Saturday 30 May 2015

Canals, Tunnels and Champagne - ish Elegance

canal side wildflowers
atop a Napoleonic canal at Riqueval
Our final few days in France have been spent pootling along the champagne route, strolling along canals, and stumbling on Australian War Memorials. We’ve seen stunning wild flower fields, elegant chateaux, and massive canal boats full of tourists toasting us with champagne. 

maybe we could swap Dickie for this mansion in Champagne
One aire happened to be located atop a canal tunnel built by Napolean’s army in the early 19th century which was used by the Germans in the First World War along the Hindenburg Line. This is where we found the Australian Memorial for the Fourth Battalion which lost around 10,500 men and left thousands more injured. As we drove around this area it was a poignant site to see the many war graves for so many different nations.
Memorial to Australian 4th Battalion on the Hindenburg Line
The boys enjoy some hot grape action in Mutigny
It’s a little bit sad to be going home after nine and a half thousand miles and 6 months on the road but there are worse places to go than Cornwall and we’re quite looking forward to redecorating, house hunting, and kayaking. And anyway, we’re seeing friends in Deal and Marlborough along the way so the fun is not over yet.


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