A Georgia Girl in Germany

Back in May, the base chapel offered a family retreat to Disneyland Paris, so we jumped at the opportunity to go so we could enjoy some quality family time with just the four of us, no outside distractions, and a few rides and attractions to boot. We’d wanted to go to Disneyland Paris for a while, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. This is the main entrance -- to both parks, Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios. Unlike Orlando where the different parks are a bus or car ride apart, these two parks are only a 10-minute walk away from each other!

Disneyland Paris is set up much like the Magic Kingdom park in Orlando, with a few differences. Our main goal for the day was to ride as many rides/roller coasters as possible, and we did pretty well meeting that goal!

Benjamin wasn’t tall enough to ride Space Mountain here (he would have been in Orlando, but it was closed when we visited there last summer), so we grabbed four FastPasses and split up. Zachary did the race track with Benjamin while MacKenzie and I rode Space Mountain, then MacKenzie rode the Space Orbiter with Benjamin while Zachary and I rode Space Mountain. I love that the kids are old enough (and responsible enough) that we can split up like that!

One of the differences about this park was that Space Mountain had a loop and a spiral -- unlike in Orlando. When we discovered that, we understood why Benjamin wasn’t tall enough to ride!

After Space Mountain, we ended up waiting for a while to ride the train to the other side of the park to ride Thunder Mountain Railroad. We should have walked so we didn’t kill so much time, but it did feel nice to sit a bit. We were on the train when a little rainstorm rolled through, so that was a bonus as well.

Since Benjamin couldn’t ride Space Mountain, he chose the Tower of Terror ride in the Walt Disney Studios park as his must-ride attraction. After a 10-minute walk out the Disneyland Paris park into the Walt Disney Studios park, we were in line. Benjamin really enjoyed this ride in Orlando, and he enjoyed it just as much in Paris.

I think the first drop caught Zachary off guard! When we were done, Benjamin said it was awesome!

When at Space Mountain, one of the employees told us the Rock’n Roller Coaster in the Walt Disney Studios park was essentially the same as Space Mountain, but had a shorter height requirement so Benjamin would be able to ride. We headed there for our last ride of the day, and sure enough it had the loop and spiral. Benjamin did OK with them, but afterward said he didn’t like it. Lesson learned: while he likes the thrills of roller coasters, he also prefers to not go upside down.

I’m not sure if we’ll make it back to Disneyland Paris again before we move back to the states, but we certainly enjoyed this visit!

Labels: Benjamin, Disney World, France, MacKenzie, Travel, Zachary

I know it’s well past Memorial Day, but I still want to share these photos from our visit to Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in St. Avold, France. It’s only about an hour from where we live and is the largest American World War II cemetery in Europe covering 113.5 acres and containing 10,489 graves.



The headstones are arranged in nine plots in a generally elliptical design extending over the beautiful rolling terrain of France’s eastern Lorraine region and culminating in a prominent overlook feature.



Most of the dead here were killed while driving the German forces from the fortress city of Metz toward the Siegfried Line and the Rhine River. Initially, there were over 16,000 Americans interred in the St. Avold region, mostly from the U.S. Seventh Army's Infantry and Armored Divisions and its Cavalry Groups. St. Avold served as a vital communications center for the vast network of enemy defenses guarding the western border of the Third Reich.









The memorial, which stands on a plateau to the west of the burial area, contains ceramic operations maps with narratives and service flags. High on its exterior front wall is the large figure of St. Nabor, the martyred Roman soldier overlooking the silent host. On each side of the memorial, and parallel to its front, stretch the Tablets of the Missing on which are inscribed 444 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. The entire area is framed in woodland.

Zachary took a few minutes to write down the words on the inscriptions inside the memorial.

Whenever we visit cemeteries, we always try to find headstones bearing family names. This was the only Walker interred here, and it was a little surreal that his name was Ivey, since I have a cousin named Ivy Walker (granted, she goes by her middle name, but still).

Labels: Benjamin, Boy Scouts, France, Travel, Zachary

OK, OK, so I am WAAAY behind on this post...but at least I haven’t reached the one-year mark since I went on this trip...almost, but not quite. Last October, I went on a staff ride with work to the Maginot Line in Bitche, France. I’ve grown to enjoy military history, and this was a wonderful opportunity to see history first-hand.

As a side note, you can see all the wonderful fall colors that filled the landscape that day. Fall is in the air again this year, and the wonderful colors are simply amazing -- and everywhere we turn! I love the fall colors in Europe!

The Maginot Line was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts and other defenses that France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy following its experience in World War I, during the run-up to World War II. The defensive fortification was built to provide time for the French army to mobilize in the event of attack and/or to entice Germany to attack neutral Belgium to avoid a direct assault on the line. The system successfully dissuaded a direct attack. However, it was an ineffective strategy, since the Germans eventually invaded Belgium, flanked the Maginot Line and proceeded relatively unobstructed into France.

The visitor’s center is to the left, the entrance to Fort Simserhof fortress leads into the hillside is in the background and an alloy steel cloche -- non-retractable turret -- is to the right.

We walked up the hillside above the entrance in the photo above to a larger portion of the fortification, and I took notice of this sign alongside the rusted concertina wire. Yup, I stayed on the path...I didn’t want to veer onto something best left undisturbed!

This is what welcomed us when we entered the fortification. You can clearly see machine guns peering out from the walls, overlooking an empty moat. The moat was also designed to allow concrete to fall below the guns so as to not obstruct them and allow them to fire longer. Definitely formidable!

Even more formidable was seeing the machine gun from inside!

The line wasn’t really a linear line, but instead was a deep fortification, varying from between 20 to 25 kilometers deep. There were more than 100 kilometers of tunnels that stretched in many directions and connected the 45 grands ouvrages (main forts), 97 petits ouvrages (smaller forts) and 352 casemates.

There were several large generators that supplied power to the fortification. It was important for the larger encasements to have their own power plants so in case concrete fell on the wires outside (or if the wires were cut) they wouldn’t be without power.

This is the table where the officers would work -- right inside the generator room.

Here’s the transformer room.

In order to sustain the underground city, the fortress had to provide for basic necessities. Here’s one of the storerooms, and below is where meals were prepared. Talk about big vats to make stew and soup! The soldiers ate three times day, and the food was always warm. They even had a modern potato peeler.

The storerooms had ample room for food and wine. Yes, wine was preferred over water since water could rust the pipes! Everyone was allowed a quarter liter of wine per day.

Most of the men living in the fortification lived in open bay rooms like this. The artwork on the walls here are all original -- this Walt Disney enthusiast was very talented.

Higher-ranking officers had their own, smaller rooms.

There was even a four-room infirmary that included dental and doctors offices.

One of the more common ailments the soldiers were diagnosed with was “sickness of the concrete.” Can you imagine living in a concrete fortress non-stop for months on end? The fortresses’ designs were based on battleships, and were set up to survive underground for two to three months without resupply!

Here’s another room for the soldiers. Notice that the bunks are three beds high! They had to sleep three soldiers per bed -- talk about hot-bunking it! This was one of the better fortresses -- the smaller ones only had hammocks for the soldiers to sleep in.

We took a tour inside this part of the fortification on a narrow-gage railcar.

There are more than 1,100 cloches on the Maginot Line, and most of them had machine guns peering out of their windows.

After our tour, we drove to a nearby French military base (Camp de Bitche) for lunch. Along the way, we passed the Zitadelle von Bitche (the Bitche Citadel).

The French 57th Régiment d'Artillerie (57th Artillery Regiment) commander welcomed us before lunch.

The French really know how to enjoy food! Everything was delicious -- from the appetizers and dips to the Kir and wine (Kir is a cocktail made with crème de cassis -- blackcurrant liquor -- topped up with white wine that they poured in front of us). Carri and I thought even the plates were classy -- they certainly made it easy to enjoy our meals while standing.

The desserts were wonderful as well. I went back for seconds and could have enjoyed even more. Fruit really is the best dessert there is!

To read more about the Maginot Line, visit here (click on the British flag for the English version).

Labels: France, Travel

After sending Zachary off to battle the torrential rain in England, MacKenzie, Benjamin and I set off with the USO to Reims, France. The weekend we were there coincided with the town’s annual Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc) Festival. The two-day festival celebrates the life of the great battle matriarch Joan of Arc, including a wide variety of historic events dedicated to the French heroine.

When we arrived, the town was still setting up for the festival, so it was a perfect time for a city tour. We started off at the last royal square built in France -- built in the late 18th century. In the center is a statue of King Louis XV, boxed in by buildings on all four sides. Each of the buildings had balconies, which hid the roofs...for security, so no one could see who was up there from the ground. The lady petting the lion at the foot of this statue represents good guidance and symbolized the same in the king.

From there we went to the Cryptoportiques -- a 3rd century Roman market place. There were only four such Roman markets in France. The building in the background on the left was a former medieval cathedral that was restored during World War I and is now a museum.


After the destruction they city saw during World War II, a significant amount of work went into restoring the town. There were several interesting aspects of this reconstruction. One change from previous building standards was the shape of buildings. Original half-timbered houses could have larger second and third floors (as high as the house was built). The new standard was that the upper floors could no longer be larger than the main floor. So, the new symbol of wealth was height. This interesting-looking narrow house was a prime example of building up in lieu of building out. You can also see part of the Roman market in the foreground.

Another interesting change in architecture during the reconstruction comes from American influence. Several influential Americans provided funds and suggestions for rebuilding the town, including the suggestion to round out the corners of buildings when they were on a street corner. The style was supposed to give a less harsh, and more peaceful feel...something the town definitely wanted after the destruction it suffered during the war. This building doesn’t have an arched corner, but still keeps in line with the trend by not having a harsh 90-degree angle corner.


Reims is also in the heart of the champagne region of France -- the only place where true champagne is produced. The town is very proud of its heritage in that regard, as is evident throughout the town. This building above has five large 19th century mosaics showing the different phases of champagne production.

I liked this door on the 16th century Hotel de la Salle. It has a slanted arch and was wide enough to allow carriages to pass through. The statues on either side are Adam and Eve.


In addition to champagne, another specialty of the region is the biscuits roses de Reims -- rose biscuits. These biscuits are baked twice so they won’t crumble when dipped in champagne and are always included after wedding masses on the tables beside the champagne. We all enjoyed our samples, so ended up buying two boxes to bring home.

From there, we came to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims (Notre-Dame Cathedral, or Our Lady of Reims Cathedral), which, yes, reminded me of the Notre-Dame in Paris. It was absolutely stunning -- both inside and out! This gothic cathedral was built in the 13th century and was the site of 25 coronations. French Kings have been baptized and crowned on the site since 498, and in 1429 Joan of Arc succeeded in getting the Dauphin, Charles VII, crowned king, allowing him to regain his legitimacy as monarch. Reims’ most notable claim to fame is that for hundreds of years, it was the only place in France where kings were crowned.

I liked the rose windows and all the magnificent detail in the cathedral's more than 2,500 statues. What’s even more interesting about the statues is that they are all by different 13th century sculptors, so they are noticeably different in styles. The photo at left shows the upper rose window above the entrance. The statue at the bottom right of the window is the shepherd-boy, David, and the headless statue at the top left is Goliath. The photo below is of the lower rose window, with a statue of the Madonna between the two large entrance doors.



Here’s a close-up of the statues to the right of the entrance. The angel at the far left is the famous Smiling Angel with open wings. Her smile is supposedly representative of French enjoyment. I saw a few references to her as the giggling angel. This cathedral is also the only cathedral to display angels with open wings.


This stained glass rose window above is the lower one at the cathedral’s entrance. Notice all the detailed statues surrounding the window! Absolutely amazing! It's even more beautiful when you see both rose windows together from the middle of the nave!

The cathedral has quite the variety of stained glass windows, dating from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.


This plaque recognizes the sacrifice of a million British soldiers who died during World War I, many of whom found their final resting place in France.

The stained glass window below, from 1961 and just above the World War I plaque, is supposed to invoke feelings of sadness and an urge to pray.

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The stained glass windows above the sides of the nave are unique in that they are the only ones in any cathedral that display kings above bishops...symbolizing the higher power that the kings supposedly had over the bishops of the time. Interesting.

Again, the people of Reims are proud of their champagne-making traditions, and wanted to advertise themselves. However, since stained glass windows could only show scenes from the Bible, they had to get creative in such endeavors. Soooo, this set of three windows, built in 1954 but in the older-style, was designed to tell the parable of Jesus turning water into wine. However, it also shows the champagne production process and includes the names of nearby towns where champagne is produced.

I simply liked the shape of the window below.

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By far, the most famous set of windows in the cathedral is the Chagall Windows in the back of the cathedral. Marc Chagall was a French painter of Russian origin who used medieval techniques used in 13th century Reims to create these windows...including the special blue that forms the background.

The center window shows key events from Abraham’s life and Jesus on the cross and rising from the tomb. The left window shows scenes from the Old Testament, while the right window shows momentous occasions in the lives of the kings of France.

This mechanical clock was really magnificent, and our tour was timed perfectly so we saw it chime at high noon.

The chairs in the cathedral were also unique. They were designed for sitting, and, when the seat is lifted (as shown in the one chair below), for kneeling. The only downside was the tremendous noise of all the chairs being lifted and turned around when time for the congregation to kneel, followed by the repeat sound when time for the congregation to sit again.


This is the back of the cathedral. The spires are absolutely amazing, and what remind me the most of the Notre-Dame in Paris.

After our tour, we wandered around the town, which had finished setting up for the festival. There were medieval reenactors giving performances. However, (and unfortunately) I think the guy in the red hat didn’t have to alter his teeth for his performance.


I thought the forest creatures were rather interesting, especially the living tree that came up to MacKenzie!

As always, we had to sample the ice cream. This time all we could find was a basic soft-serve, but MacKenzie didn’t seem to mind. Benjamin was conked out and completely oblivious that he was missing out on the treat!


Toward the end of our day in Riems, we watched several costumed dance troupes -- from Germany, Kenya, Turkey, and others -- perform traditional dances. They were all quite good.

Then, the parade began, complete with French soldiers and musicians marching from the royal square through the streets of town. Unfortunately, we were there on the first day of the festival, and the second day is what includes the 2,000-person reenactment of Joan of Arc returning to Reims to get the Dauphin crowned as King Charles VII. But we still enjoyed the medieval market, and Benjamin enjoyed picking out his new sword!


Reims also holds a significant part of more recent history in that it is where the German army surrendered and ended World War II in Europe on May 7, 1945. The Musée de la Reddition (Surrender Museum) has the intact map room that was used as Gen. Dwight Eisenhower’s headquarters. Unfortunately, the museum was a little farther out from the city center than I expected, and we weren’t able to find it.

Labels: Benjamin, France, MacKenzie, Travel