Prague is a beautiful city. Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture blend beautifully.

It, like most of Europe, has been bombed, besieged, burned and rebuilt many times. Somehow the character has survived.

So, enjoy a very small glimpse of Prague.

A fortification has been here since at least 870.

As years went on it has grown, been fortified, burned, and enhanced.

A mix of Gothic and Renaissance, large towers, church and more.

We all know, or we should, that Czechoslovakia was put into the Eastern Bloc after WW2, which meant Russia and the Communist took it.

The Czechs rebelled in many ways, sometimes with dire results. Then in 1989 The Velvet Revolution led to their re-establishing their own government away from Russia.

This tour highlighted some of the places where revolts happened, as well as a trip into a Soviet Era Bunker prepared for nuclear war.

This is a lovely Premonstratensian (not monks but canons regular, also known as the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, Norbertines, or White Canons) abbey founded in 1143. It sits atop a hill that overlooks the city.

Like everything in Prague it has had good and bad times. Thanks to the dedication of some people over the centuries it has endured and is open to the public for an incredible tour.

Where there is a river, there is a boat tour. We opted for a small craft with a very limited number of people.

Often you get a totally different view of a place when you cruise down a canal or river.

Now, this is not like a gondola in Venice, but it was entertaining. Part of the cruise talked about the Stalin era and life under Communism. The Czechs have some very bad memories of those times, and they are dedicated to making sure everyone knows how awful totalitarian regimes are.

We strolled across the bridge to Kampa Island. This is now a park, so lots of paths, a museum, restaurant, and things to see.

Dinant sits on the Meuse in Belgium. Neolithic, Celtic and Romans all populated it in ancient times.

As with a lot of Belgium, Dinant has been invaded, burned, civilians massacred by Germans in WWI, bombed, and rebuilt.

It is a lovely town, easy to walk around and full of history. Did you know Aldophe Sax was born here?

So, a few scenes of the town, then on to historical sites, like the ancient citadel.

We can not resist a fort, and one that looms so high above the town in a prominent way is a must.

The original fort was built around 1051. It is an obvious spot overlooking the Meuse River.

The current version was built around 1815.

Bouillon Castle is located in, you guessed it, Bouillon, Belgium.

There has been a structure here for quite a long time, the first mention of it was around 988.

The weather was rainy, damp and cold when we went, but what do you expect in April.

This church was built in the 13th and 14th centuries, replacing a previous Romanesque church.

It has seen it's share of damage and destruction. Sacked in 1466, and again in 1554.

It was completely rebuit in the 19th century.

The Germans did a number on it in WWI, and it was restored again between 1919 and 1923.

A true symbol of the sorrow and resilience of the Belgian people

Today was a little bit of some small trips to see some local sites.

We started with the Weris Dolmans - yes a little history. Very old history.

A break for lunch and walking around the lovely town of Durbuy.

Then a little tour of a local cave. No bats unfortunately.

While it does not have the reputation of Bastogne and the Bulge, this was a huge event in the early days of WWII.

As part of the defense against another German attack, forts were built or expanded along the border areas, Eban-Emael being one of those.

It bristled with fortifications, guns, observation domes, and massive reinforced concrete walls. It was impregnable. Until it wasn't.

A German recon plane saw the soldiers playing football on the grass - telltale sign it was not mined. So they landed a bunch of gliders full of paratroopers on the grass, assaulted the fort using new shaped mines, and took it in a matter of hours.

This helped open the way to the invasion of Belgium and France

We all know Bastogne, the Screaming Eagles, Patton, etc., but there was so much more to the Battle of the Buldge.

We decided on what is known as The Northern Shoulder portion, and to help us understand we hired a guide with expertise in this area.

One thing we need to note is the people of Belgium have not forgotten the soldiers who fought and often died in the effort to defeat the Nazis.

Little and big monuments to regiments, battles, and even individual soldiers are plentiful. Gives you something to think about.

We left Belgium and are now in Luxembourg. First stop is a very old castle.

Archeologists know there has been a fort here from at least the 9th and 10th century, probably wooden.

The stone version was built around the 13th century. The tower was 11.9 meters tall and had 4 floors. Huge.

About 1687 the French, during some war, destroyed the outer walls and it subsequently fell into disrepair.

The owners, du Fays - van Delft, signed a long term lease with the state to allow the ruins to be open to visitors

On to castle 2 for the day, this one is in a lot better shape.

Vianden Chateau is one of the largest fortified castles west of the Rhine.

The origins include a 4th century Roman outpost, a later Romanesque style remodel in the 11th and 14th centuries, and then the Gothic changes at the end of that period.

The Luxembourg Resistance successfully defended it from the Waffen SS in November of 1944. Pretty amazing

In the capital of Luxembourg City, and yes, another fort.

Wandering around the city is quite relaxing and fun, but naturally we were drawn to the old fort.

Started in 1644 by the Spanish - yes Spain has ruled here and Belgium - it is a maze of underground tunnels.

Most are closed off, but one remains open. Up top, there are some great views, and down by the river is a nice place to stroll

Distances are so short in this area of Europe that driving into northern France from Luxembourg City takes only about an hour.

We drove to Sedan to see Sedan Castle. There is also a large hotel in a separate part of the castle.

We enjoyed wandering around but could have done without the flashy lights, strange colored rooms and music. It seems to be a trend in an effort to entice young folks. Oh well.

There has been a settlement here dating back to Gaulish time. And like so much of the region it has been under the rule of Rome, the Franks, Prussians and Germans.

For us it was a nice place to stay for our tour of the infamous WWI Verdun battle.

Today, we tour the various areas of the infamous Battle of Verdun. One of the deadliest and longest battles of WWI.

We often think that WWI was confined to the trenches, but it was wide spread in its destruction.

One of our first stops with our guide was a great example of how many civilians suffered and died in that war.

The devastated village of Fleury, Bayonet Trench, and Lion of Souville are only 3 of the many sites that speak to the world at war

Two more supposedly impregnable WWI forts built to keep Germany from invading but never lived up to the hype.

The Germans bombarded them and they subsequently fell

You will note both Fort De Douamont and Fort Vaux look a lot like Eban-Emael.

The Battle of Verdun in WWI was 300 days and nights of pure hell.

700,000 French and Germans died, 300,000 listed as missing.

After the war the Bishop of Verdun advocated for a memorial and the Douaumont Ossuary was completed in 1932 as a memorial to all who died on both sides.

The cemetery has 2 sections. In one there are 592 Muslim graves. In another there are 16,142 with Christian crosses.

There are also the bones of 130,000 unidentified combatants.

As I have said they do not forget those who fought in any war in Europe.

So, back in Belgium.

Surprise, another citadel aka castle.

Namur has roots going back quite a ways. Celts had a trading center here. Then the Romans.

As with most of Belgium it been ruled by France, Spanish Netherlands, Belgium, France, etc. Busy place.

It was bombed in WWI by the Germans, and again in WWII when it was on the front lines for both the Battle of the Ardennes in 1940 and the Bulge in 1944.

Wa-Wa-Wa-Wa-Waterloo. Finally facing my Waterloo. OK, enough ABBA

Yes, besides a song it is a famous 1815 battle site where Napoleon was defeated by the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal von Blücher who commanded the Seventh Coalition - troops from Prussia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hanover, Brunswick and Nassau Germany.

You know they wanted Napoleon gone if so many countries united against him.

Our last stop on a great trip.