One of the highlights of the Vimy Ridge 2012 tour is bound to be all the iconic jackets students and Group Leaders will be wearing throughout the tour. The vibrant red jackets are a sure sign to the locals that the Canadians have arrived!
Here is an overview of the ordering process for your Vimy Ridge 2012 Jackets.
Continue reading "UPDATE - Vimy Ridge 2012 Jackets - Download order forms" »
If not for Camp X, who knows what language we might be speaking today? Overlooking Lake Ontario in Whitby, Ont., sat the 111-hectare spy training camp started in 1941 by Winnipeg's own Sir William Stephenson, a World War I pilot, Distinguished Flying Cross recipient, entrepreneur and British commonwealth patriot. Or as Prime Minister Winston Churchill code named him: Intrepid.
"James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy," 007 creator Ian Fleming once wrote. "The real thing is William Stephenson."
Continue reading "2012 Battle Diaries: Special Edition - Part III - Camp X" »
Many of the groups while in London, will be touring Bletchley Park. While there they will see one of the Enigma Machines, including the rare Abwehr G312, undoubtedly a highlight at Bletchley Park, there is much more than machines in a visit to the historic site. Check out the tales of spies and strategic deception. You may even be the one to discover the map to genius mathematician Alan Turing's silver, supposedly buried in or near Bletchley Park. There are more than enough different exhibitions from wartime toys to working computers. There's a wartime mini-cinema and an outstanding Churchill collection. Be sure look inside the ornate Victorian Mansion that was headquarters to intelligence staff during the War.
Continue reading "2012 Battle Diaries: Special Edition - Part II - Bletchley Park" »
Groesbeek is named after a small stream called the Groesbeek, (beek means stream or burn in Dutch) which in its original form doesn't exist anymore. Hills and forests surround the town, and, because of this, Groesbeek was isolated in the past, with a close community and a strong dialect.
During Operation Market Garden, the 82nd Airborne Division landed near Groesbeek. In the subsequent fighting the town was nearly completely destroyed and inhabitants were evacuated.
Continue reading "The Netherlands Highlights - Part III - Groesbeek" »
1. Provide each student in each school while on the tour an opportunity to personally participate in at least one Remembrance Ceremony.
2. Provide each student the opportunity to become educationally and emotionally connected to our country’s history.
3. Provide each educator with a variety of “hands-on” learning opportunities to choose for each of their students, which directly link their students to the provincial curriculum.
4. Provide each educator with different experiential learning opportunities to highlight the educational value of curriculum-based tours taking place during the regular school year to parents and Board Officials.
Continue reading "Vimy Ridge 2012 “We Will Remember” EF Exclusive Educational Programs" »
A bursting economic bubble is not a modern phenomenon due to the stock market. The first occurred in 1636-37 in the Netherlands and over the Tulip. Tulips actually originated in Central Asia. They were first cultivated by the Turks (Tulip is Turkish for turban) and made their way to Europe via Vienna in the mid-1500s. By the beginning of the 17th century Holland was enthralled by the beautiful flower. Which flourished in the cool climate and fertile delta soil.
Continue reading "The Netherlands Highlights - Part II - Tulip Mania" »
Situated at the mouth of the Rhine River, the Kingdom of the Netherlands is a man-made country that owes its life to the sea as much of land that once lay under water and its maritime trading tradition which was the principal source of the nation’s wealth, most notably in the 17th century. The Netherlands is also one of the world’s most liberal countries, with a long history of cultural and racial tolerance.
The shape of the Netherlands has changed dramatically over the last 2,000 years. Medieval maps show nearly half the country under water, but since then large areas have been reclaimed from the sea. The Netherlands’ current shoreline is maintained by a drainage system of windmills, dykes and canals.
With some 16 million people in just 42,547 sq. km of land, the Netherlands is the third most densely populated country in Europe, after Monaco and Malta. The only time you will notice this is when you are in an airplane and looking down and see how much land is under water and how little land is left. Dutch cities and towns never seem overcrowded, but homes are often small, with steep narrow staircases and modest gardens.
The Netherlands’ three biggest cities, Amsterdam, its capital, Rotterdam, the industrial hub and the Hague, the seat of government, are all located in the west of the country, part of the urban conglomeration known as the Randstad.
Continue reading "The Netherlands Highlights - Part I - A Brief History" »
This past summer I was able to catch up on some research and reading. I highly recommend the books described below, but it may take some work on your part to find copies. If you locate a copy, hang on to it as they are military collectibles and highly sought after by historians and collectors. I firmly believe that books such as these should be part of the English curriculum at the regional and/or provincial level in lieu of books like All Quiet on the Western Front. If you are interested in locating a copy, drop me a quick e-mail and I may be able to assist.
