Verdun, France

  Mesnil Sous Ley Cotes, France
Monday, March 23, 2009

We drive north 31/2 hours and are warmly welcomed by Ben, Isa and their daughter Lauren; wonderful folks with warm hearts and wonderful accommodations. Ben is a wonderful ambassador to the area and he encourages Mikes historical interest in WWI history [and opens the eyes of the rest of the family to the history of this war.] We have come to learn more in the 3 days we spend here than anything that could have been imparted from a textbook. Ben is an excellent guide and takes us on a tour of forts near Verdun called Ouverage de froide Terre.
It took 30,000 shells and direct target hits. We crawl into forts that are restricted but with Ben's knowledge we see what the men lived like in reality before touring the "museum" fort Vaux that has been  recreated for tourists. Mike and the kids take turns crawling up into a turret that still contains 2 75 mm guns, no breaches in the abandoned fort.
One can iimagine the hell. We compare this to Fort Vaux which is sterile and clean. We see the Verdun Museum which is an excellent source of information and has collections from the ruins. The tour of the ostuarie of Verdun made me cry for the mothers who lost not one son but their whole families, villages. The crosses row upon row speak volumes and I was shocked to learn each one has 4 bodies of very young soldiers. Ben makes sure we see the real bones beneath the ostuary which can e seen thru plastic windows around the base of the ostuary. Very moving and creepy compared to the beauty of the gardens and the cemetary. Ben notes correctly that the tourists aren't shown these piles of bones but they shold be part of the "tours" as they  truly speak to the history of this war.