this is our lives, under pressure
well well well
so i left berlin, the train was not as nice as the one i arrived in to berlin, but o well.
i got into paris nord, didnt wanna stay in paris, went to the ticket booth reserved a seat on the train to arras, got into arras about 1030 am, found the hotel recommended by some website, checked in, etc etc.
wandered around the town, which was totally dead on account of it being sunday in a small french town...
got breaky at some restaraunt. ordered an ommelette and it was huge plus it came with fries salad and some bread.
wandered some more, went back to the train station to see if i could get a train to vimy, but noooooo, no train to vimy on sunday. but i got a schedual for the trains on monday, and all was well. went to my room, watched some tv. there were like 11 french channels and bbc. so i watched bbc and a little mcm, which is like muchmusic but in france. unfortunatly mcm is a little like mtv as well, becuase it started showing the amanda show. it didnt matter that it was in french, i wouldnt watch it in english, so that made me go wander around the town again. wandered for most of the afternoon, got dinner at some restaraunt, wandered back to the hotel, watched most of the agassi/federer us open final, poor andre lost...
woke up the next day, went to breakfast at the hotel, free, but not worth it...
wandered over to the train station, got on a train, talked to a chinese university student on his way to dunkirque for some random interview thing having to do with his degree. got off the train in vimy, which is even deader than arras. the train station looked totally adandoned (like nothing was there, no lights, smashed windows, it was abandoned). i walked up the street, then walked down the street, wondering which way to go. i had been told its a 40 min walk, but i didnt know in which way...
then some old french guy slowed down and openned his door. he had a canadian flag on his window, so i went to ask him where the memorial was. he didnt exactly speak english, but was able to say 'i take you'. so i hopped in and got a free ride. good thing, cuz it was like up hill for 5 kms, and not all on one street ( turns and etc). got there, the staff knew the man as monsier devloo, he ferrys many canadians to and from the train station. he said he would pic me up again at 4 pm cuz the train back to arras was at 4 30.
had a tour of the tunnels from a guy from newfoundland. he said he prefers doing small groups of english speaking people (it was me and a couple from timmons ontario), over skool groups. after the tunnels, a retired irish guy (simon) drove dave&beverly (from timmons) and myself up to the memorial, which happend to have like a barn built around it. they are replacing most of the bricks in an effort to restore it for the 90th anniversary of the battle (april9 2007). then the 4 of us went over to some craters which had become mass canadian graves. then i got dropped off back at the main area (where the tunnels and trenches are) wandered through the trenches then went and waited out until 4 at the little office portable, looking at pictures from the war...
M. Devloo came and picced me up.we made a little stop over at his house for a beer and so he could show me pictures of vimy before and after the war. i think he is just an old man who is greatful of what canadians did in the war. thats at least the vibe i got offa him.
took the train back to arras, wandered around, found the internet cafe which happened to be open now, used that for a little bit, went got some dinner, went back to the room and watched return of the king in french. language isnt really that important once u know the story. went to bed etc.
coming soon: what happened when i left arras
stay tuned
so i left berlin, the train was not as nice as the one i arrived in to berlin, but o well.
i got into paris nord, didnt wanna stay in paris, went to the ticket booth reserved a seat on the train to arras, got into arras about 1030 am, found the hotel recommended by some website, checked in, etc etc.
wandered around the town, which was totally dead on account of it being sunday in a small french town...
got breaky at some restaraunt. ordered an ommelette and it was huge plus it came with fries salad and some bread.
wandered some more, went back to the train station to see if i could get a train to vimy, but noooooo, no train to vimy on sunday. but i got a schedual for the trains on monday, and all was well. went to my room, watched some tv. there were like 11 french channels and bbc. so i watched bbc and a little mcm, which is like muchmusic but in france. unfortunatly mcm is a little like mtv as well, becuase it started showing the amanda show. it didnt matter that it was in french, i wouldnt watch it in english, so that made me go wander around the town again. wandered for most of the afternoon, got dinner at some restaraunt, wandered back to the hotel, watched most of the agassi/federer us open final, poor andre lost...
woke up the next day, went to breakfast at the hotel, free, but not worth it...
wandered over to the train station, got on a train, talked to a chinese university student on his way to dunkirque for some random interview thing having to do with his degree. got off the train in vimy, which is even deader than arras. the train station looked totally adandoned (like nothing was there, no lights, smashed windows, it was abandoned). i walked up the street, then walked down the street, wondering which way to go. i had been told its a 40 min walk, but i didnt know in which way...
then some old french guy slowed down and openned his door. he had a canadian flag on his window, so i went to ask him where the memorial was. he didnt exactly speak english, but was able to say 'i take you'. so i hopped in and got a free ride. good thing, cuz it was like up hill for 5 kms, and not all on one street ( turns and etc). got there, the staff knew the man as monsier devloo, he ferrys many canadians to and from the train station. he said he would pic me up again at 4 pm cuz the train back to arras was at 4 30.
had a tour of the tunnels from a guy from newfoundland. he said he prefers doing small groups of english speaking people (it was me and a couple from timmons ontario), over skool groups. after the tunnels, a retired irish guy (simon) drove dave&beverly (from timmons) and myself up to the memorial, which happend to have like a barn built around it. they are replacing most of the bricks in an effort to restore it for the 90th anniversary of the battle (april9 2007). then the 4 of us went over to some craters which had become mass canadian graves. then i got dropped off back at the main area (where the tunnels and trenches are) wandered through the trenches then went and waited out until 4 at the little office portable, looking at pictures from the war...
M. Devloo came and picced me up.we made a little stop over at his house for a beer and so he could show me pictures of vimy before and after the war. i think he is just an old man who is greatful of what canadians did in the war. thats at least the vibe i got offa him.
took the train back to arras, wandered around, found the internet cafe which happened to be open now, used that for a little bit, went got some dinner, went back to the room and watched return of the king in french. language isnt really that important once u know the story. went to bed etc.
coming soon: what happened when i left arras
stay tuned