Dunkirk France and Brugge Belgium

(Kelly: After Paris we moved north to Dunkirk France and learned of it’s part in World War II history.  What occurred here is miraculous and as meaningful to the English, as Joshua Chamberlain’s and his Inspired charge at Little Round Top, to us Yankee’s.  At a critical point in the war, the German Army pushed 400,000 soldiers from the safety of their fortifications, to this coastal village and on to the beaches.  Their only option was to retreated with the hope that the English Navy would be able to send boats, and rescue them.  While collected on the beach, German’s planes dropped bomb’s and fired upon the soldiers who had no where to go for shelter.

The Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill, organized a campaign to rescue the troops, but was frustrated when the anticipated number that could be saved, was only 65,000.  Churchill gathered the few navy vessels he had in port, and called for the public to organize a flotilla of private boats, to go and bring their Son’s home.  The miracle was a sequence of events that allowed over 300,000 to be saved. The most significant part of the miracle, was a decision made by German’s high command to send their armored tanks and forces south, instead of continuing to the coast and crushing the English troops.  The Germans sent planes to carry out the grizzly work, however a bank of clouds descended making it impossible for pilots to fire with any accuracy. The weather essentially grounded the planes for a period of time, and took them out of the engagement. A third miracle was the response by the citizens, where they came with all manner of boats, risking their lives to save their fellow Countrymen.

Today Dunkirk is a thriving city, a gathering place for those wanting to enjoy the ocean. At low tide you are able to see the remains of civilian ships that were bombed or sunk during the rescue operation.  Unfortunately we arrived after low-tide and could not see remains of the bombed ships.

After Dunkirk we crossed the boarder into Belgium and on to the city of Brugge (pronounced Bru’ge). Brugge is called the Venice of the North, due to the myriad of canal’s that crisscross the village. It’s the perfect romantic get away, were we not being followed by our pre and post pubescents.

 

This city is officially on my top 5 places to visit in Europe, an absolute must see! As I referenced my top 5 list, here they are in order.

1. Dubrovnik, Croatia

2. Brugee, Belgium

3. Funchal, Island of Madeira, Portugal

4. Toledo, Spain

5. Venice, Italy

Honorable mention goes to Bath England, Edinburgh Scotland(neither in Europe), Amsterdam Netherlands, Cinque terre Italy(not a city but a collection of small villages), Old town Jerusalem(also not in Europe), and Pompeii(no longer a city, nor apparently fireproof).

As we are coming to the conclusion of our Journey, I want to express my gratitude to those who have been following us on our adventure. Your support and kind words have meant so much to us, and have gotten us through some rough times.

Jenny: I loved seeing Dunkirk, the city and beach where so much history occurred. The kids don’t appreciate the history as Kelly and I do, so we give it them in little doses. We pushed on to Belgium, which I LOVED. It was amazingly beautiful. Seriously, I was in awe. Then, we got to Brugge and I melted. It was like stepping back in time with old, beautiful buildings, canals with boats taking people up and down the “streets”, and amazing food. They are famous for their waffles, Fries, and Chocolate. We had to try all and were not disappointed.

 I am very grateful for the opportunities to see so many amazing places. It has been an extremely hard adventure, but worth it.

Kelly asked me to come up with my favorite City list, to see if we share any common favorites. My top five cities to visit are as follows:

1. Funchal, Island of Maderia, Portugal

2. Brugge, Belgium

3. Bath, England

4. Dubravnic, Croatia

5. Jerusalem, Israel

What are your favorites, and what did we miss that should be on this list?