London-during a heat spell. Midge stayed in Europe-continued travelling. We had enough money to buy plane tickets. Soon to go.
Were treated to a motorcycle race. Much fun.
Stayed with Jo’s Aunt and Uncle outside of London. They had a great house built in the 18th century and fixed up continually over the years. Very cosy, thick walls.
Time to get rid of the car. I took it to a used car dealer outside of town. The proprietor looked at it and said “I doan value it at nuffin..” Left it in the ditch outside his gate.
Uncle grew to like me. He gave me a full package of Cuban cigars! Couldn’t get them in North America-Cuba BAD! They were still wrapped in cellophane and they were very handy on the plane and trip to Vancouver.
They took us to the airport and dropped us off.
The adventure wasn’t over…
If you want to see this story ‘Europe’ from the beginning or my previous story ‘Japan’ go to potpourri above and click on the subject.
“David’s gigantic, rousing bronze monument to Jean Bart (1650–1702), a French naval commander and privateer. Bart raises his sword (lost) as he tramples an enemy cannon at his feet. His sailor’s costume whips and curls in the wind, producing an energetic surface and delineating a human form that deviates from the idealized proportions of the classical nude body. David’s monuments were intended to educate and inspire and drew upon nationalism and local pride. The Jean Bart monument was erected in the privateer’s native Dunkirk, its inauguration on September 7, 1845, attended by a crowd of thousands. The statue continues to play a central role in that city’s annual civic rituals.”
Heading back to England then Canada. Think I grew up on this trip (at least came to my senses). We saw no other Canadians on the road. Yet we were treated with respect by the whole European community. I know they found us ‘odd’ but we were accepted. (Actually after close to 60 years later I find the whole adventure ‘odd’.)
Walter Allward designed this soon after the 1st world war. Vimy Ridge became a place where it was said that ‘Canada became a nation’. It took years to finish. The stone could be only found in one place in Northern Europe. Walter was fussy and the thing wasn’t finished until 1936. For the official opening four warships delivered surviving soldiers and their families to France in July 1936.
I had been reading about this battle for years and was really looking forward to seeing the monument. I wasn’t disappointed. I was dumbstruck by the beauty of the construction. A visit of a lifetime!
The campsite was right on the river and a wondrous thing happened. We heard singing and laughter coming from the water and went down to see what was going on.
Apparently you could buy a ride through the rapids, drink beer(lots of beer) and disembark in the calm lake at the campsite.
Here they come! There was about one barge every hour which kept us entertained through the day.
Threw a beer at me. Luckily, something wrong with his focus.
Of all the Germans we met, the ones around Munich were our favourites. Very Friendly and giving.
A semi-practical use for my 10,000 historical photos
