Today we headed to just outside the city of Luxembourg to another American Cemetery. This one holds the grave of General George S. Patton. This cemetery is probably the smallest we have seen with only 5,076 graves. Patton’s grave looks just like every other grave except it had to be moved to an area closer to the walkway because the grass around other graves was being ruined because of the amount of people viewing Patton’s grave. Each of these cemeteries has a chapel and a listing of names of those that were missing in actions. If there is a star by a name on the wall of the missing, it means the remains have been found. Just two weeks ago remains were identified in Germany along with part of an airplane. The remains were returned to ... read more

Today we left our hotel in the Alps of Austria and headed back into Germany. It was really all about riding on the bus today. We did stop in Ulm, Germany where we saw the tallest church steeple in the world. One person in our group climbed to the top. A couple others tried but gave up. It was 768 steps to the top. I did take some pictures, but it is really hard to tell how tall it is from the pictures. The best thing we found at Ulm was a discount store which we thought might be similar to Kmart. We loaded up on snacks and drinks because they are quite expensive at the hotels and travel plazas. I was able to buy batteries and a charger for my camera a lot cheaper than ... read more

Today we were up early in preparation to leave the Hotel Hoefler and make our way across Germany to Austira. Our first stop was the concentration camp, Dachau. Dachau was the first concentration camp in Germany and opened in 1933 and was basically a training ground for the SS. At first they sent inferior people - Jews, homosexuals, physically handicapped. Then they found all kinds of reasons to send people. It is huge. When you enter, the gate says “Work sets you free”. There was even a moat around it. Part of the buildings have been turned into a museum. Written in large letters on the roof is: “There is one path to freedom. Its milestones are: Obedience, honesty, cleanliness, sobriety, diligence, orderliness, sacrifice, truthfulness, love of the fatherland.” It was very depressing to know that ... read more

Today after breakfast we left our hotel to start our drive to Germany. We drove on the Autobon which has no speed limit on certain parts although some sections are regulated up to 120 km (74 mph). We did see some cars traveling probably 100 mph but none much faster than that. Because of the Europe Union (group of countries that have joined together to create a strong economic & social union) you no longer have to go through customs. Therefore driving across the border was like driving across state lines in the USA. The drive was interesting. We immediately noticed fields of bright yellow which we discovered was canola (we assume to make oil products). It is beautiful. We also noticed that there is rich farm land but the houses are clustered together cradled in ... read more

Today we started out driving through North Holland heading to Amsterdam. Our first stop was to take pictures of a lovely windmill. It was a kind of dreary day...very overcast..but the blue of the sky kept peeking through. It was interesting to note that some windmills are used for power and others are used to maintain a safe water level near the dikes. This particular windmill was also the residence of the manager or caretaker. We just wondered how it might feel to live in a windmill...pretty neat! We learned we you enter a city in the Netherlands that you will see a city sign much like at home, but when you leave a city you will see the same sign with a red line through it....letting you know you are no longer in the city ... read more