Clearly a few hours in a local drinking establishment is good for the soul, and a solid night’s sleep. We awoke feeling refreshed and packed down before beginning the long drive to Bastogne.

Arriving shortly after 14:00hrs, we headed straight for the Mardasson Memorial – a tribute the American soldiers who were wounded or killed during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. The five-point star is encircled by the 50 states and all the represented military units are listed. A spiral staircase provides access to the roof and spectacular views over the Belgian countryside. Each point of the star contains a bronze map, illustrating where road blocks and invasion routes were during the battle.

Beneath the memorial, a crypt with three altars – one each for Protestant, Catholic and Jewish services – was carved and decorated with mosaics by Fernand Leger. The mosaics are beautiful and bright in colour and were used in July 1950 to honour the 76,890 American officers and men wounded or reported missing.

At the top of the hill, between the memorial and the Bastogne War Museum, stands a sculpture entitled “Embracing Peace”. This is one of a series of similar sculptures by Seward Johnson which resemble the photograph: VJ Day in Times Square. This sculpture stands approximately 40 foot in height and promotes the importance of love and peace in a post-war world.

As the drive had been so much longer than planned, we then made our way to our campsite for the night. This site appeared to be geared for families with static caravans rather than the mobile traveller, yet toilets and washing facilities, electricity and water were included in the 19€ cost. The site, just 19 mins walk from the centre of Bastogne was also just opposite a Carrefour market making it an ideal place for stocking up and bedding down for the night before an action-packed day in Trier tomorrow.