France
January 15, 2014
The best place in Bastogne, Belgium, to eat European food is called "Wagon Leo." Definitely advised to call for a table reservation. See the website http://www.wagon-leo.com for their menu details in English. I ate there and enjoyed a superb menu on the eve of the Dec. 14 Bastogne Historical Walk. The brasserie is located just off McAuliffe Square. There is also a "Hotel Leo" which is mentioned on the website.
Last weekend I also walked into this great little burger joint called "Sixties Burger" (http://www.sixties-burger.c.la). This family-run small diner makes a great American burger. Also a must-visit-to-eat location. I enjoyed the "Diablo burger" because I like spicy taste. Their "Big burger" option is 230 grams and a dare to finish - only for the brave. The family does speak English, and their menus are in English too.
I always stay at the Best Western Hotel Melba. It is only a three-minute walk away from McAuliffe Square. A year's advance planning is required to get a hotel room reservation in Bastogne for Memorial Day weekend or for the annual December NUTS parade (weekend of the Bastogne Historical Walk and the Battle of the Bulge commemorations). We locals and many veterans coming from the USA always reserve the same rooms for the next year's event.
The website Bastogne http://www.bastogne-tourisme.be/bastogne_en/discover/memorial-tourism/battle-of-the-bulge-1940-1945 lists many memorials worth planning to visit.
If anyone who reads the article needs some assistance, they can contact the newly revitalized American Legion Flanders Field Post BE02, Commander Joseph Schram, flanders.fields.post.be02@gmail.com, and he'd be pleased to assist any veteran and their family members providing some information for their military historical tour to Belgium.
Have you traveled near an American Legion Post outside the borders of the continental United States?