Vimy Ridge
we were up bright and early to catch the 7:50 train to Arras. It is an experience in itself to travel in and out of these huge train stations. Just like the airport, you wait for the track number to come up and then head for that train. We travelled on a TGV, which is a high speed train. It is a very comfortable ride and it only took us50 minutes. The trains arrive and depart on time, to the minute!!
When we arrived in Arras it was too early to head out to the Vimy Ridge Memorial so we walked through town to the Visitors’ Centre. The ladies there called cabs to take us out to the site. We had to use two cabs and they had to each make two trips to get us all out there (about 15 minutes each way).
Once we were all at the site we went on a guided tour with a University student from REGINA. She took us down and through the tunnels that were used during the war. Then we walked through some of the outside trenches. It was very informative and interesting.
After the tour we walked through the site at our leisure. They have a very interesting museum that displays and explains what happened during the battle at Vimy Ridge. We walked out to the monument, it is absolutely stunning! The names of each soldier that died there was carved into the monument. The area is covered in beautiful pines trees that were planted by the French, one for each soldier that died. The ground is still covered with craters from the bombing and these areas are fenced off because there are still undetonated bombs littering the area. It is a beautiful setting and we had an incredible day to visit.
We got back into Arras mid afternoon and we had several hours to enjoy the town. It is a lovely French City and the sun was shining! We spent most of our time sitting in outdoor cafes and soaking up the sun and atmosphere.
Our train departed back to Paris at 5:20 and we arrived at 6:10. We went back to the hotel and then split up into smaller groups to find a place to eat. The best experience is sitting in an outdoor cafe, enjoying the lovely weather and people watching.
When we arrived in Arras it was too early to head out to the Vimy Ridge Memorial so we walked through town to the Visitors’ Centre. The ladies there called cabs to take us out to the site. We had to use two cabs and they had to each make two trips to get us all out there (about 15 minutes each way).
Once we were all at the site we went on a guided tour with a University student from REGINA. She took us down and through the tunnels that were used during the war. Then we walked through some of the outside trenches. It was very informative and interesting.
After the tour we walked through the site at our leisure. They have a very interesting museum that displays and explains what happened during the battle at Vimy Ridge. We walked out to the monument, it is absolutely stunning! The names of each soldier that died there was carved into the monument. The area is covered in beautiful pines trees that were planted by the French, one for each soldier that died. The ground is still covered with craters from the bombing and these areas are fenced off because there are still undetonated bombs littering the area. It is a beautiful setting and we had an incredible day to visit.
We got back into Arras mid afternoon and we had several hours to enjoy the town. It is a lovely French City and the sun was shining! We spent most of our time sitting in outdoor cafes and soaking up the sun and atmosphere.
Our train departed back to Paris at 5:20 and we arrived at 6:10. We went back to the hotel and then split up into smaller groups to find a place to eat. The best experience is sitting in an outdoor cafe, enjoying the lovely weather and people watching.
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