Germany and Beyond: War and Peace


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November 30th 2013
Published: March 30th 2014
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Berlin - Bavaria - Paris - Bastogne - Christmas Markets -- our German vacation was so full of spectacular sites, that I just would not be able to fit it all in one blog! Therefore, I will write this in sections, with each major segment of our trip having it's own post. This is segment 4: War and Peace! We have been planning this vacation for years! Well, sort of. My friend and old co-worker, Lisa, is stationed in Germany. Ever since she moved there I have been threatening that I am going to come visit. It was always "maybe in the Fall", then "maybe in the Spring", "maybe just after I graduate"...you get the idea. Well we finally decided it was time and purchased the tickets...no going back now! We planned our trip in the winter on purpose...to coincide with all the German Christmas Markets! We spent 10 wonderful days touring the area, taking in the sights, eating the food, and learning more about their culture! To give you a little overview, we flew out of DC direct to Frankfurt. From there, we took a shuttle to Spangdahlem Air Base where Lisa met us and took us to her home
Driving to Bettendorf, LuxembourgDriving to Bettendorf, LuxembourgDriving to Bettendorf, Luxembourg

This was one of the rare sunny days. It was early-ish in the morning and the fog was lifting off the hillside to reveal picturesque little villages perched along the river. It was so beautiful!
Village, Dudeldorf. We spent the first night there, then drove to Wittlich to catch a train to Berlin, where we spent 2 nights. From Berlin, we took the train to Munich. We didn't stay in Munich...that will be another trip I guess...but we got our rental car at the train station and drove down to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Bavaria portion of Germany, where we spent the night. The next morning, back in the car we drove a brief stint in Austria to get to Hohenschwangau (back in Germany) where 2 of Mad King Ludwig's castles are nestled amongst the trees and rocky bluffs of the surrounding mountains. By mid-afternoon, we were back on the road and driving back to Dudeldorf for the night. The following day, we drove to Paris! After spending the next 2 nights there, we drove back to Lisa's, just in time for Thanksgiving. The rest of our trip was spent on day trips; first to Trier, then to Bettendorf and Diekirch in Luxembourg and Bastogne in Belgium, and to Bernkastel for our last night there. (Have a look at the map!) We took the shuttle again back to Frankfurt, and flew direct back to DC. It seems like a lot, but it really was pretty relaxing. We walked a lot. And ate a lot! And I took A LOT of pictures! Over 1100! I won't post all of them, to save you some time, and I will try to narrate as best I can. Please be sure to notice the page numbers... I'll post this intro on all the entries...in case someone doesn't start from the beginning. 😉

I'm calling War and Peace because the first half will cover the battlefields and memorials from WWII, and the second half will cover the Christmas Markets! Let me just apologize right now for how long this has taken me to write! It's March....we got back in December! This portion has been the worst to write though! I don't know why, but it seems to have taken forever! 171 photos in this entry so check the pages. I'll do more commentary in the photo descriptions.

Part 1: War.



Lisa has a friend, Frank, who lives in Luxembourg and happens to be a WWII buff. He is very into history, and this war in particular, and he even happens to own a piece of property in the Bettendorf,
Just outside Bettondorf, LuxembourgJust outside Bettondorf, LuxembourgJust outside Bettondorf, Luxembourg

I LOVED this part with the trees lining the road and the river on one side, gorgeous hillside on the other! <3
Luxembourg area where the Battle of the Bulge started. There are a few foxholes on his land, and a short walk up the hill is where the bulk of the allied forces were positioned before the German's snuck up on them. He graciously offered to give us a tour of the area and share all of his knowledge with us! So we set off from Lisa's house in Dudeldorf, and drove to meet up with Frank (and his baby Kathrin and dog Emma) outside of Bettendorf, Luxembourg.

First off, the area is so incredibly beautiful! A picturesque little town perched on the side of lush green rolling hills. Gorgeous! Frank showed us the foxholes on his land first, then we walked up the road to the trees across a field where the allied forces were positioned. Frank was very specific about what units were in this area, but I can't remember. I want to say it was the 28th Infantry Division positioned here, but I can't be positive and have not been able to find it specifically. (Sorry Frank!) So we will call them the "Allied Forces". Here, Frank showed us the foxholes and told us about the events
Just outside Bettondorf, LuxembourgJust outside Bettondorf, LuxembourgJust outside Bettondorf, Luxembourg

So beautiful! And clean!
that took place on Dec 16th 1944, when the German's launched a surprise attack against the allied forces positioned in the Ardennes Region of Luxembourg and Belgium. This would be known as the famous Battle of the Bulge, and is said to be the bloodiest and costliest (in terms of casualties) battle of the war.

There is so much to learn about this battle, but I'm not going to recite an encyclopedia here. This site (http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge ) is a good reference to learn more about it, and watch some interesting videos!

After our history lesson in the area, we drove to Frank's house in Diekirch, Luxembourg to warm up, feed the baby, drop off the dog, and pick up Annika. Then we headed out to Bastogne! Along the way, Frank pointed our more interesting areas of the war and we stopped at a few memorials, including the National Liberation Memorial Schumann's Eck. This is a memorial for all the US units that were involved in the battles in Luxembourg, and also has trails to more foxholes. Read more here: http://en.tracesofwar.com/article/4775/National-Liberation-Memorial-Schumanns-Eck.htm.

We arrived in Bastogne Belgium in the early afternoon. I guess I was expecting to see the
Looking at the foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.Looking at the foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.Looking at the foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.

The first few foxholes we saw were on Frank's property.
Bastogne of the Band of Brothers series...I was not expecting to find a hip little city full of cute shops and eateries! Frank took us to one of his favorite spots to eat, Maxim's Sandwicherie, where we all had various versions of a mitraillette. It's a sandwich that has some form of meat, topped with Belgian frites and aoili. I need to recreate this soon! It was amazing!

So after lunch, we meandered through the streets of Bastogne. We looked in the pretty storefronts, took a lot of pictures, even sampled some desserts! This was not our agenda however, but get 3 ladies together....(sorry boys!). One of the sights we were trying to get to was St. Pierre Church. This church dates back to the 12 century and is original. It was one of the few places in Bastogne that was not heavily damaged and was saved. The 101st Airborne used the church as a casualty aid station, and this church is featured in the "Band of Brothers" series as well. This church is not super ornate, and it was very dimly lit, but it was so incredible to be able to go in! The ceiling looked to be
Foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.Foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.Foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.

Our guide, Frank, with baby Kathrin and Emma the happy pup! (with a giant tree branch stick!)
hand painted, and was peeling in places, There were huge wooden chandeliers that held only candles! It's history showed, and I found that to be incredibly beautiful!

Leaving the church, we walked down the other side of the shop-lined street, and took our time getting back to the cars. Frank wanted to take us up to the Mardasson Memorial. This is a memorial to all the American's who fought in the battle of the bulge. It's huge, and in the shape of an "American Star", so if you viewed it from above, it would be a 5-pointed star with a circle in the center. Unfortunately, we got there just after sundown, so it was getting dark quick! I wish we would have gotten there earlier and would have been able to take the stairs to the top. We didn't know it was going to be such a sight! You can see better photos than mine, and read more about it here: http://www.belgium-tourism.be/informations/tourist_attractions_bastogne__mardasson_memorial/en/V/17311.html

At this point we said good-bye to our guides, and headed back along the lighted highways to Lisa's house in Germany. (Luxembourg lights it's highways 100%! (MISSING)The whole thing! Lighted! I think Belgium does the same thing too!)

(PS. There are foxhole sights in Bastogne that you could tour, but we did not. Apparently, they have made them into tourist sites, so they are not original or authentic to the battles that waged there. And the site itself is very small since it was only 2-man foxholes and no heavy equipment or artillery. However, if you must see them, they are there!)

Part 2: Peace



The major draw for us to go to Germany at the time of year that we did, was the Christmas Markets! Called Cristkindlemarkt or Weihnachts Markt, they are a major fixture in Germany at Christmas time! Most of the towns have a market....some are small and short, like the weekend market in DudelDorf, and others are huge and last weeks, like markets in the big cities like Trier and Bernkastel.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with Christmas! I have heard about these Christmas Markets for years, and have longed to be able to go to one! So this HAD to be the time we would visit Germany! I was so thrilled to be able to do to just one, but we actually got to
Foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.Foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.Foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.

An old ammo can left behind
go to 3...and got lucky with another one in Paris! Hello cloud nine! 😊

So our first Christmas Market was to the town of Trier. Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded in 16 BC during the rein of Augustus Caesar! Incredible! There are no fewer than EIGHT UNSECO World Heritage Sites in Trier! I could have spent a whole day learning about this historic town, but we came for the Christmas Market so that is what we did! I did get to see two of the amazing sights tho: The Porta Nigra and Dom St. Peter. The Porta Nigra is the original Roman gate to the city. I wrote more info on it in the photos. It was incredible to see!

The Dom St. Peter, or Trier Cathedral lies just off the center square where the Christmas Market was set up. In doing my research about this church for this blog, I am learning so much I wish I would have known while I was there! Just as in Paris with the Notre Dame, this Cathedral houses some artifacts of religious significance! They have a tunic that is said to be the Holy Robe of Jesus.
Foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.Foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.Foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.

Some rubber soles from old boots and other debris that was found in the area.
A Nail that is said to be an original used in the crucifixion, and many other relics. The Cathedral Treasury houses these items and they are brought out to be on display occasionally. You can read more about the Cathedral, and what is housed within here http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/trier-cathedral.

We walked around Trier for a few hours before heading back to Dudeldorf. On the way, Lisa and Mike took us to a restaurant they call the "Truck Stop". This is the first and only time I had a schnitzel....and OMG was it amazing! We got back to Dudeldorf and Jeremy and I decided to walk down to the Christmas Market that was going on there. Two Christmas Markets in one day....score!

Dudeldorf's Market was smaller and more intimate. They don't have a big square to set booths up in, so the residents of the town open up their garages and homes for vendors to rent and come use the space for their wares. The little streets were cramped from people standing around booths to eat and drink (because Europeans do not walk and eat. If they are eating or drinking, that is all they are doing! Nothing else!) The scents
Foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.Foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.Foxholes behind Bettendorf, Lux.

Emma illustrating how deep that hole is!
from the food booths, fresh wreaths, the wood burning stoves, and the little band playing German Christmas songs along the main walkway....it was such an incredible warm atmosphere! I loved it!

We went back down to the Market the next day with Lisa, and I got some daytime pictures of Dudeldorf. Then that afternoon we headed up to Bernkastel for our last Christmas Market, and our last day in Germany. Have you ever imagined what a place might look like, then see it for real and it's not even close? Well Bernkastel was the Germany of my imagination! It was so perfect! They whole time we were there I was in complete ecstasy! Well, really I was like that for the whole trip!

I read up a bit on the Bernkastel Christmas Market before we went there, so I knew they had a giant advent calendar, but I was not at all expecting just how big it was! It was an entire building! Each window had a wooden panel painted with a number representing a day, and each day at a specified time (6pm I think) the performance would ensue wherein a person would read a script while the numbered door was replaced with a door painted with a scene on it. Dec 1st was the day were were there. A young boy got up to the microphone and introduced himself with his name and what grade he was in. Then he played a few songs on a recorder, and read a script that I assume was about Little Red Riding Hood, since that is the scene depicted on the door for Dec 1st. It was very cool! I was trying to record it, but I ran out of memory before the boy finished his performance. 😞

As we were leaving Bernkastel on our last night in Germany, it dawned on me that I had not even tried an apple strudel! Real German strudel! There was a little resteraunt there that Lisa knew, so we we stopped there to get some. We just missed the closing time, but fortunately, Lisa knew the manager and promised him that we only wanted strudel, so he allowed us to come in. Hot chocolate and strudel...it was the perfect ending to a wonderful night!

We drove back to Dudeldorf and just relaxed. Lisa had to work the next morning, and
Battlefield above BettendorfBattlefield above BettendorfBattlefield above Bettendorf

Looking across the field toward the trees. The real battle took place in the trees.
we had to meet our airport shuttle on the base at midday the next day. We did some laundry and then Lisa came to pick us up and bring us to billeting to catch the shuttle, and I made good on my promise to not cry! We were vanned to Ramstein first, then on to Frankfurt where we had the joy of going through European security lines. TSA has it together compared to them! The last few photos in this blog are of the flight leaving Germany, and looking down on the lit up highways. It was such a bittersweet moment for me. Happy to be going home, but sad to be leaving. We had such an amazing journey! Far better than we ever imagined! I don't think I expected to love it as much as I did, and I was truly sad that our trip was over. Maybe that's why it's taken me so long to finish this blog...it's like closing a book that I would prefer to linger in a while longer. *sigh*

I don't think Germany has heard the last of us though! One way or another, we will be back. We had such a terrific
Battlefield above BettendorfBattlefield above BettendorfBattlefield above Bettendorf

Looking across the field toward the US and Allied Forces postion.
experience that there is no way we would just live it once and be done! A huge "Danke Schön" to Lisa and Mike for hosting us, and to Frank for the wonderful tour! It was most definitely the trip of our dreams, and we feel so fortunate to have had you be a part of it!

So, until our next trip.... Tschüs!





Additional photos below
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Battlefield above BettendorfBattlefield above Bettendorf
Battlefield above Bettendorf

Looking back toward Bettendorf. I was mostly enjoying the scenery! :)
Battlefield above BettendorfBattlefield above Bettendorf
Battlefield above Bettendorf

Frank explaining to Jeremy all the different movements and positions leading up to the battle.


31st March 2014

Beautiful!
What an amazing trip and wonderful History lesson. I would be overjoyed to be walking thru there where so much history took place. I would probably still be pinching myself to see if it was real, so I can understand why the last entry of the blog took a while to write. The church was absolutely beautiful, as well as the Advent calendar building. That would be so cool to watch the performances there every night. Thanks for sharing your adventure! :)

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