Back to France

The weekend seemed like a good time to go back to France since there is no truck traffic on Sunday, we left about noon on Saturday to re-take some pictures in the St. Germain area for Steve to send to his siblings.  Then on to Gerardmer, a mountain town sporting a ski hill and a large lake (that reminded us of Lake CDA).  We checked into a charming little hotel right in the center of town and enjoyed the best meal of our trip in the hotel dining room.  Sunday morning we drove to the bottom of the ski hill and did a 10 km. circuit of the mountain including a 360 degree view of the Vosges from the ridge.  Before coming home we visited the site of the French/German trench warfare in the this area from 1915-18 when 10,000 French soldiers lost their lives. The actual trenches have been preserved and stand as a memorial to the absurdity of war.