Roaming Through Europe
Home again 07/07/2010
We have been remiss in not posting news since the first day of the Battle of Waterloo reenactment. We are now home and readjusting to life in Canada! The second day of the reenactment of the Battle of Waterloo was marvelous, except for the weather, which was rainy and cold. We had grandstand seats for the action, but, of course, as soon as it started raining, people opened their umbrellas, thereby obscuring our view! We had plastic rain capes, so did not use umbrellas. Fortunately the rain subsided from time to time so we did manage to see most of the battle. It was exciting seeing the cavalry charge, much of it in front of our stand! The colours of the uniforms of battle were amazing, with so many different allied forces involved (British, Prussian, Hanovarians, Dutch, French, etc.). We are still sorting through photographs to try to identify the regiments. Photographing the battle scenes was somewhat of a challenge, due to umbrellas obscuring views, rain (trying to keep the camera dry!), other spectators standing next to reenactors, and the limitations of my lens. It was easier to photograph the reenactors in the allied bivouac area, but we were disappointed that we could not get to the French site, as it was a 4 km walk through wet fields and pouring rain. Vivienne had only one lens - a Nikon 18-200 zoom. We are reasonably pleased with the results, given the conditions. If you view the photos in our photo gallery, you will note that the soldiers and horses were wading/galloping through tall grass/wheat, as in the day of the actual battle! All in all it was a fabulous experience, despite the inclement weather! Following this adventure, we spent the next day with some Belgian friends from NATO days. We were treated to a delicous lunch after which we chatted for hours. Too soon it was time to leave. Alan returned to Canada on June 22, and Vivienne traveled on by train from Brussels to Konigswinter. Vivienne spent almost a week with a German friend in Konisgwinter. It was lovely having "girl" time with someone she had not seen since 2007. We took a trip on the Rhine river, had lunch and dinners out, did shopping (of course!), toured an old German village, just visited, and spent an interesting evening with a German family watching the world cup football match between Germany and Ghana! Now the European holiday is over, but many many memories will remain. Vivienne and Alan thank all our family and friends for their wonderful and generous hospitality and hope that some day we can return the favour in Canada! |
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