Hi all,
And so my four months in France (and Europe in general) have sadly come to an end. The session has come and gone so quickly. After being home for a few days, only now am I really starting to wrap my head around it.
I had a wonderful few days in Amsterdam where I took a day trip to Cologne and Cochem in Germany, saw the beautiful tulip season, the Anne Frank House, and wandered around a beautiful city. It was a great ending to the session and I have now been home since Monday, trying to get settled back in to normal life.
I have nothing but good memories from my time in France, but that is not to say it was easy. But now that it is over it seems that all of the challenges seem to fade away, and we are left with happy memories that we are so sad to leave. It was very hard to leave, but we all celebrated accordingly before hand. Dinners, patios, tanning outside on the grass, and tears made up the last few days. On the last day, we were all very emotional and had one last dinner, took pictures, and even had an impromptu trip to Vimy at night.
The opportunities I had to travel were perhaps some of the most memorable experiences. Whether it was seeing the magic of Paris for the first time, biking the streets of Ghent, drinking Guinness in Dublin, hiking the White Cliffs of Dover, feeling like royalty in Versailles, being in awe of Barcelona, biking in the Annecy Alps, getting lost in the bookstores of London, wandering Rotterdam and Amsterdam, each have such incredible memories. These cities have shown me new ways of thinking, a culture different to my own, and so many lessons to take on the way.
I think talking about the travel and amazing adventures is such an important aspect of this experience. But really, we were there to work. I feel incredibly lucky to have spent so much of my time telling an amazing, beautiful, and tragic story. Newfoundland is close to my heart, having family from there, but I never realized the connection that I would feel to Beaumont-Hamel. It is a beautiful place, filled with peace and chirping birds, and hidden nooks and crannies with a story to be told in every corner. It is also a place of solemness, tragedy, and sadness, with so many family histories engraved in it’s soil. I will never forget the times I was able to walk alone in the morning and take in the beauty of it all. I will never forget the incredible people I met every day, who shared their own family’s stories with me. We are all so profoundly lucky to have this responsibility, to be entrusted with telling this story, and to be representatives for the youth of Canada today. The meaning and importance of the site has evolved through the years. At the beginning, it was for the family; the wives, mother, fathers, children, sisters and brothers. Now, it is to remember; to remember the men that showed such courage and bravery to fight for our own freedom. And now, more than ever, remembrance is so crucial.
I take comfort in knowing that eventually, I’ll be back at BH. Whether it’s as a senior guide, or as a visitor. If anyone ever has a chance to visit Vimy or BH, I would greatly encourage you! Take a tour; I hear the guides are great. 😉
Thanks to everyone for reading about my adventures throughout these months, and supporting me along the way. Looking forward to seeing everyone here at home.
Lots of love, until next time!
Taylor
Taylor's French Adventures 
Such a wonderful blog, Taylor. Good job! It was delightful and a pleasure to follow your adventure. Welcome home and to the next chapter. LOL