“This tower has been offered to the many dead of Verdun by their friends in the United States” reads this sign over a hall in the Douaumont Ossuary at the Verdun Battlefield. Americans helped finance this memorial to the French, German, and American soldiers who died on the Western Front during World War I. Walking through the portraits of parents and children holding pictures of their loved ones who died here in 1916 was a heart–tearing experience. Linda and I had a wonderful visit to France in August 2009. A week in Paris, a week with Benedicte, Olivier, and their children in Nancy, good food, great accommodations, terrific historic sites, and most surprisingly good weather. Presented here are some of the people, places, and pleasures we enjoyed in France.
Linda and I entered Notre Dame Cathedral just as a service was beginning. What a thrill to witness a Catholic ceremony in the second most famous cathedral in the world.
The French countryside is like an Impressionist painting. This farm was in north Lorraine near the Belgium border.
The sights in Tuilerie Gardens in Paris are oh so delightful.
Oh, to be young and in love in Paris!
We were treated to many picnics (A French word we were told.) by Benedicte and Olivier. In the gardens at Lunéville, Martin takes a picture of me as I capture him, Benedicte, Thomas in the st rol ler, and Linda. Olivier is behind me carrying the cooler and food.
On February 21, 1916, the German army launched an attack on Verdun. The battle lasted 300 days and 300 nights and resulted in over 700,000 casualties. The bones of thousands of unknown soldiers are buried in the Douaumont Ossuary at Verdun.
I was fascinated by this working tractor at the mirabelle farm near Nancy. It was a 30–year–old Czech– built Zetor 6011 with 67 horsepower which was sold in 93 countries.
Warner stands next to a giant self–portrait of Vincent van Gogh at the Orsay Museum in Paris. The famous French painter suffered from epilepsy and depression. While chasing his friend, Gauguin, with an open razor, he cut off a portion of his own ear. After continuing fits of madness, he was sent to a lunatic asylum. He recovered but two months after being released he shot himself “for the good of all.”