Belgium Excursion, Part 2 of 2: Bastogne & History Edition

Part of why I wanted to do the Belgian trip with Matt, Kasey, and Evan was so we could go to the Bastogne War Museum, aka the Battle of the Bulge Museum. The Battle of the Bulge centered around keeping the Germans out of Bastogne, and they essentially ended up surrounding it but never actually getting it. The poor winter weather didn't help, either, as there were days and days with snow and low visibility, so troops couldn't receive badly needed supplies. It wasn't until a break in the weather that everything changed, and the troops squeaked by against the Germans when reinforcements arrived.

The museum did a great job of explaining everything (much better than I just did), and even started with the state of Europe after WWI to set the stage for what would happen later.

Anyway, we saw this tank in the center of town as we were grabbing some dinner when we arrived. The area has lots of war memorabilia, and a favorable opinion of Americans.

Here's Matt posing with the back of the tank, which seems to have gotten a gaping hole in it somehow....

This is the front of the museum - not much to look at, which made it all the more impressive when we got inside. At first we scoffed at the 12 Euro charge, but we soon realized how much of a bargain it really was.

The museum concept was incredibly well thought out: You get an audio guide and as you approach certain points, the guide picks up where you are and begins to audi-o. There are four distinct voices you hear - a German soldier, an American soldier, a female French/Belgian teacher, and a young male French/Belgian student. It's through their accounts that pulls everything in the museum together.

At three different points, there are also multimedia presentations. The first one was in 3-D so we all wore fancy glasses as we watched a video of planes flying, among other things. And yes - a plane came right at us and surprised everyone watching.

The second was a room that was set in the woods outside of Bastogne. We all sat on wooden tree trunks to watch the fighting action (they even had a fog machine to simulate the conditions!).

Finally, the third presentation took place in a cafe in the center of Bastogne, where people were hiding in the basement to protect themselves from the air raids. We sat in cafe chairs at tables for that one, watching some of the individuals walk through the cafe doors and down to the basement shelter - the stage floor even raised so we could see the basement where everyone was taking shelter.

Of course there were plenty of tanks - here's a German one, with accompanying explanation.

German infirmary setup. Matt and I could make out a few words here and there.

This book got pretty ruined.

There's Kasey!

Broken helmets.

At the end of the tour, you have to walk through a mini cemetery hallway with headstones of people who died. It was all very moving. It was especially amazing to learn at the end that all four of the characters - the two soldiers, teacher, and student - were actual people who were recalling firsthand events. That little boy student? He still lives in Bastogne!

Outside it was pretty rainy and yucky, but we decided to check out the American war memorial. All the states are listed around the inside or outside, and it's in the shape of a star. You can climb to the top and in each of the five directions it orients you which way the other nearby cities are located.

The four of us agreed that it was one of the best museums we'd ever been to - so I would really encourage everyone to get there if they can.

Also of note: When you go here, I would 100% recommend staying at Le Merceny Motel. I've never stayed in such a nice "motel" before. It's really small with only 8 rooms, but it cost 59 Euro (approx. $82) per night. Oh - and it's above a gas station, but there's a hidden side entrance with a gigantic door- you see where the logo is on the picture below? On the side of the building is the door!


(I didn't take this picture - got it on TripAdvisor)

The rooms were gorgeous and modern, had a waterfall shower, and complimentary water. Since it faced the opposite side of the building, it was incredibly quiet as well. Parking is available in the front and is free - it's a really great deal all around. They offered a small breakfast for an additional fee, but since they had a fairly large convenience market, we opted to just get stuff there (like yummy donuts, ham and cheese pastry pockets, and packaged waffles).

We only spent one evening there and were coming from having a large meal so we didn't get to take advantage of all the really great looking restaurants, so if you go, save room!

In summary: go to Belgium, go to Bastogne, go to the museum in Bastogne, and stay at Le Merceny Motel.