May 9th

It was a sad morning for everyone, knowing that it was our last day in Europe. The trip had gone by so fast! All we wanted was to rewind and do it again. When we all gathered in the lobby at our hotel we heard that the volcano erupted again, we got a little excited. aha

We got on the bus and headed to the commonwealth war cemetery where we would have a ceremony, the first of its kind. It was a nice ceremony that included the some high powers including a general from Canada as well as Germany. It was to remember and remember we did.





We then had the afternoon to ourselves so we went to the zoo in Berlin and then had dinner and the dance with all the Canadians that had tours connecting in Berlin. It was quite the crowd! We went back to our hotels and got everything ready and finalized then to bed.

What An Experience.

May 8th

The day started off with a visit to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. I think for a lot of us this was very eye opening, what we had learned in the classroom was nothing compared to how much we learned by walking the camp.





This was not a death camp, only a work camp, but still there were so many people who had been executed there. We saw the different ways people were murdered. Our guide told us how the Germans dealt with the psychological issues they had from killing human after human. At first the German executors would be in plain sight of the victim and would hear him/her beg for mercy, this took its toll on the Germans. First they were given alcohol to fix the problems but later on they made it so the executor would not have to see his victim, just have to pull the trigger.



We went on to see one of the barracks that the men stayed in (this was a mens camp). The building was meant to hold around 100-150 people but the average was around 400. This really brought it into perspective and made us realize how intense everything was.




After the camp we went on our city tour of Berlin. The one thing about Germany that made it different was that everything was new, because of the war much of the structures were destroyed. Also the structures were not that eye please due to the socialist way of construction, cheap is better, but the Germans managed to make some of the buildings look better by adding some colour and brightening them up. That was pretty well all of may 8th

May 7th

There isn't much to say about this day, it was spent driving across Germany. We watched half of schindlers list, that movie is very very powerful.


We arrived at our hotel and went to play a game of bowling, then we went to bed!

Tilltomorrow :)

May 6th Events

WRITTEN MAY 7th 5:35

It woud be our day in Amsterdam and our last day in the Netherlands, Berlin was next on our list. the drive into Amsterdam was about a hour and a half from our hotel which was kind of weird because you would think we'd just stay there, oh well. We met up with Roland, our tour guide who showed us where clogs were made and sold. The people there could make a shoe out of a block of wood in about minutes! It was pretty cool and the amount of shoes they had there was unreal, and all the different designs they had on the shoes.



After that we had some free time where we got something to eat and then we headed back into downtown Amsterdam. We went to a Jewish museum which was pretty cool, we learned some different things about the Jewish religion and things like that. It was cool but it was very rushed and didn't really get a chance to see everything, guess thats the downfall of touring with a group and guides.

Then we went off to see the Auschwitz memorial which was this big platform in a little park. There was a mirror on the surface of it and it was broken and cracked. Beneath the platform was ashes from the Auschwitz concentration camp victims. After the war was over people went to see the camp and to see if they could find anything, the place was destroyed, by the Germans, but they found ash and then they put it in a vase and buried it in the park.




We then walked around town to the very famous Anne Frank house. It was right on the mainstreet and when we got close to it we saw a huge line up and I was not to impressed, but then we just walked on by everyone and went in the side door, thats the upside of being with a guide and group HA

The house was amazing, it was such a powerful experience. The only thing was that we were not allowed cameras, so no pictures of their secret hiding place! We were walking in thir footsteps truly something. The rooms were bare because when the Germans had found them they had taken all the furniture from the rooms but there was still some of Anne's magazine cut-outs on the walls and pencil markings where they would have kept track of their height throughout their exile.

We got to see her actual diary and the two other notebooks she had filled. We learned a lot about the Frank family including how Anne had rewritten her journals when she came across the idea that this could one day be published. She wanted to be a famous journalist, she loved the spotlight. Also we learned that there still is no one to be blamed for ratting out the Frank family. They have some suspisions but not enough evidence to say who let the word out.


Disgust

After Anne Franks house we went back to the bus, it was time to get dinner and then head back to our hotel and pack up our luggage for tomorrow. Dinner was really good, it was chineese food but I had this amazing noodle and shrimp plate which I thought was delicious. Sleep and then seven hour bus ride, exciting.

Tomorrows POST will be short if anything, mainly just drove around and ate food!

May 5th

WRITTEN MAY6th 8:15
May 5th Events

We woke up, got out of bed, went downstairs and ate some breakfast then piled into the bus. We were off to the main celebration for the liberation of the Netherlands, but first we were going to see the Royal palace. I didn’t know what the palace would be like but I kind of had an idea in my head, when we got there I realized it wasn’t much like the one I had thought up, but still very cool.



Sadly we didn’t have enough time to actually go into the building because we first went into the gardens and lost track of time then had to be back at the bus, it was very unfortunate but at least the gardens were beautiful.









After the palace we drove to the celebration, it was crazy there was so many people there! The streets were blocked off and full of bodies. We went for our lunch which was suppose to represent what the soldiers ate in the war it was instant heat up rice, apple juice and an apple surprisingly it wasn’t all bad. We then had some free time to look around where I got some cool pictures and saw a group of military soldiers holding rifles, not sure if they were loaded or just for show though.










We then were to wait for the parade to start, our flag that we had mad was going to be in the parade along with each other schools flag. Originally I wasn’t going to be in the parade but then I was asked if I wanted t o walk with them and take photos, so I said yes and I am so happy I did. The parade was simply incredible, I don’t know how to say how amazing it was. The streets were filled with people, our director said there would be some sixty thousand people at the parade! Everyone was cheering us on and yelling Canada and even singing our anthem! They really appreciate everything Canada has done and they are very passionate about it. For the whole walk I couldn’t stop smiling as we handed out pins and gave little children high fives and singing with the people. Just amazing.













It took awhile to get out of there as you can imagine but we managed. Then headed back to our hotel for dinner and to have some time to relax. Flipping through the channels on the tv we found STAR WARS. I was pretty excited, then we went to bed and that leads me to now on the bus heading to Amsterdam, everyone is asleep except me and Yohan, who is our driver, he is pretty much the best guy ever! Perhaps its time to take a nap, until tomorro

May 4th

Written at 12:00 pm wednesday night

On the fourth of may we went to Groesbeek in Holland. It was a very nice town despite the three teenagers speeding back and fourth down the streets on a mo-ped. The bus ride there wasn't to bad, it was cool because we had crossed the border and the funny thing was that there wasn't any stops or secruity, just passed the imaginary line into the Netherlands.

First off we went to the museum in Groesbeek which was directed towards the airborne unit that had dropped into Groesbeek and battled against the Germans. Outside there were vehicles from the war as well as a tank. The museum was very cool, we learned a lot about that particular battle in Groesbeek.





After the museum we went to have lunch, with a lot of other groups. We were all put into this big building with different gymnasiums and food courts where we had Hollon style mac and cheese. It was a lot different but i loved it! We then went on looking around Groesbeek and then we ended up getting ready for the celebration in Groesbeek for the 65th anniversary. All the schools were lined up with their flags that each school had made and once we were all ready we walked.





As you can see there was a lot of people.

We got to the cemetery where over 2000 graves lie. Again for everyone overwhelming emotions were felt as speeches were given both in dutch and english. The people from the Netherlands are extremely thankful and grateful for everything and they will never forget. They showed great compassion and care towards Canada.





After speeches, singing anthems and a two minute of silence, we all lit the candles that were laid infront of the grave we had been standing before . All Canadian students with EF each had their own grave that they stood at for the ceremony. It was really a moving time.

That pretty much summarizes our day don't want to drag or anything aha
anyway its twelve fourty at night and were getting up at around six fourty-five to drive to Amsterdam, very excited!..... Can't wait to write about todays events. It was truly amazing, once in a lifetime experience, never have I or my fellow peers felt that way before. Just Amazing.

Till tomorrow!

May 3rd

May 5th 8:35 AM

MAY 3RD EVENTS

Today we are starting with a visit to the memorial for the battle of the Somme. Just like Juno beach, it was a pretty strong time. The land was has been untouched since the war and therefore all the trenches and holes from artillery are still present.



Around eight hundred soldiers from Newfoundland had a task to do, it was to get to the front lines of the Somme and keep up the attack against the Germans. Almost all the soldiers didn’t make it out alive. There was only one tree that was left on the battlefield after that, it was the furthest that the Newfoundlanders. Standing on the field I could imagine it all happening right in front of me.

We were off to the Vimy Ridge memorial site now, we got to walk through the restored trenches as well as go through one of tunnel systems that the Canadians had used to get from one place to another safely, we were walking in there foot steps.




Vimy is a very important site for Canadians, it was the first time that all four Canadian divisions had come together for one battle. Everyone else had tried to take Vimy because it was the highest point in the area making it easier to know what your opponent was up to. Everyone who tried to take it, had failed until the Canadians came along and took that hill but with severe casualties.

We headed up the road to see the monument, it was amazing, words cannot express!






We then went to the Flanders Field museum which was very cool. There was so much information and all different kinds of things on display. It took awhile to get through that but after we had gone off to get some chocolate from one of the three candy shops in the square. We then attended the Menin Gates post-ceremony, overall I think we all had a good day

May 2nd

8:15 AM May 3rd

SUNDAYS MAY 2nd JOURNAL

Normandy- Juno beach highlights

It was time to leave the breath taking city of Paris and head off to Normandy. The bus ride was about three and a half hours, which wasn’t so bad because we got to watch Saving Private Ryan. We headed for Juno beach where the Canadians landed on D-Day. We first saw the museum, this is how it came to be, sometime around the 1980’s two veterans had come back to juno beach to see the area and noticed there was no memorial sites and so they made the Juno Beach Center.





To the beach we went, it was a very strong part in our day, for me anyway. We were standing where thousands of Canadians had jumped off the boats and charged their enemies. We standing on sand and rock that had once been covered with blood and the gore of war. We gathered around in a semicircle and had our wreath in front of us. We talked about different things on the war had a couple readings and a two minute of silence. It was very powerful. I grabbed a rock that I plan on keeping for a long long time.







The next thing was also to be very powerful, we were going to see one of the Canadian cemeteries for fallen soldiers. I walked up and down reading the names and the age of each soldier. I don’t know how to describe how I felt, it was something I had not felt before. Thinking about all the soldiers and the huge sacrifice, thinking what was running through their heads on their last days alive was something really powerful.




We gathered at the center of the cemetery and recited Flanders Field then we had five minutes before going back onto the bus. I went off to put my poppy cross on a grave.
We drove to dinner and then drove back to our hotels. A good day indeed

8:25 AM MAY 2st Saturday

MAY 1ST EVENTS

The day started with a wake up call around seven followed by showers and breakfast. I shaved and ended up cutting myself right under my nostril, it bled for a long time and had to keep a piece of tissue on it for awhile...Breakfast was eggs, sausage, coffee and some other small things, it was pretty good. We were all very tired, but VERY excited to start our day in Paris.




Our first thing on the to do list was to take a city tour of Paris, we had done a little bit of this yesterday but the other school we are paired with wasn’t with us till last night, so we went with them. We saw a lot of things including the Arch of Triumph.





After our tour we went on to the Notre Dame cathedral, we had free time to get lunch and to go inside the cathedral if we pleased. We went inside and it was very nice, just amazing architecture. We got out just in time to meet up with our group again where we hit the metro.







I imagined the subways were going to be extremely hectic and busy but since it was a big holiday there it wasn’t as busy as normal, so Sigi says. Getting on off the subways was always really fun because it was like a game, had to get on and off before that buzzer went and the door closed!

The girls went into the Perfume Museum and the guys went out to a little tavern for a snack. Afterwards waiting outside for the girls a couple of of guys came up to us tried to sell us all these little key chains and things, huge rip off. These people were everywhere! Trying to scam you into buying things and they would not give up. I found out how to get rid of them first, “Hey those guys over there look like they need key chains” or “That group was eyen up your key chains go make a sale!”. I found that worked a couple times, if not then when they ask for eight euro say “no one euro final offer” then they leave or they will drop the price to five or three euro. They are persistent little guys.




Before we went to go get some dinner we went to see one of the domes and the shops around the area. At this market there were all different types of people walking around with artists boards, my friend told me they do your portrait, so she got hers done and a couple of us watched. Then we went up to one of the high levels near the dome overlooking Paris, there was a man doing a bunch of crazy tricks on the stone railing with a soccer ball.









We then went on to get dinner which was quite nice, Quiche, scalped potatoes, pork and for desert chocolate éclairs. It was delightful. To the canal we went for a boat tour which was pretty nice, got some great photos. Then to the Eiffel Tower where went to the very top! It was an amazing view I just couldn’t believe it. When we came back down the lights on the tower were on and it couldn’t have looked any better.







Back to our hotels to hit the hay. Normandy in the morning!

Versailles and after

9:10 AM Friday 30th

Versailles was such a sight. I wish that we could have stayed longer but it worked out because my camera was about to die! When we first got there we got split into two groups, the first went into the palace and the second went for lunch. I was in awe when we saw the first parts of the palace, then when we walked out to the gardens it was overwhelming. The gardens were absolutely beautiful. Filled with statues and freshly trimmed trees, and different kinds of greenery.


Walking over to the main part of the garden we saw the back of the palace and the enormous garden. There was big ponds and big statues. The only thing that would have been nice would for there to be have no other people there; that I would pay a lot of money for.






After taking a tour of the gardens we went into the palace with our guide, Pierre. He was a very informative and friendly Frenchmen. He knew everything there was to know about the palace and the history of it. There was a story to every piece of marble, and there was a lot of marble. After seeing room after room, and hearing about all the kings mistresses and the multiple bed rooms that he had, we all got back together and took off back to the main part of Paris where he had about an hour and a half free time then dinner at Flem's. The food was interesting, many kids didn’t like it so they went to look for something else. What we had was a flat bread with melted cheese, ham, onions and we put salad on it aswell.

After getting crapes and meeting back at our spot we heading for the bus back to the hotel. By this time I was extremely tired and feeling like I could sleep for a whole day. We got our rooms and up we went, then hung around for a bit and to bed we went! It was a nice day 