This week people all over Europe will be commemorating the lives of lost soldiers from the First World War right up until the modern wars of today. Rosie Khdir explores some of the best places to remember our brave soldiers.

If you want to go and discover the history behind two of the world’s most famous wars during this remembrance period then there is no place for it like northern France.

This year marks the 92nd anniversary of the end of World War One and all its history is waiting to be discovered. Here you can experience a trip back in time and follow the 40 mile route of the Battle of the Somme, from Albert to Péronne.

You can either download an MP3 guide which allows you the explore 12 stages of the Circuit of Remembrance or take a tour with an English speaking guide who will share their comprehensive knowledge of the Somme with you.

Visitors can also walk around the many Memorials that stand to honour the fallen. The Somme Memorial was erected in 1932 by the British. It is dedicated to the 75,085 British and South African soldiers missing in action between July 1915 and March 1918 and who have no known grave.

The Australian Memorial is an impressive construction in Villers-Bretonneux, with a tall white tower and two ejecting walls display the names of the missing Australian soldiers who have no known grave.

There are many more military cemeteries that show just how colossal this war was; from the French to the German to the Commonwealth graves, you can see just why these were named the World Wars.

There are also a number of museums that tell the stories of the wars, such as the Museum of the Great War in Péronne and the Franco-Australian Museum near Villers-Bretonneux.

You can also walk the wild beaches of Normandy were the famed D-Day landings of World War II took place.

There is so much for you to discover about the war and so many places that are perfect for commemorating our brave soldiers and they are all just a P&O Ferries ride a way. The P&O Ferries Dover to Calais service starts from just £30 for a car and up to nine people.

Image credit: scrumpyboy

Tags: Belgium, Britain, France, History, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Rosie Khdir
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We all like to plan ahead, especially when it comes to holidays and P&O Ferries is allowing you to begin booking your holiday to the continent in 2011, aboard the new ship, the Spirit of Britain. Rosie Khdir gives you the details…

Late last year P&O confirmed the construction of two new additions to it’s fleet of ships and during the summer of 2010 the Spirit of Britain hit left the construction dock and hit the water for the first time.

The Spirit of Britain will operate on the Dover to Calais route from January 2011 and has space for up to 1,750 passengers.

Inside, passengers can expect to enjoy the new Food Court which brings food options similar to that of the high street, but with a sea view. There will also be new seating areas both in the Aft Lounge as well as a stylish outside deck and Family Lounge.

The Dover-Calais route, which is P&O Ferries’ most popular service, takes just 90 minute and there are no baggage limitations – handy if you are planning on going skiing or camping.

This ship will offer unrivalled duty paid shopping in even larger on board stores, as well as excellent dining facilities and exclusive Club Lounge.

So if you want to be one of the first passengers on this wonderful new ship then book here with P&O Ferries!

Tags: Belgium, Britain, France, History, Lifestyle, Netherlands, P&O Ferries by Rosie Khdir
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Dover Port has operated as a trust for the last 400 years with all its profits being reinvested in its business instead of being distributed among shareholders. News that the port’s board have asked the government to consider a privatisation scheme could change this forever.

Those in favour of privatising the port argue that Dover Port, which is already the largest passenger port in northern Europe, must be free to act commercially – raising loans and investing heavily in new infrastructure – is vital to remain competitive. Under the present system this is not allowed.

However the idea of privatisation is worrying many people in Dover whose livelihoods depend on the jobs provided by the millions of freight and passenger vehicles that use Dover as their gateway to the continent.

Many, including the unions, fear that private ownership will lead to the demise of Dover Port. The idea of the port falling into the hands of foreign owners is particularly galling, with Dover’s unique place in British history making the concept appear contrary to the British interest.

Such is the gravity of this issue that even Dame Vera Lynn – who immortalised Dover with her classic World War II ballad The White Cliffs of Dover – has entered the fray, voicing support for a scheme backed by local Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke that would see the creation of a ‘People’s Port’ where locals could join together to buy shares and keep the port locally owned.

The second public consultation has now taken place and a decision is expected to take place sometime in the coming autumn.

Image credit: pbeens

Tags: Britain by John Hillman
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The name Waterloo strikes up different images in people’s minds, maybe ABBA at the Eurovision song contest or a busy London tube station, but Rosie Khdir rediscovers the Waterloo that was scene of an epic European battle 195 years ago.

This year mark the 195th anniversary of Napoleon’s Defeat by the combined armies of the Seventh Coalition, and this weekend will see Belgium come alive with celebrations of this victory.

The Battle of Waterloo in 1815 was the last stand that saw Napoleon toppled from his position as ruler of the French empire.

The armies of the United Kingdom, Prussia, the United Provinces, Hanover, Nassau and Brunswick fought in the fields at Waterloo, in modern-day Belgium, and in three days defeated his army of 72,000 men.

The celebrations start with an hour-long Battle of Waterloo-inspired firework and light spectacle at 10 p.m. Then on Saturday visitors are able to travel to the Napoleonic bivouacs, to discover the everyday life of a typical soldier in the imperial army.

Also taking place during the weekend will be a full scale reenactment of the battle with over 3,000 soldiers and Napoleon himself – who is often played by an American actor. Access to these events is free.

Visitors can also learn more about the battle and its participants via the Wellington Museum, which used to be the Bodenghien Inn and former headquarters of the Duke of Wellington during the Battle of Waterloo.

For more information visit the official tourism site for the Waterloo region.

P&O Ferries does a great value service from Hull – Zeebrugge, or you can take the Dover – Calais route from where it is just a short drive along the E40 to the Belgian border. Prices start at just £30 for a car and up to nine people.

Painting by Robert Alexander Hillingford

Tags: Belgium, Britain, France, P&O Ferries by Rosie Khdir
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Been here before haven’t we? Hope and optimism are cruel, but maybe, just maybe this could be England’s year. Or it might not. Tomas Mowlam keeps his fingers crossed.

England are in Group C with Algeria, Slovenia and the USA. The first match comes against the USA on 12th June in Rustenburg, at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, with kick off at 19:30 our time.

All eyes will be on Rooney and Lampard to make this England’s year. The American’s are the major competition; in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup they beat Spain in the semis and led Brazil 2-0, before being beaten 3-2. No longer the odd ones out it seems.

Next the England team will have to slog south to Cape Town to take on Algeria on 18th June at the JEP stadium in Johannesburg, with kick off at 15:00 our time.

Finally we’re playing Slovenia on 23rd June at Port Elizabeth with kick off again at 15:00 our time.

If you’re in London and fancy watching a few gutted American fans weep over their defeat then check out the Sports Bar in Piccadily. Otherwise we’ll be impressed if you can find a pub that’s not playing the games.

Tags: Britain by tmowlam
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John Hillman looks back on previous eruptions and discovers some remarkable similarities between then and now

The last time that the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull, erupted was back in 1821. At the time it had very little impact on Briton’s travel plans, as ferries to France were, and still are, completely unaffected by volcanic ash. The concept of being strapped in to a hurtling metal box at 35,000 feet hadn’t yet caught on.

Yet a look back on the events of 1821 leads to the discovery of a number of events that bear an uncanny resemblance to goings on today.

George IV was crowned King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. A rather pitiful character, he is remembered for his extravagance and licentiousness during a time of extreme financial difficulties for the country. It is said that as an underemployed prince he often visited Parisian brothels, where he was entertained in a specially commissioned bath filled with champagne.

Prince Harry, who was recently accused of similar profligacy, when allegedly seen splurging £10,000 on champagne in fashionable South Kensington nightclub, would do well to heed the obituary written for his ancestor in the Times. It was a less than endearing eulogy, one which could easily apply to another recently departed leader, one G. Brown of Dunfermline East:

“There never was an individual less regretted by his fellow-creatures than this deceased king. What eye has wept for him? What heart has heaved one throb of unmercenary sorrow? … If he ever had a friend—a devoted friend in any rank of life—we protest that the name of him or her never reached us”

But the cyclical similarities don’t end here. The summer of 1821 saw the people of Greece in open revolt against their foreign rulers, openly fighting in the streets in a ferocious attempt to gain independence from the Ottomans, an empire famed for being every bit as greedy and bloated as the banking empires that have brought the people of Greece again, 189 years later.

Elsewhere a one of Europe’s great symbols of its empirical ambition lay dying on the Island of St Helena. As the ash cloud of Eyjafjallajökull continues to blow across Europe, the second pocket sized conqueror of the EU, namely the euro, looks in severe danger of going the same way. Its demise would probably be greeted with as much mirth on this side of the Channel as Napoleon’s undoubtedly was all those years ago.

There’s no doubt that the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull heralds a time of great change and upheaval. But it’s nice to know that some things remain constant, and P&O Ferries passengers can rest assured in the knowledge that, whatever happens at 35,000 feet, ships will still be linking Britain to the continent just as they always have been.

Image credit: fridgeirsson

Tags: Britain, France, P&O Ferries, Science by Gabriel Grant
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Take a P&O ferry to Rotterdam and head north, says John Hillman, and you’ll soon reach Germany’s wild and dramatic North Sea Frisian islands. There you’ll discover a land of mudflats, crashing waves, fine sandy beaches and abundant wildlife that was also the setting of the world’s first ever modern literary thriller.

The Frisian Islands consist of four large islands and ten smaller ones, or inlets. Situated high on Germany’s coast near the Danish border in the Wattenmeer National Park, they are known as the Jewels of the North Sea.

The combined beauty of marshlands, vast sand dunes and unspoilt countryside creates a tangible atmosphere of the remote and the romantic; nature at play beneath endless acres of open sky.

It was along these shores that Erskine Childers took the inspiration to write his famous 1903 thriller The Riddle of the Sands, navigating the rugged coastline with his brother Henry, on their thirty foot cutter Vixen he hatched the plot involving a pair of friends who accidentally discover a secret German plan to invade Britain.

The book was a roaring success. Not only has it never been out of print, and was made into a 1979 film starring Michael York and Simon MacCorkindale, Winston Churchill credits it with being an important motivator of public opinion, which allowed the British Government to establish naval bases in various North Sea coastal regions of Britain.

Today the Frisian Islands are still a favourite holiday destination for sailing enthusiasts, cyclists and birdwatchers, as well as being a source of inspiration to the many photographers and artists who flock each summer to capture the area’s extraordinarily magical light.

With strong tides and unpredictable weather sailing holidays, although incredible rewarding, are only recommended to experienced mariners. For the rest of us the islands remain an area of outstanding natural beauty worth visiting for the picturesque thatched villages and wild coastlines alone.

Northern Germany and the Frisian Islands are easily reached by car from P&O Ferries ports of Rotterdam, Zeebrugge or Calais as part of an adventurous driving holiday. Go on, explore your continent!

Tags: Belgium, Britain, France, Lifestyle, Netherlands, P&O Ferries by John Hillman
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After traversing its waves since 1987 you would think that P&O Ferries knows the name of that stretch of water between Dover and Calais. It seems that The EU however has other ideas. John Hillman reports.

As I walked across the Millennium Bridge one morning, over the River Thames, I felt a slight tremor underfoot and feared that the ‘wobbly bridge’ had once again fallen foul of its well documented design fault. Could this mean another year of damned closures whilst engineers attempt to make the most scenic river crossing in the world safe again?

Fortunately my concerns were somewhat eased as I glanced across to St Paul’s and saw that, far from the bridge wobbling, it was in fact London itself that shook like a detoxifying scoundrel. Oh just an earthquake then, that’s fine.

As an aside, I once experienced a similar moving sensation whilst on a P&O Ferries’ ferry from Dover to Calais; however after raising the alarm I was informed by the ship’s steward that the moving sensation was a result of us being at sea, which wobbles too, apparently.

Anyway, the quake has of course been hushed up, for its epicentre (I am reliably told) has been traced to the very spot in St Paul’s Cathedral where Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson lies entombed.

This strange turn of events remained an unexplained mystery; however after some careful research I can reveal that sources close to Her Majesty believe it to be recent machinations in Brussels that are to blame.

The realisation of the Trans-Manche Zone, by a rather Orwellian sounding group called the INTERREG Programme, means that not only has the English Channel been officially renamed the Anglo-French Pond, but most shocking of all, it has resulted in the creation of an entirely new region which merges Kent and Cornwall with Normandy and Lille, all presided over by Alain Le Vern, a French socialist president.

A French Socialist President, with dominion over Royal Tunbridge Wells? And there I was wondering why an earthquake would emanate from Lord Nelson’s tomb. Meanwhile my journalistic counterpart in Paris tells me that a strange cackling sound can be heard wafting eerily out of Napoleon’s Gallic grave, and drifting off slowly down the River Seine. Strange times indeed.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Tags: Britain, France, History, P&O Ferries by John Hillman
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