Paris 2016

Today we went to Pozieres for the centenery. Prior to this we went to Beaumont Hamel, the New Foundland Memorial. Here we could see real evidence of shelling. This area during the war was mainly Canadian & New Foundland soldiers and here they sustained a huge loss of life. Amongst the brave soldiers was the one and only recorded Inuit (Eskimo) soldier. The monument is impressive, this large caribou on top of a mountain with the honour roll underneath.

The Australian Department of Veteran Affairs, once again planned and organised a wonderful ceremony. The tributes to the fallen at Pozieres were interesting and moving. It was great to see the youth of our nation read tributes to the soldiers. The big screen pieces outlining the battle in detail were very informative and brought the battle to life. Both Fromelles and Pozieres ceremonies really honoured the brave soldiers that lost their lives so we could live the life we have today.

For dinner we visited the town of Amiens. This is a quaint town right on the banks of the Somme River. There are rows and rows of restaurants and cafes that line the river bank. An extremely popular place at night. We found a little restuarant called 'L'Envie'. Where we had a three course meal - Entree was a traditional french pancake with cheese, mushroom and ham rolled inside and baked. Main Course was a rib eye steak and chips (after seeing so many potato fields across northern France it was good to taste it. I guess that's why they are called french fries!😝 Finally dessert, this was Fondant au chocolat, which was like a chocolate lava cake with fresh fruit and caramel icecream. It was quite spectacular!Read more