Three Countries in 17 Days: Part 5 - France and the End

We took the train to the Portsmouth Harbour stop and had to take a bus to the ferry. We got on the right bus, but we didn't know which stop we were supposed to get off at. As we were trying to figure it out this man turned to us and said "Push the button now!" We reacted quickly and pushed the stop button and got off at the right stop. We were lucky that that man was listening and helped us or who knows where we would have ended up! The ferry ride from Portsmouth to a small town outside of Caen took 5 hours! It was after 9pm once we got there. There weren't any buses running so we had to get a taxi into town and to our hotel.

The next day we got up bright and early, packed our stuff and caught a small local bus to Courseulles-Sur-Mer, to small sea side town where Juno Beach is. We got off the bus and could see the Juno Beach Centre across this area for boats to dock. It took us a long time to find our way all the way around to the centre. At one point it looked like there was a shorter way to go, but there was a sign saying no entrance, and Kaleen and I being the good people we are obeyed the sign. The Juno Beach Centre is on a piece of land detached from the rest of the area. We signed up to have a tour of the area, but first we explored the centre which told the history of Canadians during the Second World War, not just in Europe fighting, but also on the home front. It was quite interesting and moving. They had a short film using archival footage filmed at the Battle of Juno Beach and it almost brought both Kaleen and I to tears. The whole experience was really moving and impactful. I would highly recommend anyone who can to go experience the Canadian Battle fields in Europe if they have the chance. After the centre we went on the tour where they took us down into the German bunkers that had fortified the area. Also the tour guide pointed out how large the area was that had to be taken. It was much bigger then I thought. At one point the German bunkers were able to see the water, but now the sand dune has shifted so much that it is pretty much completely buried. It's hard to know how much the landscape will keep changing. They are trying to preserve as much as they can at the centre, but there's only so much you can do. Wind is pretty strong and can easily move sand.

After Juno Beach we got back on the bus to Caen and got on a train to Paris where we spent two nights. Paris was our fun happy thing in the France part of our trip, because the main goal of going to France was to see some Canadian Battle fields. We couldn't see that much because we were there for such a short time and neither of us can drive. For our day in Paris we got a ticket for a hop-on hop-off tour bus again and it was very much worth it. We got off at Notre-Dame Cathedral and went inside. I've been to Paris once before, but that was many years ago, and the size of Notre-Dame still took me by surprise. However, since I last went to Paris I took a history of Paris class which I think gave me more appreciation for the look and layout of the city then before. We also got off the bus at the Arc-de-Triumph and of course, the Eiffel Tower. At the Eiffel Tower we also got some really tasty soft ice cream and enjoyed the really sunny warm day and just sat and enjoyed our surroundings. One thing on the bus tour which we both found hilarious, was there was this one monument with Napoleon on top that was getting restored and the city had put scaffolding up around it with an image of the statue on paper attached to the outside almost like they were trying to hide the fact that the monument was covered up. For some reason we thought this was super funny. At the end of the day we did try to go find where the Bastille once stood. We found streets and a square with its name, but no plaque or anything, so we just assumed that is where it was. Then we decided to walk back to the Metro and I will admit I got us lost. We walked for an hour before we arrived at our destination. At least we were in a nicer part of Paris, so it wasn't too bad, but by that time we were both getting tired. We did make it safely back to the hotel where we stayed the night and got ready to go to Arras the following day. I have to say, one odd thing about Paris is all the soldiers with guns about. The first morning we left our hotel there was a soldier standing across the street holding a big machine gun or something. Being Canadian it really scared us and made us worry, but everyone else seemed to be acting like it was an everyday occurrence, so I guess it was fine. Anyway, the next day we went to catch the train to Arras and let me tell you it was not easy or straightforward to figure out which train to catch and where in Paris. We kept asking people at desks, but none of them were helpful and seemed vaguely annoyed that we asked them. There was a nice man who helped us when we went to buy our tickets at the machine which was nice, but he wasn't an employee, just some stranger.

Once we made it to Arras we dropped our stuff off and took a taxi to Vimy Ridge. Vimy Ridge was just as moving, if almost more, then Juno Beach. The rows and rows of tombstones along with all the names on the monument left us at a loss for words. We again took a tour. This time it was of the underground tunnels the Allies had dug out in preparation for the battle. It was quite damp and cold down there and you got the sense of how frightful it must have been to be working down there. It was a bright and sunny day that day which in a lot of ways felt wrong. The tour guide was really good and he told us some really interesting facts and stories about Vimy Ridge, such as how they bombarded the Germans to move troops forward, or how one lone general took 20 Germans prisoner by making them think he had backup outside of the tunnel. While both sites were very moving and impactful, there was something about Vimy Ridge and its experience that I think touched me a little more then that of Juno Beach. Maybe it has to do with these surrounding years being the commemoration of the 100 years since the First World War. Whatever it was I know that I'll never forget the experience. 

After Vimy Ridge we spent the night in Arras before catching the train the next day to the ferry to Dover. Once in Dover the train to London was down, so we had to take a replacement bus to a nearby town. There we got on the train to London and then another to Oxford where Kaleen spent her last night in Europe before she headed home the next day. 

I really enjoyed having Kaleen come and visit and exploring Ireland, England and France with her. We've been friends for a while, but we've never spent more then a day together! This was a test of our friendship which we survived, made memories, and had fun throughout. I know that I haven't included all the stories or memories we made. It's just as I write this blog I put down the first thing that comes to mind and sometimes later remember stories, but then it's too late. I do hope you've enjoyed this adventure. There are still more to come, but that was the wonderful time I had with Kaleen. 

Three Countries in 17 Days: Part 4 - Last part of England!

We decided to do one last trip in the London area before grabbing our stuff from the hostel and heading back to Oxford for the night. Our goal was Hampton Court Palace, the primary residence of King Henry VIII. If you haven't already noticed, there was a theme to the English part of our trip!



Hampton Court was probably my favourite Tudor thing we did. It really made me think of everything King Henry VIII tried to be and was at some points, grand, flashy, and huge! When you get there there's a long driveway leading up to the gate. It's all done in a red colour and is quite spectacular. Every one of King Henry's wives spent time here. I think one of my favourite things about this palace is that they had actors, one for each wife, and six King Henry's representing different parts of his life, reenacting scenes of what it would have been like at the palace. We saw one of a younger King Henry playing an instrument with one of his favourite musicians/courtiers. They also had a scene about when Jane Seymour, his third wife, was giving birth to King Edward VI and how the doctor wanted to make the birthing process go faster while the mid-wife was saying to wait or Jane Seymour would die. It was then stated that if it was between saving the baby or the queen, the child was to be saved just incase it was a boy, which it was, and Jane Seymour did die shortly after childbirth. They had scenes involving Queen Elizabeth I and more. Many other kings and queens have lived in that palace and technically it still could be used as a royal residence if the Queen desired. It was interesting to see how the different monarchs, like the Georges, had changed it to suit their tastes. I really enjoyed it. There was also some really nice gardens and courtyards. We also stopped for high tea here which was pretty tasty!

After that we went and got our stuff from the hostel and headed to Paddington Station to take the train back to Oxford. We got on a really packed train, so we had to stand for the hour and a half with all our stuff and souvenirs, but we met a really nice girl our age whom we talked to on the journey. It wasn't too bad. That night I took Kaleen out to have an Oxford pub experience. I took her to the Eagle and Child and we met up with my other friends David and Sihong. It was a nice relaxing night before the next stage of our journey. 

The next day we went to Burgess Hill which is close to Brighton in the south of England. Kaleen has family there so we went and stayed with them for two nights and visited. They were very nice people and it was very nice of them to put of a complete stranger. The day in between those two nights we went for a day trip to Brighton. When we headed off to Brighton we were given very specific instructions to not go over the bridge when we exited the train station, but to go under it. As we left the station we looked around and didn't see a bridge. Our first thought was that it was farther down until we realized that we were standing on it! Almost messed up our very specific instructions, but we got on track. After we went under the bridge we wandered through the Northern Lanes and the Lanes were are roads of interesting small shops. We wandered in and out of some of them, but our main goal was Brighton Pier. The pier was a lot of fun! When we first got down there it was quite foggy so we decided to go into the arcade they had there for a bit. Two hours later we emerged from the arcade to lots of sun. We didn't expect to spend so much time in the arcade, but the games were so addicting and Kaleen was doing so well and getting so many tickets! Kaleen got over 200, almost 300 tickets in the end. I only got 68. My arcade skills are not the best and we only played games that gave you tickets. Well, that's a lie. We also did those claw machines that never give you anything and we played some racing games. We pooled our tickets together and got some coasters to share along with some other small things. We then headed out onto the pier to enjoy the sun and the water. There were mini doughnut stands, so we decided to get some. First of all, those were not 'mini' doughnuts! They were bigger then I expected. On with the story. We got our doughnuts and sat down on a bench to enjoy them. I grabbed the first doughnut out of my bag and took a bit out of it. I then turned to Kaleen to say something when out of no where a seagull swooped down and grabbed the doughnut right out of my hand biting my finger in the process! I screamed! The seagull sat next to me, scarfed  

down the doughnut and then looked at me almost as if it was ready to do it again. Kaleen and I quickly moved to be undercover. After that I wasn't in the mood for doughnuts as much any more. My finger kept bleeding on and off for the rest of the day! Following that traumatic experience we went into a haunted house ride, then we went on the carousel. Then we headed out. At the entrance to the pier we grabbed some food again. Kaleen got a hotdog and you wouldn't believe what happened. As she was walking towards me a seagull swooped down, landed next to her and took a bite out of her hotdog! She screamed louder then I did because she had more time to react while mine was more of a surprise. We got out of there as quickly as we could and I definitely never want to be near a seagull again if I can help it!

The following day we left Burgess Hill and headed to the ferry to go to France for the last part of our long amazing journey!

Three Countries in 17 Days - Part 3: More of England

Friday was our big exciting day! You may be asking yourself what can be more exciting then all the things we've already done. Well I'll tell you, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter.

Our whole day was pretty much devoted to this one event: the Harry Potter tour. We had gotten tickets for 10am thinking that early on a Friday it wouldn't be too busy, but we were wrong. Although, I'm guessing that place is always busy. To get there we had to take a train to the outskirts of London and then get on a special Harry Potter bus which took us to the studio. Both of us were so tired that it wasn't until we got off the bus outside the studio that we both got so excited and couldn't stop smiling! Right inside the building they already have some items up like the flying car and pictures of the cast, and of course you can go into the gift shop. Kaleen and I got in line with out tickets and waited to be let in. It was probably about a 15 minute wait, but next to the line about half way they had the set for Harry's cupboard under the stairs. The detail was amazing! Once we got to the front of the line they shuffled us into this small room were we stood and listened a bit to the rules of the tour and about the making of the films. We then went into a theatre where they recapped all the movies. Kaleen and I sat in the middle in the back and they asked each half of the room to cheer and then the two people in the middle at the back and we definitely cheered the loudest to the point that the person talking commented on it. As we watched the movie recap I got shivers down my spine in anticipation and once it was over the raised the screen to reveal the entrance to the Great Hall. It was so spectacular! We were in the whole thing for about 4 hours and we still agreed we could have been in there more. Now I won't go into detail about everything we saw and how we got excited over every little detail, so I'll give you some highlights. The Great Hall was definitely the first highlight! It was very large and imposing! It did have the feel of an Oxford college hall, which is what it was based off of. The next highlight would have been the green screens room. Kaleen and I pretended to be in the flying car and we went all out! After the guy who was doing it said he hadn't seen people so into it in a long time and he couldn't wait to see us on the brooms. The brooms were fun too, but I definitely enjoyed the car more. They took video and photos of us doing both, but even though it would have been awesome to have it was a little expensive for us, so you'll just have to use your imagination! I liked seeing all the sets, or parts of sets that they had. It was interesting to see how much they made versus how much was cgi. The following thing I'll mention is the Hogwarts Express. They had just gotten the real train in and it was so red and big! Then we had butterbeer which we both agreed tasted like a butterscotch float. It was pretty tasty! The final big thing to mention would be the Hogwarts model at the end that they made in order to do zoom shots and flybys. It was so detailed and actually quite large. A lot of skill and time must have gone into it. There was much more in the tour such as learning about how they burnt the Burrow down along with some of the props inside. There was just so much! On thing we did do is that there were these paper books they were calling passports where you found stamps as you went around and we definitely did that and got really into it! At the end they, of course, make you exit through the gift shop. I had set myself a limit of how much I could get and I stuck to it. I won't say how much or what we got. You'll just think we're silly and make fun of us!

After we headed back to London and dropped our stuff off before heading out once again, but this time to the West End of London to see a musical. That night we saw Phantom of the Opera. I chose it because I have never seen it live. Kaleen has, but she still enjoyed it. I've never seen a show, at least to my knowledge, on a stage that has been specifically made or changed for that show. Some pretty impressive things happened. I throughly enjoyed the performance! It was an experience I'm glad to have had!

The following day, Saturday, April 11th, we went to Hatfield House which was the residence of the children of King Henry VIII, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth I, and King Edward VI. When we got there it was raining to our disappointment because the house had an extensive garden/field that we wanted to see parts of, so we were going to be outside a fair amount. Luckily it cleared up after about 30 minutes. We were left a bit damp, but it wasn't too bad. Only one wing of King Henry's house still remains and we of course got the extra ticket to go inside. It was a tour and the lady pretty much told us everything that we already knew. I guess that happens more when you study and know about the history of the places you're going and the people who lived there. The new house built on the cite was pretty extensive. It was good that they made you follow a certain path or for sure I would have gotten lost in all of it. After exploring the house we went on the walking trails because they had marked out the spot where Queen Elizabeth I had supposedly learned she was queen after her sister died. In that spot there is now a tree planted by Queen Elizabeth II. There were lots of oak trees in this area. I guess it's where a lot of it comes from for oak furniture and floors. 

After Hatfield House we still had time to kill before our evening activity. I've been wanting to go to Greenwich to go stand on the Meridian Line, so we headed there. We got off the train in Greenwich and got to the park where the line is situated. It was on top of this hill which didn't look to bad of a climb until we started up it and suddenly it got very steep! Once we wheezed our way to the top of the hill we went to check out the Meridian Line. We realized that it cost 9 pounds, about 18 Canadian dollars to get inside, so we said no to that! Instead right outside of the main line on the hill there was just a vertical line on a wall which we called "the Poor man's meridian line", so we went and stood in front of that. On top of the hill there was also a statue for General Wolfe, the general who led the battle of Quebec City which secured the English predominance over Canada. It was a bit of a out of place statue. On it there were three words: "Victor of Quebec". It's nice that all of Canadian history can be summed up so nicely!

That evening we went to another musical, this time it was "Beautiful: The Carol King Musical". It was based on the life of Carol King. It was quite different from Phantom of the Opera of course, but I enjoyed it just as much. The singing was really good and the songs they had chosen I think worked really well with the story.

The next day we were back to Oxford after one more place to visit in the London area.