Veterans Day Weekend in Trier, Luxembourg and Bastogne

We had a long weekend to celebrate Veterans Day, so we started our journey in Trier, Germany's oldest city. Roman Emperor Augustus founded the city of Augusta Treverorum in 16 BC. Emperor Constantine later surrounded the city with a defensive wall and built beautiful buildings within it.

Near our hotel was the house where Karl Marx was born. 

We came across a Louisiana restaurant, so we decided to see how authentic it was. It turns out that only the name and decor had any relation to Louisiana, the food was typical sports bar food (wings, burgers, etc.)

The Hauptmarkt (Main Square) is a classic German town square.

The St. Peter's fountain is surrounded by figures representing the 4 cardinal virtues.

The market cross is from 958 AD. It symbolizes the town's right to hold markets.

Trier's most famous landmark is the Porta Nigra (the Black Gate). It's the largest Roman edifice on German soil. The monumental gateway was built to defend the northern town wall. The gate gets its name from the color of its weathered stone.

We then explored the Dom St. Peter. This cathedral is quite impressive from the outside. Inside, it incorporates the remains of an older 4th-century church. It is the oldest cathedral in Germany.

Outside the church is a fallen Roman column that supported part of the former church.

We ate dinner at Kartoffel Restaurant Kiste, a cozy restaurant serving the humble potato in just about every way possible.

Chris ordered Trier spiessbraten, spit roasted pork filled with herbs and spices, with a side of fried potatoes.

I ordered kappes teerdisch, a Trier specialty. It was a potato and sauerkraut mash topped with bratwurst.

The next day we traveled to the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial. More than 5,000 American soldiers are buried here, including Gen. George S. Patton Jr. Most of the soldiers buried here were killed during the liberation of Luxembourg and the Battle of the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge).

The gold laurel wreaths symbolize the ancient award for valor

Half of the names of 371 Missing in Action

A Star of David topped the tombstones of those Jewish soldiers. We learned that it is a Jewish custom to place a small rock on top of the grave when visiting a loved one.

We found some of the men from 101st Airborne Division, Easy Company, including Alex Penkala and Warren Muck.

Some of the soldiers who were killed were never identified. Their tombstones read " Here rest in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God."

General Patton's grave is between the two American flags, facing his troops.

After the cemetery, we drove into Luxembourg City. We ate lunch at Mousel's Cantine, a rustic cafe attached to the former Mousel brewery.

We both tried the gezwickelte beier (unfiltered beer).

For my meal, I tried the Luxembourg assorted specialties platter.

The beer tap

After lunch we took a tour with a local guide.

City Hall

Statue of William II

This double arrow symbol was used to try and prevent disease during the Black Plague.

The Kirchberg Plateau holds the modern buildings in town, which is home to EU institutions and the Court of Justice.

The casemates are underground tunnels throughout the city that have housed everything from bakeries to slaughterhouses. During WWI and WWII, the casemates sheltered locals from the attacks.

We then walked along the Chemin de la Corniche, which is called the "most beautiful balcony in the world." When the sun was shining, the views really were beautiful!

View of the old city wall

Our tour guide asked the group what we thought this building could be....most people guessed a church or castle. The answer: The Bank of Luxembourg! Of course a country with a per capita GDP higher than most in the world would have a bank as grand at this!

The Monument of Remembrance ("Golden Lady") is dedicated to the Luxembourgers who volunteered during WWI. During WWII, the Nazis dismantled the memorial. The Golden Lady on top was lost until 1980 when she was discovered under the main stand of the national football stadium. Later additions to the monument now honor soldiers in WWII and the Korean War.

Our tour guide took us into the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Lady Comforter of the Afflicted

Beneath the church is the crypt which contains the remains of the Grand-Ducal family, including Duchess Charlotte. It is guarded by two lions.

Fleur-de-lis design on the gate

Luxembourg crest

The most unusual detail in the church is the pagan gods decorating two columns. The Jesuits who founded the church traveled to South America and learned about other gods. They wanted to include them in their church.

Duchess Charlotte was one of the Luxembourgers most beloved rulers. She was mostly loved because, unlike her sister who ruled before her, she stayed out of politics and let the people do as they pleased.

Duchess Charlotte

We were window shopping when I saw a quaint little bakery with some delicious treats in the window!

We ate dinner at Brasserie Guillame, Old Town's best brasserie. We both ordered beef carpaccio, mine was topped with arugula and parmesan while Chris' was topped with lobster!

My birthday dessert was creme brulee. Not a bad way to spend my 27th birthday!

The next day we headed out to Bastogne, Belgium, the site of a pivotal WWII battle during the Battle of the Bulge. 

We started at the Bastogne War Museum, which did a fantastic job explaining the war leading up to the Battle of the Bulge, as well as the battle itself. 

In addition to all the facts about the war, the museum also had us follow the story of 4 individuals, ranging from a school teacher from Bastogne who joined the Resistance to an American paratrooper from Georgia.

The museum also had these 4D movie experiences to really put you in the scenes of the battle. This scene had us in the middle of the woods with the American soldiers. The room was cold like it was in the winter of '44; we could hear planes flying overhead and explosions shook the whole room.

Examples of gifts the American brought to the Belgian people

American uniform

One of the most infamous moments of the battle was when Gen. McAuliffe replied "Nuts!" when the Germans asked the Americans to surrender.

Gen. McAuliffe

A Bastogne sign with bullet holes

Seeing a Christmas card to the troops reminded me that not much has changed since WWII. Chris received so many cards from school children while he was deployed to Afghanistan that just wanted to show their support and love to the soldiers fighting for their freedom.

Gen. Patton

Another thing that hasn't changed since WWII....Stars and Stripes is still the military's newspaper!

This 4D scene put us in a Bastogne cafe where civilians were hiding in the basement below during the attacks.

Of course the Belgian cafe inside the museum served a variety of beers on tap!

After the museum we walked a short distance to the American Memorial, a star-shaped monument with the names of all 50 American states.

The crypt below the memorial

We climbed to the top, but it was too foggy to see much!

A thank you to the 101st Airborne Division from the citizens of Bastogne

We drove to Le Bois de la Paix (the Peace Woods). 4,000 trees were planted for the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. Every veteran who returned in 1994 got to choose a tree and a plaque was placed next to it with the name of the soldier.

Design of the park from above

A tree honoring a veteran

In Bastogne's main square is a monument honoring Gen. McAuliffe. It was inaugurated by the general in person.

An American tank that was knocked out during the war also is displayed in the square.

We then set out to try and find the actual foxholes that Easy Company used during the battle. We knew the approximate location, and after finding numerous small holes in the ground (which were probably just holes), we eventually saw holes that were obviously man made. Although the battle was fought more than 70 years ago, the foxholes and the woods surrounding them remain untouched.

It's always educational to learn about history in a textbook or even a museum, but there is an emotional element to learning about history in the exact spot where it took place. We had just finished watching the Battle of the Bulge episode of Band of Brothers, so we were vividly able to imagine our American soldiers laying in these holes in the middle of winter.

Easy Company Memorial

Multiple foxholes in a row

Scene from Band of Brothers

Easy Company in foxholes

We remembered that the church in Bastogne played an important role during the battle as a makeshift aid station, so we decided to look around inside.

We heard the organ playing when we entered and assumed it was choir practice. After listening further, we realized the song was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! Not what you would expect to be playing in church. In fact, it was a little boy practicing the organ with his teacher.

There was a lot of damaged and fading details inside the church. We're not sure, but it seems as if it could have been left untouched after the war.

We were quietly looking around since the little boy was in the middle of his lesson, but as we were about to leave, his mother motioned for us to look at the other side of the church. We walked around the corner and saw this amazing grotto inside the church. One wall was dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. We were so glad the woman knew we would have wanted to see that grotto!

Of course I spotted a little shop across the road with "chocolate" on the sign, so we decided to have a pre-dinner chocolate! When in Belgium, right?

We ate dinner at Restaurant Leo, a popular eatery inside a renovated train car.

The renovated train car

Delicious Belgian beer

We were excited to be in a country that has access to fresh seafood, so we ordered some oysters for an appetizer.

Chris ordered the cod, which was on top of a potato puree and served with a lemon butter sauce.

I ordered steamed mussels with a creamy wine sauce. I loved them so much last time we were in Belgian, I just had to get them again!

We couldn't decide on dessert, so we compromised....we both got our own desserts! Chris ordered a chocolate molten cake, and I ordered creme brulee (yes, two nights in a row!)

We spent one last morning exploring Trier. The ruins of the Barbara Roman baths were just a block away from our hotel. It's a little surreal to walk around the corner from hotels and houses to see ancient Roman ruins!

We took a little tour of the Roman amphitheater, dating from the 1st century AD. Although not quite impressive as Rome's Colosseum, it was unusual to see such a structure in Germany. The arena once held 20,000 spectators.

Rooms to hold the wild animals

Underground, the arena cellar was used during shows for the rapid change of scenery and props.

Arena cellar

While we were visiting the Luxembourg American Cemetery on Monday, we asked if they were hosting any sort of Veterans Day event. We were told a ceremony would be held and it was open to the public, so we were invited back if we wanted to go. Since the cemetery was only about 30 minutes from our hotel in Trier, we decided it was worth it to go back and see the event. We are so glad that we did! This ended up being one of the best moments from our trip.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year, the Veterans Day ceremony began. Hundreds of American service members, civilians and veterans gathered to honor those veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice, as well as honoring those who have served both past and present. Distinguished guests included Col. Joseph McFall (the 52nd Fighter Wing commander from Spangdahlem Air Base), Allison Shorter- Lawrence (Deputy Chief of Mission to the U.S. Embassy Luxembourg) and Helen Patton (granddaughter of Gen. George S. Patton Jr.).

The crowds of people

Many wreaths were laid by the distinguished guests to honor veterans both past and present.

General Patton's granddaughter shared a few stories about her famous grandfather. She said it is a little known fact, but Patton's wife is also buried with him in the cemetery. She also said that it was a good thing Patton's grave wasn't directly in the middle; he didn't want to have all the attention on him. Instead, the church is directly in the middle of the gravestones; this would have made Patton happy.

We were honored to be part of such a special ceremony in such a historic location. We couldn't have asked for a better ending to our trip.