The Somme

On September 15 I got to attend the 90th Anniversary Memorial Service of the Battle of the Somme in Longueval, France. That date was chosen as it was the date that the first New Zealand battalions joined the battle. The push they made that day only covered a few miles, but it was the largest amount of ground covered by any group of soldiers throughout the battle.

I got to go as a representative for DIA, and Ariane came along as a groupie. It was a long journey in a mini-van, but it was made up for by going through the chunnel (they loaded us onto the train in our van - that was weird, sitting in a van on a train!) and the service itself.

The Somme was literally a bloodbath, but today the memorial to our fallen soldiers is a beautiful patch of green in the middle of open fields, just down the road from the tiny village of Longueval. Amongst the attendees at the service was the NZ ambassador to France, the Australian, Indian, German and South African ambassadors to France, the head of the French Defence and his aides, and the Mayor of Longueval.

First, four NZ soldiers dressed in WWI uniform took up watch at end corner of the memorial. Local Veterans led the procession and a unit from the French Army provided the brass band. The procession was greeted by Jodie who sang a traditional Karakia and then we listened to (on cd) Kiri Te Kanawa singing Poi Kare Kare Ana. By now there wasn't a dry eye.

Many speeches were made, and schoolchildren from France and NZ laid flowers. One of the children read a letter from a NZ soldier who had fought at the Somme which described, in typical laid-back kiwi style, how horrific the fighting had been. He was still positive and ended the letter remarking how he couldn't wait to get back into the fray to help his friends. He was killed in battle not long after. (More tears from Angela.)

We were invited back to the Town Hall where the whole town had turned out, and we got to sample many delicious french tid-bits. Ariane provided my entertainment. On the bus with us was Major Steve Guerney and his lovely wife who had just arrived from NZ. It was their first visit to Europe so they wanted to stay on in France and go directly from the service to Paris. We got talking to the Head Advisor of the French Defence Force - who was absolutely charming - and when Ariane found he was headed back to Paris that night promptly asked him if he could give Steve and his wife a ride! He wasn't able to, but he was so gracious he found out about possible trains for them. And people say the French are rude...

It was a moving service and I was surprised at how well attended it was by Kiwis who were travelling in the area.

Open House London

On September 16-17 London had it's "Open House" weekend where buildings all over London open their doors for the public to come along and view them for free. Many are buildings that would not not normally be accessible to the public (as they are secure workplaces) or cost an admission price. There are so many different buildings that it was very overwhelming to choose what to see. In the end we left the organising of our 'itinerary' to Fiona, whose boring job left her with time on her hands. She was also our official photographer, so cheers for the pics Fi!

You have to be super-organised for this event as most of the popular buildings (like the Gherkin) require booking in advance. You can see things like Jimi Hendrix's house, kindergartens, synagogues, offices, stately homes - all kinds of architecture.

Cameron joined Fiona and I on the first day. Our first stop was The Foreign Office in Whitehall which is just gorgeous. It was made to impress dignitaries and has had many a grand soiree in its time. It has an impressive covered courtyard, a great hall (above) which has been restored, and a grand marble staircase (below). The restoration of the hall was amazing - in the 70's someone obviously decided 'hey, all that gorgeous decoration is a bit naff, so let's wallpaper over it with plain beige...' Yeah, good one. Naturally the colours and details are done justice in the pictures, but believe me, the 3 of us were walking around gob-smacked. Fiona is scheming to get a job there, so she can move into a broom cupboard and live there. Stay tuned.

It also provided Cameron and I endless silly photo opportunities (below).

We also looked in next door at the Treasury (too bad the mint wasn't open) which has an impressive open circular courtyard, and we tried to get into the HorseGuards in Westminster, but the queue was waaay too long. So we settled for harrassing the Guards instead.
The next day Fiona and I were joined by Yvonne (also a fabulous Kiwi, from Tauranga), and we headed off to explore the 'city' area around Bank. Our first stop was Victoria House where we got to see the amazing Art Deco ballroom and bar in the basement.


Yvonne and I in Victoria House - Art Deco Bar

The bar has been recently refurbished so it's modern art deco, and it's very stylish. If we all get rich, that's where we will hold our parties.

After that it was off to The Guildhall (above) - apart from being a functioning guildhall, it is also home to an art gallery and the remains of a roman coliseum. It was long thought that London must have had a coliseum during Roman rule, and it was recently uncovered under the Guildhall when they went to renovate the basement. Quite an apt spot for it. The Guildhall is also home to London's clock museum (who knew, eh?!).

We then went off to Fleet Street to see the Hollywood-glitz of the foyer of the Daily Express building. It is a glittering example of art deco. You may infer that I am a fan. I'm so pleased we got to see it, as it's the sort of place you'd never go into normally.

We rounded that off with a visit to the Cheshire Cheese pub down the road (revamped in 1667! ), a favourite haunt of Dickens. It's a funny old pub, with lots of gloomy little rooms. And lots of hot barmen!