Givenchy En Gohelle Festooned with 500 Canadian Flags

Givenchy en Gohelle, a tiny village in France, was liberated from German occupation during the battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917. Now many of the homes in the village are flying the maple leaf in honour of the Canadian contribution. The flags all come from a New Brunswick hardware store and were shipped to France in time for the Vimy commemoration. Our battlefield guides Cindy Brown and Lee Windsor, joining us from The Gregg Center at the University of New Brunswick, have a special relationship with the town and all 200 of our Return To Vimy tour clients will all be visiting the village tomorrow to help them commemorate. Villagers have been taking free lessons in English this year to help them greet the Canadians who visit. 

2017 is the Year of Canada: signs greet you at all entrances to the village.

One of 500 Canadian flags bedeck the village - on poles, houses, windows, sheds and fences.

The mairie (town hall) is the location of the free English lessons for villagers.

The Maple is a tiny, charming cafe in Givenchy En Gohelle frequented by both hungry tourists and thirsty cyclists alike.  On the fireplace mantel inside is a personal collection of soldier art carvings of brass shell casings.

Les Macarons: Please Let Me Eat Cake!

I just have to share this most Parisian of treats – the Laduree Macaron made in Paris since 1862 has no rivals.  They are delicious beyond imagination.  Dave and I buy them when we depart from the Charles De Gaulle airport terminal shop in Paris.   You can find them in the high streets of other major cities too.   These are small, round shaped cakes with a soft center made daily.  Almonds, eggs, sugar and one other "secret" ingredient – they are perfect, sweet, light and make my mouth feel alive with their delicate flavours. In March, we sampled the new seasonal flavours of their Ginger heart, cognac (not for children) and chocolate hazelnut.  My favourite is orange blossom and Dave loves the ginger one.  They keep for only four days – this is the first time we actually bought some that made it out of the departure lounge with us.  I even like the boxes.  You can find macarons in markets and patisseries everywhere, but these are the best in all of La Republic and the world (in our opinion).  I think this is perhaps my best insider tip for travel clients coming to France with us. Ever.

Orange Blossom, Lemon, Cassis, Salted Caramel, Ginger and Pistachio boxed Laduree Macarons.

Even the Laduree boxes are gorgeous.

Christmas market in Arras; every flavour you can imagine.

Two weeks until Return to Vimy Tour attends Commemoration: April 9th, 2017

Walter Seymour Allward, the sculptor of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, was all ready famous when his design was picked for the Vimy construction.  This project took fourteen years from his start to unveiling, 1921-1936.  When I stand on the path leading to the monument I am struck by the whiteness of the stone.  It gleams, even on the days when the skies are grey.  The process of selecting the stone took Allward two years of travel.  It was obviously an undertaking of great passion.  The stone he selected comes from an old Roman quarry in Croatia, at Seget.  I wonder at that task – quarrying and then transporting the stone to France for the stone carvers to transform it into this massive work of art.  My first experience standing at Vimy, made me recall back the narrative in the novel by Jane Urquhart, The Stone Carvers.  She explores the power of art to transform lives and loss and Allward’s commitment to complete this monumental work of art.  I can hear the sound of the chisels of stonemasons ringing around me as I gaze upon the twenty faces of the monument’s human figures and the 11,000 names of fallen Canadians engraved on this luminous limestone.