Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge

Before we left for home, we wanted to be sure to visit the military museum and monument in Bastogne, Belgium, the site of the infamous WWII month-long Battle of the Bulge
between the American and German armies.


We loved this statue at the entrance to the monument!

The monument was amazing!  The names of all 50 states were listed across the top, and the names of different divisions across Europe were listed down the sides.  You can't tell from here, 

but the monument is in the shape of a star.

The museum was totally amazing!  It was one of those inter-active ones where you followed the lives and thoughts of both an American and German soldier, a young Belgian boy, and a female Belgian civilian.  There were lots of real-life exhibits and various videos.  It was really one of the best museums we have ever visited!

Exiting the museum, I couldn't believe my eyes!  Isn't this the WWII statue we saw in San Diego?  Yes, this very statue is "on tour" and was currently there in Bastogne!

From there we drove a few kilometers to the nearby German cemetery. 

We were surprised at how small it was.

As we headed out of Bastogne, I couldn't resist taking this picture depicting
the military influence still present today. 

And before we left Belgium, I just had to make a stop at one of the ever-present "Friteries," or French Fry shops that are so prevalent in Belgium.  It was everything we expected to be and more:  One amazingly delicious serving completely covered Elder G's plate!

From there we drove to the impressive American Cemetery in Luxembourg.

Memorial Chapel

This was one of two walls with maps of the battles on one side and the names of the 371 soldiers who died but whose bodies were never found.  It was interesting to learn that since the wall was erected, some remains have been found and soldiers identified; consequently,
 those names now have a star to the side.

There are over 5,076 graves in this 17-acre cemetery.

Jewish soldier

Unknown soldier

One special claim to fame of this cemetery is that General Patton's grave is here.

We were very, very grateful to have taken this weekend trip.  Although we had really wanted to visit Normandy, it was beyond the missionaries' boundary of travel.  Thus,
we were grateful to have taken in the next best thing!

Eisenach & Wartburg, residence of notables

We headed out one Saturday with Elder and Sister Walker to see Wartburg, the castle where Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, thus making it possible for the common people to be able to read the Bible.  Little did we know that the nearby quaint village, Eisenach, 

was home to another world-famous person as well.


Town Square

The first thing we discovered was this church where Johann Sebastian Bach had been baptized.
We had no idea of his birth here in Eisenach in 1685.  Note the inscription below.


"Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott"
"A Mighty Fortress is Our God," words and music by Martin Luther, no less!

There were a number of items paying tribute to this famous musician

 in the entrance to the church--a statue,

the history of his life,

and a plaque commemorating his baptism.

There was also a nice statue in the town.

Here are the Walkers in front of his childhood home.   

This house was said to be the home of Martin Luther--

after the translation of the Bible and when he was a family man. 

After the interesting tour of the city, we rushed up the hill to the Wartburg Castle, anxious to make the deadline for the English tour.  Wartburg was said to be King Ludwig II's 

inspiration for Neuschwanstein.

We started out the guided tour viewing the tops of the burial vaults of various knights.

The tile work on the walls and ceilings of some of the rooms was unbelievable!

Each panel told a story of royalty who had lived the castle.

The Grand Hall was home to music concerts, both past and present.

We loved the intricately carved wood ceiling in the Grand Hall.

Small bed for an adult, wouldn't you say?

One more castle door for me to admire!

Beautiful chest

Martin Luther

Martin and his wife in their later years

We love these ceramic "furnaces" found in many castles!

Example of the printing press used to print the Bible

Having incurred the wrath of the Pope and the Emperor, Martin Luther lived in exile and worked in this panelled room and small side chamber (where knights were once imprisoned) for ten months in 1521-1522.  Note the supposed traces of the legendary ink stain on the wall.

Yet another awesome castle door!
St. Elizabeth lived in the castle from 1211 to 1228;
and another notable, Goethe, lived in the castle in 1777.

We liked the intricate work on this iron whatever-it-was!

Hello, Sister Walker!

Good view of the courtyard

That's most likely Eisenach below.

We're now heading back down the castle grounds while the crowds are coming up.  

Had we have known, there was a shuttle that would have saved us a lot of trouble when we ran uphill to make the guided tour deadline!

Elder G on the drawbridge

Auf wiedersehen, Wartburg, amazing castle with such a legacy!