From our itinerary:
We check out this
morning and drive to Arras to see the Fauberge d’Amiens monument to the Missing
and cemetery. Following this visit we
will take lunch and then drop V & E at the train station and then drive to Calais
and return to the UK on the ferry.
It’s been a while since we discussed breakfast. Here at Hotel Beatus the usual options are
available, breads, pastries, cereals or cooked options. The stand out thing is
the little tubs of obviously commercially made yoghurt. They come in little
pottery tubs sealed as is usual for other brands you find in plastic
containers. The yoghurt is nice. We haven’t come across any yoghurt that can
compare to that which is produced by a local dairy at home… except the yoghurt
in the hangop in Amsterdam.
We’re well and truly packed up, checked out and on the road
just after 9 am. Fortunately the weather
has improved somewhat today, some light rain but the clouds are higher and it
is not quite so cold or windy.
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| Memorials in Cambrai |
We start by having a look around Cambrai. Just a quick look
from the car. We note the shrapnel
damage to the city landmarks and hear a bit about the battles that have taken
place around Cambrai. We pause at the
local park to see some memorial plaques.
Somewhere we went there was a cut out of an Aussie digger in amongst the
flower beds in the park… was it here in Cambrai?? I’m not sure. Bill expresses a level of envy at the
widespread love affair the people of Belgium and France have with
Australia. There’s nothing like it for
the United Kingdom and he wishes there was.
It is strange. It really is. I
can only assume that there was something in the culture of the Great War
diggers that really captured the hearts of those they met. As Chris has also commented to me over dinner
one night, the Australians were superb shock troops. Perhaps this, and a deeply
egalitarian philosophy of life sowed seeds which have borne this fruit. Oh. Hang on...I know, maybe it was that the Aussie diggers were all
volunteers. We had no conscription. Yes..
that must be it. It must be a gratitude
borne of amazement that so many very fine men would volunteer to come over, and
go through so much to help out.
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| Is this Victory leading French forces? |
My position in the car doesn’t really lend itself to getting
photos of the memorials we just talk about as we drive past. I manage to get a photo of the large French
memorial. Bill does tell us what the various elements represent, but without
writing notes as we go along my memory fails.
I think it is victory leading her forces.. I had thought perhaps it was
France but I’m pretty sure that was my guess but I was wrong. A little later we pass a French memorial which
includes one of their Generals. This
area of France has a mind boggling array of memorials. After so many days my
head is spinning and we are all pretty exhausted after Anzac Day.
We’re making our way across to Arras.
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| Vis En Artois British Cemetery |
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| Monchy Les Roux French Memorial. Widow and child looking down at the helmet of dead husband and father |
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| 37th Division British Memorial |
Our next major stop
is the Fauberge d’Amiens monument to the missing and cemetery. Mainly a United Kingdom cemetery there are
small numbers of dead from other nations, including some Germans and just a
very few burials from WWII. The design
of the memorial is striking. It’s another by Lutyens. The voids in the design are quite
intentionally representative of the void left in the lifes of families when
their sons, brothers, husbands and fathers never returned.
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| Fauborg D'Amiens Cemetery |
There is symbolism too in the globe atop the
pillar. This is the Arras Flying Services Memorial and it bears the names of
991 men of the Royal Flying Corps who died on the front in the Great War. The
pilots who took part in the battle of Arras in 1917 called it bloody April. In one month the Royal Flying Corps lost 316
out of 730 pilots. There was certainly a
greater role for aerial bombing and operations in the Great War than I had realized.
The development of air forces has been
on my list of things to learn more about for a while and there’s been a few
things across the course of our travels that have suggested this is something I
really should get on with.
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| Fauberg D'Amiens Cemetery |
From the cemetery we head to the Citadel of Arras. This is a mightily historic place and is of
particular interest for both Great War and WWII history. 218 resistance members of various
nationalities were shot here in WWII.
Unfortunately for us, the Citadel is closed. Never mind, Bill has another site on his list
and we head there now. It’s not long
before we’re pulling up at Notre Dame de Lorette.
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| Notre Dame de Lorette French National Memorial. The battles of Artois were as costly in French lives as the better known battle of Verdun |
It may be stating the obvious for some but the reason you
have things called Notre Dame everywhere is because it translates as “our lady”
and France is/was a catholic country. In
this particular case the basilica dedicated to the mother of Christ is an
important national memorial. I don’t
recall the figure Bill gave us and various websites give different numbers but
there’s something like 40,000 sets of remains interred in the grounds. Most are the dead from the Great War and
there are also unknown soldiers from other conflicts as well as the ashes of
victims of the concentration camps in WWII. The battles fought here over a year or so were responsible for as many casualties as the more famous battle for Verdun.
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| Notre Dame de Lorette basilica |
Hubby and I make for the basilica as our first stop. There’s no one else around and the church is quiet
and peaceful inspiring quietness within ourselves also. The interior comes as a surprise, beautifully
decorated with colourful mosaics and quite different to other sites we’ve
visited on our trip. 
On a side wall is a
memorial to Louise de Bettignies who was shot as a spy by the Germans during
the Great War. It is only a small place
and does not take a long time to see. Bill has told us that the funds for
construction of the basilica were raised by the widows as a tribute and this
adds to the atmosphere for us as we contemplate.
On a side wall is a
memorial to Louise de Bettignies who was shot as a spy by the Germans during
the Great War. It is only a small place
and does not take a long time to see. Bill has told us that the funds for
construction of the basilica were raised by the widows as a tribute and this
adds to the atmosphere for us as we contemplate. |
| The Lantern Tower over at Notre Dame de Lorette. Cemetery and ossuary hold the remains of more than 40,000 soldiers as well as the ashes of many concentration camp victims. |
We don’t have a lot of time to wander around so we move
straight over to the lantern tower where the volunteer guards are on duty
standing vigil. At night a memorial beam of light flashes out across the land. Ceremonies performed weekly reignite an eternal flame. We enter quietly and
move across to the coffins that contain the three unknown soldiers and stand
with heads bowed for a minutes silence.
As we go to move a guard speaks to us in French and beyond bonjour of
course I’m at a loss. He goes on “English?”
“Australian”. He apologises for not
having much English language but effectively communicates to us that we should
head up to the museum upstairs. It’s a
small place but it has some very interesting exhibits about the war,
photographs and some extraordinary trench art.
The guard is waiting for us when we come down, requesting
that we sign their visitors book. Across
the commonwealth memorial sites there are little metal cabinets at the
entrances which contain lists of the dead and almost always a visitors book for
people to sign and note some thoughts if they would like to. It is handy to have a pen with you. 
We still have a few minutes to walk along some of the graves
and give a thought to the men they represent, then it’s back to the car. As we climb in Bill asks us “Did you find the
grave of General Barbot?” “Oh. Aah… no…. “ Pause “We’re Aussies Bill." haha. "The chances of us remembering to look for the grave of a general were never
very high really.” Haha. Bill's a good
bloke and he has a laugh with us. As we
drive down and away from this moving national memorial we make a point of looking
at the old derelict church in the village.
It’s time to adjourn for lunch. Don’t ask me where but the cobbled market
place and general ambience of the town was lovely and much like other towns in
the area we’ve visited. Food was OK, not
terribly memorable evidently but nothing particularly wrong with it either.
We drop V & E to their train and say our farewells. We’ve had a great few days together. We
couldn’t have asked for better travel companions. We on the other hand continue on to Calais
and on the way I seek and receive a recommendation from Bill for a biography of
Douglas Macarthur. Australians generally
have an inherited hatred of Douglas McArthur. I’ve read a history of
the Korean War by a British historian and that did nothing to increase my
regard for him either, but I wouldn’t mind reading something that is inclined
to put across his better characteristics. One presumes he must have at least
some redeeming qualities.
At Calais we have to present our passports and along the way
we’ve completed or immigration forms. I
find it very interesting to see how the set up works. We are directed to a
particular queue for boarding. The seas
are high and there’s a stiff wind (southerly – south west 35 – 40 knots) causing
the ferries to be running a half hour or more late. As we sit parked in the queue watching customs
officials with sniffer dogs nosing around nearby trucks Chris appears at the
drivers window. They had been planning
on taking a later ferry but it seems they’ve skipped lunch and made a dash with
plans of eating on the boat. Ironically Chris’s
vehicle is boarded before ours but it’s all good and before long hubby and I
are exploring the ferry and finding ourselves a desirable possie (position) for
the ride over to Dover. The ferry has
lots of shops and bars and an opportunity for currency exchange.
The view from the ferry for quite some time is of sandy French
beaches. Despite the conditions the ferry is very stable and it causes my
sea-sick prone husband no worries at all.
Naturally the novelty wears off of course and before long, like everyone
else we’re just sitting comfortably reading waiting for the appearance of the
famous white cliffs.
As we near the coast of England the white cliffs come into
view. As is predictable the windows of the deck are crusted with salt and the
visibility is very poor. If we were
outside it would be a lovely view.
Heading toward France it would be a lovely view. Fatigue overcomes enthusiasm for cliffs. We
chill out and wait for Bill to indicate a move to the vehicle is
warranted. The address for Enterprise
Car Rental on the car hire voucher seems a little vague to Bill, but he knows
the general area they are indicating and it turns out that Enterprise is very
well signposted and easy to find. We bid
a fond farewell to Bill with thanks for a wonderful tour and head on in to
claim our car. Help is offered with our
luggage. Yes, thanks :o) We have been allocated a Vauxhall Corsa. Paperwork
completed we head off after I have taken a few photos.
I wasn’t aware of missing England while we
were away, but I am flooded with happiness to be back. Happiness, and a new level of enthusiasm for
the adventures to come over the last week of our trip. It’s a huge shame that we don’t have time for
a look at Dover Castle. Bill has recommended it too. We’ll just have to come back some time! It’s 11.5
C or so the temperature guage of our vehicle tells us. Positively balmy. I
might need to lose a layer.
We install tomtom and program our destination. We shall go
to Ramsgate via Deal thankyou tomtom. All goes swimmingly. I do love a driving
holiday. So good to have a car again and free to wander as we please. It seems
like no time until we’re in Deal and driving past Deal Castle. Wow. What an
awesome little castle.
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| Spring Flowers at Deal Castle |
We turn onto the
beach front parade. Lots of characterful little boats are pulled up on the
shingle beach. We turn around and find a
parking space in a street nearby the castle and take a walk. Last entry is 5:30 pm and it is now 5:40.
What a shame. Deal Castle looks awesome. Hubby comments that he loves the castles
with moats. :o) Yes, we’ll have to come back some time.
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| Deal Castle |
From the castle we turn the corner towards
the beach front for a closer look at the boats. We take a walk on the shingle beach. I like it a lot. At least
you can take a walk and not get filthy… but it would be a killer in bare feet
says hubby. Yeah. I suppose so.
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| Fishing boats on the shingle beach at Deal |
People are jogging or walking briskly along the waterfront
parkland. There’s a stiff breeze blowing.
A father watches over his boys as they kick a football around. It’s not
long before we’re turning the corner back to the car. Deal is a lovely little
place.
To find our parking spot, we had to ignore Tomtom. Oh $#%$.
She’s throwing a tantie. No go. She insists there’s no satellite signal
available. Oh yeah. *O*&. We drive
around cursing the moody bloody thing and eventually find a petrol station
where we figure we’ll find a map. I abandoned our back up road atlas when we
dropped of the previous hire vehicle. Useless bloody thing it was. We have a choice here. We can buy another one
of the things we tossed. No. Too big and heavy. Not useful enough. I opt for a smaller directory for Kent only.
Hoping that tomtom will get over her moodiness.
With our little map we find our way to Ramsgate and our
accommodation for this evening. Redcot House. What a delightful B&B. We settle in and then head out to grab
something to eat. Ramsgate is a nice
little place too and we find easy parking nearby the restaurant strip facing
the harbour and the channel were ships heading on another ferry route are
plying the waters. We’ve got an open
mind about where and what we might want to eat but we end up in the place I had
noted on the manifesto. Bon Appetit.
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| Ramsgate |
So to the meal:
complementary home made bread with balsamic and oil and olive
tapenade. They have put the oil and
balsamic in one dish. The dish is
critical if this arrangement is going to work. This time it is a narrow tall
dish. Useless. In this situation the oil hits the bread and is so deep that you
can’t get any balsamic with it. Grr.
Hubby wins the ordering. He easily leaves me in the dust
with his choice of Garlic Tiger Tail Sizzler flambed in Vermouth £7.95. Not
that there’s anything wrong with my Mussels Provencale £6.95.
Can I make up ground in the main course? Hubby Duo of Barbary
duck, balsamic glazed breast, leg croustade, red cabbage, Biarritz potatoes and
ginger pear £16.95. Mine: tomato garlic
and thyme linguine with sunblushed tomato dressed in leaves. £10.95. Not good enough to draw even I’m afraid.
Dessert: … dessert… can you believe we skipped dessert? I’m struggling with that idea even now.
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