Yesterday we started the day with a scenic trip to the railway station ( a few wrong turns) so that Richard could catch his train to Lille to connect with the Eurostar.  Geoff and I went to see the enormous Lochnagar Crater at La Boiselle and a small, private museum nearby which features some interesting displays and tons of stuff, (weapons, shells, helmets etc) which have been found, and are still being found, in the area.  In the afternoon we drove to Peronne to see the Historial Museum of the Great War which is housed in the Chateau de Peronne.

Today we left Albert and drove to Bullecourt and Fromelles where there is a new, modern museum, the Battle of Fromelles Museum, which is focussed on the most recently discovered war-dead on the edge of Pheasant Wood.  With the aid of modern technology, many of them have been identified and they are all buried in the small cemetery alongside the museum.

We are in Bailleul for the night and the town has a distinctly Flemish air which is hardly surprising since we are not far from the Belgian border.  Geoff is having a rest while I catch up on my writing.  Poor Geoff has a dreadful cough and cold and really isn’t well.  We are hoping for a change of menu tonight.  I never thought I would say it but we are getting quite bored with the French food on offer in the places we have been.  Symptom of being on the tourist trail, I think, and of travelling in general when you can’t have exactly what you fancy.  Boo hoo!  One thing I have really enjoyed is scallops.  I love them and they are reasonably inexpensive and have been cooked to perfection every time I have ordered them.  Strawberries and cherries are in season and just delicious, so we buy them whenever we see them.  Spanish apricots have also been good.  Was I complaining about the food???  I think I just want a home-cooked meal.

The Lochnagar Crater which measures 91m in diameter and has a depth of 21m

Recovered weapons

Australian memorial at Bullecourt

Fromelles