Vacation of a Lifetime!

In 6 weeks, my husband and I will be visiting France, Germany and Belgium for 3 weeks. 

Most of the trip will be in France.  A week in Paris, a week on a Viking River Cruise in the south of France, and then a few days driving up to the Alsace Lorraine area.  There we will meet with a man who is in charge of the World War II museum in Nancy.  This is the town close to the location where a cousin of mine died during World War II. His name was Ralph Brennan and he and his fellow soldiers were attempting to take a bridge back from the German army.  In what can best be described as an ambush, most of the American men were killed.  The fighting was fierce, though, and that fighting distracted the German army, allowing the Allies to retake the town of Nancy.  Ralph died at the Bridge at Flavigny, and there is a plaque on the bridge with his name on it.  So we will see the bridge, visit the site where he died, and see the World War II museum, which they will hold open for us even though they normally close it for the season in September.  In this 70th anniversary of D-Day, it will be quite an honor to be so up close and personal to a World War II battle, and to visit the place where a relative of mine died in that war.  This trip will give me some final pictures and information to include in the Family history book I am writing.


Even as I'm working on my Brennan Family History book, though, I'm continuing to pursue leads in my other families, and so after a few days in Alsace Lorraine (including one day on the Route Des Vins) we will hop over the border into Germany to visit the town of Losheim, the town where my Schulien great great grandparents were born.  We had hoped to meet a 6th cousin, but our vacations days overlapped with his vacation days when he will be out of the country, so he has arranged for us to meet with an in-law of the family.  We will see a house once built by the Schulien men before they came to America, and will hopefully learn as much as we can about this family.  We only have one day there, but it is a small town, and hopefully will be very interesting. 

Then it's off to Belgium.  We will pass through a small town where my Mueller relatives are from, and then up to Bruges for two days.  Then we'll drive back to Paris for one day and fly home. 

I can't say what thrills me more - being in Paris, taking a river cruise, or learning more about my ancestors.  I guess it's the combination that is so thrilling to me. 

Two years ago, we went to Ireland to meet some relatives from my Brennan side - my dad's side.  Now we're learning what we can about my mom's side.  It's one thing to learn the names of ancestors on paper.  It's another to see the places they once lived, and to speak to relatives or people who know something about their lives.  I am so thankful that I will have this opportunity, and I will report back afterwards.  In the meantime, I continue work on the book and will report on that soon.