Arnhem, The Netherlands

Tuesday we docked in Arnhem.  Arnhem is the capital of the province of Gelderland.  In September 1944 the town suffered serious damage in the Battle of Arnhem, one of the most notorious battles of World War II.  All of the townspeople were forced to abandon their homes and were not able to return until 1945 when the peace treaty was signed.

We had breakfast and then headed out for our tour.  We were visiting the Liberation Museum in Groesbeek.  The museum brings to life the liberation movement of 1944-1945.  You can experience the occupation, celebrate the liberation and witness the rebuilding of the Netherlands and Europe after the war.

An after thought, while we were in Antwerp, the tides can change as much as 28 ft.  So in the morning, we exited the boat off of deck 3.  When we came back on in the after noon we entered on deck 5.

You can see where you just walk on the top deck of the boat.  It almost looks like the boat is gone.

This would be the way you would usually find the boat to get on or off.  This picture is showing us getting on and off of deck 4.

Now back to the trip to the Liberation Museum.  We first saw a news film about the landing of the Allies.  They were dropped by parachute by the hundreds.  Some did not survive the jump as some chutes did not open properly.  This was called Operation Market Garden.

Of course, this is written in Dutch.  But the Allies dropped into The Netherlands and fought the German Army.

Flags of the Allies fly outside the museum.  There is a grave yard of the fallen Canadians but the Americans have been moved to another area of the country.

This is one of the tanks used during the fighting.

 All about the museum there are exhibits showing how the Allies landed or fought the German soldiers.
Here they used a boat from the local people.

A couple of scooters also used during the assault.

 This is an exhibit of the bomb shelters that the people had to use.

The officers road about in jeeps.  It is impressive how grateful the people of the Netherlands are to the Allie forces.  And how they maintain this museum.  At the end of the tour we entered the Honoraly Dome with the Roll of Honor.  Here they list the names of the soldiers who lost their lives.  And then the guide had one of our veterans lay a wreath.  It was emotional as we had a moment of silence for the soldiers but also for those who lost their life in the bombing at the Boston Marathon.

Under a parachute, you will find the Roll of Honor.

This is an example of the cemetery that used to be here.

During the attach, there were soldiers riding in gliders being trailed by a plane.  This is a frame that remains from one of the gliders.

We returned to the boat for lunch.  Bob decided to take a nap and I decided to walk on the upper deck for 10 laps.  Not sure how far that is.

Bob went back into town and visited a local church.

Cocktails and dinner and then watched the news before bed.