Vimy

• Explosives- a lot of the grounds are roped off because of undetonated explosives. Kinda scary.

• Vimy monument - gorgeous. Amazing view (even though it was cloudy and drizzling). Way too many names on it (it's kinda like the city of lost boys), makes you wonder where they ended up or if some of them were still alive after the war.
  

Vimy Monument

• Canadian Cemetery Number 2- not a lot of Canadians here, more British Soldiers. SOOO many of them don't have names, and those that do were our ages or younger. Took some really neat pictures of the headstones (although Ryan didn't like that I was walking on their graves).

Gravestone

• Overall feelings about the trip: Great experience, Nice to be "home" for a bit, Too cold in the North, Overnight trains are hopefully never happening again.

For more pictures click on the picture at the right of the screen (Album is titled November 11- Vimy Ridge & Arras)