Maachstricht and the American Cemetery

We cruised through the night to arrive this morning at Maastricht, The Netherlands.  I learned pretty quickly that I didn't pack as well as I could because it was cold and rainy for the first part of the day during which we did a walking tour of Maastricht.  The second half of the day was the American Cemetery and it was merely just cold.


Maastricht straddles the Meuse River and is one of The Netherlands oldest cities.  It is located where The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany meet.  Virtually every building we saw dated to at least the 14th. century or even further back in some cases.  There were, at one time, 22 churches in Maastricht but that number started dwindling when Napoleon was an occupier and ordered absolute separation of church and state (unlike the Roman Catholic era where the two were combined).  Many of them closed as a result.

One place of particular interest was Bishop's Mill.  Here, a crusader was trying to raise money in the 11th. century for going to Jerusalem to free Catholics captured by the Arabs, and pledged his mill to the Bishop in return for needed funds.  He died shortly after the Crusade concluded and, therefore, the Mill passed on to the Church and the Bishop who had no idea how to run a mill.  Its flour, though, was spun into bread at a bakery next door in a relationship that spans to this day.


After lunch, a small group of us boarded a bus for the American Cemetery in nearby Margraten.  This was the early highlight of the trip as it is the final resting place of more than 10,000 men (and 4 women) whose lives were taken from them during the march from Normandy to Germany after the D-Day landings.  Our guide was excellent and told many stories that personalized the lives of some of the fallen.  Our visit concluded with the laying of a wreath to honor the fallen, and I participated as the son of a medic in Patton's Third Army.  It was touching and wonderful.


Back to the boat and a quick rest before dinner.  Food is one thing they never run short of on these cruises, so we're looking forward to more excellent choices.  We sail again overnight to Nijmegen, The Netherlands for a visit there on Cheryl's 70th. birthday!  Happy birthday (soon) to her and may God bless the lives of those lost and buried not only here in Margraten but to the other 450,000 American lives lost during World War II.

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