UBER WARS

We're flying from Heathrow to Amsterdam, where we spend a couple of days before going to Rotterdam to pick up our Holland America cruise around the UK, then up to the Arctic circle. First step,p advance book the Uber to Heathrow - not bad, got a 3am pickup for £78. Come 4pm I got an email saying the credit card was out of date & I had until 1am to update it. I did so straight away. At 1:05am got an email saying cab cancelled. Rebooked perfectly well with the credit card that was on the app except now £88. Although the guidance is to arrive 3hr before departure for international flights, the bag drop didn't open until 2 hours before departure. Everything else great, check in, security, duty free (£13 litre of Tanqueray) and flight on time. Using the new EES at Schiphol not so good, didn't seem to recognise my fingerprints at all. I hear they abandoned using it next day because of the problems it was causing.

Picked up by cab at the airport & taken to the Arena hotel in East Amsterdam. It's an old 1800's building that used to be an orphanage, pretty apt as Lin & I are both orphans now. Nice place on the edge of a lovely park. Hotel restaurant & patio overlooked the park.

Went to plan, relaxing couple of days wandering around sitting in cafes watching the world. Dutch youth aren't too intelligent - watched a bunch of them on a park bench with fast food, drinks & drugs. Finished by leaving junk all over the floor. They couldn't work out that the metal thing next to the bench was a receptacle for putting rubbish in!

The morning sun really shows your age(name that tune)

These are at the King's palace in Dam Square.

I'm not on one, I must be off my ????

Really hot, one way of cooling off & getting rid of smells.

They have a lot of these micro cars here, drive 'em on cycle paths, pavements here. Just tie them up like horses when they arrive to stop them wandering off.

TULIPS FROM...?

 Amsterdam, of course! I've got a blue toothbrush, Lin's got a pink.... Anyone remember Max? We are off on a round Britain, Norway up to the Arctic circle cruise, that starts in Rotterdam. Packing for a month, Lin's got it down to one 15 kilo and one 16 kilo case. I'm thinking of renting out for a fee to pack for others - any takers.

Weather is is still baking here in London, around 30 Celsius. Looking forward to the Arctic even though it's 24 hour daylight. Last time up there it was mid December - 24 hour night.

Just been to a family do up in March, in the garden all day with a big bunch of 3 year olds, pretty exhausting. We are not going to recover - cab picks us up at 3am.

WIPERS

 Ypres or Ieper in local lingo. Linda's Grandad always called it Wipers when he served out here in WW1. The Tommies had there own names for many of the places out here, Pluegsteert became Plug Street.

Went to the Plug Street memorial, had lovely lions there and a memorial to the Anzac & Canadians. Its interesting that we must have looked at thousands of names on these memorials - not one Tankard or Bainbridge, good few Spooners tho'.

Went on to Sanctuary Wood that was the scene of a big battle and there is now a museum with original trenches. I couldn't get Lin to go into the unlit, wet tunnels, wonder why? Rats anyone. The museum had a collection of stereoscopic viewers with original gruesome photos. Faces blown off, dead everywhere.

Moved on to Hooge Crater for a really nice lunch, home made pate, cheese and lager followed by the museum and a visit to recreated British & German trenches. This was the battle where gas was used for the first time. The French colonial troops panicked & fled but a Canadian officer realised what it was and got the troops to piss on their handkerchiefs and breath though them - it worked.

Went to Vancouver Corner where the guy who came second in the Vimy Memorial competition designed this "brooding soldier" that is duplicated at a number of other sites.

Tyne Cot cemetery, one of the largest in the world. It has a number of German bunkers on the site which the authorities tried to blow up but failed. Instead that built a crucifix monument on top to hide it. 

Went into Ypres for dinner - stewed eels, mash & liquor, yum. Followed by the ceremony at the Menin Gate, where we watched the bands march, buglers play the last post and wreath laying. It was quite emotional.

Late to bed, up early 5:30 to catch the 11am ferry. Changed coach drivers, cocked up the paperwork, late through security & customs - missed the ferry. Told the next one was full, but luckily got on. Good crossing, excellent duty free 2 litres for £25. The coach has to go to Folkstone Services where all the passengers have to change to board their coaches to take them home. Because we were the last coach in, every other coach was waiting for us, fully loaded with fed up passengers. We rushed to our coach, found the last couple of seats, apologised to everyone & set off. 10 minutes later the driver gets a phone call - we had left someone behind. Back we go pick him up and set off again.

ARRAS

 Arras, another big battlefield with many casualties, not much ground gained and then all lost again later in the war. A common theme on the Western front. The Vimy Ridge memorial is very striking with different types of sculptures. Also interesting that it's next to the pyramids. Vimy was a great Canadian Army success in contrast to the rest of the campaign. Used all 4 Canadian Divisions.

We visited the Commonwealth Graves Commission site where they make all the headstones. They still make thousands a year for existing replacements and new ones, as they are always discovering remains as the excavate for new buildings and during farming. Everything is automated to a standard design, including the fence, gates, doors, digns & other parts.

Arras, itself is a very nice picturesque town, that's the town hall. Most of these towns were destroyed in WW1, so they have mainly been rebuilt in the original styles.

This is the Arras Memorial which contains the only memorial dedicated to the war in the air.

Mouscron town hall, the town where we were staying.

THE SOMME

 Falling behind on the daily blog, took busy during the, back to hotel 7:30, out to find somewhere to eat, up again at 6am - it's relentless. Journey over the channel pretty good, Irish Ferries cheap duty free, 2 litres around £25. Hotel here in Mouscron nice, good room, good breakfast but seems not to have enough staff. The receptionist manages the desk answers the phone, attends the bar and cooks the snack foods! The coach is a huge 6 wheeler and to watch the driver manage the narrow streets in the old Belgian town is really something.

This is the Lochnagar Crater where the sappers dug under the German defences & exploded a massive charge. It didn't work, merely alerted the Germans of the impending attack. 60,000 allied troops killed, wounded or missing on the first day alone.

Somme memorial, Edward Lutyens design, built of Manchester brick.

Royal Newfoundland Infantry memorial. Disastrous first day for them as well over 50% killed, wounded or missing and failed to achieve their objectives. All volunteers, inexperienced and straight into battle. Newfoundland wasn't even part of Canada then. The memorial is manned by young Canadian volunteers who come from all over the country.

The Uster Tower memorial to the Irish contingent.

Three brothers commemorated at the crater.

They are still digging up tons of artefacts, some dangerous as well as coming across human remains. One of the British cemeteries has expanded by 2 acres to bury them

The equipment at the begining of the was very primitive and totally unsuited to trench warfare. The French quickly had to update theirs. The Germans had the most modern kit.

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