Franco-Prussian War 1870 Battlefield Tours

24 Aug - We spent the day touring 3 battlefields in France from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 that are 1 hr drive and 50 miles from our house. This is a little known war outside Europe and what is generally seen as the first Modern War and led to the creation of the German Empire. After the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 when Prussia crushed the Austrian Army at the Battle of Konegratz (Sadowa) in what is now the Czech Republic, little Prussia became the #2 military power in Europe. France, led by Napolean III, nephew of Napolean, fearing for her national pride wanted to fight and defeat Prussia. Prussia, led by King Wilheim but with Prime minister Bismark as the aggressive head of state, wanted a war with traditional enemy France to create "German Pride" and create a unified German State of all the smaller "Germanic" Kingdoms. After several attempts to start a war from 1866-1870, the final straw was broken in Aug 1870. There is no single reason for the war but many many little reasons that I won't go into here. France declared war and invaded Prussia with the attack on the town of Saarbrucken, about 30 miles East of where we live, on 2 Aug. The "invasion" was short lived. Both militaries had mobilized over the past months and Prussia was ready. The Prussian had better mobilization, equipment, transportation, warrior ethos and generalship. The French had many issues from poor leadership, morale, equipment, transportation, and training. The French did have the advantage in rifles with the Chassepot was FAR superior to the German Dryesse or needle gun. The Prussian Army was led by General Moltke. He sent part of his Army toward Saarbrucken to push the French back and they routed the French at a small town outside Saarbrucken called Spreicheren on 5 Aug. The French killed over 2000 Prussian Soldiers with their rifles but the new Prussian Artillery saved the day and pushed the French in retreat. The day before the victory at Spreicheren, GEN Moltke started his PLANNED invasion of France at the little border town of Wissembourg. The problem with invading France then was two fold - One was Belgium was a neutral nation and Prussia did NOT want to upset any international policies as well as their longstanding ties to Belgique people. The other was Vosgues Mountains near the border with France. These mountains had no roads for an army of 100,000 to march thru and sustain themselves so you have to go around them. This left two avenues of approach into France - thru Saarbrucken and the other to the South side of the Vosgues Mountains. He crossed the border unopposed on 4 Aug and routed a small French division outside the town of Wissembourg. Again, the French Rifle inflected heavy casualties on the Prussians in the initial stages of the day. The Prussians had more killed than the French due to the French Rifle. By the afternoon, the Prussians massed 144 artillery guns and concentrated on the French defensive position and drove the French into full retreat. One account of a Prussian unit states they entered a hotel in the town where the meals were already prepared for the FRENCH military officers for that meal. The French retreated so fast, the Prussian actually lost contact with them. The next afternoon, a Prussian cavalry officer out scouting, found the French under the command of Gen MacMahon located in a very defensable position outside the town of Worth. On 6 Aug, the Prussian attacked and again, the French inflicted heavy casualties on the Prussian soldiers. The Prussians lost 10,000 killed that day and the French, 8000 killed and 12000 captured. The Prussians massed 300 superior artillery pieces against the French 100 outdated guns of US civil war type. The rout was on. After these 3 victories, the Prussians had gained free access into France. They moved quickly and shelled and forced the surrender of Strassbourg. In the Middle section, the Prussian Army had quickly moved on to other victories of Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte culminating in the untimate defeat and surrender of the French at the Battle of Sedan on 1 Sep 70 and the capture of French Emporer Napolean III. The reason the war lasted till May 1871 is that the new government in Paris after the capture of Napolean, carried on the fight with the remainign rag-tag Army half of which was surrounded in the fortress of Metz. They did not want to meet Prussia's only demand - the return of Alsace and Lorraine and the German people in these regions. The result of this was thousands more died and civilians suffered while they carried on a futile battle for pride. The famous Communes developed in Paris and several other large cities in this time. Prussia laid seige to Paris but never entered the city until a victory parade at the end of the war. The French carried on mobilizing military reserves and serving as punching bags for the Prussian Army until February 1871. Of the 26 major engagements of the war, Prussia was victorious in 25 - the exception being the First Battle of Orleans where 9,000 Prussians were attacked by 60,000 French and the Prussians did not retreat till very late in the day after inflicting heavy casualties on the untrained and underequipped French reserves. Kaiser Wilheim commented to a French Officer who was a prisoner of war after Sedan, that if he had the French Chassepot Rifle, he would have won the war in 15 days. However, if he had the French Generals, he would done the task in the same time but with different results. The Battle of Worth or Froschweiler (6 Aug) is often called the "Cradle of Germany". This was the first battle where 4 "Germanic" states fought together - Prussia, Baden, Wurttenburg and Bavaria. These were the big kingdoms Bismark was trying to unify into one GERMAN state. Finally, on 10 Jan 1871, after much negotiations and payoffs, Kaiser Wilheim of Prussia was Crowned Emperor Wilhem I of Germany. This ceremony occured at Versailles in France. King ludwig II of Bavaria was paid money to join. He was in need of money to complete his famous castles of Chiemsee and Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. On 18 Jan 1871, all the nations unified to become Germany. A peace treaty was finally signed on 10 May, 1871. Over the course of the war, France suffered 139,000 killed, 144,000 wounded, and 475,000 captured. Prussia suffered 45,000 killed and 89,000 wounded. The end result was that Germany annexed Alsace and Lorraine which were predominately Germanic people and France had to pay 5 billion Francs in fines. This drove the French economy into shambles. The French kept harsh feelings about the war and remembered them at the Peace Treaty after WWI. As for our trip: As we toured the battlefields, there were no markings, no memorials, etc in Wissembourg. At Worth, there is a very nice museum but unfortunately, they did not allow photos or have a book on the exhibits in the museum. At the Worth battlefield, there were several monunents but all but one was German. As the "Cradle" of Germany, the Germans erected many and it was like travelling around Getysburg with all the monuments there to people or units. There was one French monunment that looks fairly new - maybe 1970 at the 100 yr anniversary. There were alot of other monuments to WWI and WWII, the wars where someone else won the war but only Grave stones for unknowns for 1870 War. We had a nice lunch in Wissembourg of "flamm kuchen" or oven backed pizza except they don't put tomato sauce on it. We had bacon, onions, mushrooms and cheese. We had 2 of these, a coke, apple juice, glass of wine, one salad and paid $49...yeah. Also, our French SUCKS!!! French Bakery with Fruit Torts and on the right in the shape of a swan. Jamie and Kim in Wissembourg - very pretty town. Monument to German War Dead in the town of Worth. Battlefield in Worth - Worth the town at the bottom of the hill. In this field and the forest to the front left is where most of the battle took place.

Flamm kuchen - very tasty and cheesey!!!!

Rota Spain Trip

26 July - 2 Aug Jamie attended a Swim Camp in Rota Spain on the Southern Coast. Kim went for a vacation. While we were in Spain, I kept a daily journal of our visit. I added some pictures for everyone to see too. I hope you enjoy it. The entries below are updates to the emails I sent while there to friends and family.

Sun, Jul 26 It was finally time! Jamie & I, along with our friends Lilas & Danielle, left Frankfurt Hahn Airport at 9:40am heading to Jerez, Spain. We landed at 12:20, ten minutes early but the landing had a lot to be desired – very hard & bumpy! After getting our luggage, we found a taxi to take us to Rota Naval Base about a 30 minute ride. Fifteen minutes into our ride, the taxi’s transmission went out! Not good. So the taxi driver called for another taxi for us. Both Lilas & I did not feel too comfortable about this situation. Too many movies out there about situations like this! We opted to call the swim president to let him know what was going on about changing taxi and gave him the name of the driver & taxi company. You can never be too careful, especially in a country you do not know! We made it to the base only to find out we could not get on base! Base security required the swim president to come to the gate & escort on base. So, once again we called the swim president! He was only a few minutes away from the base so he met us outside the gate. After a little “talking” to the security guard, he found our passes. The good thing is we got a ride to the lodge instead of walking to it with our luggage. We have a great room with 2 double beds & a kitchenette. Very nice! After getting settled in a bit, we walked over to the commissary/exchange area. It is not too far of a walk but it is very hot! By the time we reached the commissary, I was drenched in sweat! Not Fun! We found our breakfast food, water, snacks & more! Then we had to carry it all back to the room! Again – not fun!! But we did it anyway. I brought a small suitcase to put the drinks in it so we could “roll it” not “carry it”! The exchange has some very unique souvenirs. We will go back late this week. If I buy too much, I will have to ship it home! We decided to go the Pizza Villa on base for dinner. We wanted an early dinner so the girls can get to bed early. Jamie & Danielle both had a Hawaiian Calzone – way too big for one person. They both enjoyed it. I had a salad & cheese pizza. It was ok – too much cheese for me!! We finished the evening if a scoop of Basket & Robbins Ice Cream. The girls loved it! (So did the big girls!) Tomorrow will be an early day for the girls – be at the pool at 8:00am, 20 min walk to the pool before that! Not fun!! After the start their day, Lilas & I will enjoy time together. I hope to explore Rota a little bit IF we can get on & off base ok. I will keep you posted of our a Spain endeavor! Until tomorrow……

Mon, Jul 27 After a hot, restless night, Jamie woke up to face her new camp. We left the hotel at 7:40 and began our trek to the pool, about a 15 minute walk. Jamie & Danielle met Coach Wendel. He is the swim coach for West Point Army Academy. He was a coach for the Olympics last year. The girls will be working on different techniques this week with each day concentrating on a different stroke. Today was freestyle. They worked on their “stream-line” body form, keeping straight. They also talked about nutrition during lunch. It was a hard day but the girls learned a lot. As far Lilas & I, we stayed at the pool & watched the coach & girls for an hour. It was very informative to listen to the coach explain when a swimmer should do different things. We decided we needed to leave & find a place for breakfast. Unfortunately there are not many restaurants on this base. It took us a little while to find a place. We ate at the bowling alley. I had scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns & toast. Very yummy. Mom – you would have hated the eggs! They were cooked until there was not any more liquid in them!! After breakfast, which really was almost lunch time, we opted to explore the Navy Exchange. They have a nice selection of different clothes, jewelry, electronics, furniture, cosmetics and more. After exploring, we went back to the room until it was time to go & get the girls. We wanted to see the last of the practice, so we headed out at 2:00 to the pool. It was good to see what the coach taught the swimmers & watching them practice it. By the time we left the pool, Lilas & I were hungry for lunch/dinner; the girls were not! We went to Subway, which is in the Navy Exchange, to get sandwiches. Luckily one of the swim mom’s was there & offered to take us back to the room. The girls were so thankful! After eating & resting, we took the girls to the beach. I found out it is only a 10 minute walk from our lodge. We were able to get chairs, beach towels & an umbrella from the lodge. It was great! The girls had a great time collecting shells & playing in the sand. We finished our day having awesome watermelon, yummy fruit salad & pb&j bagels. The weather was perfect – cool with a nice breeze. Since our a/c was not working very well, we opened the windows & had a nice breeze. It was a great way to end a wonderful day.

Tues, Jul 28 Today, Jamie & I woke up refreshed from a great night of sleep. We headed out again at7:40 for our trek to the pool. The girls were not quite as excited today was they were yesterday. Today they were to start off with dry-land exercises. For some reason, they did not do them today. They worked on backstroke techniques today. From what the girls said, they swam all day today. It was very hard! Lilas & I decided not to hang around the pool. We wanted to explore Rota. After confirming we could get back on base, we took off. Rota is a very beautiful town – very white!! All of the buildings are white with a little bit of color. It was blinding at times! The streets are very narrow. I know my van would not fit on some of the streets! Lilas & I enjoyed some fresh churos with cinnamon sugar. We found a beautiful chapel with amazing sculptures of Christ & Mary. It was very different from the other chapel/churches I have visited in Europe. Christ was a different color & Mary was very ornate. After the chapel we enjoyed browsing through stores on the pedestrian streets. Lots of shoes, jewelry, clothing stores. We did not find any souverinor stores though. Maybe next time. We opted to have lunch overlooking the beach. It was very relaxing. Both Lilas & I had a queso montadtos – hot brotchen with wedges of cheese. It was ok. The menu was very limited & my Spanish is very lacking! Then we split chocolate cake! Very good. Since it was getting close to pick the girls up, we chose to get a taxi to take us to the lodge. After dropping off our goodies, we walked back to the pool. By then, it was very hot without a breeze. Not fun. The girls were very tired. Instead of eating out, we cooked spaghetti & garlic bread for dinner. It was very yummy! While we were cleaning up, the front desk called us. Since the air in our room was not been working, they sent a workman to fix it. The compressor was kaput. Luckily, they were able to replace it tonight. So, we will have cool air tonight!

Wed, Jul 29 Our morning routine continued – up at 6:30; leave at 7:30; then walk to the pool. Our morning walk times are getting shorter. One Monday it took us 25 min to reach the pool. This morning, it took us about 15 minutes to walk to the pool. Lilas & I stayed and watched the girls practice for a while. Today they worked on Breast stroke – Jamie’s favorite. She was very happy! On our way back to the room, Lilas & I decided to stop by the exchange and look around the store. It is a very nice with a lot more variety than our exchanges in Kaiserslautern. Even though there are a lot of things I liked, it would be too hard to get it back in the suitcases! After our exploration of the navy exchange, we opted to enjoy the solitude for a while. I caught up on my emails and read while Lilas enjoyed the sun. Speaking of the sun, the heat today it is getting a little overwhelming. Extra sunscreen is needed today! We left at 2:00 to walk to the pool so we could catch the last of practice. Boy, was it hot. By the time we reached the pool, my face was bright red – not all from the sun. My face did not like the sunscreen I used today. Not good… After practice we surprised the girls a trip to KFC for dinner. The girls hated the walk but did enjoy the some of the dinner. The chicken was dried out & they did not have any dark meat. Sometimes when you try to do something different, it doesn’t always turn out to be good! The rest of the day was spent at the hotel. Everyone needed to recover from the heat. Thank goodness for A/C!!

Thurs Jul 30 Morning wake-up 6:30; left hotel room at 7:40; at pool by 7:55. The girls had dry land practice today. For dry land practice, the swimmers exercise on pool deck along with running outside. Jamie said it lasted for 2 ½ hrs. They did different sit-ups, push-ups and leg lifts. They tossed a medicine ball to a partner. Jamie & Danielle’s ball weighed 4 lbs. that gets heavy after a while! Danielle does dry land practice regularly but this is Jamie’s first time here in Europe. She will be sore tomorrow! Lilas & I left them to their dry land. We went back to the room to eat breakfast. We called for a taxi & left to catch a ferry to Cadiz. The ride was about 25 minutes on the open sea. It was a very nice ride. Cadiz is a very old city. Since we did not have a tour guide, we were left to fend for ourselves. We found the information center and got a map of the city. The one place Lilas & I wanted to see was the cathedral. One the walk to the cathedral, we stopped by an Ancient Roman Theatre ruin. It was very neat to see this ruin in a Spanish city. The cathedral was very different too. There was not a lot of color in the church. But it was still beautiful. After touring the church & the crypt, we went in search for a place for lunch. I know everyone is thinking – finally Spanish food. No, we decided on pasta – a very good cream sauce with Spanish ham. It was good & just enough. Lilas & I did some shopping & walked around the streets. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the ferry. We didn’t want to miss it! The ride back to Rota was very choppy, not like the smooth ride in the morning. One guy lost some papers out of his backpack because it was not closed. Boys…… Once we made it to Rota, we looked for a taxi to take us back to the pool. We could not find one anywhere! So, Lilas & I did a powerwalk back to the base gate. We had 15 min to get to the pool. Since there were taxis at the gate, we took one to the pool. We asked the taxi to wait so we could get the girls. He would wait 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the swimmers were playing sharks & minnows & would not be finished in 10 minutes. One of the parents kindly offered to take us back to the lodge so we would not have to walk, We took her up on her offer! The girls decided on mac/cheese with Bush’s baked beans for dinner. It was very yummy! After dinner & clean-up, we called it a night!

Fri July 31 Our last morning for practice. Today was a very relaxing day. We stayed & watched the girls to practice for a while & talked to some of the parents. We headed back to the room for a quiet day. Lilas & I spent time catching up on-line, having lunch, and just talking. It was a very nice day. We left the lodge at 2:00 to walk back to the pool. The coach asked for all parents to be at the pool at 2:30. We were treated to a “swim meet”. The swimmers were divided into age groups & swam a 50 meter backstroke, breaststoke & freestyle. They swam the butterfly before we came in. Jamie looked very good! The coach explained what the swimmers did this week. It was very good experience. Afterwards, we walked back to the room. Jamie wanted to rest. Lilas & I opted Subway for dinner, Jamie ate the rest of the mac/cheese & Danielle had Top Ramon noodles. We watched a couple movies & relaxed together. It was a great way to end our week.

Sat Aug 1 Today is for the girls! After a week of dedicated swimming, Lilas & I decided to let the girls run the day. Of course the answer is The Beach! So, John Freeman, the Rota Swim Team coach offered to take us to a nearby resort. Our swim team stayed at the resort last year at a swim meet. The girls wanted to pick up seashells, build sand castles & play in the ocean. Since the tide was going out, we told the girls not to get into the water too deep. They have a lot of strong riptides. While the girls were enjoying picking up seashells, I enjoyed the reading & laying in the shade! My skin had enough of sun! J It was very relaxing! After a couple hours on the beach, the girls were ready for lunch. We all changed clothes & enjoyed a meal at the resort. The food was ok – not too Spanish to me. The girls ate grilled chicken strips with fries; I had a chicken sandwich with slices of baked chicken breast with onion rings; Lilas had a grilled ham & cheese sandwich with onion rings. We enjoyed everything, especially the onion rings! For desert, Lilas & Danielle had ice cream while Jamie & I had cheesecake. Jamie’s cheesecake had puréed raspberries on top. She did not enjoy it. Kim’s had an egg topping. It doesn’t sound good but it was like butterscotch topping with egg in it. It was very good but really, really rich! It was too much for me!! What do you do when you have eaten too much? No, not sleep! We walked the beach. We opted walking down the beach rather than calling a taxi! It was a nice walk but extremely hot. Jamie & Danielle picked up more seashells along the way. Once we reached the downtown area of Rota, we caught a taxi to take a Spanish grocery store. We bought some little snacks & goodies to take home and share. It was a lot of fun! Once we were done with our shopping & beach time, we headed back to the lodge to start our packing. It took a while to get everything in the suitcases! Jamie & I walked over to the navy exchange & bought some last minutes souvenirs. We ordered calzones for dinner. We finished the week as we started it – Hawaiian Calzones! This time we shared the calzones! They were very yummy.

Sun, Aug 2 After a great night of sleep, we woke ready to head home. The flight was smooth & very good. By now, I am ready to get home & see James. This week was very enjoyable. I am so glad Jamie decided to participate in the swim camp. It allowed us to see a new country. The only bad thing this week was I lost Jamie’s iPod. She took it in stride though. She told me mistakes happen. Way to Go, Jamie. I will replace it though! Until our next adventure….

Jamie and Danielle on beach Saturday

Jamie hunting for seashells on Tue night outside the NATO Navy shipyards.

On a boat leaving Cadez (Cadeth) Spain back to Rota.

Church in Cadez.

Ampitheater in Cadez, Spain.

Gypsy flea market in Rota - not sure why we needed to buy Gypsy fleas but Kim went....

Overlooking the beach in Rota. OH!! the things we do for our children :)

Side street in Rota

Inside a Catholic Church in Rota

Jamie and her friend Danielle working on their Streamline position.

Garmish Trip

12-14 Aug - Yes, we spent our anniversary in the German Alps in Garmish. It was very nice. Unfortunately, I had a conferance to attend during the day but Jamie and Kim went and we had a great time. We arrived on Tuesday evening. Wednesday morning after breakfast, we travelled about 20 miles to Mittenwald - a very pretty little town east of Garmish. We walked around the town, did some shopping and had a traditional Bavarian late breakfast - Weisswurst, honigsenf and Bier (white sausage, honey mustard and beer) - Kim did not eat... We enjoyed it. Weisswurst is a traditional Bavarian sausage made from very finely minced veal and fresh pork bacon. It is usually flavoured with parsley, lemon, onions, ginger and cardamom, though there are some variations. The mixture is then stuffed into fresh, clean pork casings and separated into individual sausages about ten to twelve centimeters in length and about two centimeters in thickness. As it is very perishable, Weisswurst is traditionally manufactured early in the morning and prepared and eaten as a snack between breakfast and lunch—there is a saying that the sausages should not be allowed to hear the church bells' noon chime. Mittenwald downtown Jamie and James enjoying a good Bavarian Weisswurst The conference started at 3pm and adjurned about 6pm. We went out to dinner with some friends and their kids to a nice resturant. The potato soup was excellent, the garlic toast with cheese left alot to be desired and the meal was outstanding. The next morning James had physical training with the conference attendees and had a nice 3.5 mile run up and down some of the Bavarian hills, thru the fields and back. Temperature was great but the altitude really hurt. The conference was very good. Kim took part in a 1 hr session about Family Readiness Groups then she and Jamie did some shopping, swimming and goofing off. There was a local fest in town so we decided to go. It was in a large fest tent. It was similiar to Octoberfest but ALOT smaller. Girls of all ages were wearing drindels and the guys were wearing lederhosen and other traditional clothing. There was music, food, liter beer call "Mass", dancing and of course Bretzen (pretzels). They had guys with whips get up on tables and snap the whips to the music of an accordian - really entertaining watching this and the girls carrying 12 liters of beer under the whips!! Kim and Jamie shared a half-chicken and I has the schweinhoxen or Pigs calf with potato salad. It was very good. Fest with the "whipping music" on the tables. Jamie in "Beer Wench" training :) Friday, Jamie accompanied James to physical training. Jamie ran with James and had a good time. She was the only kid to attend at 6am. She was allowed to lead the cool down stretches after PT and did a great job. Kim and Jamie did shopping until the conference was over. then we went to Schloss Linderhof that we visited in December. This time, the gardens were open, the fountain working and sunshine!! It was beautiful. From here we took the back roads thru Austria back to the highway and home. It was a very nice trip.

Kim and Jamie outside Schloss Linderhof - the fountain goes off every hour.

20th Anniversary

11 Aug - For our 20th Anniversary I wanted to do something special for Kim. Because I had a conference on 12 Aug, I booked a small airplane and took Kim and Jamie and I on an hour plane ride around Bavaria on 11 Aug. Unfortunately, the clouds moved in over the mountains before we got there and we were unable to fly over the Alps or castles but we flew over smaller hills, farms, Bodensee where Germany, Austria and Switzerland connect. It was alot of fun, a little bumpy but very pretty. Jamie got to fly the plane a few minutes. Outside the airplane

Bavaria from Above