As we entered the driveway to the Bastogne War Museum, everyone on our bus was wowed by the sight of the giant statue, the famous V-J Day photo of a sailor kissing a nurse at the end of World War II which was taken by Life magazine photographer, Alfred Eisenstaedt on Aug. 14, 1945. “The iconic shot of young a sailor kissing a nurse all in white in the middle of Times Square captured the nation’s collective relief and elation on the day Japan’s surrender ended World War II.” (“Science debunks WWII “Kiss Photo Couple’s Claim to Fame”)

Here’s the original photo.

I guess what surprised me about the statue was that the photograph was known outside the United States!

Two years ago, though, the nurse in the photo, Greta Zimmer Friedman, died in 2016 at the age of 92. Apparently the sailor who kissed her was a complete stranger. For the complete story, click here.

The museum at Bastogne was really fascinating in that the story was told through the perspectives of four people: a German soldier, an American soldier, a local schoolteacher, and a young 13-year-old boy. In addition to memorabilia, there were several movies of actual footage, and more importantly, the soundtracks were somber and introspective. Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings (1936), was one of the pieces I recognized, a work often used for funerals and mourning.

I did not previously know about Bastogne, a place in Belgium which was liberated by the Allies in September 1944, but attacked by the Germans a few months later. This led to the Battle of the Bulge with German artillery attacking the American divisions deployed around Bastogne. Under the command of General George Patton, the Battle of Bastogne occurred in late December, and the fighting in the area ceased.

After the museum visit, we visited St. Peter’s Church in the town of Bastogne, and of course, I noticed the contemporary organ in the church which originated from Roman times.

Our next stop was at a beer brewery at Bocq, and I even tried the raspberry-flavored beer which did not taste like beer at all, but reminded me of raspberry soda!

When we finally arrived in Brussels about 6:30 pm, we were so happy to see our rooms at the Thon Hotel Bristol Stephanie, by far the most spacious and luxurious hotel room I have ever stayed in. It was more like a hotel suite, with a separate water closet, bath and shower space, double sinks, desk, sofa, console table and more.

All this space for little ol’ me!