Photos, photos, photos!

by Chris on July 28, 2009

 
You can’t escape the lens! Syd, Jasmine, and Laura get their photo on.

 

Who says size doesn’t matter? Our tour bus dwarfs the locals.

Strutting through Paris. Bhuvana, Jordan, and Laura demonstrate their model walks.
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I have finally had some time to sort, edit and upload some more of the trip photos. Head on over to my Flickr account for the complete set. I will be adding more in the next few days.

Cheers,
Chris

Quick post-trip update

by Chris on July 15, 2009

 

Hi all,

I know several of you were hoping for more updates during the trip, but with the long days and limited internet access, it just didn’t happen. It can be a pretty daunting task to write a post when it’s 11pm and you’ve been going since 7am.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that there will still be new content to see here. Between Laura and I (never mind the students), we have hundreds of photos, a few anecdotes, and a lot of information about the military sites we visited. We’ll be putting some more of that stuff up as we are able. Also, I’m pretty sure that someone will be posting a rap video, shot on location in the Montreal Airport.

Cheers,
Chris

p.s. – A few more pics are up here, with many more to follow.

Day 4

by Chris on July 4, 2009

8:10 am – Ypres, Belgium

Hi all,

I’m running out of time and battery power, but thought I’d post a quick update to let everyone know that we’re all alive and fine. I’m writing this from Ypres. We saw several cemeteries and memorials yesterday and had a chance to witness the Menin Gate ceremony last night. Today we are off to Langemark German cemetery, Flander’s Fields Museum, Tyne Cot, Hil 62 and Passchendale. Should be a bit hectic, but we’ll manage. 

Breakfast awaits. Check back soon.

Cheers,
Chris

Day 1

by Chris on July 3, 2009

Day 1, 4:30 am GMT

I’m sitting comfortably at 36,000 feet, cruising at 588 miles per hour. As I write this the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone lies far below us, under the icy water of the North Atlantic. It’s the only landmark displayed on the in-flight screen in front of me. Apparently the open expanse of the Atlantic is a bit devoid of recognizable landmarks. We’re flying on a Boeing 777–the big one with 9 people across each row. 

We have been watching movies, talking (a lot) and playing cards for the past few hours, but the travel is taking it’s toll, and I appear to be the only one left awake. Which is probably for the best considering when we land in Brussels it will be 10 am and we’ll be immediately getting into the van and getting on the highway. I played a few hands of “Cheat” myself, but they skunked me. Good thing we weren’t playing for Euros (or passports). The students are getting along really well, which is awesome for us to see.

Thought I’d share a few quick photos.

 

 

Due to the sporadic internet access (No internet at cruising altitude? Imagine that!), these blog posts will necessarily be a bit behind our actual progress. No Twitter feeds here. 

 

Day 1, 11 am GMT

We ran. We swirved. We pushed through the crowd, with many an “excuse me,” and an “I’m sorry, we’re running late!” We went through endless Heathrow hallways, each looking more like the last, than the last. We went up and down escalators, stairways, around corners. We passed business travelers, families with suitcases in tow, backpackers, and airport staff. They ate our dust, as we careened through the labyrinthine corridors of one of the largest airports in the world. 

And despite it all, we missed our flight to Brussels. By about 15 minutes. 

So now we sit. And wait. Only about three hours behind schedule, but at least we had

 a chance to get a decent meal. The worst part of the whole ordeal was seeing Jasmine trip and sprawl at full sprint. My heart sank as she went down, but bam! she was up again and going without even a wimper. She’s a trooper.  

 

Check in again soon. We’re going to Brussels, a bit late, but feeling good. And we still have all six students! (kidding, kidding)

Cheers,
Chris

Bio: Curtis Wong

by Curtis on May 25, 2009

Hey everyone! My name is Curtis Wong, and I am a fourteen-year old grade nine student currently attending St. Ambrose School in Calgary, AB. This will be my first time I’ve ever travelled to Europe, and I really can’t explain how grateful and excited I really am to have received this learning opportunity. My entry into the Student Research Contest was an essay detailing the events that took place in Dieppe on August 19, 1942 during WW2, and the sacrifices of the brave Canadian forces there. 4963 Canadians were sent to carry out the mission. After just 8 hours of combat, 907 died and 1874 were taken prisoner. I like to think that it was a good thing in the forming of Canadians’ identity as a country during those times of war, although there are other, mixed opinions on the topic. It really summarizes the ideals and other values we uphold today as a society – helping the oppressed and liberating those in need. I’m really interested in learning as much as I can on this trip, and try to get a first person’s perspective on the battles Canadians went through for our country.

Now a bit about myself… I have been known to be on the shorter height, although I don’t mind the comments too much anymore . I am into sports, including competitive swimming, badminton, and volleyball. I live with my parents, one older sister (gotta love older siblings), and a small, two-year old west highland terrier named Sterling. I also play the piano and the clarinet in my school’s band program. One of the more appealing pit stops on this trip that I’m looking forward to is visiting the Louvre in Paris, Dieppe (gotta be interested in the topic you write about), and visiting Passchendaele. I’m sure we’ll all have a great time as I certainly can’t wait the 38 days until we leave [I'm not counting ]. Feel free to comment or ask questions, and that’s about all for now.

Sincerely, Curtis Wong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me… at Arbour Lake.

Bio: Chris Beauchamp

by Chris on May 22, 2009

My name is Chris Beauchamp and I am seriously excited to be involved in this trip. My background is varied: I spent a few years after high school doing construction and trades jobs in and around Edmonton and Ft. St. John, B.C., before deciding to go back to school. I took political science and history at the University of Calgary, where I also got involved in leadership positions at the U of C student newspaper. I was the News Editor before moving on to Editor-in-Chief, and now use a lot of the skills I learned there in both my freelance work and my day job at an engineering company.

I am a sucker for all aspects of photography, and find it growing to be more of a passion than a hobby. Obviously, I’m happy to have a chance to turn my lenses on this corner of Europe.

I have travelled throughout Canada and the U.S., and have backpakced in Europe before. I get hungry just thinking about sampling the food in Belgium and the Netherlands, even though we’ll only be there for a few days. I also didn’t really appreciate French cuisine the last time I was there, so I plan to make up for lost time.

One of my main aspirations on the trip is to form a more personal connection with the history I’ve been studying for years. I know that being in the geographic locations of these events will make them much more “real” to me.

Ultimately though, I hope to do all I can so that the trip is the best experience it can be for our student contest winners. There is a lot to take in, and we are going to have to work hard to prepare each other to maximize this opportunity. To that end, this blog is a great opportunity to work on a collaborative project with a group of such engaged students. This site is a chance to create something tangible and lasting from the trip which can be shared with friends and family, as well as others interested in Canada’s military history.