As some of you may know, this year is Canada’s 150th birthday. What some of you may not know, is that April, 2017 marked the 100th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge, which took place during World War 1. To celebrate these two important anniversaries, my school organized a trip to England and France for almost 30 students. The itinerary started in England, then moved to France in order to attend the ceremony at Vimy Ridge and pay tribute to those who perished all those years ago.
We started our tour in London, England and visited many tourist destinations, such as Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Big Ben (from the outside), Trafalgar Square, and Tower Bridge.
As I had already been to London back in 2014, I had seen most of these attractions, but there were still opportunities for new experiences. I had the chance to go on the London Eye where I was able to get a beautiful panoramic view of the city at sunset. If you are ever in in this spectacular city and want the best views, I would highly recommend taking a ride on the London Eye.
Another new experience was my visit to the National Gallery. I was able to see many gorgeous paintings by famous artists such as Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and Monet’s Waterlily Pond.
When our 2 days in London were over, we drove to Dover where we took the ferry to France. I had heard about the white cliffs of Dover from the song “The White Cliffs of Dover” and later their importance in World War 2 in history class. To see them in person was a really neat experience.
We also visited sites such as Rouen, Juno Beach, and Beaumont Hamel.
Canada played a big role in World War I, especially in the battles which took place in France. One of these was the Battle of the Somme where many soldiers were killed, especially the Newfoundland regiment. To honour the sacrifices made by these men, a monument was put up near the front lines in a region called Beaumont Hamel. The top of the monument has a statue of a caribou that is facing its twin in Newfoundland. This was the first time I visited this memorial and it was a very moving experience.
After touring around the North, we moved down South to Paris where we visited sites such as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Montmartre, and the Arc de Triomphe.
This was an incredible experience and different from when I was there with my family. Even though we were there for a sombre purpose, we were able to visit many beautiful sites and enjoyed ourselves.
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