Vimy and a day trip to Belgium

(Lesley) We went to Vimy on Tuesday.  It was very powerful.  It was a drizzly day and I can only imagine how rough it was for the Canadian soldiers back in 1917 in those muddy trenches.  We visited the monument and one cemetery on our own first, then we did a guided tour of the tunnels and trenches.  The guides (young Canadians) were great.  (Matt, my brother, was a guide there years ago.)  We walked a lot and had a picnic lunch, ham and cheese on baguette with fruit.  Vimy Ridge was sure a sight to see.  The kids really got a lot out of it.  They want to go on and see all the cemeteries around this region: one British, one French another Canadian and a German.  We heard an interesting Hitler story while in the tunnel.  Apparently he was a runner for the Germans at Vimy but he was injured and sent back just before the Canadians took the ridge.  The average lifespan of a runner we were told was 6 days.  Hitler was lucky.  Just near the trenches we saw some little lambs.  They were lovely and stealing the show a bit said one guide.
Photos: Sam holds a maple leaf at Vimy, Mother Canada, Cute!

We have more photos, but Sam already put them on his blog so check his for more pics.

Belgium.  Wednesday, we went to Belgium.  It was just for the afternoon, as we didn’t get on the road until 1:00.  Tournai was a 75-minute drive from our gîte.  As soon as we parked, Sam and Mhari climbed the belfry to get a full view of the town.  John and I would have loved the exercise but felt we should economize as the adult ticket was 4 times that of a student.  Besides we had our Arras parking ticket to pay off.  So because we were feeling thrifty, not guilty, we went to the patisserie and bought some treats; which we ate while looking up to see the kids by the bells.  Once the kids descended, we wandered around town: beautiful, absolutely stunning!  I love the Flemish architecture.  We went to see Eglise St Jacques and the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was being renovated.  We had a gauffre au sucre on the street: YUM!  I will do that again, soon. Mmmmm.
Photos: Tournai, In the doorway of St Jacques.

Later, on our way home, we spent two hours grocery shopping.  It seems a long time but it took 30 minutes to get from one end of the store to the other.  And deciding which of the cheeses to purchase, well that was a total dilemma.  We also changed our minds on meals as we saw new and interesting things.  John was completely bamboozled as to which Belgian beer would best celebrate our visit to Tournai. 

(John) In the end I chose a French beer but from the Flanders region.  I decided it would be better to not know what I was missing.  On the drive home from Tournai, we drove by, but did not stop at, a Belgium beer warehouse offering beer at discount prices.   The lesson is, if you are a beer lover don’t come to Belgium with a Ford Focus, a spouse, two children and all their luggage.  Come alone, in a big van.