Bonneval-sur-Arc, France

 3 JUL 2013 - France has deemed Bonneval-sur-Arc as one of it's most beautiful towns. It was certainly charming. Every home in this small village is made of stone. There are a few little shops like this one that make it fun to wander and see what's around the corner.

 Bonneval-sur-Arc, France

 The locals really seem to go out of their way to put on the charm in this little village with fresh flowers near or on every home.

 Eve's best French pose. Not bad.

 One of the most amazing drives we took in 2013 was from Bonneval-sur-Arc to Val d'Isere. Even though it rained throughout most of the day, it didn't dampen the some of the most incredible scenery along the way.

At the peak of the road, you stand at 9,087 feet. The views into the surrounding valley's are spectacular!

Bardonecchia, Italy

2 JUL 2013 - We drove from France through the eight mile long Frejus Road Tunnel and arrived in Bardonecchia, Italy. Primarily a skiing village, it hosted some of the Olympic events during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. We took one of the ski lifts to the top of the mountain and just wandered around. The weather was beautiful and so was the scenery.  

 Bardonecchia, Italy

 Hiking in the mountains with our family is one of our favorite things to do.

 The views looking back towards the French Alps were really stunning.

 Bardonecchia also boasted it's own impressive ropes course. Heidi, Kjersti and Eli had a great time with it.

 Kjersti even conquered the long zip line they had. Nice job!

Of course, Eve couldn't miss out on all of the fun so Cody "supervised" this little climber on a mini course just for small people like her.

Vallore, France

1 JUL 2013 - We traveled to Vallore, France to enjoy a very cool ropes course. To boot, we also enjoyed wandering around this cozy little French village. After just a few seconds, Eve believed she had adopted this baby wooden dog.

 

Vallore, France

Wildflowers at the foot of the mountain were blooming everywhere. It was an incredible sight to see!
 

Cody, Kjersti and Eli enjoyed their first ever ropes course that day. It turned out to be the first of many more to come.

Lac du Mont Cenis, France

30 JUN 13 - Heidi loves the Alps. When Cody found a cheap hotel room in the French Alps (Orelle France), he booked it for a week. This made for a wonderful adventure! We arrived late on a Saturday and spent Sunday enjoying the beautiful mountains and lakes. One of the lakes we visited that day was Lac du Mont Cenis near the Italian border. Near the lake we found large milk cows with giant bells hung around their necks wandering about. It was quite a sight!



 

Lac du Mont Cenis, France

 

We're not sure what is more colorful, Eve or the Alps in June?

 

Not far from the lake was a mountain pass that still had a fair amount of snow on it. The kids couldn't help themselves and immediately began having snowball fights and playing in the snow. So fun!

 

If our kids ever have a band, this might make a nice cover for their first album.

 

Another lake we visited that day was a little northwest of Lac du Mont Cenis called Plan d'Aval. It had a huge river flowing off the rocks into it. Very impressive.



The Frankfurt Temple

 We live within the Frankfurt temple district. From our home, it's about a two and a half hour drive one way to get there. Typically, Cody will take Heidi once a quarter and spend the day playing with the kids while Cody attends on quarterly youth temple trips.

 The Frankfurt Temple also has a hotel for attendees who will need a place to stay overnight. We arrived a little early to pick up Heidi from her session and let the kids walk through the beautiful grounds of the temple.

Trips to the temple are always special for us.

Medieval Festival - Horb am Neckar

 15 JUN 13 - A little south of Stuttgart in the Black Forest is a beautiful old city on the Neckar river called Horb am Neckar. The town boasts one of the largest medieval festivals in Europe. There was plenty of medieval food, games, and weapons (nice axe Eli), to keep the whole family entertained!

 One of the more interesting aspects to the medieval festivals are all of the costumed re-enactors. Given the fact that a fairly large percentage of the attendees come all dressed up, it's always interesting to get a glimpse of how modern Germans interpret how/what their ancestors used to wear. ;)

The town of Horb am Necker itself is really a beautiful place. Very traditional and a great place to catch one of the many medieval festivals in Germany.

Eve Wisdom

Actual quotes from Eve:

Riding a bike through the forest with Eve...
Eve: Dad, stop! I just saw a squid!
Me: You mean a slug or a snail?
Eve: No dad, a squid. You need to turn around!

"Please bless that we don't say idiot." Ever since we told her not to call people that, she has made it a standard part of her prayers.

Eve: Dad, your legs sure are soft and furry.

Tackle your unsuspecting brother as hard as you can while he is standing under a blanket... Eve's pre-Family Home Evening warm up exercise.

Eve: Here dad, can you hold this girly magazine for me?

Eve: Eli stop it! You're annoying my instincts!

A Bridge Too Far

 25 May 2013 - We stayed the night in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Before we left, Cody had to get a selfie in front of the 101st Airborne Division park in Eindhoven. It was named in honor of The Screamin' Eagles who dropped into Eindhoven during Operation Market Garden on 18 September 1944.

 During Operation Market Garden, the British 1st Airborne Division jumped into Nijmegen to secure the bridge that famously became know as "A Bridge Too Far". Ultimately, the reinforcements that were to arrive and support the 1st Airborne Division never arrived and nearly the entire unit was either captured or killed. Here is the monument in Nijmegen to the brave British soldiers who sacrificed all they had in attempting to liberate the town.

Near the monument and this statue of a British soldier walking with a Dutch girl is the museum dedicated to Operation Market Garden which is located in the very building the British used as their headquarters during the operation.

Nijmegen, Netherlands

The Dutch Remember

24 MAY 2013 - Each one of the 10,023 U.S. servicemen buried or listed as Missing In Action at the Netherlands American Cemetery has been adopted by a Dutch citizen. Each year prior to Memorial Day, these Dutch citizens decorate their adopted grave with flowers. I was overwhelmed today with appreciation for these Dutch citizens who remember the American servicemen who helped liberate their country.

Netherlands American Military Cemetery

 Each cemetery has its own feel to it, but what made this one special, especially just before Memorial Day, was the Dutch people.

Canola

24 May 2013 - Canola fields are all over Europe and they can be massive. Driving near the Belgian border, we let the kids jump into the picture to provide some perspective on this brilliant yellow flower.

Burg Eltz, Germany

24 May 2013 - Burg Eltz is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle River between Koblenz and Trier, Germany. It is still owned by a branch of the same family that lived there in the 12th century, 33 generations ago. The views overlooking this beautiful castle are simply amazing.

 

Burg Eltz, Germany

The road down to the castle feels like you're walking in some kind of fairy tale. We got there early in the morning to avoid the crowds and we did. It's easy understand why this is one of the most popular castles in Germany.

Eli and Eve were all over the place walking down to the castle entrance, but Eli was good enough to stop for a few seconds for a picture... not so much with Eve.

It was hard to have a bad view of this castle.

The inside courtyard was pretty impressive as well, although you could definitely see where the castle had received some recent work.

Waiting for the tour to start... what a happy family.

Eye Blood

Eve: Look guys, my eyes have blood. And with those words, Eve made sure we all saw her eye blood. Thanks for sharing Eve.

World War I Staff Ride

4-6 MAY 2013 - One of the most memorable professional experiences I've had since I've been in Europe was the World War I staff ride I took with the European Command's Basic Strategic Art Program (BSAP) graduates. Organized by the former BSAP Director, LTC Moore and led by one of the current BSAP instructors, Dr. Michael Matheny we visited many of the great battlefields of World War I. Here Dr. Matheny is giving an explanation regarding the battles that occurred near Chateau-Thierry, France.

 

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest of World War I, in which more than 1,000,000 men were wounded or killed, making it one of humanity's bloodiest battles. The Thievpal Memorial honors the 72,191 British soldiers who were never recovered during the Battle of the Somme from 1915-1918. While we were there visiting, bus loads of British school groups were there on a field trip to learn about the battle and remember the sacrifices of an earlier generation. It was inspiring to watch and listen to the British tour guides teach these kids about what had happened here and why it was important for them to remember.

 This is what greets you as you walk into the visitor center at the Thievpal Memorial. It's overwhelming to see all of these faces and then walk out to the memorial and see the names of each and every one of the 72,191 names of these soldiers inscribed on the memorial's walls.

This is the view atop the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial in France dedicated to the commemoration of Dominion of Newfoundland forces members who were killed during World War I. The 74-acre (299,000 m²) preserved battlefield park encompasses the grounds over which the Newfoundland Regiment made their unsuccessful attack on 1 July 1916 during the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Here is a short version of their story. At 8:45 a.m. the Newfoundland Regiment and 1st Battalion of the Essex Regiment received orders to move forward. The Newfoundland Regiment was situated at St. John's Road, a support trench 250 yards (230 m) behind the British forward line and out of sight of the enemy. Movement forward through the communication trenches was not possible because they were congested with dead and wounded men and under shell fire. Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Lovell Hadow, the battalion commander, decided to move immediately into attack formation and advance across the surface, which involved first navigating through the British barbed wire defences. As they breasted the skyline behind the British first line, they were effectively the only troops moving on the battlefield and clearly visible to the German defenders. Subjected to the full force of the 119th (Reserve) Infantry Regiment, most of the Newfoundland Regiment who had started forward were dead, dying or wounded within 15 to 20 minutes of leaving St. John's Road trench. Most reached no further than the Danger Tree, a skeleton of a tree that lay in No Man's Land that was being utilized as a landmark. So far as can be ascertained, 22 officers and 758 other ranks were directly involved in the advance. Of these, all the officers and slightly under 658 other ranks became casualties. Of the 780 men who went forward only about 110 survived unscathed, of whom only 68 were available for roll call the following day. For all intents and purposes the Newfoundland Regiment had been wiped out, the unit as a whole having suffered a casualty rate of approximately 80%. The only unit to suffer greater casualties during the attack was the 10th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment, attacking west of Fricourt village.

For a Marine, there are few places which are more sacred ground than the battlefield at Belleau Wood, France. It was because of the ferocious fighting of the Marines here that the Germans started to call the Marines "Devil Dogs". A name to which Marines refer to themselves to this very day. Our group is seen here at the main monument at the memorial. One of the most memorable experiences of the staff ride occurred here the morning we arrived and were walking the battlefield. The bells from the nearby Belleau Wood American Military Cemetery started chiming the tune "America the Beautiful". Listening to the sweet sounds of those bells pealing through the trees brought tears to my eyes.

Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
Here is a short history of the battle.

At 17:00 on 6 June, the 3rd Battalion 5th Marines (3/5)—commanded by Major Benjamin S. Berry, and the 3rd Battalion 6th Marines (3/6)—commanded by Maj. Tyler M. Meyer, on their right—advanced from the west into Belleau Wood as part of the second phase of the Allied offensive. Again, the Marines had to advance through a waist-high wheat field into murderous machine gun fire. One of the most famous quotations in Marine Corps legend came during the initial step-off for the battle when Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly, a recipient of two Medals of Honor who had served in the Philippines, Santo Domingo, Haiti, Peking and Vera Cruz, prompted his men of the 73rd Machine Gun company forward with the words: "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"
The first waves of Marines—advancing in well-disciplined lines—were slaughtered; Major Berry was wounded in the forearm during the advance. On his right, the Marines of Major Meyer's 3/6 Battalion swept into the southern end of Belleau Wood and encountered heavy machine gun fire, sharpshooters and barbed wire. Marines and German infantrymen were soon engaged in heavy hand-to-hand fighting. The casualties sustained on this day were the highest in Marine Corps history to that time. Some 31 officers and 1,056 men of the Marine brigade were casualties. However, the Marines now had a foothold in Belleau Wood.

In preparation for the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I, the British government has begun an aggressive effort to ensure their cemeteries are in pristine condition. This one located near the Somme Battlefield was indeed impressive.

 The chapel at the American Military Cemetery at Belleau Wood was full of intricate detail like these soldiers atop the columns of the building. It's always impressive to me to see how we remember our history.

Montfaucon is the American Memorial to the Battle of the Meuse-Argonne. The battle was fought from September 26, 1918, until the Armistice on November 11, a total of 47 days. The battle was the largest in United States military history, involving 1.2 million American soldiers, and was one of a series of Allied attacks known as the Hundred Days Offensive, which brought the war to an end. The Meuse-Argonne was the principle engagement of the American Expeditionary Forces during the First World War. Of the more than 53,000 American combat-related deaths of the First World War, the overwhelming majority of them took place in just 47 days of fighting.

 The stained glass windows inside the chapel show the American division patches of WWI. Some of them are the same today as they were back in WWI, while others are very different.

Our last stop on our trip was at Verdun. Dr. Matheny is seen here walking inside the large memorial there. To the French, Verdun in a word summarizes the horror, sacrifice and victory associated with WWI.

The cost in lives and suffering at Verdun is hard to imagine. A total of 714,231 casualties, 377,231 French and 337,000 German, an average of 70,000 casualties for each month of the battle (21 February – 18 December 1916). It was the longest and one of the most costly battles in human history. Under the Verdun memorial is a collection of bones of unknown soldiers recovered from the battlefield over the years. It really makes the whole experience at Verdun haunting.