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Had a very early start this morning as we caught a taxi over to the Rue de Pyramides to start our tour to the Somme Battlefields.
It wasn't a good start as the taxi driver was the rudest arse you could imagine and it took all my will power not to abuse the crap out of him! AND the 4.5km ride cost us €17.5!!
There were 20 of us on the tour - 18 Aussies and 2 Americans - and we set out on the 2 hour drive in a small coach with an English girl as our guide. Boy, was she a full bottle on the area and all the war history!
It took a couple of hours to get to the little town of Villers Bretonneaux, set right in the middle of magnificent rolling farmland with many cereal crops, potatoes and beets being grown. Our first stop was the Adelaide Cemetery, the first of many we saw during the day, but only a fraction of the 342 such grave sites in this region.
They are all totally immaculate - it must cost our Government a fortune to maintain them - with perfect rows of headstones, usually a large monument with a cross and beautiful flowers planted along the rows! We saw the headstone of the "Unknown Soldier" here in this first one as well!
Then on to the Australian War Memorial which had recently been upgraded for the ANZAC Centenary, where we walked up the hill to the tower and climbed the stairs for a view out over the battlefields all around. It was a very moving moment and one I will not forget in a hurry! We could see the towns of Villers Bretonneaux, Fouilloy and in the distance Amiens!
Nicola, our guide, kept us fully informed on each site we visited, including the huge French - British Memorial at Thiepval, and the Canadian one at Beaumont Hamill where there was an opportunity to walk along some of the original War Trenches!
We passed through Poziéres with its British street names and then on for a very late lunch at Peronnes!
Our tour finally ended about 6pm as we were dropped off near our hotel - we were a bit tired, but this had been one of the best tours we have ever done!
Just so hard to believe that so many people lost their lives in such a small area! And feeling so proud that our country is doing so much to preserve the history and remember those who gave their lives!
At each cemetery there was a wall with a brass niche in it, containing a list of all those buried there (and the headstone number) and also a Visitors Book, which I signed at every opportunity.
We certainly had plenty to talk about as we enjoyed our customary drinks and dinner!
- comments
Julie Culph LOL I think we had that taxi driver when we were in Paris! Once again enjoying the Travel Blog. Continued safe travels.