Aug 27, 2009 - 27th....Mammoth Drive....Homewards bound

Overnight in Dunkerque, Ferry is first out tomorrow morning! Quite excited now about going home, it feels a lot longer time span of being away than it reads! Mammoth drive from Prague to Dunkerque in one day. ... Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Holland and finally France! 14 hours of driving! Looks like this old bus is actually gonna make it! Fingers crossed.Overnight in Dunkerque, Ferry is first out tomorrow morning! Quite excited now about going home, it feels a lot longer time span of being away than it reads! Mammoth drive from Prague to Dunkerque in one day. ... Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Holland and finally France! 14 hours of driving! Looks like this old bus is actually gonna make it! Fingers crossed....

Jun 5, 2009 - Honfleur to Calais

Fri 5th June Morning---Weather:- Sunny/15 degrees Honfleur to Calais (275km) (2:33h) How easy was our travel today, we left Honfleur at 8:40am and arrived at the Calais car ferry port at 11:30 and that included a petrol/coffee stop. ... Then another 20 paces took us to the ticket counter for the P&O ‘Calais to Dover’ Car Ferries. ... Our suitcases went through X-ray (with my laptop inside I did not even have to unpack for the usual explosives check).Fri 5th June Morning---Weather:- Sunny/15 degrees Honfleur to Calais (275km) (2:33h) How easy was our travel today, we left Honfleur at 8:40am and arrived at the Calais car ferry port at 11:30 and that included a petrol/coffee stop. ... Then another 20 paces took us to the ticket counter for the P&O ‘Calais to Dover’ Car Ferries. ... Our suitcases went through X-ray (with my laptop inside I did not even have to unpack for the usual explosives check)....

Dec 23, 2008 - Job at last, Job at last.

The past week I've spent working for my new job.The past week I've spent working for my new job....

Sep 28, 2008 - Parties and Kebab.

There have been parties organized for the international students and my university about every night this week.There have been parties organized for the international students and my university about every night this week....

Sep 2, 2008 - Finally in Lille.

I finally made it to the stop in Lille. ... At first I couldn't figure out that the metro was at the bottom of this huge hole.I finally made it to the stop in Lille. ... At first I couldn't figure out that the metro was at the bottom of this huge hole....

Jun 20, 2008 - Versailles-Lille

30pm by this stage and we still had 3 hours of driving to get to our hotel outside Lille. ... The trip to Lille took us round the ring road of Paris. ... The laundry room was in use so we went into Lille (about 15 mins drive) and managed to get a park and have a bite to eat then come back to the hotel again. ...

Mar 31, 2008 - Boulogne-sur-Mer

We had chosen a campsite (under the place name of Boulogne-Sur-Mer) not too far from Dunkirk but took the scenic route round the coast via Sangatte - Fiona was curious to see the place where the infamous refugee camp is, did not see the camp itself.We had chosen a campsite (under the place name of Boulogne-Sur-Mer) not too far from Dunkirk but took the scenic route round the coast via Sangatte - Fiona was curious to see the place where the infamous refugee camp is, did not see the camp itself....

Mar 31, 2008 - Dunquerque, France

Having had a great night's sleep in the van, we tidied and 'secured' everything for the ferry journey across to France. We didn't realise the cliffs were so long until we could see them from the ferry, they looked great, passed some tankers moored in the channel and on into Dunkirk. ... Still can't quite get over how quickly we got across the channel, only having known the Plymouth to Roscoff route before! Very easy and definitely something we are likely to do again - this route, not from Plymouth! Dunkirk was very industrial, lots of what looked like power stations and containers waiting to be loaded. ... We had to take the llong way round to another dock as ours was 'broken' apparently.Having had a great night's sleep in the van, we tidied and 'secured' everything for the ferry journey across to France. We didn't realise the cliffs were so long until we could see them from the ferry, they looked great, passed some tankers moored in the channel and on into Dunkirk. ... Still can't quite get over how quickly we got across the channel, only having known the Plymouth to Roscoff route before! Very easy and definitely something we are likely to do again - this route, not from Plymouth! Dunkirk was very industrial, lots of what looked like power stations and containers waiting to be loaded. ... We had to take the llong way round to another dock as ours was 'broken' apparently....

Mar 22, 2008 - Take the Tunnel

Take the Tunnel You know that old adage about looking at the glass and seeing it half full or half empty? Well, depending on which side of the fence you sit, this blog could be titled either The Worst Ferry Crossing in The History of the Channel or Our Free Nine Hour Cruise along the French Coastline. We landed in France at about ten and we drove, on the opposite side of the road, in the dark, in a snow storm and arrived at our accommodation, a converted stable in the village of Canlers, just after mid night. ... Oh yes, and then the next day was Easter so the kids were up at sparrows, looking for their eggs.Take the Tunnel You know that old adage about looking at the glass and seeing it half full or half empty? Well, depending on which side of the fence you sit, this blog could be titled either The Worst Ferry Crossing in The History of the Channel or Our Free Nine Hour Cruise along the French Coastline. We landed in France at about ten and we drove, on the opposite side of the road, in the dark, in a snow storm and arrived at our accommodation, a converted stable in the village of Canlers, just after mid night. ... Oh yes, and then the next day was Easter so the kids were up at sparrows, looking for their eggs....

Aug 30, 2007 - Valencia to Dunkirk

Friday 31st August: We were up early as we had to get all the way up to Dunkirk and we wanted to stop of at Mont St-Michel. ... We could have probably spent longer but we had to continue on the road to Dunkirk. ... We arrived at Dunkirk at about 10pm and decided to sleep in the car close to the car ferry. ...

Jun 18, 2007 - Beaumont-Hamel - Newfoundlanders

Situated some 7 miles north of Albert and opened by Earl Haig on June 7, 1925 Newfoundland Memorial Park, covering 84 acres, was purchased by the Government of Newfoundland as a memorial to the armed forces of Newfoundland. On April 10, 1997, the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial was designated as a Canadian National Historic Site by the then Minister of Canadian Heritage, Sheila Copps. ... On the first day of the Somme, 800 soldiers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment rose from the British trenches and went into battle at Beaumont Hamel. ... The next day, only 68 men answered the regimental role call.Situated some 7 miles north of Albert and opened by Earl Haig on June 7, 1925 Newfoundland Memorial Park, covering 84 acres, was purchased by the Government of Newfoundland as a memorial to the armed forces of Newfoundland. On April 10, 1997, the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial was designated as a Canadian National Historic Site by the then Minister of Canadian Heritage, Sheila Copps. ... On the first day of the Somme, 800 soldiers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment rose from the British trenches and went into battle at Beaumont Hamel. ... The next day, only 68 men answered the regimental role call....

Jun 18, 2007 - Vimy Ridge! 90years and 2months and 9days later

Thank-you Jody for the tip and Wikipedia/CBC for the blatent copying below: The Battle of Vimy Ridge was one of the opening battles in a larger British campaign known as the Battle of Arras during the First World War. ... The German army fortified Vimy Ridge with tunnels, three rows of trenches behind barbed wire, massive amounts of artillery, and numerous machine gun nests. ... It was at Vimy Ridge, a strategic 14-kilometre long escarpment that overlooks the Douai plain of France. ... Full-scale replicas of the Vimy terrain were built to rehearse unit commanders on what to expect both from the enemy and from Canadian units on either side. ... To Canadians, the name Vimy Ridge remains very meaningful historically. ...