Luxembourg     (Monday 25th)

 It was advised that this would be a great starting point for our trip as the traffic is not as heavy as it will be in Frankfurt,  and we can get our bearings about us before "hitting it" hard in Germany.  

Luxembourg is fairy-tale stuff…complete with the happy ending!

The story of this land’s history includes counts and dynasties, wars and victories,  and yes...castles!   Luxembourgers are a proud people whose national motto, Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sin (‘We want to remain what we are’), sums up their independent spirit.

We will enjoy a quick rest here and will pay our respects to American Heroes at the American US Cemetary.   Here lie more than 5000 US war dead, including famous general George S Patton jr.

Most of those buried or remembered here were killed during the US's WWII liberation of Luxembourg and the subsequent Battle of the Ardennes. Patton's headstone is easily identified among the rows of white crosses and stars, each marked with flags from the US and Luxembourg. White-stone pylons commemorate the soldiers whose bodies were never found, and enormous wall maps detail the main events from the 1944-45 battles.