More Summer Vacation (2011, Yeah, I Know I'm Behind!)
Going up the Rhine and then detouring onto the Moselle we spent a rather drizzly and dreary day being enchanted by the castles along the rivers.
Along the river, the towns looks like a postcard.
In the towns, the main squares all had a similar look, with small shops for souvenirs, pastry shops and restaurants.
Our touring took a bit of a solemn turn when we crossed over into Luxemburg and visited the American Cemetery there. The land was given by Luxemburg and maintained by the U.S. government so that the soldiers who died in the area would be able to be buried and have their graves cared for on a regular basis. For the families, it gave some comfort that their loved ones' final resting place would be looked after.
Also buried there is George S. Patton. Though he was killed in an auto accident, he had requested to be buried with his men (mostly those killed in the Battle of the Bulge). And though his grave was originally among the rest, because of so many people visiting his grave and trampling the others, Patton's was moved to a location away from the rest.
There were quite a bit of older people on our tour of the cemetery and during a wreath laying ceremony, the man giving the tour asked if there were any veterans from the Battle of the Bulge in the group. And sure enough, we had one gentleman who was in that battle. He came forward to help lay the wreath and it really made the visit very special.
We spent the rest of the day in Luxemburg City, which was a beautiful.
The conclusion of Germany will be in the next post! (And eventually I'll get caught up!!)
Along the river, the towns looks like a postcard.
In the towns, the main squares all had a similar look, with small shops for souvenirs, pastry shops and restaurants.
Our touring took a bit of a solemn turn when we crossed over into Luxemburg and visited the American Cemetery there. The land was given by Luxemburg and maintained by the U.S. government so that the soldiers who died in the area would be able to be buried and have their graves cared for on a regular basis. For the families, it gave some comfort that their loved ones' final resting place would be looked after.
Also buried there is George S. Patton. Though he was killed in an auto accident, he had requested to be buried with his men (mostly those killed in the Battle of the Bulge). And though his grave was originally among the rest, because of so many people visiting his grave and trampling the others, Patton's was moved to a location away from the rest.
There were quite a bit of older people on our tour of the cemetery and during a wreath laying ceremony, the man giving the tour asked if there were any veterans from the Battle of the Bulge in the group. And sure enough, we had one gentleman who was in that battle. He came forward to help lay the wreath and it really made the visit very special.
We spent the rest of the day in Luxemburg City, which was a beautiful.
The conclusion of Germany will be in the next post! (And eventually I'll get caught up!!)