A Last Minute Trip to Luxembourg - Patton's Memorial

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Day two in Luxembourg started off rainy and gray, but that’s just par for the course in this part of Europe. A friend once told me that if you wait for the rain to stop before you travel, you may not ever go anywhere. Living in Belgium I’ve learned to take this little nugget of wisdom to heart, and not let the rain stop me.

So after a decent breakfast in the hostel we made for the train station to do a little exploring. Now, Luxembourg has a really nice deal for traveling within the country. For five euros you can purchase a ticket that will give you unlimited use of trains and busses for 24 hours. The CIA World Fact Book describes Luxembourg as being slightly smaller than Rhode Island, so you won’t be traveling far on the 24 hour pass, but you can definitely venture outside of Luxembourg City.

Our first stop on this day was the town of Ettelbruck, about 15 minutes from Luxembourg City by train. The town is rather small, and a short 5 minute walk along the highway will take you to the General George S. Patton Jr. Memorial. Like I said, the day was rainy and gray, but somehow it seemed fitting for this visit. I don’t think my photos really do justice to the memorial site. The tank, the statue of the General, the Monument, and the American flag flying with the Luxembourg flag all combined into an overall effect that is difficult to describe. Even the placement of the Memorial added to the effect. Standing beside the statue of the General on that rainy day, and looking out over the hills, I could almost imagine the tanks of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment rolling across the countryside. Chilling and inspiring at the same time.

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Comments

[Teresa]

Good Morning!
SWEET...!!!!!! That was just another cool thing to read about and see...all through your eyes...Missing you! By the way, it is Mid-April and it will be 90 degrees here today! YIKES! Love to ya - TT

[ageekymom]

Well Done!
I enjoyed reading about Patton's Memorial. I am ashamed to say that I have visited Luxembourg many times, even living in Luxembourg City for 10 months while I was in high school, and I never visited the cemetery in Hamm. The next time I visit, it will be a top priority.