30 Jul 2023
My [Australian] husband and I stayed in Saint Quentin after already staying briefly in Amiens, on the recommendation of Oliver. This was a great decision because, personally for us, we were able to explore our relatives' WWI histories over time, history and geography over two days, with Olivier explaining details in relation to where he was driving, the contours of the land, the towns, the GPS map, the electronic map of the trenches and photos on his computer. He took us to just the right proportion of sights and memorials, museums, cemeteries and eating places, with the right length of time to suit us. When we culminated with the places our grandfather/ great uncle had served, died and were buried, Olivier allowed us to honour and grieve them privately with all the time we personally needed. When we then asked to be taken to somewhere for a stiff drink, he did that for us. He had done the research we requested and more beforehand. He was respectful while enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The history of the Australians but also other countries in the War was both fascinating and tragic. Being there certainly made it all so much more meaningful. We would recommend anyone doing a private tour read up about WW1 in the Somme region beforehand to have a basic understanding of events and the geography - otherwise the information can become too much. The detailed tourist brochure is a good reference.
Thank you Olivier