April 18
Hello everyone. No, there was no catastrophe here in Europe, we just took a little break from the blog. We had a very slow internet connect the last 3 nights so we wouldn’t have been able to upload pictures, so we decided to wait until we had a faster connection. So, we’re back and will get you caught up with the adventures we’ve had over the last 4 days.
Saturday April 14
We started the day in Luxembourg City and wanted to go to Fort Hackenberg about 20 minutes southeast. Unfortunately, it was only open from 2-4pm, so we headed west instead to check out where the WWI Battle of Verdun was held. There were 4 forts the French had built after the Franco Prussian War (Germany won), but General Foch decided to disarm them around 1912 or 1913. While they were in the process of doing that, WWI started and Foch decided to re-man them but, unfortunately, they didn’t have all the armament they needed to hold off Germany. It was only a couple of weeks before they had to surrender.
There are two forts that can be visited; we went to Fort du Vaux. There were a lot of trenches surrounding the fort, which was built into a hill. The fort itself, at least the part we could visit, was relatively small. Here are a few pictures.
We also visited the Verdun French Military Cemetery.
We debated about whether to drive the hour back to the east to visit the WWII fort but we decided that we really didn’t have any place special to be, so we headed back to the east. We’re so glad we did! Fort Hackenberg was built after WWI as part of the Maginot Line. The purpose of the Maginot Line was to have a series of fixed fortifications along the entire French border as protection against another invasion by the Germans. The line was heavily fortified along the French/German border and again along the border of France/Belgium north of the Ardennes Forest. The French felt that the Ardennes was a natural barrier as it is very hilly and heavily forested. They thought that would be enough to stop the Germans. So, at the start of WWII all of the forts along the Line, including Fort Hackenberg, were heavily fortified with arms and men. Well…the Germans decided that the Ardennes weren’t that big of a deal, and they waltzed right through the door the French left open…. oops. The war in France was over in 6 weeks and Fort Hackenberg was captured by the Germans. Many of the soldiers were held as prisoners. Others simply walked away and went home after the Treaty was signed but before the fort was captured.
In the fall of 1944, the Fort was recaptured by the Americans and that was when the only casualty occurred…a German soldier was killed. That’s also when all the damage to the exterior walls happened.
We had a 2 1/2 hour guided tour that was fascinating. Like the forts at Verdun, this one was built into the hill with only the gun turrets above ground. We walked around the living area before getting on a train that took us to one of the gun bunkers. The turrets still work, and it was very cool to see how they operated. We then climbed 120 stairs to get above ground to see the fort from the top. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, so it was well worth the drive back.
We spent the night in Bliery, France at a small hotel we found online. The hotel wasn’t anything special but there was a restaurant attached where we had a delicious 3-course French dinner. It cost more than the room but was worth it.
Sunday, April 15
On Sunday we headed west again, past Verdun to Reims. We were staying in an Airbnb flat in Epernay, about 30 minutes south of Reims so we decided to visit the city before heading to the apartment. For those of you who know Peter and his love of all things WWI/WWII, this will come as a shock. Lynn knew something Peter didn’t!! The treaty that ended WWII was signed at SHAPE headquarters in Reims. Another copy was signed again in Berlin (Stalin was cranky that he wasn’t involved and made them do it again) but the original treaty was signed in Reims. Lynn knew that…. Peter didn’t. How is that even possible???
Anyway, this was the first place we stopped, and it was fun to see, not only the building, but the room that the treaty was signed. We had seen so many WWII memorials, battlefields and cemeteries that it seemed fitting to also see where the horror finally ended. It’s a small museum but it had a great movie and interesting exhibits, so we really enjoyed our short visit.
After the museum we walked about 20 minutes to the Cathedral of Reims, which is in the city center. It was badly damaged during the war but has been nicely restored. It’s relatively small and simple but is a beautiful cathedral.
After touring the Cathedral, we sat in the square and tasted some French champagne. This region where all the champagne is made. There are tons of vineyards all over and more than 1000 champagne houses. There were quite a few to visit in Reims but since we had to drive to Epernay, we decided just to have a glass in the square. It was a beautiful day, so it was a lovely way to spend a little time.
Before we left, we went to the Abbey of St. Remi which was founded in the 6th century. The present abbey church was consecrated in 1049 and contains the crypt of St. Remi.
Monday, April 16
Monday, we went to see our last WWI sites. Our first stop was the American Monument at Chateau Thierry. The US was a bit late to the war, so this was the first thing we saw that was dedicated to the American involvement. Well actually we saw a monument in Cantigny, but it was just a small statue. Anyway, the monument was beautiful and the grounds very peaceful. Then we headed to the American Cemetery at Belleau Wood, where the marines were involved in one of the major battles of the war.
On our way to Compiegne for our final stop, we stumbled onto the Chateau de Pierrefonds. We saw it perched on a hill so decided to take a break from the war and check it out. The castle was originally built in the 13th century. In the 17th century it was taken by French troops and partially demolished. Napoleon I bought it in the early 19th century and was restored later that century. It was mostly bare rooms, and all the explanations were in French, but it was a nice mid-day break.
Our final stop of the day was the last WWI site we plan to visit. Appropriately, it was the red rail car in which the armistice was signed that ended the war. The Treaty was signed in the Palace of Versailles which we’ll see next week when we’re in Paris, but this is where the war ended.
Well, actually it’s not the original car. After WWI ended, the French kept the rail car at the site. In June 1940, Hitler insisted that the treaty to end that war with Germany be signed in the same car. He then had it brought to Berlin as kept it in the middle of the city. When it became clear that Germany was going to lose the war, Hitler had the rail car burned. So, the car that’s in the museum is a sister car of the original. It’s from the exact time and looks exactly like it. They simply changed the number of the car and put replicas of the furniture inside. It was cool all the same.
Here are some of the artifacts/pictures from the museum.
Okay….I know we still have some catching up to do but it’s almost 10pm and I’ve been working on this all evening, so we’ll pick it up again tomorrow.
Love to all.