But anyway, here we were, in the middle of nowhere, in the most lovely B&B. We had an awesome sleep, as predicted! The owner had breakfast all ready for us by 8:00 am and she stayed to visit with us for awhile before she left for work.
After we checked out, we drove around to see the war memorials in the area (which is why we booked this place) before heading to Vimy Ridge. There were war graveyards everywhere in this area. Everywhere!
And another:
The first memorial we wanted to see was super interesting: Beaumont-Hamel, which was dedicated to the Canadian men from Newfoundland and now run by the Government of Canada. (The men were actually fighting under the British Army, as they hadn't yet joined Canada.) We learned that, even though it was one of the biggest tragedies of WWI, with 80% of the regiment dying within 20 minutes of battle, their failure (and ultimate sacrifice) led to the success at Vimy Ridge.
After the war 260 plots of farmland were purchased by the Newfoundland government, spearheaded by the insistence of the women of Newfoundland who were left behind by the huge tragedy.
(It was very interesting to learn that we had to buy the land and erect our own monument here because Beaumont-Hamel was viewed as an incredible failure. Different story at Vimy Ridge, where the French dedicated that land and monument to Canada.)
All this time, as we were walking through the site with the young guide from Newfoundland, I kept thinking "Why did I not know this story?" Was I sleeping during history class in High School? Very possible. It's incredible story for Canada. Can you imagine an entire province losing most of their young men (the youngest was about 14 years old), within 20 minutes. Gone forever. They were all related, they all knew each other... brothers, uncles, dads, neighbours. It's mind-boggling.
From there we went to Vimy Ridge and did a tour of the trenches/tunnels which was so interesting.
Going into the tunnels and hearing the stories about the condition that the soldiers faced, was so interesting. And touring the trenches and seeing just how close the enemy lines were was amazing. Listening to the guide telling us about how significant this battle was for Canada and how it shaped our Nation, it was very emotional. It made me so incredibly proud to be Canadian at that moment. I was so grateful that we were able to be here now, at Vimy Ridge, to see this important Canadian monument in person. An amazing experience that we will never forget.
Oh, and another interesting thing we learned today... all the sheep that are happily grazing around the fenced off land surrounding the war memorials... they are there to keep the grass mowed, because it's too dangerous for humans. Land mines. Poor, sacrificial lambs.
By the time we got to Holland it was quite late... driving through Belgium was an absolute nightmare!! Horrendous traffic, construction on the highway, and the drivers are basically jerks. Got lost getting to our hostel just outside of Utrecht but finally managed to find it. It was a really cool place, there were so many people just hanging out in the area, there were parks, trails along the canals, a couple of restaurants, etc. Lots of stuff going on.
We are finally here! It felt so good. It felt like home, somehow. I almost wanted to cry. Silly, I know, but very real. I remember feeling the same way back in 1998 after travelling around Europe for 7 weeks, and then arriving into Holland. Everything is so familiar.. the people, their language, the food, the scenery... it is all so ingrained into who I am, even though I've only been in Holland for a few days out of my life. I feel so at home. Ahh! I am a happy Canadian Dutch girl. And so very thankful.
Our room was clean and comfortable, and we slept well. Pretty basic hostel room... just a bunch of bunkbeds and a bathroom. It's all we need. We were all so tired from our long day, but we went for a walk before bedtime. So beautiful. Peaceful. What a day.
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