Vimy Ridge

It´s Sunday September 28th, I awake to a morning full of fog. The gracious Vimy Local, Georges Devloo has set aside time to drive me up to the ridge and take me to the surrounding memorials.

The mood is very somber as we approach the first world war one grave site...as the fog slowly clears you can make out one...two...three hundred...thousands of small crosses lining the field. There were more crosses in this field then all the towns surrounding Rocky Mountain House. I believe over 44 thousand german soldiers are burried here.

Next stop was the trenches and no mans land. Pictures do not give justice to the magnitude of this area. Yes grass is now growing all over the land, but you can still make out the trenches and shell shocked land. The mix of fog and sunlight made this area a place to just stand and gaze at how less then a hundred years ago thousands before me lost their lives at this very spot.

After the trenches I made the slow ascent to the glorious white tipped...Vimy Ridge. Walking alongside the fighting fields and then rounding the corner and seeing Vimy for the first time, was breathtaking. Now I´ve seen pictures of this monument before, but witnessing with your own eyes the shinning white monument, nestled against the perfectly still landscape that surrounds it, you cannot just stand and be image blinded.

As I climbed the steps of the monument and looked across the land I imagined what it would have been like with a war going on. I walked along each and every name engraved at the site, I touched the statues and just standing on this holy land I couldn´t help, but feel extremely proud to be Canadian.

Monsieur Devloo then took me for lunch, where he treated and then drove me around the the numerous other memorials skattered across the land. Most chalk full with fallen Canadian soldiers. Again standing alongside the memorials, I felt honored to be amongst them as well as gracious for life and an appreciation of death, if that makes any sense.

Finally I was shown pictures of the surrounding towns, before and after the war. The demolition was immense as most of these picturesque towns were flatened by the war. It was unbelievable, standing there in a town, now fully rebuilt seeing the pictures of how there was nothing remaining after 1918.

Vimy Ridge is an absolute marvel that needs to be witnessed first hand...again I´ll say it, pictures and words do not give this area justice...You need to see it and basically feel it to know what I mean.

Lastly the most touching moment had nothing to do with the tour at all. It had to do with the gentleman driving me around. Monsieur Devloo would not take my money even though he had driven me around all day and bought me lunch. He said that it was his way of repaying back Canada. I asked him to explain, he replied..."Canada was the only country who saved his town in more ways then one. One was from the war and secondly when France couldn´t afford to build schools and community buildings in the area, Canada was the only country who gave with wanting nothing in return." I was dissapointed in myself for not bringing more Canadian trinkets to give the guy, but he says he loves it the most when people he´s giving a tour with write him letters.