InvictaMoto's Family Travels

I am going to have a quick solo day trip to Vimy Ridge for the Centenary of the Battle of Arras. All along the front the allies attacked entenched German positions on the high ground around Arras. Despite terrible losses the Canadian assault on Vimy Ridge was a success. Many Canadians call this the battle that created their nation. A hundred years later we gather to pay our respects for the thousands of young men that came so far from home to fight and for many of them there is a corner of France forever theirs. Oh Canada. UPDATE: 10th April 2017 http://rocket3man.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/vimy-100-report.html  

There are several ceremonies taking place at the same time in Ypres and the area that formed the Passchendaele battlefield. The first is a special event at the Menin Gate in Ypres.  I have been before to see the pageantry and the Fire Brigade buglers at the Gate and it is a truly moving experience.   The second, is the ceremony at Tyne Cot British Cemetery  and Memorial . This is also a ticket only event. parking will be at the Zonnebeke Museum and that will be by ticket and then shuttle buses to Tyne Cot. Unusually for me I hadn't booked any accommodation and of course now that everyone has got the okay that they are getting tickets to the event, the whole thing has gone wild.  Simply taking a look at "Ypres" and the dates on booking.com sees that some places are what we say in England are "taking the piss" with massively inflated prices. But, I guess someone will be desperate and pay them. In the end I have booked a B&B  in Vlamertinge ne

Hopefully by the time we emerge on French soil in May the hassles, scaremongering and downright hate will have ended. All this brought on by Brexit, the decision of the UK electorate to leave the European Union. By then the Netherlands may have elected a government that supports a similar decision. Anyway. The Tesco Clubcard vouchers have been spent and the total with Reggie has £186 for the car and us and the cost of checking his passport on the way back in. We are booked on a Saturday morning, not too early.  The drive to a hotel stop in Orléans is about 260 miles once we land.  So we have a lot of time to do it and avoid Paris. Eurotunnel return is the following Sunday leaving a Bank Holiday to recover the day after.

We have been many times to Ypres and the battlefields in the area to visit the sites and the cemeteries. Most usually I have led the trips under the guise of the Suzuki Owners Club and latterly the Meldrews. I applied for tickets as once again the interest will be high rather than the simple turn up and take part from previous years. The Centenary is a big deal. At this stage there is planning to do and a hotel to book. Sadly Reggie can't come with us on this trip and we will have to do it in the car.  Claire's hip is not right and it will be too much on the Rocket. I'll leave this post  with a link to a poem .