Wandering through France..............

Greetings dear Reader, the Gap Year Wanderings continue..........since my last post I've spent time enjoying the company of good friends in Spijkenisse, the Netherlands. Then we set off on a road trip to the Dordogne region of France for a visit with other friends.

On our trip through France we visited the historical sights of the WWI Battle of the Somme. First stop was the Historical Museum of the Great War located in Perrone which provides an excellent introduction to the WWI battlefields of the Somme. It allows the visitor to see how the soldiers lived on & behind the front lines. In addition it provides insight into how the civilian population lived in Peronne which was heavily bombarded and almost destroyed between1914 & 1918.

French, Turkish & Australian army uniforms......

Hanging in a local cafe, this is typical of many acknowledgments of Australia's significant contribution to liberating Perrone in 1918..........

Next stop was the National Australian Memorial located at Villers-Bretonneux. This imposing memorial was built in 1938, it's walls bear the names of the 11,000 missing Australian soldiers who died in France. In front of the memorial is a Commonwealth War Cemetery. From the top of the memorial's tower, panoramic views of the Somme countryside that the Australian troops helped to defend can be seen. This memorial is the site of an annual Anzac Day Dawn service organised jointly by the village of Villers-Bretonneux & the Australian Embassy.

From the Somme we continued on to the rural village of Villamblard in the Dordogne region where we are enjoying the hospitality of Sheila & Bryan who retired to this gorgeous part of the world 15 years ago.

The weather's been perfect - sunny & dry, just right for roaming about the village and relaxing by the pool with the occasional dip to cool off!

Out and about in Villamblard.........

The village is busy preparing for the arrival of the Tour de France scheduled to pass through the village on 26 July. Shop windows are being decorated and the town square has been adorned with brightly painted bikes.........

The hairdresser's cheerfully decorated window.......

My time in France is fast coming to an end. I'm at Bergerec airport waiting for a flight to London. Tomorrow I'm off to Wales for a week of glorious weaving..........  Until the next post  ............ Au Revoir, K