We took a little break and headed across the border into the south of France for a few days. We spent a few relaxing days exploring and spending time with friends.
We visited Elne, a charming historic town with its beautiful cathedral and cobblestone streets.
Cathedral in Elne France
We stayed there for a few days and explored the narrow streets and views of the town.
View of the Rue Principal of Elne FranceThe Elne Arch which dates back to 1569View of the Pyrenees from the top of the hill where the Cathedral is located
Shelley stopped and took a moment to smell the roses.
Shelley checking out the wild rose
We then made our way to Perpignan for a day. We wandered around the city centre, We stoped to admire the fortress and then went exploring inside the fortified walls of the former fortress.
Former fortress entrance in Perpignan
Now a bustling centre with shops and restaurants it was an enjoyable way to spend the day.
We took in the sights, enjoyed some good food and, of course, found time for a coffee or two along the way.
But the real highlight of the trip wasn’t sightseeing, it was simply spending time with friends. There was plenty of talking, laughing, eating and enjoying the occasional glass of wine. Which, is a pretty good way to spend a few days in France!
We went and explored the historic fortified city of Carcassonne in the southern part of France. We began by walking along the Roman bridge towards the fortified walled city.
View of the walled city from the Roman bridge.View of the fortified city
Carcassonne was of a key strategic importance between historic trade routes, linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. It has a very long history that dates back to around 3500 BC when the first signs of a settlement was established. In 100 BC the Roman empire recognized the strategic importance of the area and began fortifying the hilltop. The hilltop eventually became a rural settlement and later under the control of Julia Carsaco. Eventually the name changed over time to Carcassonne.
The main gate entrance with draw bridge behind it.
The castle itself possesses its own drawbridge and ditch leading to a central area of the castle.
The draw bridge section into the main fortified city.
The fortified city consists of two outer walls with a total of 53 towers and fortified outpost to prevent attack. The walls consist of towers built over the years.
View of the outer wall fortification with a sentinel tower
We could see the different styles in the construction some were Roman and is notably different from the medieval walls.
One of these towers housed the Catholic Inquisition in the 13th century and is still known as “The Inquisition Tower”.
We explored the inner city and enjoyed walking along the narrow streets with unique shops and restaurants.
One of the many narrow streets inside the walled city
We walked the walls of the city exploring the different towers along the way.
Shelley and Ray on the walls of CarcassonneShelley and Ray on one of the sentinel lookout towers in Carcassonne
We had great views of the surrounding areas of the city.
View of the outer wall and the rolling hills of the countryside
There was views that overlooked the outer areas of the fortified city while other views overlooked the inner city. Both were tremendous and beautiful in their own way.
View of the city of CarcassonneView of the Cathedral from the walls of the city.View of the inner portion of the walled city.
We spent the entire day walking throughout this amazing walled city. There was so much history and unique things to see. There was even a Roman Amphitheater within the walled city.
The Amphitheater in the walled city of Carcassonne
We thoroughly enjoyed this UNESCO world heritage site . It is an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town, with its massive defences encircling the castle. Here are a few pictures of the castle and walled city. It was well worth exploring this city.
“Certes, voyager est plus que voir des sites touristiques ; c’est un changement qui s’opère, profond et permanent, dans les idées de vivre. “– Miriam Barbe
We stopped at the Fromelles Memorial Park to see the Australian monument. The memorial park is situated on the German defensive line which was attacked on 19 July 1916 by the Australian forces at the Battle of Fromelles.
Cobbers Sculpture at the Formelles Memorial monument
The sculpture of two soldiers in the center of the memorial park is dedicated to the men who fought and fell in the Battle of Fromelles on 19 and 20 July 1916.
There were also remains of German machine gun bunkers at the memorial park.
Remains of a German machine gun bunker
After visiting the Australian Memorial Park, we stopped at the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery which was only a short distance from the Australian Memorial Park. This cemetery is a significant memorial for Australia.
Fromelles Pheasant Wood Cemetery
We walked through the cemetery looking at the gravestones of both British and Australian soldiers. The history of this cemetery is unique because it was constructed between 2009 and 2010. It is the first new Commonwealth War Graves cemetery for more than 50 years.
Australian Gravestone at the Pheasant Wood Cemetery
We were surprised by the amount of Australians that were involved in the first world war. There were over 416,000 Australians that enlisted for WW I and over 60,000 died over the period of the war.
Pheasant Wood Cemetery
The Pheasant Wood Cemetery contains the graves of 250 British and Australian soldiers who died on 19 July 1916 in the Battle of Fromelles. The cemetery is located on a section of the front line during the battle of Fromelles. Their bodies were discovered following research by a retired teacher, that also included analysis of aerial photographs. They discovered mass graves on the edge of Pheasant Wood, just outside the village of Fromelles.
Formelles Pheasant Wood Cemetery
There were Australians on our tour and they were able to locate a relative which was buried at the cemetery. It was a moving experience for them and reminded everyone just how far-reaching the impact of the war was.
We went to see the trenches and tunnels at the Vimy Memorial Park. Each year the Canadian Government hires Canadian university students as guides for the Memorial Park.
Canadian University Student providing a tour of the tunnels at Vimy Ridge.
We had a very informative Canadian University student from Waterloo. Our guide explained the tunnels and how they were used to move troops and supplies to the front lines during the battles. We went down a set of stairs that led into an area of the tunnels which have been opened to the public.
Stairs leading to the tunnels of Vimy Ridge
The tunnels which were built to move troops and supplies was built with the help of British Tunneling companies. The Canadian military used these tunnels before the Battle of Vimy Ridge as a way to protect soldiers as they moved to the front line.
Tunnel used during the battle of Vimy Ridge by Canadian Soldiers
The tunnels were crucial for the movement of Canadian Soldiers because the Germans were able to see any above ground movements for several miles.
We walked through the tunnel imagining what it must have been like. The soldiers stayed underground and literally lived underground for days at a time.
Tunnels at Vimy Ridge
Some of the tunnels were over a kilometer long. We walked through the tunnels and could see different things carved into the walls.
Carving in the stone in Vimy Ridge Tunnel
We came across a section of the tunnel that was enlarged where troops would gather. There was also remnants of equipment that was left in the tunnels.
Old hand pump that was used to pump water out of the trenches
The tunnels were damp with low ceilings and a dirt floor. The conditions during the war must have been horrific for the Canadian soldiers. After viewing the tunnels we headed to see the trenches.
Trenches of Vimy Ridge
There is a short section of the German and Allied trenches that have been preserved and open to the public. This was the position of the two front lines on this part of Vimy Ridge at the time of the launch of the Allied offensive in April and May 1917. We walked into the trenches and tried to imagine how it must have been.
Trenches at Vimy Ridge in France
The trenches had different lookouts and corners every so often.
In the Trenches of Vimy Ridge
The trenches were not all straight and there were many corners. This was because if an enemy managed to get into the trenches you could hide around a corner and defend yourself.
One of the many corners in the trenches.
We walked through the trenches and looked through the lookouts. The enemy line was very close approximately three meters away. The distance between the German and Allied trenches was known as no-mans land.
Lookout in one of the trenches at Vimy Ridge
On the other side of the trenches were remnants of shell craters from the battle of Vimy Ridge.
Shell craters from the battle of Vimy Ridge
There were areas off-limits, with electric fences, because there still are active landmines and explosives buried in the ground.
The trenches and tunnels were quite interesting and a moving experience for us. Walking through this site was a surreal experience that will stay with us for ever.
We went to see the Vimy Ridge Canadian Memorial, in France. As we approached the memorial we could see the outline and the massive size of the memorial.
Canadian Memorial Vimy Ridge
We arrived at the parking lot and could see the monument in the distance. We walked slowly along the path towards the monument and imagined what it was like at the battle of Vimy.
The view of Vimy Ridge Monument from the parking lot
Along the path towards the Monument, we saw a metal line which ran across the pathway and divided the landscape. It signified the Canadian front line during the battle of Vimy Ridge.
Line showing the front line of the battle of Vimy Ridge
The monument itself was very large and impressive with a beautiful white stone. It is made with limestone from an ancient Roman quarry located near Seget, Croatia.
Path leading to the Vimy Ridge Memorial
When we reached the base of the monument we could see the details in the statues carved in the limestone. The monument was carved from a single block of stone weighing 30-tonne. The massive height of the monument which is approximately 110 meters makes it an impressive sight. The two pillars of 27 meters ( 88.5 Feet ) looms high above the Douai Plain to the east.
Base of the two pillars of the Vimy Ridge monument
We walked around the monument looking at the carvings and statues. The colour of the limestone was a beautiful white and almost looked like marble. The statues were also carved in the white limestone which was beautiful. There were wreaths and flowers laid at different points of the monument.
Wreaths and flowers at the base of the Vimy Ridge Monument
Canadian flags and photos of soldiers of WW I on base of Vimy Ridge Monument
Statue on the Vimy Ridge monument
It was a humbling feeling to be able to physically touch the monument.
Ray, Shelley, Anne, and Jim at the base of the Vimy Ridge Monument
The feelings and emotions we felt while walking around the monument was a mix of pride and of sadness. It was a surreal experience for us to be at the Vimy Ridge Monument and a memory that will stay with us forever.
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