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Agira Canadian War Cemetery
This is the fifth and final post on the Canadian army’s efforts in WWII on Sicily to rid that island of its German occupiers. I am in Italy with my wife Alison, sister Anne and thirty-three other Canadians who are making a pilgrimage to pay homage to the Canadians who fought to liberate Italy during WWII […]
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Palazzo Sant’Angelo – The Perfect Room in Venice
Alison and I recently wrapped up a three week visit to Italy with a three night stay in Venice. The purpose of the trip was to visit many of the sites where Canadian troops had fought during WWII. We joined 33 other Canadians on a tour put on by Canadian company Liberation Tours and had a simply […]
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Mount Assoro – An Unrecognized Canadian Victory
It’s the second day of Liberation Tours 2016 tour of Canadian battlefield sites in Sicily and we’re in our bus heading from Catania to the scene of some of the fiercest fighting to take place on that fabled island. The land we are passing through today is much richer and more prosperous looking than that […]
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Pachino – The Invasion of Sicily Continues
In the last post I described the events leading up to the successful landing at Bark West Beach by 26,000 Canadian troops as part of Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. I am part of a group of thirty-five Canadians who have come to Sicily with Liberation Tours, a company that specializes in Canadian military […]
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Bark West Beach – The Canadians Invade Sicily
This is my second post on a 2016 tour of Canadian WWII sites in Italy led by my friends at Liberation Tours. In the last post I described the lead up to Operation Husky, the WWII invasion of Italy by the Allies and the various Canadian regiments that were about to take part. In this […]
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Operation Husky – Introducing the Players
In the last post I explained why Alison and I would forsake what is often the nicest time of year in Nova Scotia to join thirty three other Canadians on a journey to retrace the steps of the Canadian army in Italy during WWII. In the next three posts I will describe the Canadian campaign […]
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Liberation Tour 2016 – The Italian Campaign
It’s October 2016 and Alison, I and my sister Anne are headed to Italy to join a group of fellow Canadians on Liberation Tour 2016 which will retrace the route of the Canadian forces in Italy during WWII from Sicily to Venice. The tour has been organized by Liberation Tours, a small Canadian company that […]
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Lord Byron Hotel – Make it Your Choice in Rome
YOLO, Carpe Diem, Live for Today – whatever. The older I get, the more I think these expressions are less sybaritic and more a guide as to how to conclude one’s existence on this lonely planet. In the past month alone, three lawyers I know in Halifax, two younger and one a bit older, have passed […]
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Batoche – The Last Major Battle on Canadian Soil
I have to confess that for many years, my feelings about Louis Riel and the outcome of the two Métis rebellions he led, were quite mixed. Over the years my views on him have evolved from – 1. treasonous rebel who deserved to be hanged to 2. misunderstood madman who probably shouldn’t have been hanged […]
From the road
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April 20th, 2023
I’ve had a bad case of writer’s block since getting back from Southeast Asia, but I did finish this post on the fan… https://t.co/HoJjP4jeha
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April 12th, 2023
One of the main reasons to visit the Galapagos is to see the giant tortoises. This latest post explains where you c… https://t.co/mQ8PWha8j3
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April 11th, 2023
Spring is very late this year so it’s nice to see the crocuses finally show up. https://t.co/7HD6wvsEJ6
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April 9th, 2023
Sunday morning is a good time to reflect back on another Sunday in Reading, England which I wrote about here:… https://t.co/EJ4Is2NSqz