I was equal parts excited and filled with dread over taking this day trip. I felt so privileged to get to see Bastogne, but I didn't know how it would go with our five-month-old. Fortunately, he did so well!
We got up incredibly early to make the drive. The day started with a walk through the Bastogne countryside. There were four walks to choose from: 8 km, 12 km, 16 km, and 23 km. We chose the 12 kilometer walk.
We bundled up our son in a snowsuit, put him in a backpack carrier, and off we went. Jackson was so great during the entire walk. We walked by a few families whose babies or toddlers were screaming, and I was worried that Jack would soon follow suit. But, he was a happy baby and just looked around or slept the entire time. I was, as usual, concerned about his warmth, but he was fine.
The walk was perfect, although cold and even snowing. It was fitting since the soldiers who were fighting there in 1944 were entrenched in freezing, snowy conditions. We went through some forest areas, and there were so many battle re-enactors throughout the walk. What was really funny, though, was to see all of these young men dressed in American 101st Airborne outfits - who spoke French.
In fact, there was an incredible amount of respect for Americans on display throughout the town for this event. There were American flags everywhere - hung on the side of buildings, flown up flagpoles, draped out of windows. The people of Bastogne are remarkably still humbled and grateful for what our soldiers did for them during World War II.
While I don't believe I've seen the rampant anti-Americanism that people say is present throughout Europe (sure, there are some who don't like us, but not the vast majority as some would have you believe), it was really incredible to see Europeans who absolutely love and embrace us. It made me really proud of our countrymen who sacrificed in Bastogne.
Once the walk was over, we went to a cafe in General McAuliffe square. As we settled in for some lunch, an elderly man in his paratrooper uniform came in. I noticed that he had on his uniform the medal that indicated he had jumped over Normandy. I got really excited that a real hero was in our midst. To make it even better, there was a man in a suit that came up to this man, and since I am an eavesdropper in these situations, I overheard this man introduce himself as a McAuliffe - a descendent of some sort of General McAuliffe. Now I was really excited. I really wanted to get a picture of Jackson with these two men.
However, Chris and I both agreed that we did not want to interrupt their conversation or their lunch. It would be rude, so we wanted to wait for a better time. But, then, Jackson started getting really loud. He's in a phase where I think he really likes the sound of his own (loud) voice. So, we promptly left the cafe.
We watched a parade, and then went to see the annual "Walnut Festival", where dignitaries from Bastogne and, this year, some veterans from the Battle of the Bulge came out onto a hotel balcony to throw walnuts into the crowd. This is to celebrate General McAuliffe's brave response to a German surrender request: "NUTS!"
One of the men on the balcony this year was a feeble veteran who pulled himself out of his wheelchair, wearing his baseball cap marked with the word "Currahee", to gleefully launch these walnuts into the crowd. It was incredible to see, and it just made me think how Americans so need to see this kind of gumption today. With each throw, I could just picture a group of these guys proclaiming to the enemy: We. Will. Not. Surrender.
We had such an amazing time in Bastogne. We have agreed that we want to come back each year that we are here. The town is beautiful and this was one of my favorite experiences that we have had in Europe.
In fact, I would highly recommend doing this to any of you - even if you are in the United States. If you are at all interested in World War II history, have considered taking a trip to Europe, or even just appreciate our veterans, make this journey! It won't be long before there are no more veterans taking part in this annual event.
We got a picture of Jackson with a group of Battle of the Bulge veterans, even though he was fast asleep. We couldn't pass up the opportunity:
1 comment:
Your write-up brought a tear to my eye! So neat! I'm glad the trip was a success. You're so fortunate that you get to have these experiences. You should have enough material to write a book someday.
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