It's been snowing in Verdun since I arrived on Wednesday. It's made the city very pretty, but the sidewalks are slick--I've nearly landed on my derrière a few times. There's not the same snow removal effort that exists in New York or Minnesota. Still, for having snowed for three days there's not much on the ground. I can still see the green grass poking up.
I realize by covering the same ground as my grandfather I'm traveling much faster than he could have done in 1917. I traveled between cities in a few hours--a journey that took him two or three days in an ambulance convoy. The French transportation infrastructure has changed so much in the last one hundred years. That sounds like a simple statement, but I don't think many of us stop to think about the speed and modes of transportation available to our grandparents a century ago and those that we use now. The world has changed so much.
I've had success in Verdun findin
g the locations of Grant's bases. I met with a librarian at the Verdun Memorial and she showed me "top secret" maps of the Verdun battlefield from 1916. The topographical map showed the locations of the various forts that had fallen into German hands. Carefully marked also was the system of trenches, the French in red and the German in blue, (red state/blue state?) that spread out in a very complicated maze. Each trench had its own name, sometimes named after the hometown of the soldiers fighting there, sometimes after famous people on one side or the other. The cartographers of the day were certainly kept busy by the continually shifting front lines.
After studying the maps I ventured off into the snowy woods to try to find a particular aide post Grant mentions frequently in his diary. But, alas, all I found were thousands of shell impact craters covered with trees and snow. I did walk a ways into an old trench that is still maintained and tried to imagine what it had been like to fight there. The snow and -4 C temperatures helped a bit, but I don't think one can really comprehend what happened there.
I have to say it was a shock to check into a tiny hotel room after having stayed in private homes for six nights! It's pretty sleepy at night, but I've managed to find a few good restaurants. And a fun bar called Le Lapin Qui Fume (the Smoking Rabbit). But they do seem to roll up the sidewalks not long after the sun goes down.
g the locations of Grant's bases. I met with a librarian at the Verdun Memorial and she showed me "top secret" maps of the Verdun battlefield from 1916. The topographical map showed the locations of the various forts that had fallen into German hands. Carefully marked also was the system of trenches, the French in red and the German in blue, (red state/blue state?) that spread out in a very complicated maze. Each trench had its own name, sometimes named after the hometown of the soldiers fighting there, sometimes after famous people on one side or the other. The cartographers of the day were certainly kept busy by the continually shifting front lines.After studying the maps I ventured off into the snowy woods to try to find a particular aide post Grant mentions frequently in his diary. But, alas, all I found were thousands of shell impact craters covered with trees and snow. I did walk a ways into an old trench that is still maintained and tried to imagine what it had been like to fight there. The snow and -4 C temperatures helped a bit, but I don't think one can really comprehend what happened there.
I have to say it was a shock to check into a tiny hotel room after having stayed in private homes for six nights! It's pretty sleepy at night, but I've managed to find a few good restaurants. And a fun bar called Le Lapin Qui Fume (the Smoking Rabbit). But they do seem to roll up the sidewalks not long after the sun goes down.
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1 comment:
You sound like you are having a good time. We at home are hanging on your every word.
D.
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