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Post by Oz-T on Mar 18, 2015 8:52:26 GMT
Thanks once again for a wonderful history lesson. I have been to this area on a Trafalgar tour but really didn't come away with this knowledge that you have given me. Looking forward to reading your further tales on your trip especially Paris as I am hoping to go there this coming fall and anything I can learn from your travel there will be enlightening . Purvis I think that most Trafalgar TDs are good at relating the history of a city or region, Purvis. The problem is that many people on a coach might not be interested enough to hear too much of it. What I try to do is make the history come alive. This format is helpful as anybody can skip parts they aren't interested in, and I'm sure there are some members and guests who don't even wish to read any of it. That's fine, everyone's free to do what they want. Hopefully I'm finding a suitable balance between narrative and images, seriousness and humour, and without making this too much of a history lesson. There's so much more information that I'm omitting but it won't be entertaining if it drags on too long each day.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 18, 2015 9:42:58 GMT
Tomorrow, our journeys take us to.... Giverny, where we see the spectacular colours of the garden that was planted by the founder of Impressionist painting, Claude Monet.... And view his lily ponds and Japanese garden ... Then past Caen and deep into Normandy where we arrive at Bayeux ... Where we inspect the world's most famous embroidery that delves deep into the history of a fight to the death for the crown of England .... And we discover how some very modern technology (that most of us use) links to the Battle of Hastings....
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daphne
Junior Member
LOVE Travelling!!
Posts: 58
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Post by daphne on Mar 18, 2015 12:11:37 GMT
Loving this tale Mr Oz! Excellent! Can't wait for more!
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 19, 2015 1:03:41 GMT
Glad to hear you're finding it interesting, Daphne. It was indeed an incredible trip because it was tailored by us to exactly where we wanted to go and spending the exact amount of time we wanted at each place.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 19, 2015 2:18:50 GMT
Day 15 – Giverny & BayeuxAn early start was necessary this morning as we had a bit of driving ahead of us and a few sights to see. We headed south along the A13 Motorway toward Paris for the 72km journey to Giverny. Our first destination today is a very wide detour to Jardins de Monet (Monet’s Gardens) at Giverny, close to the regional town of Vernon. Giverny itself is 2,000 years old but it wasn’t until 1883 that it became a notable place when the impressionist painter Claude Monet moved in. He quickly began to plant his gardens, seeing the potential for it to be a major focus of his paintings. We left the motorway and with the vital help of Bruce the GPS guy, we navigated through the rain until we arrived at the Monet Gardens and Museum. There was a queue for tickets and we stood in line, pleased that the rain had stopped. Entry was €9.50 each and we were soon entering the building. Immediately inside is a large photo of Claude himself ... They seem to have tried to leave this place pretty much the way it was when Monet died in 1926. His paintings crowd the walls and photography is not allowed, although so many people seemed to flout this that I decided not to deprive myself (until I saw somebody else get caught). Outside the back, you get a nice view of the house itself. You have to follow a set path through the house until you emerge into the gardens, which in the June summer were a colourful spectacle, freshened with the sprinkling of rain. I took quite a few photos of the flowers here, getting some great images with a macro setting. So here's the explosion of colour... There’s a small underpass that goes under the roadway, bringing you to the lily pond and the carefully landscaped Japanese gardens that were the subject of many Monet masterpieces. It gets a bit crowded with other tourists here so it’s difficult to get photos without people in the scene. The other tourists were probably thinking the same about me. But it’s still a great place to visit and it’s not hard to imagine the solitude and tranquility in which Monet could create his magnificent paintings. Ponds; Giverny Japanese bridge; Giverny Lily pads; Monet's Gardens Returning to the car, we headed north-west to resume our tour of Normandy again, passing the city of Caen mid-afternoon. Inside the cathedral here is a tomb that contains the remains of William the Conqueror, although only his thigh bone is inside after his grave was vandalised a few times over the centuries. William’s funeral became a bit unpleasant when they discovered his fat body was too large for the tomb. After pushing too hard, the corpse burst open, leaving a very unpleasant scene. More details on William, Duke of Normandy in a moment. By late afternoon we had arrived at our destination for staying the night: the city of Bayeux. We drove into the centre and managed to find a cheap €1 parking spot before strolling through the centre of the town. Town Hall, Bayeux Bayeux is fortunate to have escaped being demolished during WW2 and it’s a time capsule of old Norman houses dating back to the 1300s. Eventually, we made our way to the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux where we were able to view one of the world’s greatest historical records: the Bayeux Tapestry. Bayeux began as a settlement 2,000 years ago and became a Roman defence outpost. But it was the Middle Ages that made Bayeux famous, and the one person who did it was William the Conqueror. William was the Duke of Normandy and this story begins in 1051 when England’s King Edward the Confessor chose William as his successor. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready. I was planning to explain why Æthelred was unready, but that’s really a private matter that only the unfortunate Mrs Æthelred should be revealing. I suspect that maybe that's what Æthelred's son, Edward had started confessing all those years ago. Anyway, other contenders emerged for the throne. The main rival to William, Duke of Normandy was Earl Harold Godwinson, the most powerful member of the nobility. How the Godwinson family had risen to disproportionate importance everywhere remains a puzzle to me, but maybe they shared genes with the Kardashians. Just diverging here, as a point of interest, Harold’s grandmother was married to King Cnut (Canute), whose grandfather was Harald Bluetooth - yes, he had a discoloured tooth - and he was famous for unifying the kingdoms of Norway and Denmark. The Nordic initials H and B when joined together look like this: You’ll probably recognise this as the familiar Bluetooth logo – chosen because it represents the unification of computer and phone devices and therefore dedicated to old Harald Bluetooth's skills in unifying two countries. So now you know the obscure link between your cell phone and the momentous events I’m about to explain. But back to the story. It was here in Bayeux in 1064 that Harold Godwinson supposedly swore an oath to support William’s future succession to the English throne. In January 1066 King Edward died and therefore stopped confessing. Some confusion seems to have occurred because kings didn’t have the power to determine their successors as William had believed. Nor did the succession flow to the first-born son (although Edward was childless), as became the rules later. A council appointed Harold as the new king and he seemed to think that this was a splendid idea, even if the crown didn't quite fit on his now swollen head. Duke William wasn't quite so pleased with this turn of events and immediately spat the dummy so far, it landed halfway across the English Channel. He began planning to invade England to seize what he considered was his rightful prize. So 1066 began as a year of turmoil and things got steadily worse. The appearance of Halley’s Comet in April was seen by some as a portent of doom. But poor King Harold had a new threat in the shape of a guy called Harald Hardrada (‘Hardrada’ means ‘hard ruler’), the king of Norway who also had his sights on the English crown. Hardrada landed near York in September 1066 and teamed up with Tostig Godwinson, King Harold’s younger brother. I’ve heard of sibling rivalry, but this seems to have been an extreme grudge, even if as kids, Harold lied about breaking young Tostig’s playstation. But Harold was prepared, marching his army north and surprising Hardrada and Tostig, both of whom died in the battle. Harold then received news that Duke William had landed his own army in Sussex so he hastily marched his army south to meet the new invaders. Just 19 days after saving his kingdom from Vikings and siblings, King Harold faced the Duke of Normandy’s army near Hastings, southern England. The battle lasted most of the day, resulting in Harold being killed, and ending Anglo-Saxon rule of England. William advanced on London, crushing any resistance until he assumed control and was crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066. The Norman era had begun. Soon thereafter, the Bayeux Tapestry was commissioned by Bishop Odo, William’s half-brother. When you enter the Bayeux Tapestry Museum, you pay €9 entry and collect a device to listen to the commentary in your chosen language. The tapestry itself is very long and behind a glass case in a darkened room. It consists of 58 panels depicting the events preceding the Battle of Hastings, as well as the battle itself. The panels are numbered so you walk at your own pace, listening to the narrative for each section before moving to the next. Photography is prohibited, and quite unnecessary – just buy a book in the bookshop and you’ll have better images than sneaking a photo that’ll probably get you thrown out. I should mention a few things that may be a bit of a surprise to some people. Firstly, this isn’t really a tapestry because it’s embroidered, not woven. But try telling people that you’ve seen the Bayeux Embroidery and you’ll just get puzzled looks. Secondly, it was most likely stitched in England, not here in Normandy - Bayeux Cathedral is merely where it was stored and brought out for airing once a year. And while most of the events depicted on it probably happened that way, it’s still a record laid down by the Normans for the Normans – so some propaganda and bias toward William exists. Nevertheless, it’s an extraordinary artifact – with linen stretched out 70 metres (230 feet) there’s quite a lot of detail to take in, and the thread colours are still vivid. Trouble stirring: Halley's Comet appears in the sky The Normans defeat the Saxon army King Harold is killed; the Saxon army flee It’s definitely been looked after for the last 930 years. Well, sort of. During the French Revolution it was valued more as a cloth to cover wagons than historic art and it avoided this fate only when rescued and hidden for a few years. In June 1944 the Nazis got hold of it and sent it to the Louvre in Paris. Heinrich Himmler ordered that it be removed (probably to Berlin) and his message was actually intercepted by the British team working on the enigma machine. Fortunately, the French regained control of Paris at this critical moment and the tapestry was saved, later being returned to Bayeux where it’s been ever since. Returning to our car we drove 5km south-east to the outskirts of Bayeux where we had booked a room at the Ibis Hotel for two nights. It was cheap at €63.20 per night but we paid extra for breakfasts on this occasion because there were no nearby eateries open the next morning. Beside the hotel is a lunch and dinner restaurant called Courte Paille Grill which seems to have some association with Ibis because this wasn’t the only place where we saw the two businesses beside each other. They offered a 15% discount for Ibis guests so that sealed the deal and we enjoyed a nice dinner for two at just €26.90. And that was it for the day. Being close to the Normandy D-Day landing beaches we intended to visit next day, this hotel would be our base for two nights.
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Post by purvis on Mar 19, 2015 3:53:26 GMT
Oz : I hate to say it but when my son and I visited Bayeux on a Trafalgar tour we were given an hour and a half to see the tapestry and have lunch. To say that we rushed through the tapestry exhibit is an understatement as we were hungry and with most Trafalgar tours you never were sure when you were going to stop for another meal. Fortunately being educated in Canada we learned about 1066 so all was not lost. Purvis
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 19, 2015 6:25:03 GMT
Sounds like it was poorly managed by that tour director, Purvis. As tourists, we're usually lacking knowledge about a particular place, so we rely on the TD to arrange things so as to avoid a clash like that. We had no idea how much time we needed to walk past the entire length of the tapestry, but fortunately we had allowed ample time for it, well before closing time. Nobody wants to be rushed through something interesting for fear they'll miss a meal etc. I was very familiar with the events of 1066 but Mrs Oz wasn't. However, she did listen to most of the narration, despite not having a great interest in history. Notwithstanding my familiarity with the history, it felt like I was closer to the events as they were narrated with the tapestry scenes right there in front of me.
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wen
Junior Member
Posts: 29
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Post by wen on Mar 19, 2015 8:40:06 GMT
Really enjoying your thread and the history lesson. Obviously an interest! Thanks look forward to the next instalment
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 19, 2015 10:00:15 GMT
Tomorrow, we embark on a journey that traces the Normandy landings of D-Day 1944.
We travel along the Normandy coastline, visiting the main landing points of the allied forces, and finishing the day with a visit to Bayeux Cathedral....
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Post by purvis on Mar 19, 2015 14:57:04 GMT
OZ: Looking forward to your next instalment . The tour we had so much trouble with was WW1&WW2 which included the tapestry , multitudes of cemeteries and the battlefields of WW1 & WW2. Several of my travelling companions told me the would never again travel with Trafalgar due to the incompetence of the tour director. I told them that he was not the norm as by then I had done somewhere around 12 previous tours . I finally after much thought reported him to Trafalgar as I didn't feel others should waste their monies on such a disaster happening again with this man. Guess now I will learn from you all that we didn't hear on our tour. Purvis
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Post by solaria on Mar 19, 2015 20:43:12 GMT
Thanks OzT - love the history and the photos of the embrioidery as on our French Tour we dudn't get to see it, sadly. we were told that the paintings in Monet's house are copies as if they were real the security costs would be prohibitive. Thank you for the flowers close up. I took several of the mass plantings and, of course the lake and the wee bridge, trying to get it in the same postion as his painting. quite good but like you tourists spoiled the pure viewand we were there in September!
And do please tell Mrs Oz that I admire her driving ability. I thought Italy was bad but when we were in France the traffic I felt was even more chaotic so I wouldn't have attempted to drive! It was bad enough being the navigator in Italy and we only had the car for a week. She should be given a gold star at the very least!
Cheers J
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 19, 2015 21:41:11 GMT
That's a pity, Purvis; sounds like the tour was spoiled somewhat by a TD who wasn't good enough. I won't be going into immense detail with the D-Day landing commentary but hopefully there will be enough to fill in any gaps you may have missed years earlier.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 19, 2015 22:12:30 GMT
Hi Solaria, We were a bit fortunate that we arrived at Giverny just as a rain shower was finishing. It freshened the gardens and my close-up macro photos captured the raindrops still clinging to the petals. It also brought bees into the garden, some of which appear in the images. I deliberately scaled down the size of the flower photos to make them fit better, but here's a full size example for you to see the fine detail... Look carefully and you'll see four insects as well as the raindrops. I'm sure you're correct regarding the display of prints, rather than originals. I suspect that Monet didn't hang them on his walls in a cluttered way like that either, although I'm just guessing. There was a huge picture for sale in the souvenir shop (see below): The price tag was €1,400 which pretty much tells you that it sure isn't an original Monet oil painting. I have already complimented Mrs Oz on her driving - I certainly helped a great deal with the navigating but she still handled the car and the traffic with expertise. I should qualify this a bit by mentioning that the roads between the regional cities are fairly easy to drive in, as are the cities and towns themselves. Paris is another thing altogether and I have a story to tell about how things didn't go quite as well as planned (driving and navigation-wise) near the end of this travel tale....
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Post by 1jhwks on Mar 19, 2015 23:11:35 GMT
Wow!!! I started reading today's installment on my break at work this morning on my smartphone. The small screen, even though it's a Galaxy Note 4, didn't do justice to your photos so I stopped reading till I can get home to my laptop to see the photos better. You really should publish a coffee table book with your photos!!
Can't wait for the next installment.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 20, 2015 5:33:58 GMT
Day 16 – Normandy BeachesToday, our focus shifted to a more sombre tone of World War II and specifically, the D-Day landings at Normandy’s beaches. Being just 10km from the coast, Bayeux is an ideal city from which to drive to the various landing areas, although bus tours are readily available if you don't have a car. Many hotels and restaurants display signs, saying that they speak English, trying to attract the many visitors from Britain and North America. The place is full of buildings displaying the Union Jack flag and you won’t have too many language problems if you’re visiting this region of France. We decided to start our tour from one of the more western points of the coastline and make our way eastward, although there’s no particular reason why you couldn’t do it in the opposite direction. The main landing beaches, in order from west to east were: Utah, Omaha (both American invasions), and Gold, Juno and Sword (the British-led invasions). I don’t propose going into detail regarding the Normandy landings because most people would already be aware of the facts, or be able to easily access the information. If you’re here with a tour company, you’ll probably have everything explained as you go. But if you’re self-touring like us, it’s not too hard to drive along the D514 coast road, stopping wherever the signs indicate a place of interest. Our first stop was Grandcamp-Maisy, an area between Utah and Omaha beaches. It’s a small town, previously called ‘Maisy’ before it was renamed in 1972. Here, Germany had its headquarters and an enormous network of tunnels, bunkers and trenches stretching over two miles underground. There’s even an underground hospital here. It’s been largely overlooked for 70 years and is only now being explored and uncovered. One day, when the full extent of the German underground infrastructure is discovered, this will probably become the largest tourist destination on the D-Day coast. The beach is long and the terrain flat here. To the west is Utah Beach, the code name of the most westerly of the five landing zones. When the original plan for three landing sites was expanded to include Utah and Sword, it delayed the date of the eventual invasion. Grandcamp-Maisy; Normandy A short drive further east and we arrived at Pointe du Hoc. This initially looks like a delightful place to be: green grass on a cliff, looking out at the brilliant blue water of the English Channel. Pointe du Hoc. The barbed wire remains to this day But a closer inspection reveals its history. Deep gullies lay across the ground and you soon realise they’re bomb craters. An aerial view of this area shows just how pockmarked the land is with these craters. Pointe du Hoc from the air (internet image) Then there are the bunkers where German troops sought to repel the invasion forces. We went into these and despite them being heavily fortified, the occupants must have freaked out when they saw an armada of ships coming their way. But it also looked pretty suicidal to be arriving on this narrow beach and having to scale the cliffs to gain control of the area with German guns blasting anything that moved. German bunker View from inside the German bunker So back into the car and we continue this process of driving further east and stopping whenever we see anything worth a closer inspection on foot. We arrived at Vierville-sur-Mer. For those unfamiliar with the French language, the suffix “sur-Mer” means “on sea” and many French coastal towns bear it. Here, a monument marks the place where the National Guard Division broke through the German lines to secure the territory. National Guard Monument This is the western part of Omaha Beach where allied forces had a much easier terrain than their colleagues at Utah, as rocky cliffs only stood at the two far ends of the landing zone. But they also had more Germans defending it and were entirely exposed. Air bombardment had been aimed too far inland, and most of the landing craft had been off-course due to bad seas and wind. Consequently, Omaha Beach suffered a terrible outcome, with 10,000 Allied casualties. But they did eventually get control of this vital beach. Driving a short distance to Colleville-sur-Mer, we reach the American Cemetery. It is huge, and as one would expect, immaculately maintained. American Cemetery; Colleville-sur-Mer Interred here are 9,387 US troops. The graves look out upon Omaha Beach and the beautiful blue waters of the English Channel. We continued on, soon arriving at Port-en-Bessin. It was now time for lunch and we parked on General de Gaulle Street, just opposite a restaurant, Bar de la Criee. The lunch wasn’t spectacular, but it was nice enough and cost €26 for the two of us, including wine (most of which was consumed by me, the navigator). Before long we reached Arromanches-les-Bains at the western end of Gold Beach and we stopped to have a look around. This seemed to be the most tourist-oriented part of the Normandy coast and there are plenty of souvenir shops, a tourist information office and a museum. But the most extraordinary sight is at the beach and sea – the famous Mulberry Harbour. Rather than bother with the difficult task of capturing a port, it was easier to bring a port with you. They towed these prefabricated structures across the channel and sank them along with concrete caissons at Arromanches and other places to allow ships to moor against, and for temporary bridges to span across to the beach for unloading military vehicles and equipment. Mulberry Harbour & caissons; Arromanches-les-Bains We purchased a postcard and walked up to the post office to mail it to one of Mrs Oz’s friends back home, then returned to the car. Next stop was the town of Graye-sur-Mer and Courseulles-sur-Mer which together form Juno Beach where the Canadian forces landed. I took a photo of a tank here – it had been stopped just near this spot and its crew killed or injured. Just over a mound is the beach and a large memorial Cross of Lorraine I mentioned early in this travel tale. This is where President Charles de Gaulle first set foot on French land, returning after living in exile in London for most of the war. Both Churchill and King George VI followed de Gaulle by arriving at this same spot weeks later. Cross of Lorraine; Graye-sur-Mer Further east is Sword Beach, the last and most easterly of the five landing areas. Primarily a British operation, over 28,000 troops were landed here with their objective to advance on Caen, just 15km to the south. It was now well into the afternoon and we began our drive back to Bayeux. And there was one more thing to see: Bayeux Cathedral. Bayeux Cathedral This Norman Gothic structure contains a crypt which was adorned with ancient wall paintings. Crypt; Bayeux Cathedral And that finished off our sightseeing. We walked at a supermarket to buy some wine, salad and sliced chicken and then returned to our hotel to have dinner in our room. It had been a big day.
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Post by purvis on Mar 20, 2015 19:12:21 GMT
One thing I noticed after seeing many cemeteries on the WW1 & WW2 tour was that the America graves were marked by crosses whilst the Canadian were marked by tombstones. We spent a fair amount of time at the Juno memorable site as my son and other members of my family had donated $25.00 towards the memorial being built. All who donated where listed on plaques on the exterior. Canadians landed at Juno Beach. The American cemetery was enormous and it was difficult not to be sad looking out over the graves of so many young men. Purvis
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axl
New Member
Posts: 18
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Post by axl on Mar 20, 2015 23:22:58 GMT
Wow once again an amazing tale I knew you were an author from reading your work on the old TT sight but didn't realise that you were a photographer too your photos are amazing Oz what camera are you using?
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Post by chech on Mar 21, 2015 0:16:39 GMT
Yeah, great pics! You know, it must be a bit surreal for D-Day vets to go back and see souvenir shops and all the tourist set ups. I had that sense when I saw that the Sarajevo Tunnel and Sniper Alley are now tourist attractions.
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Post by californian on Mar 21, 2015 2:27:05 GMT
Oz, if I may, I would like to copy a part of the memorable speech President Reagan gave on the 40th anniversary of the invasion, June 6, 1984, and honoring many of the soldiers that traveled there for the ceremony.
"The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers -- the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After 2 days of fighting, only 90 could still bear arms.
Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there.
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war."
What a place, I dare say it's very difficult to visit and walk around the beaches, cemeteries, monuments without tears.
Thank you Oz.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 21, 2015 2:48:21 GMT
Those were fine words spoken by President Reagan, Californian. I certainly felt that these beaches and cliffs of Normandy still held a presence of those brave soldiers who came there to liberate a continent. When you stand there looking at the peaceful blue waves cascading onto the sandy beaches, or the green carpet of manicured lawn with hundreds of rows of white crosses, it's hard to imagine what these places looked like on 6 June, 1944. The entire world is indebted to these people who served in the allied forces.
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Post by purvis on Mar 21, 2015 2:54:09 GMT
Oz: When I visited the American cemetery at Omaha Beach there was a chap on our tour who had never met his father as he was killed on Omaha Beach when he was just an infant. As much as this tour director who ruined most of the tour I must give him credit for allowing this man the time to visit his father's gravesite and receive the flag at this site. This man's grandmother rejected him for many years refusing to accept the death of his father. There are so many sad stories of those who are buried in these graves. Purvis
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 21, 2015 3:14:20 GMT
Wow once again an amazing tale I knew you were an author from reading your work on the old TT sight but didn't realise that you were a photographer too your photos are amazing Oz what camera are you using? Hi Axl, and welcome to the forum. There's nothing quite like capturing nature in its most intricate form. A macro setting on the camera is what achieves this. My camera is usually a surprise to fellow members of tours we've been on, because it's packed with features you wouldn't expect in such a simple looking device. It always produced the best photos whenever we compared images on the various coach trips. It's actually a Canon compact camera but top of the range (IXUS 980IS). It has far more complex settings than the average traveller would ever use, but it's incredibly easy to use and small enough to slip into my pocket or hang from my belt. It's ideal for me whilst travelling. At 15 megapixel, it captures detail adequately. For the technically minded, the flower photos were taken at f/2.8 with a shutter speed of 1/400 sec. with an equivalent ISO speed of ISO-80. To give a better idea of detail, I'll reproduce some of these flower photos in the Photography section of this forum.
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Post by californian on Mar 21, 2015 4:17:27 GMT
Oz: When I visited the American cemetery at Omaha Beach there was a chap on our tour who had never met his father as he was killed on Omaha Beach when he was just an infant. As much as this tour director who ruined most of the tour I must give him credit for allowing this man the time to visit his father's gravesite and receive the flag at this site. This man's grandmother rejected him for many years refusing to accept the death of his father. There are so many sad stories of those who are buried in these graves. Purvis Same on our tour Purvis, the uncle of one of our tourmates had died during the battle for St. Lo. The couple was invited to the lowering of the flag ceremony and they received the flag and a container with sand from the beach among other things.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 22, 2015 5:16:01 GMT
In tomorrow's adventures, we:
Visit the last of the war cemeteries of our trip...
Scale a fortress abbey...
Arrive in a city that's a medieval time capsule with the most crooked buildings you're likely to ever see...
And visit a castle with a moat and drawbridge....
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Post by bet on Mar 22, 2015 7:35:23 GMT
Enjoying your tale and pics Oz-T, looking forward to the next instalment. I think a tour company should invite you as a travel writer, it will be excellent promotion for them.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 22, 2015 10:49:48 GMT
It's actually ironic, Bet, but Trafalgar had plenty of us loyal customers promoting their tours, then they suddenly booted us out when they closed their forum. At this time I sought discussions with their managing director, having a view that I would provide free travel writings about Trafalgar's products if they wanted. Unfortunately, this never eventuated because they didn't have any interest in the views of their loyal customers.
Now, I'm happy to assist people to explore different tour companies or to conduct their own self tours. The prospect of being a travel writer in a more formal capacity is something I am considering, but more likely, it'll be not endorsing any particular brand and if that hurts Trafalgar that's their problem. Being able to be independent is a much better arrangement as it's better focussed on what's best for the reader.
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Post by purvis on Mar 22, 2015 16:15:01 GMT
I checked out Trafalgar's tour of 9 days in London & Paris and for 2 it would cost $6,330.00 (2 going as singles) where as for 10days in London & Paris travelling independently it would cost almost half that price and we will get an extra day in Paris as well as a two bedroom apt. in the south block of County Hall in London (4 nites). Trafalgar does nothing but get you to these two cities then you're on your own anyways. Having been to these two cities before the sightseeing bus tour is not necessary. I agree if one is comfortable travelling independently then go for it as it is not only cheaper but gives one more flexibility to visit sites that interest you . Purvis
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Post by bet on Mar 22, 2015 17:38:38 GMT
It's actually ironic, Bet, but Trafalgar had plenty of us loyal customers promoting their tours, then they suddenly booted us out when they closed their forum. At this time I sought discussions with their managing director, having a view that I would provide free travel writings about Trafalgar's products if they wanted. Unfortunately, this never eventuated because they didn't have any interest in the views of their loyal customers. Now, I'm happy to assist people to explore different tour companies or to conduct their own self tours. The prospect of being a travel writer in a more formal capacity is something I am considering, but more likely, it'll be not endorsing any particular brand and if that hurts Trafalgar that's their problem. Being able to be independent is a much better arrangement as it's better focussed on what's best for the reader. The Trafalgar Forum was good and it made no sense to close it down. It was one of the reasons why I took Trafalgar for the first time last year, and despite not being a big fan of that form of travel, I enjoyed it a lot. Their forum attracted new comers like myself which I'm guessing they won't be getting now as I can't see their site attracting or inspiring anyone to travel with them. This forum is much better, it suites all travelling styles as there are many other ways to explore the world than through the eyes of Trafalgar.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 22, 2015 21:33:19 GMT
I share the same views, Bet. I was a committed Trafalgar customer and I even favoured their tours because of their forum - it allowed me to learn a lot about a forthcoming tour and to post a travel tale after I had returned from one. I lost count of the number of new forum members who joined to ask questions, then purchased Trafalgar tours because we members talked them into going ahead with a tour they would absolutely love doing. It was free advertising for Trafalgar, using happy, loyal customers to do their work for them. Then some idiot who didn't have the intellect to realise what a gold mine they had, decided to close their own forum. It didn't make sense then and it doesn't make sense now - but it's too late for them to repair the damage they did to themselves.
I've heard feedback from a couple of sources in the travel industry that they were gobsmacked that Trafalgar could be so foolish. They had been the envy of the industry the way their forum attracted potential customers, many of whom ended up purchasing tours. It was something that the competitors simply couldn't emulate because it was so established. Now they laugh at Trafalgar. Their social media alternative simply doesn't have the features and drawing power that a forum does.
There have been some approaches made to me to have this forum promote alternative products in the travel market. This won't be happening because we would lose our independence if we favoured one provider over another. Accordingly, anybody can either praise or criticise any tour product or company so we can all share the knowledge.
I may or may not end up doing some travel writing for participants in the industry, but that will be separate from my activities here.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 22, 2015 21:37:22 GMT
I checked out Trafalgar's tour of 9 days in London & Paris and for 2 it would cost $6,330.00 (2 going as singles) where as for 10days in London & Paris travelling independently it would cost almost half that price and we will get an extra day in Paris as well as a two bedroom apt. in the south block of County Hall in London (4 nites). Trafalgar does nothing but get you to these two cities then you're on your own anyways. Having been to these two cities before the sightseeing bus tour is not necessary. I agree if one is comfortable travelling independently then go for it as it is not only cheaper but gives one more flexibility to visit sites that interest you . Purvis I agree, Purvis. I could never say this on the old Trafalgar forum, but Trafalgar's city break tours seem to be an extraordinarily costly way to travel/sightsee. Hopefully, potential travellers do some homework or seek opinions from forums like this one to get the facts before spending that much money. There are definitely cheaper, better alternatives.
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