Photos: Cap Gris nez

Its a 10km hike to Cap Gris Nez from Wissant,France city center. The sea that you see is the English Channel.
 
 
 
  

WW Memorials in Belgium

Some interesting facts that I learnt:
Chemical weapons were used for the first time by Germans against allied forces in Belgium. I was shocked to see the number of indian soldiers who fought and died for the british army! You can see their names on many of the WW monuments in and around Ieper,Belgium.

 
  

Beer!

 
The vending machine at the railway station in Ieper,Belgium sells beer for 1.3 Euros!
No ID required!! We should have more of these in the U.S 

En route to Lille Europe from Paris CDG

 
 

French countryside really is something. No billboards in France!! photos taken from TGV. 

Glory to the proletarians

 In India, when you visit monuments or ruins of an empire, you hardly ever get to know who the architect of the building was or the name of the artist who sculpted out beautiful statues. They are usually not allowed to because the monument is the legacy of a king or queen and they dont want to share it with a low level nobody artist. But historians and archeologists have discovered time after time that artists often leave hidden signatures that are not visible to the ordinary observer. So is the case in the west too. The artists who worked on parliment hill building in the canadian capital Ottawa were told that they couldn't sign their names on any of their works. So they snuck in their signature by sculpting their faces on top of the pillars of a room.When the government found out , they couldn't do anything about it bcause Canada had a law that once the office/building has been opened to the public, they can't alter or demolish any of the art-work. :) 

With the spider in front of the National Art Gallery,Ottawa

  The spider is actually giving birth and you can see it when you look from underneath. Creepy and morbidly fascinating! 

In Ottawa

I was in Ottawa, Canada recently for a few days. I stayed at hotel Quality in downtown Ottawa. A nice hotel with free internet. Byward market is only a few minutes away and so is the U.S consulate. Ottawa has enough attractions to keep you entertained for a few days. Byward market has numerous pubs, eateries and a vibrant night life.

I had my best vietnamese meal at a vietnamese restaurant called Indo-Chine on York street. Museum of civilization is a must see for they have the bigest collection of totem poles.