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Day 4 - August 24

Sorry folks I was too gassed to write the blog for day 3 on day 3, the tour to Northern Ireland was 12 hours long and we did some substantial hiking that day, over 12km, we've put on about 50 km so far. I'm still a day behind on the blog but hoping to get caught up as we speak.

Day 4 started a little later got to sleep in till 7:30am, was glorious! We had tickets to tour the Guinness Brewery which was about a 25 minute walk from our Hostel so we hit the streets around 9, it was another beautiful day and we saw some interesting sites along the way, sure glad I'm not driving or trying to park a car in Dublin.

It sounded like Aurther Guinness was quite the guy, very forward thinking. He learned to make lager from his father and did so for 20 years until he heard Londoners were drinking porter so he switched and perfected his beer. He married one of the wealthiest women in Dublin who's dowry helped him finance the brewery, they had 21 children and he signed a 9000 year lease for the site. So looks like there will be no issues for a while getting a pint.

A big shout out to our tour guide Zelda who was a great Guinness Historian. 5 Stars!

The tour ended in the Guinness Pub and with a tutorial on how to pour the perfect pint. You start with the pour, then you let it settle till the colour changes, then the back pour to top it up and let it settle again followed by a generous drink to taste all the flavours. You know I wouldn't say that Guinness was my go too for a pint before this trip but that may have changed, it not only good for you but its delicious too!

The last stop was at the Gravity Bar on the top floor of the building, the last pint was free so how could you not and the view was amazing.

Our next stop was at the Archives where we met with Aiden a Genealogist who gave us some amazing history about Ireland, areas of Ireland that Surnames came from and when they left Ireland and where they went too.

I was looking for some information on my heritage but unfortunately there are very few records before 1829 as England would not allow the Catholic Church to keeps records then. The names and dates for my O'Connor side of the family in Kerry County did not match any records on file. On the Toole side there was one match in Kilmoymey, Mayo County. He said there were a lot of Toole's from Mayo County, nothing confirmed as of yet but did give some places and names to research. So you never know, either way is was such a great experience and history lesson.

Next up Trinity College. Built on top of an old Monestary where in 16th century tens of thousands of people were housed, died and buried due to the black plague, its on 47 acres in the center of Dublin. It was pretty much an English boarding school where the aristocrats sent their 13-14 year old sons.

The Book of Kells, the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John hand scribed in Latin by Monks on velum in the 9th century in a Monestary in Scotland. After numerous Viking raids it was moved to Ireland and where it had been stolen, its gold embossed cover taken, the book buried than found and finally given to Trinity College for safe keeping. The Book is under a glass case and we were super fortunate that it was out for viewing. No pics allowed for obvious reasons, the book was turned to pages 308 & 309, John 6 vs 28-42.

We were so fortunate to see the Book of Kells display and a page displayed, the long room library which is getting a reno and will close soon and the new electronic display. Looks like that wish of mine payed off at Glendalough.

After the book of Kells we stopped in for some sustenance at the Trinity Hotel, we've put on a lot of kms today and the night isn't over.

Our last event of the evening was a trip on the Gravediggers Ghost Bus where a ghoulish crew walked us through the gate of the old city wall to a medieval church. There we heard the stories of darker times of the plague, the story of the Demon Pig Man at Kilmainham Jail followed up with a trip to the cemetery for stories of hangings. The crew, Emma, Sarah, Sean and Anthony the driver put on a top notch performance complete with a few scares to make you jump in your seats along the way. Finishing up at the Gravediggers Pub for a shot was the perfect finale to an amazing day!

Well, it's almost half midnight and it would seem that I won't be getting caught up today, you will have to Waite for another day for day number 5. Good night!

Day 4 - Photo Album

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Hello all, sorry but due to poor cell coverage and wifi days 5 and 6 may be a bit late. Will update the Edventure when I can.

Day 5

Day 5 starts with packing up, saying goodbye to the Global Hostel and finding our way to the Newway Car Hire. The rental location in Downtown Dublin was definitely a challenge, packed tight with cars, exit is up a hill on a corner, let's just say sorry to the car I cut off and the van that honked at me. There was a little mishap with a curb and some pylons along the way too nothing major but the hub cap took a beating. Let's just say getting full coverage was definitely the way to go. Bye for now Dublin thanks for the amazing time!

We left Dublin and headed Nortwest towards Mayo county, next stop Ballina. Our meeting with Aiden the Genealogist gave me some direction on a possible lead for where my Great Great Great Grandfather Edward Toole was born in 1826. In 1826 Ballina was called Kilmoremoy and a lot of Toole's were in this area. Nothing confirmed but it felt right checking out the town.

Having driven 3 hours and walking around the Village we were a wee peckish and stopped in at Daniel's restaurant for lunch. We started off with the smoked salmon toast followed by peppercorn steak, chocolate cheesecake with raspberry sauce and Irish coffee for Debbie and an Americano for myself, I still had driving to do. I forgot to take a pic of our appy but the salmon came from the butcher next door, you could smell the smoked salmon on the street it smelled sooooooooo good.

As you may or may not know I am a bit partial to the churches so it seemed fitting to stop in at St. Muredach's Cathedral, mom would have wanted me too. I lit a candle for brother Jack, Mom and Dad then prayed for all your soles. I wanted to see Father and ask forgiveness for my leanings toward the drink but alas the confessional was empty, took that as a sign from St. Patrick that I was still on the right path.

Day 5 will continue at a later time, I've got to get dressed for a wedding.

After our visit to the Cathedral we checked out the ruins of a 15th century Abby. We then walked about Ballina, grabbed a flat white at Jimmy's then hit the road.

After a couple hour drive we arrived at our last destination for the day, Galway City on the West coast of Ireland. We went straight to St. Jude's Lodge B & B operated by identical twin brothers Sean and Doolin. It was a quaint little place and a serious upgrade from the ole Global Hostel, and a short 10 minute walk to the city centre.

We took a stroll into Galway and checked out the streets it was very busy, lots of cute little shops, pubs and people everywhere. After cruising around, getting a drink we grabbed some room snacks and headed for bed, another big day tomorrow.

Day 5 Photo Album

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Day 6 - August 26th

You guessed it, day 6 starts with an Irish breakfast then Brian our tour guide and driver from Lally Tours picked us up in front of St. Jude's for a visit to the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Isles.

Our bus ride passed by the burren (mountain of rock) which had famine walls built in 1845 all on top that lead to nowhere. It took around 2 hours for the bus to reach the ferry terminal at Doolin which translates to Black Pool.

Cliffs of Moher

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Pictures and words do not do justice to the cliffs, they are truly magnificent!

In the pics you can see the signal towers that were built by the British that would be lit just like on Lord of the Rings. They were to signal the invasion of Napoleon, he never came.

The Aran Isle, Inis Oirr

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After the tour of the cliffs we stayed on the ferry and 18 of us headed over to the smallest Aran Island. We had the choice of walking, biking or horse drawn wagon, Sonny the horse and Ollie the driver won the toss. This island is covered by rock, for centuries the people here have been breaking the rock, stacking it into walled off sections then the fill them with sand and seaweed. I couldn't imagine the back breaking work they did. It was a very unique place where they speak and are taught in Irish.(Gaelic). It had a peaceful vibe, Ollie spoke very gently while pointing out structures and the history.

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There is an ancient hidden church buried into the ground, most likely so the Vikings could not see the church from the sea. There is also the burial tomb of St. Kevin both very cool.

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The British Red Coats built this tower and fortress in the 16 th century, the walls are over 3 feet thick of rock. Couldn't imagine how cold it would have been, it's not like there's any trees to burn here.

The rock walls are friction fit, no mortar and they are tightly packed and solid. Very impressive how level and well made they are, apparently held up last year to a hundred year storm.

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Also on the island is the burial mound of an Celtic Chief dating back to 2500 BC.

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We even had just enough time for a bowl of seafood chowder and an Irish coffee in the local restaurant before catching the ferry back to Doolin. Sooo good!

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Back on the bus and hit a few photo spots to finish off the tour in Galway where we were dropped off in the city centre. A big shout out to Brian our guide and Lally tours!

This here is Greedy Gus, we stopped to grab a few snacks before walking back to the car and hitting the road. This guy swooped down, poked Debbie's hand and took off with my amazing looking danish. Flew across the street, popped it out of the wrapper and gulped it down, guess I'll never know how good it could have been.

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After a 2 hour drive through dark, narrow, windy roads we arrived at 10pm at the Kinnitty Castle. We checked in and got settled in then headed to the dungeon.

We met up with my nephew Mat, his fiancé Kat, nephew Jason and others from the wedding party. Tomorrow we attend the marriage of Mat and Kat!

Good night day 6!

Day 7 - Mat and Kat's Wedding Day!

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The venue, Kinnitty Castle just awesome, and by awesome I mean totally awesome!

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Day 7 started with a trip to Birr and a visit to the Moonflower Creative Studio. (I'm sure Debbie will love me sharing these, but she looked beautiful!

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While the gals were getting ready the lads went to a whiskey tasting and tour of the grounds. Kinnitty Castle has its own whiskey, our host Conor did a spectacular job with generous pours and provided some excellent history of the grounds.

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Minister Pat did an amazing job with the ceremony, brought together the family history, Calgary history, Irelands history and how it related to the wedding couple, their families and the love they now share.

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The wedding ceremony, amazing. The dinner, amazing. The party, totally amazing. Debbie and I were privileged to have been invited to such a glorious event, thank you Mat & Kat!

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Day 8

Before saying goodbye to Kinnitty Castle we walked out the estate, we happened upon a magical land, the Fairy Trail.

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We had nothing booked for day 8, no tour, no accommodation, no agenda. We decided we should head South and see how much of the Ring of Kerry we could get in. We started at Killarney, made a stop at Quinlan's for the absolute best fish n chips in Ireland in Killorglin then made our way around the ring stopping for photo opps and ice cream along the way. It was a very very beautiful journey, made it all the way to Kenmare, checked out some accommodations but at $950 to $1150 a night we decided to carry on to Cork.

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We arrived in Cork around 7pm, it took a while to get our bearing and find parking, it was Friday night in Cork and it was hoping. Checked into the Ashley Hotel, walked around downtown and enjoyed a pint before calling it at night. Another long but spectacular day, our 8th day is in the history books.

Day 9

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We said goodbye to the Ashley Hotel in downtown Cork and headed to the port of Cork 25 minutes down the road. We got right in to the Titanic Experience, in 1912 Cork was called Queenstown and it was the last stop before departuring for New York. 123 passengers boarded in Queenstown, Debbie and I were each given the name of a passenger that boarded so we could see if they survived or not at the end.

I was Dr. William Minaham in first class and Debbie was Bridget Bertha Moran in third class. There was quite the difference between the first class estate rooms and third class rooms where there would be 10 beds in a room. Although the third class did have running water and served food which other ships did not at that time, you were expected to pack your own food, for 10 days.

The Titanic experience was very interesting yet sad and tragic story, crazy how advanced the ship was and how easy it failed. Dr. William unfortunately did not make it and was last seen lifting his wife and daughter into a life boat. Bridget faired better and was saved, women and children first.

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After the Titanic experience we grabbed a snack and headed to the Blarney Woollen Mills for a little shopping. It was bhaaaaaaaad ass!

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A short 5 minute walk down the path we came to Blarney Castle, the grounds were grand and massive could have walked around all day. We headed for the castle, the sign said caution arduous climb with uneven footing. They weren't kidding, and watch yee noggin the doorways were low too. We made our way winding up and through to each level and each room until we came to the Blarney Stone on the roof. Now most folk would lay on their back and kiss the stone upside down, that was not an option as I would still be laying there so I improvised. The journey back down was just as arduous but we took our time, it was worth it, the castle was very impressive 5 stars all the way.

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After Blarney we headed North back to Dublin for our last night in Ireland. We got onto a toll highway to cut off some time, passed a Toole Transport truck, looks like we were destined to be truckers on both sides of the family.

We managed to get a room where Jim and family were staying at the Court Yard Hotel, Mat and Kat were the only ones who knew we were coming. We arrived and watched Jim and Charlene walk into the hotel, we snuck through check in and got to our room without being spotted. Once they were all sitting in the pub we snuck in and sat down, very funny.

The Court Yard is on the location where Guinness started, it was a very nice hotel and was great to hang with the family one more time. We said our goodbyes, Jason and I had one last pint then hit the sack. Safe travels all.

Day 10 - Goodbye Ireland and Hello UK.

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Day 10, September 30th began at 4:30am. We had to return the car hire (rental car) to the airport then make our way to the ferry port. After a frustrating nightmare trying to find the rental car return location we had pretty much given up that we would arrive at the port in time to catch the ferry. Thankfully Brian our taxi driver knew exactly where to go and the best route to take, he got us there with 3 minutes to spare, the agent was waiting at the desk with our tickets in hand.

We boarded the ferry and made it to Holyhead Wales, made it through the terminal and are currently on the train to London where this Ed&Debventure will continue.

Goodbye Ireland, you are a magical land where the people are the most friendly and welcoming sort I've ever met. Our time here has been amazing and I suspect if the stars align we will return again.

Day Ten TBC - Next Stop Euston Station London

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We arrived at Euston Station 4 hours earlier than our planned itinerary which was awesome, not sure how arriving after 7:30pm would have gone. After a chat with the info peeps we walked 10 minutes down the street and went to the subway station. Another short train ride to Aldgate and then another 15 minute walk and we arrived at our planned destination, the Wombat City Hostel.

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The walk to the hostel wasn't bad but we were tired so we checked in, got settled and headed to the Wombar in the basement for a pint. The hostel is a serious upgrade from the hostel in Dublin, the single beds are another funny edition too our Edventure.

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Upon recommendation of Debbie's friend Julie we walked about 20 minutes down to the Prospect of Whitby Pub. This pub is over 500 years old and I'm sure has some stories to tell, it over looks the Thames and even has a hanging post out back from darker times.

The atmosphere was lively, we got there just in time to score a spot outside on the patio and the food was absolutely scrumptiouss.

It was a nice meandering walk back to the Wombat, very pretty in the darkness. And the perfect ending to the day. Good night London day ten is complete, till tomorrow!

Day 11 -

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Day 11, up we got and after an easy 10 minute walk we arrived at the Tower Hill subway station where we caught the district line to St. James Park, then another quick 10 minute walk and we arrived at Buckingham Palace. We had tickets for the state room tour and garden tour, sorry no pics of the palace were allowed but I can assure you it is incredibly impressive. Debbie and I walked got to walk where all Royalty and dignitaries would have waked, attended formal parties and where King Charles works. The artwork, tapestries and sculptures each king had acquired over the centuries were also impressive. Following the palace tour we walked through the garden area which unfortunately was in some areas dry and not as vibrant due to the current drought and heat wave this year, but it was still worth the visit.

Buckingham Palace was on Debbie’s must see list, she’s a big Royals fan and neither of us were disappointed. Words cannot describe the grandeur and magnificence, if only we could have taken a few pics.

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We said goodbye to the palace but not before checking out the horse guards. No I did not get bit but you could see the one horse thinking about it.

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Next we made our way down to the parliament building and on the way checked out 10 Downing Street, Big Ben and Winston Churchill till be ended up at Westminster Abby.

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London has all sorts of modes of transportation to get around, we hoped on the boat bus which travels up and down the Thames river which brought us back to Tower Bridge. You get to see all the landmarks, new construction and also go under London Bridge and Tower Bridge, they go big in London!

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After departing the boat bus we walked over Tower Bridge, past the Tower of London and made our way to the Hung Drawn and Quartered Pub where we met our friend Shelly who lives here. The pub’s location has a gruesome past and is the site where people convicted of high treason were executed and was near Tower Hill. The pub has portraits of the famous historical traitors throughout with and depictions of its dark past. We shared a couple pints and an amazing meal, the meat pies in London are to die for, no pun intended. Great conversation with some good laughs was really awesome to get caught up. We ended the evening with a stroll along the river London at night on the Thames is pretty spectacular, we then said goodnight to Shelly and walked back to the Wombat. A as always we put a lot of miles on today but all totally worth it.

Day 12 - September 1st

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Day 12 starts off with a nice 8 minute walk to Tower Bridge, along the way we stopped to check out a section of the original city wall built by the Roman’s who eventually abandoned the city around 400 AD. It’s impressive to see a 2000 year old structure of this magnitude still standing, looks like it will be here in another 2000 years..

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Tower Bridge, we snagged tickets for the very first booking of the day and we were second in line, you had the choice of the lift or stairs so we chose the stairs. It was a wise choice as while you walk up there were several levels where you could talk to a historian, watch a movie on the building of the tower and read a ton of information. At the top we walked across the high level walkways that connect the two towers which are 42 meters or 142 feet up. We even mustered up the guts to walk across the glass walkway sections, that was interesting. It was one of the highlights of our trip to London if you ever get the chance I recommend it, they were building the tower around the same time Calgary was just getting started, crazy.

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The Tower of London, where do I begin… The tower was build by William the Conqueror in the late 11th century and was the first to be built out of stone to show the might of the Norman’s. Over the centuries the Kings added to the tower, like King Edward I aka Longshanks and King Henry the Eight. This is the site where Anne Boleyn was both coronated and beheaded along with other high profile traitors.

The tower site is large and impressive showing 1000 years of history including tons of gold like the coronation jewels, procession sceptres, swords and all the Crown Jewels. Sorry, once again no pics allowed for this part of the tour. It’s also a must see on any visit to London..

The Tower of London is an impressive site on the banks of the Thames river, it would be pretty intimidating sailing up the river and seeing it in the 1100s. There is so much to see, we spent 4 hours touring all the buildings, walking the entire wall walk, listening to the Yeomen and watching the changing of the guards.

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After the Tower of London we decided we should walk down and check out London bridge, along the way we came upon rows of fencing for a Harry Potter. After talking to one of the event staff we scored tickets to an interactive Harry Potter experience that was only happening on day 12 and you needed tickets to get in, score! First thing you did was answer a bunch of questions to figure out what house you belonged in, Debbie in Hufflepuff and I in Gryffindor. It was in the old Billingsgate fish market building and you wound your way through dark halls until you entered the experience where you boarded the train at the 9 3/4 station. You then made your way to an area where they gave away a pile of swag and took your picture I’m sure we’ll be in the back of the next HBO Harry Potter series. It was super cool, Eilidh you would have loved it.

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Our last stop of the day was right across the street from the Billingsgate at the Walrus and The Carpenter Pub. We met Shelly after she finished work for one final pint and said our goodbyes before walking back to the Wombat for the last time. It was a short whirlwind Edventure to London but worth every second and we packed in a lot, no regrets.

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Day 13 - Goodbye England Hello France

Day 13, we packed up and left the Wombat in an Uber for the St. Pancras train station. We boarded the Eurostar and headed to Paris where we immediately picked up a rental car and left the city. Paris was nuts, traffic was gridlocked and we spent over an hour driving in circles, we finally made it out of town and headed North. Our first stop in France is in Amiens, a small little city also with a lot of history which we will be checking out tomorrow. We found a nice little spot the B&B Hotel in downtown Amiens and for a great price when compared to Dublin and London. Not much more to report for day 13, mostly travel but if you can, go by train it’s an amazing way to get places, they do it right over here. Bonne nuit!

Sorry for the wait there is very poor reception and wifi won't load pics, will try again.

Day 14

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Today Debbie and I are visiting WWI memorials and first thing we are headed to the village of Caix and to the Caix British Cemetery. Caix is 36 km SE of Amiens and the cemetery sits just outside of the villiage past a grove of trees and is surrounded by corn fields, lush farm land and walnut trees. It is a very quiet and tranquil place, somewhere I've wanted to visit for over 40 years.

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We are here to visit the final resting place of Corporal Edward Toole, my great uncle and namesake. When growing up my great uncle Joe from San Francisco would visit us and tell me about his brother Edward and how he died in WWI. Years later he wrote me a letter and told me where he was buried in France, I've wanted to come here ever since and so thankful Debbie was along for the journey. It took us a bit to find Uncle Edward as I thought he was in Row 11, he was in the first row as you entered the cemetery, there is a red rose growing beside his grave. It was an emotional experience and I'm honoured to have visited this site and honoured to share his name. It is comforting to know that he is surrounded by nature and in such a peaceful place.

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At the front of the cemetery is a plaque with depictions of the battles and the front lines of WWI. There is also information about the war of Amiens and Caix. Beside it was a registery with more information on Caix, the cemetery, those buried here and a register that Debbie and I both signed.

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Corporal Edward Toole
Canadian Infantry 31st Battalion

Edward Toole immigrated from Scotland only a few years before WWI, he signed up in Calgary with the 31st Battalion in 1914 and in 1915 left Quebec on the RMS Carpathia, landed in England on May 28, 1915 and arrived in Boulogne France on September 18, 2015.

Died August 09, 1918 Aged 27 years old.
Son of Helen Toole, of Calgary, and the late Patrick Toole.

"In life dearly loved, in death fondly remembered"

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We paid our final respects and said goodbye to great uncle Edward. We drove back into the village of Caix and walked around a bit, there are no shops, no cafe and no business, a very small quiet farming village. As you walked along the narrow winding streets you could envision troops walking down the streets so many years ago.

We said goodbye to Caix and had about an hour and a half drive to our next WWI memorial Vimy Ridge. But for this story you will have to wait, it is after 11:00pm, the internet is slow and I'm trying to update the blog on my cell phone which complicates things. (Also changes the look of the blog in case you've wondered) Debbie and I did have another Magnifique day of touring the sites, so stay tuned for more Edventures tomorrow. Good night!

Day 14, Part Deux

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Vimy Ridge, you read about it in Social Studies, you watch the commercials during the week of Remembrance day but you don’t get the significance of the event or the grandeur of the monument unless you see it. You can see the monument from all areas of the Vimy Ridge park which is considered Canadian soil. The battle of Vimy Ridge is the largest amount of Canadians lives lost in battle in any war to date, over 11,000 men perished here. It is truly awe inspiring, the names of all the fallen soldiers are chiseled into the monument. We walked around the monument paying our respects, it is on top of the tallest ridge and you can see for miles in every direction hence its importance during WWI.

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The park is very large, we drove around stopping to look at the cemeteries.

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Next we stopped in at the Vimy Ridge information centre where you could read about the history, watch information clips, hear from various historians on the war and why this ridge was vital. The battle of Vimy Ridge took place between April 9-12, 1917 with 4 Canadian division and British and French divisions battling the Germans. Of the armies only the Canadian army accomplished the task and took control of the ridge but at a heavy cost.

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Behind the centre is the actual front line from the battle, you can see in the pictures the craters left from the artillery.

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The Canadian Army brought in miners from Manitoba and Nova Scotia to dig tunnels on the Canadian side of the front line to hide and transport the soldiers. There were 10 kilometres of tunnels, yes 10km, dug through chalk, bagged and stacked outside and quietly, the German front line was only 25 meters away. With a Park guide were escorted through some of the tunnels, they were a long way underground, they were cold and damp, the original tunnels would have been much smaller and shorter, not a great place for tall people or people in general. They went on forever, and ever…

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The Canadian trenches, these recreations are actually 2-3 feet lower than the originals which would have been 8 feet deep. The soldiers took tuns in the trenches and had to be careful looking out, the enemy was only 80 feet away.

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The German trenches were equally impressive, Debbie climbed into one of the underground concrete lookouts. Both trenches are so close together, it’s unfathomable how close when you see it and the fields and forests are still laden with the artillery shell craters throughout the park.

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Some of the soldiers that fought here looked way too young, I cant image what it would have been like. One fact I found out after researching later this evening is that my great uncle Edward Toole fought at Vimy Ridge and survived this battle. The 31st (Alberta) Battalion was part of the 2nd Canadian Division under the command of Brigadier-General Huntley Ketchen 6th Infantry Brigade.

The new Canadian 20 dollar bill with King Charles and the Vimy memorial was released the same day we visited Vimy Ridge, how cool is that.

Day14 is now in the history books, we finally have some decent wifi so I’m hopeful to get you caught up!

Day 15 - World War Two

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We left Amiens and headed to see some WW2 memorials to kick off day 15, first stop Dieppe. This is one of many beaches that Canadian soldiers landed and fought, including the 14th Army Tank Regiment of Calgary. Our neighbour Don Vestrum was a tank instructor during WW2, wish I could share this with him, RIP Don.

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Unfortunately the Canadian War Museum was closed but there was a beautiful garden just around the corner.

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We left Dieppe and went to Juno Beach where the Canadian Forces landed on D-Day. It was raining so we headed for the memorial centre which gives the Canadian perspective of WW2. You start off going down a ramp and watching a video where you are surrounded on three sides of the film that simulates what it would have been like landing on the beach and getting off the transport boat. You then walk through the exhibit that talks about the Canadian environment before the war, the depression and our place on the world stage at the time, how Canada decided to join the war and the battle and those who fought for our freedom.

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Outside of the centre there is a German bunker and pillars with the names of the fallen Canadian soldiers.

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Lastly we went to the beach it went on for miles and miles, my uncle Ronnie Singer landed on this same beach and survived on D-Day. That is an amazing feat. The Canadian forces were able to break through the German coastal defences and establish a bridgehead as far as Caen 18 km South. After getting a bit wet we paid our final respects to Juno beach, in memory of those we knew who fought in WW2. Don Vestrum, Ed Simpson, Ron Singer. R.I.P.

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Our next stop was Hotel La Fontaine in the centre of Caen, the same town the Canadiens helped liberate.

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After checking in we walked around Caen, grabbed a quelques bieres where we had a super awesome waiter. The night was finished off with our own make shift charcuterie of meat, cheese and the absolute best bread on the planet.

Day 16

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Before leaving town we made a visit to the Caen’s Centre for History and Peace. We spent 2 hours looking at the history which included Hitlers rise to power, how he managed to take over France and most of Europe. The propaganda was scary and how one man manipulated the people, not too far off of a few Leaders in the world right now. We could have easily spent another couple hours at the museum but alas it was time to move on and say goodbye to WW1 and WW2. “Lest we forget”

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After Caen we made our way a couple hours further down the coast to the Manoir de Roche Torin Hotel. We chose this hotel for its location to our next tour site which is 9 km away. It is a beautiful hotel surrounded by corn fields, cattle, sheep and has the most amazing view. Our room was on the top floor 3 stories of steep winding oval stairs, thankfully neither of us had any falls. We arrived a little earlier than the norm and enjoyed the area, had an amazing dinner in the restaurant and followed it off with the sunset. Absolutely perfect ending to the day!

Day Seventeen

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Mont Saint Michel, the legend goes the Archangel Michael appeared to Bishop Albert 3 times in a dream to build a church in his honour on this rock on the North shore of France in the Atlantic Ocean. In the third dream Saint Michael touched his finger to Bishop Aubert’s head and burning a hole and he believed the dream. The construction started in 708 AD, in 966 monks took over the island and construction of then Abby begin.

The island is surrounded by the ocean and has some major tides, only guided walks on the sand are allowed as people get caught on the sand and drown, 4 people have died this year.

We started our tour at the information centre where our guide Honorere met us, you can only access the Mont by bus, we walked for half of the journey hearing about various parts of history before catching the bus that took us over the causeway to the mount. From there our group of 18 started the climb up through the nobility entrance, which was made for Kings and dignitaries who would have been carried to the top, there was no one to carry us unfortunately. As we climbed our guide would stop where it was quiet, well, quieter, and tell us more history, the location has been fought for over the last thousand years by the British, Vikings, French and so on, it’s been a church, military post, prison and returned to its calling as a spiritual place of healing and pilgrimage. It has 10 inhabitants and the other 98% are commercial shops and hotels. The location is not for the faint of heart or health, it’s a serious climb to each building and more to the Abby..

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After a couple hours the tour ended and we said goodbye to our guide and tour mates, we then proceeded to the Abby. We climbed up past the shops, up past Saint Pierre’s Church, past the Knights house, then started the long climb of stairs that went on forever stopping several times along the way. The Abby is beyond impressive, it is cared for by 4 monks and 6 nuns. We caught the end of mass when we made it to the Abby, Debbie and I sat in the front row for a while taking it in and saying some prayers before starting to work our way through the 15 rooms below..

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8 men would walk in this hamster wheel and pull the wooden cart full of supplies and building materials up the mount.

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We eventually worked our way down Mont Saint Michel, caught the bus to the parking lot and found our car. We were gone 7 hours in total, worth every second and something I will never forget, the history, scale of construction and spiritual significance is inspiring.

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We finished the day back at the hotel with a great dinner, a great walk, a great sunset and a great kiss.

Day 18

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Day 18, we’ve been gone for a while, visited 3 countries, numerous places and still have one more stop to go, Paris. After some coffee and bread, amazing, amazing bread, we hit the road for our 4 hour drive to Paris. We made it to Gare du Nord station in Paris with not too much hassle, dropped off the rental car and made our way to the People’s Hostel in Bercy. Bercy is about 5km outside of downtown Paris but is perfect, we have a large private room, we’re surrounded by boutique shops and restaurants and the subway station is a 4 minute walk.

Day 19

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We woke up to the sounds of clatter and commotion out our window, when we got to the street it was filled with venders selling everything from giant paper towel rolls, pots n pans, knick knacks and some amazing looking fruit and veggies. We walked through the venders to the subway and caught the M6 to the M14 and got off at Chatelet station then walked 15 minutes to Notre Dame Cathedral.

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Notre Dame Cathedral, out of respect I only took so many pictures, it is a place of worship. This is probably the most impressive church I’ve been too, on the outside it has billboards talking about the restoration efforts from the fire, on the inside the architecture, stained glass, artwork are astounding. The height and size of Notre Dame are almost incomprehensible words and pictures can not do it justice.

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Our next stop, or stops, was to hop on the Big Bus Hop On Hop Off bus. We didn’t do any hopping today, that is for tomorrow but we did ride the full loop for about 2 hours and check out most of the major attractions. It started raining so we hit the subway and made it back to the Hostel, we are planning on taking a deeper look at some of these attractions tomorrow.

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We finished the day with dinner at a cafe down the street and a glass of Bourdeau on our patio. You are now up to date only a couple days left of the European Edventures of Debbie and Ed.

Day 20

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Rise n shine, we got up early and hit the subway for our last full day in Paris we are heading for the Bir-Hakeim station on Metro line 6. Took a bit the day before figuring out how to go from one line to the next but this morning we only have to catch one train for 19 stops.

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Not knowing how long the subway would take and not wanting to be late for our tour we got to our destination too early, so we walked around to figure things out, had breakfast then made a new friend from Greece.

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The Eiffel Tower, built between 1887-1889 and was built as the entrance for the 1889 Worlds Fair and to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. We met our guide Katie who gave us some history on the ground before heading up to the second floor level where we got our second history lesson. Then we went to the summit, to the top, they cram as many of you as possible into the small elevators and up and up and up and up you go. You can see all the landmarks and pretty much forever, it was a very cool experience.

Once we’d seen enough we made our way back down to the second level but the elevator then we walked down the stairs to the first level where we walked on the glass floors and checked out the gift and pizza shop. The Eiffel Tower is an amazing piece of engineering and art, unbelievable it was built in the 1800’s.

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Next up, a river cruise. We hopped on one of the many river cruise boats and went for a 1 hour trip up and down the Seine river. You go by so many of the major landmarks like Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Parliament building and many more it’s definitely a fun way to see the sites.

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Our last stop of the day in downtown Paris was the Louvre, there wasn’t enough time left in the day to go in and according to the guides it would take 4 months to see everything so we walked around then caught the subway back to our Hostel in Bercy.

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It was our last night so we headed down the street and walked around until we found a nice little restaurant for our last supper in Paris and to celebrate an amazing past 3 weeks. Goodnight Paris and goodnight Europe thank you for such an amazing time.

Day 21 - The Journey Home

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September 10th, our last day of our Edventure and my last post. Driving in Paris is a major challenge, wall to wall traffic that barely moves along with motorcycles zipping between the cars so chaotic. We managed through it all and got to the airport early, getting through security at the Charles de Gaul airport was equally chaotic but we gave ourselves lots of time. After a short 8 3/4 hour flight home we arrived back in Calgary and were picked up by Eilidh, thank you Eilidh it’s great to be back.

So that’s it, our trip was amazing with each experience as great as the other. Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, England and France all very hospitable and places I would visit again, hope you enjoyed the journey as much as we did, till next time. Eddie

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