France

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Weekly Photo Challenge-Glow

 

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My contribution for this week’s challenge…

Glow

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My glows are from

Arras, France and Geelong

this week.The Arras Bell Tower lit up by surrounding lights.

 

A combination of wall light and flash light

gave an interesting glow to the wall

of St. Germain’s cafe in Arras.

 

During daylight these are just white balls

adorning Geelong’s Foreshore.

However…

 after dark they become glowing beacons.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Glow

(dailypost.wordpress.com)

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Jo’s-Monday-Walk-Wk39_Le-Hamel_Australian-Memorial

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Jo’s Monday Walk

Week-39

Australian Memorial-1

Le Hamel, France

 Back in the Somme Battlefields this week.

There is a Sunday radio program which is

giving this area quite a bit of publicity as

100 year commemorations pass by.

Hence my return to The Western Front I am not exactly sure which way we turned here, however,

I suspect it was left as we had already visited

Villers Bretonneux.

On we drove until we came upon…

 

the small village of…

Le Hamel.

A right turn here had us heading through…

 

more peaceful farm land, until we  arrived…

 

at Le Hamel’s

Australia Corps Memorial Park.

 

Officially rededicated in 2008,

the parking area is…

 

several hundred metres from the memorial.

However, it is a slow walk as there is

plenty of information to be gleaned along the way.

 

I have included this photo for three reasons. 

First, I was based in Arras for the duration of my visit. 

Second, I had no idea these towns were all so close.

Third, my Grandfather was always associaated with:

Villers-Bretonneux, Amiens, Pozieres, Bullecourt,

Paschendale and Menin Road

 

General Sir John Monash was spoken of

with a great deal of reverence by our guide. 

Our guide claimed it was his tactics which

won the First Wold War.

 

During my lifetime I have often heard

how soldiers of both sides could hear 

conversations in the opposition trenches. 

This image shows the

Australian/British trench in blue while

the German trenches are in red. 

Note how close they near the words Villers-Bretonneux.

 

Now, note the scale of this map.

The trenches would have been

barely 150 meres apart at their closest points.

Still we were to visit trenches

which were much closer.

And all among what is now peaceful farming land. 

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walking-logo

Jo’s Monday Walk

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Weekly Photo Challenge-Windows

 

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My contribution for this week’s challenge…

Windows

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A variety of windows this week.

They say that eyes are a window to one’s soul.

I think these gentle eyes truly reflect

the nature of the beast.

Which eyes are really smiling?

First or second shot?

God’s Window in South Africa, not far from Mt Sheba.

The museum at Arras’ Bell Tower provides

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Weekly Photo Challenge:Windows

(dailypost.wordpress.com)

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Cee-BW-Challenge-Back-of-Things

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Cee’s

Black and White Challenge:

Backs

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Backs from Europe this week…

 and we saw many backs walking away

from us while touring.

I guess we made the backs

for other photographers.

And while in Florence we saw this

imitation of David…but still a back.

Entering Nice one of the first things we saw

was a tarmac full of private jets.

There were times a chair would have

been quite welcome.

I even thought cycling was better than walking.

And I guess a visit to Nice would not be complete

without a tourist shot or two of sunbathers’ backs.

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Cee’s Black & White Challenge: Back of Things

Black-&-White-Banner

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Travel Theme-Steps

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My

Steps

 Travel Theme.

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Steps from all over this week.

Some Viennese steps.

 At St Paul de Vence near Nice.

 Even the Vatican had a healthy set of steps.

 

This area of coastline is near

The Twelve Apostles

and is known as

Gibson Steps.

My destination was the Apostles so this was

only to be a brief stop.

On the day I did not see the steps

but the size of the couple on the sand

left me in no doubt that I

would not be looking for them, that day.

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Where’s My Backpack: Steps

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Jo’s-Monday-Walk-Wk36_Thiepval-2

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Jo’s Monday Walk

Week-36

Thiepval Memorial-1

Authuille, France

 Last week I left the Thiepval Memorial…

with this shot.

 

 a view of the Anglo-French Cemetery at the Memorial.

300 French soldiers’ graves…

and 300 British Army graves.

In that era the term ‘British Army’ covered

all member nations of the British Commonwealth.

Most of the bodies interred at Thiepval

have been reburied here

after discovery on Somme Battlefields

between December 1931 and March 1932

South Africa, as a British Empire member nation

was mentioned in several sources during

my research into this post.

High up on the walls of the memorial

these wreaths may be found.

This one refers to the Battle of Ginchy

which occurred on September 9, 1916.

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 Maybe this doorway lead to a stairway

to the top of the Memorial.

 

As mentioned last week,

the Thiepval Memorial

was the first of its kind we visited.

Prior to this we had visited cemeteries

with ornate, at times, entrances,

but nothing to compare with Thiepval.

I was still coming to terms with this type

of memorial left by relatives or visitors.

From a distance I thought they were something

someone had dropped, however upon closer

inspection each and everyone contained

the name of a soldier…

 

and a brief message from a visiting relative…

community member or organisation.

The Thiepval Memorial stands on one of the strongest

parts of the German front line, which was attacked

by 32nd Division on 1 July 1916 and held by 99th Reserve Infantry Regiment.

Thiepval was eventually taken by 18th Division

on 26 September 1916 in a well-planned operation

commanded by Major General Ivor Maxse.

The Thiepval Memorial is approximately 150 feet high

and was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and is the

largest of the Memorials built by the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

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walking-logo

Jo’s Monday Walk

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Weekly Photo Challenge-No-Challenge

 

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My contribution for this week’s challenge…

No-Challenge

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I am joining in with

Ouch!! My back hurts!!

and adding my gallery for the

No Weekly Challenge Challenge

 Ouch!! My back hurts!!

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Weekly Photo Challenge:

No Weekly Challlenge with

“Ouch!!” My Back Hurts!!’

 

 

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