History TRAVEL
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Like me, many Canadians are working on their family trees and have perhaps discovered, as I did, that their great-uncle or great-grandfather died in one of the conflicts in Europe. A battlefield tour becomes more personal if you know that a relative fought or died in the war. After Vimy Ridge, I drove north to Belgium and visited Ypres, and actually stayed at a B&B in the village of Passchendaele. These areas are so calm and peaceful now – it is hard to imagine what they would have looked like during the war. A few years ago, I concentrated on the historic sites of WWII. I visited the landing beaches of Normandy, including our own Juno Beach – a must see. While most Canadians think of Normandy as the place to go, there are other war-related destinations
that are also worth a visit: Dieppe, Arnhem, Ortona and Sicily, to name a few. So what is the best way to see where Canadian history happened during WWI and WWII? While one can rent a car and explore on their own, a self-drive vacation may not be for everyone. Why not join an organized motor coach tour and let someone else do the driving. Canadian Tour Operators such as Trafalgar, DH Tours and Globus will be offering escorted tours of the battlefields of Northern France and Belgium in 2016 – the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The tours include your accommodation, many meals, and most importantly, the services of an expert guide. These tours are hugely popular and sell out quickly, so the time to book a 2016 tour is now.
Posted all around the grounds at Vimy Ridge are warning signs noting the possibility of unexploded ordnances. Williscraft - Photo November/December 2015 | clubwest.ca
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