Beaumont Hamel: In the Words of the Sixty-ninth Man
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Beaumont Hamel: In the Words of the Sixty-ninth Man

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July 1st, 2016 marks the one hundredth anniversary of Beaumont Hamel

Memorial in Beaumont Hamel, France.
Memorial in Beaumont Hamel, France.

On this day in 1916, the First Regiment of the Newfoundland Regiment took part in the opening attacks of the Battle of the Somme. Eight hundred and one officers and men went over the top. Within thirty minutes, the regiment was all but wiped out. Only 68 responded to roll call. The rest were killed, wounded or reported missing.

My grandfather, Lance-corporal James Ryan, took part in this attack and was one of the 68 to respond to roll call. At least, that was what I understood from listening to him and others when I was growing up. As the 100th anniversary approached, a list of the 68 was circulating and I was astonished to find his name missing. Continue reading “Beaumont Hamel: In the Words of the Sixty-ninth Man” →

In Photos: A Day at the El Ombu Ranch in Argentina
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In Photos: A Day at the El Ombu Ranch in Argentina

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Just a few photos from a wonderful day at the Estancia El Ombu de Areco outside Buenos Aires.

The BBQ.

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Continue reading “In Photos: A Day at the El Ombu Ranch in Argentina” →

Italy and Sicily with Monograms Travel
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Italy and Sicily with Monograms Travel

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Monograms Travel: Sorrento, Rome, Florence, Venice and Taormina.

1 – 21 April 2016

I’ve been to Italy several times but the visits were short incursions into the country. The longest stretch was five days in Rome in 1994 as R&R while serving in Bosnia. During that time, I took a day trip to Pompeii where I was disappointed that we got less than two hours at the site. I swore I’d return.

Tossing a coin over my shoulder into the Trevi Fountain pretty well sealed the deal. Continue reading “Italy and Sicily with Monograms Travel” →

Eldertreks – Cuba: Pearl of the Antilles
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Eldertreks – Cuba: Pearl of the Antilles

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Cuba: Pearl of the Antilles

5-17 January 2016

Visiting Cuba before the embargo ends has been on my Bucket List for a while but while it’s easy to go to Cuba and stay in an all-inclusive, I wanted to actually tour the island. When I started to look seriously for a tour, I found there really wasn’t a lot out there but I saw one company repeatedly mentioned throughout the web, so I checked it out. Continue reading “Eldertreks – Cuba: Pearl of the Antilles” →

Monograms Travel – Wonders of Australia
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Monograms Travel – Wonders of Australia

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Wonders of Australia – 5 October – 3 November 2015

I’ve been looking at visiting Australia for several years. In 2012, I opted to visit New Zealand on its own rather than combining it with Australia. The combination options barely touched on each destination and I decided to do each separately so that I could make the most of the visits.

I looked at a number of tours and finally settled on Monograms’ Wonders of Australia. The tour covers Sydney, Cairns, Dawrin, Uluru, Alice Springs and Melbourne and I opted for the extension that included Hobart, Adelaide and Fiji. Continue reading “Monograms Travel – Wonders of Australia” →