Vimy Ridge

I went to Lille, which is a little town just north of Paris a little while ago to visit these teaching assistants that I met while in Paris. I stayed over at their place one night and then we went to Vimy Ridge the next day to see the trenches from WW1. This is where the Canadians helped the French regain their ground. The Germans where occupying Vimy and no other troops where able to help the French except the Canadians and the Australians. They have a huge monument there as well as a museum. It was really cool being there because you were on Canadian ground and there were lots of Canadian flags around. It was nice because I felt at home there.

So, we take the train to Arras, which is also a little town north of Paris and then we have to take a taxi from Arras to Vimy Ridge which isnt very far. I was surprised that they didnt have some kind of a transportation system set up for people who want to visit the monument. You would think that in the summer time, there would be tons of tourists who would want to come and see the monument and that they should have some kind of shuttle, but they dont. So, we got to the site, and we were the only ones there. It was really weird. So, we walked around a little bit (if you get the chance.. check out my pics from Vimy on photos.yahoo.com/mandylynnmurray) we saw the trenches, saw the museum, had a guided tour, saw the cemetary, saw the monument and it was overwhelming being there. I was so proud to say I was Canadian. It was incredible.