Excerpts from Dory’s journal

Photo captions by Stephanie

Note: As of yesterday we have returned to the United States, but I will continue posting two or three back issues per day until our trip log is complete. —SSH

Day 23, 10:30 AM, 18/7/24

Troyes, France

Hello! I am currently at the kitchen table in this Airbnb, and we are going to go to Metz! A military battle in the War of 1870 happened there, and there is also a museum there that covers the War of 1870. We will probably arrive in Metz around 2, since the Frenchies love their lunch breaks as much as the Dutch love their coffee breaks. Now I must get packing. Goodbye!

Yours,

Dorrel

We did not get a photo of Dory’s panini, but we felt that Thomas’s “Italian Hot Dog” deserved to be remembered, along with the pizza Vivian and I shared. There are fewer places to stop for food and gas on the road in France, but in general the food on offer is far superior to what is often found in truck stops in the US. (photo: Stephanie)

Day 23, 1:16 PM, 18/7/24

Verdun, France

Hello! I am currently at a rest stop, and we are eating lunch! I have a ham and cheese panini. Well, we are in the Verdun area, which is where a big WW1 battle happened. I will write once we are in Metz.

Yours,

Dorrel

In case you are not up on your history of the War of 1870 (what we in the US call the Franco-Prussian War), it was very short (only 6 months) but very bloody—particularly the Battle of Gravelotte (18 August 1870), where in **ONE** day, 20,163 Prussian troops were killed, wounded or missing in action, along with 12,275 French. (photo: Stephanie)

Tempting as it was, we did not purchase this hat. (photo: Stephanie)

Day 23, 3:18 PM, 18-7-24

Gravelotte, France

Hello! I am currently on a bench. We are in Gravelotte, a village on the outskirts of Metz. The War of 1870 Museum actually doesn’t give much to the actual fighting, probably because the war was so short. However, it does give a lot to what happened after the war of 1870. Particularly the annexation. Well, I feel tired, pegged the (illegible) out of my head with trivia, and struggling to process what I had just seen.

Yours,

Dorrel