Hotel du Tigre Verdun

... but then we aren't Japanese down under!! It was a bit like WW3 had started for a couple of hours in the pm with several fighter jets and helicopters doing maneuvers above us, just like a free air show. Don't know if we are near an air base or a manufacturing facility, the locals didn't seem to take any notice but for me interesting!!

... it only had to surrender weeks after the German did occupy France and the armistice was signed. As a sign of respect the French crew of the "Fort De Fermont" was allowed to parade out of the fort with full military honours.we then returned to Etain for a fast change of clothes to head to my cousin jean-claude for diner. I will not bore you with the menu but a lot was homemade like fois gras etc...Etc...

... a special "borne" or marker. But as I am not that familiar with the area we looked for the monument for 2 hours and could not find it (only to learn later it is on a side road) anyhow we had to go packing as tomorrow we are leaving for Berlin. But before we are allowed to go we have to go for dinner at Anne-Marie (my cousin and godmother) and here we go again re fois gras ...

Now the real site seeing starts, so far it was more of a break for me than for the family, we all got up bright and early to go and do some sightseeing of the 1st world war starting with the "Memorial of Verdun" this place is amazing no matter how many times I have seen it, it always brings me goose pimples. I then took every one to ...

... little hills where the shells hit and blew up. The village was completly destroyed the only remains we saw were of the blacksmith and even that was only a few stones. After that we had lunch and went to a fort. It was huge and there were thousands of white crosses in the ground of people that died and it was so wierd. I wondered why the people who started this war were ...

So far the weather has been pretty average for Europe... even in spring where it should be much nicer and warmer than what we have now. Unfortunately this morning we have to get up at 0545am to go gat Alex at Frankfurt airport and is raining like the proverbial deluge. So here we go for the next 3 hours in the pouring rain ... too bad as I really love the autobahn. On arrival we are told that the flight from London will be around 45 late (damn we ...

Got up this morning a little late as we were supposed to do breakfast with Manu and Isabelle but as we have a big "Bauchet family reunion at lunch we do not have the time so... sincere apologies to everyone I may have offended but we only have a limited time. So here we go on the road again for the next hour and half to a little place ...

... in one room that had been badly damaged due to an explosion and another room that had been walled up as it was used by the Germans to bury their dead during the time they held the fort. After that we moved outside and took a look at one of the retractable guns from the outside (after shoeing a group of American students lounging on it off). After the fort we moved on to a memorial called the Trench of the Bayonets. During shelling the 137th French regiment ...

... of it was closed up as they seemed to be having a siesta, which was nice as we had the town to ourselves. There were a couple of memorials to WW1, and a couple of town gates that had been rebuilt. They were quite nice so we took photos. As the time rolled on, we found a cafe and had dinner washed down with some more red. It had been a nice first day. So to celebrate, we walked back to the tent and had another bottle of red !!! Day 2 We had our ...

... for us. it was just this guy, a film maker from Washington, DC, and he gave us a ride to the cemetery. it was great..after the cemetery, we saw Fort Douaumont, and several different "ghost" towns. before the battle, there had been little villages all over the area, but during the fighting, they were reduced to nothing but rubble..after the battlefield, we called another taxi and headed back into Verdun proper. we got a bit to eat and headed to bed..