"Chronicles of a Happy Warrior"
J2 Adventures
Chronicles of a Happy Warrior
January
La Roche-en-Ardenne
La Roche-en-Ardenne is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg and the arrondissement of Marche-en-Famenne. Lying beside a bend in the River Ourthe, the small town of La Roche-en-Ardenne is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Ardennes.
In World War II, the town suffered severe damage. Having been liberated by American Allies in September 1944, the town was recaptured by the Germans in December, during the Battle of the Bulge. The subsequent Allied bombing raids resulted in the town being liberated once more in January 1945, this time by the Scottish, but left much of the town destroyed, and 116 residents dead.
There is an American Sherman M4A1 tank displayed as a monument to the town's liberation and overlooks the town as a “landmark” of events which took place there during the months of 1944 and 1945. In town also is a memorial to the 82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.
On this cold Sunday in January, a large crowd gathered to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. The procession of young and old, including veterans from the United States and from Scotland, made our way from monument to monument were wreaths were laid in tribute and in remembrance.
It is hard to believe that the whole town was bombed because the Americans soldiers forgot to blow up a bailey bridge when they retreated. La Roche-en-Ardenne is definitely a town to visit on your way to Bastogne.
For pictures click here.
Alfa Romeo 166 Club Meeting
The New Years meeting was this year in The Gallery in Brummen. The way there was one with snow and hail so it took a bit longer but it was weart it. They were some specail cars and also some great Alfa Romeo's. Everything was free to walk around just don't touch any cars.
We had a great lunch and some nice conversations with people I had never met before and with people I knew. After the meeting there was a other meeting in Vorden at the garage of Martijn Goorden. I stayed there for about 1 hour and then look for Villa......
