This set of photos are all based around the Belgian town of Poperinge, or as Granddad would have called it .... Pop ( Read more... )

Our middle day of the trip was coming to an end, and on our way back we drove past Henencourt Chateau, where British officers were billeted.  The men were in the village, but from the coach it was impossible to get a photo!

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Our final stop on day 1 was to Vimy Ridge - Canadian Memorial

It is a striking structure, as you can see ... at the site of one of the battlefields, first attempted by Moroccans, and eventually taken by the Canadians.


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We stopped for luunch at Etaples ... and it was market day.  We saw the bridge where there had been a stand-off of the British Army when they were complaining about archaic training methods.  I also went to the Church


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Well, I am back!

It was a great trip, as ever - following "Behind the Front Lines" ... so where Granddad did his training, and spent time in hospital, and was eventually invadided home from.

Our first stop was at Wimereux Cemetery to see the grave of John McCrae who wrote In Flander's Fields ... he actually wrote it in 1915, as a private tribute ( Read more... )

Despite being a Sunday I missed Church ... so we had a leisurely breakfast before heading out to their "local" National trust property -
Ickworth House

Sadly the part of the house where the family "lived" is now an hotel ... this is the extension that was built to entertain ...


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On day 2 we went to the city of Ely ... and it was time spent in the beautiful cathedral, as well as some time in the charity shops (yes, I bought a couple of jigsaws!)


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As I said it was a really lovely long weekend, although I was sad that I didn't manage to catch up with my friend D while there.

On day one we were late leaving as the weather wasn't great but we went to Angelsey Abbey and then went to Bury St Edmuns so I could see the cathedral & Abbey ruins.

Anglesey Abbey is a beautiful building with some ( Read more... )

I had a really great 3 days at my friends ... and with the travel have been missing even longer. They had organised things to do each day, so it was a combination of some long chats. good food & wine ... and sight-seeing, so all in all a winning weekend away ( Read more... )

On our last full day we went to Karnak Temple and this is one of the places that I could go to again, and still feel that I haven't seen all there was to see ... a stunning complex.

( Trying to capture Karnak )