Canadian Famtrip in Northern France September 2015

Transcription

1 Tuesday 15 th September 13h55: Arrival at Arras station. Canadian Famtrip in Northern France September 2015 Pick up by Agathe BOURDREZ (Northern France Tourist Board ) 15h15: Visit of the Wellington Quarry, Memorial of the Battle of Arras (Arras). Guide: Pascal LOOSFELT On 9 April 1917 the British Army launched a huge surprise attack on the German lines before Arras to divert attention away from the main French offensive which was to take place on Chemin des Dames Road in Aisne. That morning saw 24,000 soldiers flood out from the network of old chalk-quarry tunnels to attack the German defences. Today the tunnels of Wellington Quarry are open to the public and invite the visitor to discover the gripping story of the Battle of Arras. 16h45-18h00: Visit of the city of Arras 18h00: Gastronomic surprise in the Boves, plunging into the atmosphere of limestone quarries delved out from the tenth century onwards Check-in at the Hotel 20h00: Dinner The Chef is Olivier Lainé. Hotel l Univers 3-5 Place de la Croix Rouge Arras La Bulle d O 1 Boulevard de Strasbourg Arras Overnight in Arras Wednesday 16h September 9h00-9h30: Visit of the German War Cemetery of La Maison Blanche in Neuville-Saint-Vaast, the largest German military in France

2 Neuville-Saint-Vaast German War Cemetery is the largest of its kind in France. Established by the French at the end of the war, the cemetery is the final resting place of 44,833 German soldiers who died in Artois. The German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge VDK) redesigned the cemetery in the 1970s. A cross at the entrance to the site bears the words, Peace to men of goodwill, an aspiration shared by the VDK in their motto, Reconciliation above the graves. 9h45-12h00: Visit of the Vimy Ridge National Historic Site of Canada, including the visit of the Grange Tunnel. 9th April 1917, a defining event in the history of the Canadian people. Canada's monument to her 11,285 soldiers reported lost on French soil during the Great War stands at the heart of a 107- hectare park overlooking the Pas-de-Calais coal basin. Built at the place where, on 10 April 1917, Canadian troops fighting as part of the British Army captured Vimy Ridge, the memorial's white pylons and sculpted figures mark a defining event in the history of Canada. 12h00: Visit of the Cabaret Rouge Military Cemetery (Souchez) where the body of the Canadian Unknown Soldier has been chosen. Before the war there was a house in Souchez named Cabaret Rouge. The house was destroyed with the rest of the village however its name lives on in the war cemetery which was created in 1917 by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to concentrate the graves of the 103 burial grounds in the region. Situated between two war cemeteries, one French and the other German, Cabaret-Rouge Cemetery today contains 7,655 Commonwealth burials of the Great War, more than half of them unidentified. 12h30-13h45: Lunch in a typical northern France restaurant called estaminet Al Potée d Léandre

3 13h45-14h15: Great War Interpretation Centre in Souchez The Great War Interpretation Centre for Northern France recently opened on 1 June at Souchez. Designed by Parisian architect Pierre-Louis Faloci in the style of a concrete blockhaus, the centre is located between Vimy, Ablain-Saint-Nazaire, Neuville-St-Vaast, and Arras, departure points for discovering the battlefields. Visitors will gain an overview of the action through film and artefacts recovered from the battlefields, with a multilingual audio guide. 14h30-15h40 Visit of the French National War Cemetery at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette (Ablain-Saint- Nazaire), heart of the Centenary regional commemorations In May 1915, French troops attempted to wrest control of the Artois Hills from the German Army. They failed at Vimy Ridge but succeeded in retaking Lorette Spur, at a cost of 102,000 men. Today, the National First World War Cemetery is the final resting place for some 40,000 French troops, including 22,000 unknown soldiers. Lorette Spur is the largest of the French war cemeteries and a poignant reminder of the huge losses sustained by every sector of society during the Great War. Visit of The ring of Remembrance in Ablain Saint-Nazaire: united 100 years on. Standing alongside the French National War Cemetery at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, this monument bears on the inside of its elliptical walls the names of almost 580,000 soldiers of both sides, in alphabetical order and without any reference to nationality, rank or religion. Perched on a plateau overlooking the village of Ablain-Saint-Nazaire, the memorial is an appeal to the citizens of today to remember the ravages of the Great War and to protect the fragile equilibrium of peace. It is also the starting point for the Remembrance Trails whose every site tells a tale of the Great War and the part it played in shaping Northern France, Europe and the world we know today. Chemin du Mont de Lorette ABLAIN-SAINT-NAZAIRE

4 16h00-18h00: Visit of The Louvre Lens Museum Opened in late 2012, Louvre-Lens is a single-storey blend of glass and metal set in a landscaped park on the site of an old pithead in Lens. Designed by Japanese architects Sanaa, the first satellite museum of The Louvre in Paris has proved a huge hit. Art treasures are arranged in chronological order in the Time Gallery, whilst in the Glass Pavilion, temporary exhibitions mix artefacts from The Louvre with pieces from regional museums. Visitors can also go behind the scenes in the reserve collection, take part in workshops, and relax in the café. 99 Rue Paul Bert, Lens T Departure to Le Touquet-Paris Plage Dinner and Overnight in Le Touquet Le Grand Hotel 4 Boulevard de la Canche Le Touquet-Paris-Plage Thursday 17 h September

5 9h00: Visit of le Touquet-Paris Plage: The golf course, the market place and the lighthouse 12:00: Departure to La Somme 1:00pm: Lunch in La Tablée du Marquenterre (Parc du Marquenterre) 25 bis, Chemin des Garennes, Saint-Quentin-en-Tourmont T :30pm: English guided visit of the Parc Ornithologique du Marquenterre The Marquenterre park is located in the heart of the National Nature Reserve of the Bay of Somme. This protected area is 200 ha in 40 years a mecca for bird watching in Europe - ideal for observing nature. Without disturbing species, observe in any season thousands of birds (waders, shorebirds water, passerines and raptors), but also insects, amphibians and other mammals. This unique show will delight young and old, amateur and insiders. Along our 3 courses within 12 observation posts guides are waiting to show you the way of life of their hosts. 25 bis, Chemin des Garennes, Saint-Quentin-en-Tourmont T :00pm: Check In Hotel rooms in Amiens Holiday Inn Express 10, Boulevard Alsace Lorraine, Amiens T :30pm: along the way to the restaurant, English guided visit of the old city of Amiens A walk around the old neighbourhoods of Amiens from Notre-Dame to the banks of the River Somme, to discover the diversity of the glorious heritage of this town with a prestigious past. The perfect visit for your first stay in the Capital of Picardy. (Departure from the hotel)

6 7:30pm: Diner at the restaurant Le Quai 13-15, Quai Bélu Amiens T :45pm: Light show on the Cathedral Notre Dame d Amiens Proof of real technical genius, the Notre-Dame d'amiens cathedral demonstrates architectural harmony. Built from 1220 to 1288, its size makes it one of the biggest Gothic buildings ever built: 145 m long, 42 m high, and a total volume of 200,000 m3. Its indoor and outdoor statuary is just as remarkable as its architecture. When night falls, the colors of Notre-Dame life back into the figures sculpted in the stone since the 13 th century. The fabulous cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage, invites the visitors to take a unique look at the sculptures on its west side. Friday 18 h September Departure from 9:00am 9:40am: Introduction at the Courcelette Canadian Memorial The Courcelette Memorial is a Canadian war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps in the Somme Offensive of the First World War. The Canadians participated at the Somme from early September to the British offensives end in mid-november The battles on the

7 Somme were the first in which all four Canadian divisions participated in the same battle, although not together in a cohesive formation. The Canadian divisions suffered over 24,000 casualties. 10:00am : Visit of the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing and Visitor Center The nearby hill and village of Thiepval were one of the pillars of the German defences near the northern part of the British sector, and on 1 July 1916 proved to be one of the main theatres of the disaster suffered by the British army. The fighting to take Thiepval began on 1 July and ended on 26 September In 1932 the British government decided to erect the Memorial to the Missing at Thiepval, an imposing brick and stone monument 45 m high, designed by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. It is the largest British war memorial in the world. It commemorates the 72,205 men of the British and South African armies who died or were reported as missing in action between July 1915 and March The 36th Irish division was the only unit to achieve its objective, on 1 July. But it was caught in crossfire from the British artillery's creeping barrage and the German machine guns. After losing more than 5,500 men in just a few hours, the division had to evacuate the next day Thiepval Tel +33 (0) :00am: Visit of the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park At the time of the war, Newfoundland was a British colony, and as such it raised an army of volunteers. On 1 July 1916, at 7.30 am, the men of the Newfoundland regiment had barely climbed out of their trenches when they were caught in the fire from German machine guns. Half an hour later, only 68 uninjured soldiers remained. In proportion to the forces engaged, this action was one of the most deadly of the Somme offensive. In memory of this tragedy, Newfoundland decided to erect its National memorial to the missing at Beaumont-Hamel Beaumont-Hamel Tel + 33 (0)

8 12:00pm: Visit of the Somme 1916 Museum in Albert The town of Albert was occupied by the Germans from 29 August to 14 September 1914 and then evacuated after the Battle of the Marne. It was shelled constantly July 1915 the British army relieved the French army. The town then became a centre of intense military activity, and remained a symbolic town for the British. When it was taken once more by the Germans in March 1918, and then again by the British in August, nothing remained except a vast field of ruins. The 1916 Somme Museum invites visitors to discover the life of soldiers in the trenches during the offensive of 1 July 1916, in a series of former underground shelters, 250 metres long at a depth of 10 metres. Rue Anicet Godin Albert Tél. +33 (0) :00pm: Lunch in the Hotel Restaurant La Basilique in Albert - 8, rue Gambetta, Albert - T. +33 (0) :30pm: Visit of the Lochnagar Crater in Ovillers-la-Boisselle On the 1st July 1916, the men leaving their positions for battle at 7:30am had no idea that they were going towards almost certain death. Just before the infantry assault began, several mines were blown, which were intended to destroy parts of the German front line and create huge craters. The Lochnagar Crater is the result of one of them. Route de la Grande Mine Ovillers-la-Boisselle

9 3:30pm: Visit of the Frise Belvedère Among remains of trenches dug on the hill top overlooking the Somme Valley, trails and interpretation boards are displayed to offer a better understanding of the conflict and its literature heritages: Blaise Cendrars, was, as Guillaume Apollinaire, one of the founders of modern poetry. In 1914, he occupied positions at Frise. He told stories of his war in the novel La main coupé (The Severed Hand) and J ai tué (I Have Killed) : At the Bois de la Vache, at the Corne au bois, we held a small post. We could have run each other through with bayonet from one trench to the other. 4:15pm: Visit of the Historial Museum of the Great War in Peronne This outstanding museum compares and objectively examines the painful experiences of the 3 main warring parties according to historical chronology. The German occupation of the town of Péronne began in August 1914, and it immediately became a centre for intense military and logistical activity, particularly during the Battle of the Somme. Although it was bombarded by the French artillery for 8 months, it remained in the hands of the Germans, who only evacuated Péronne in March 1917, when they fell back to the Hindenburg line. The town was occupied once again in March 1918, and then liberated on 2 September by the Australian 2nd division.

10 Château de Péronne BP Péronne Cedex Tel +33 (0) :00pm: Back to the Hotel Holiday Inn Express in Amiens - 10, Boulevard Alsace Lorraine, Amiens 7:30pm: Diner at La Brasserie Jules 18, Boulevard Alsace Lorraine, Amiens T Saturday 19 h September 9:00am: Transfer to airport End of the program Useful contacts : Northern France Tourist Board - Agathe Bourdrez : Somme Tourisme - Aude Carrier: Guests : 5 tour-operators + 1 tour guide from Atout France: