Castle towers
Our next stop was La Roche-en-Ardenne
(meaning 'the rock in Ardennes') which sits by a curve of the same river as
Durbuy does. They sure have a pretty rock here and an important one too. As
early as 57 BC a fort was built on it. Later, a (medieval) castle replaced the
fort. The castle is now in ruins. If you want to go wander around the ruins
plot, it will set you back € 4,50.
While
searching for a place to park, we suddenly looked right in to the barrel of a
Sherman tank. It was taking up our parking space. Here and there in La Roche
you'll find other reminiscences of the war. In World War II, the Ardennes was heavily
fought over. In September '44 the allies conquered it on the Germans but as
early as December of the same year, they got it back during the Ardennes Offensive.
The town hall
In January of the following year, the British finally
liberated the town. All this can be seen at the local museum with the clever
name "Battle of the Ardennes". For all
you veterans out there: a ticket for the museum costs 6 euros.
We
walked through town as it was getting time for lunch. The Belgians are known
for their fries. Not those thin, meager French fries but big, chunky fries with
crispy outside and soft, hot, almost mash like inside. Therefore, we went to a
'frieterie' where they specialize in fries. Boy, did we get disappointed. The
fries themselves were okay but the truckload of salt on them ruined the taste.
For the next couple of weeks, everything I put in my mouth will taste like
those fries. At home, I am now on a saltless diet for a year, just to get it
out of my system.
