When American soldiers were making their final push towards the German border during WW II and in…read morethe process liberating Belgium, the local Belgians housed many of the GI's in their homes, only to see the same soldiers making the final sacrifice perhaps the very next day. In gratitude for giving their lives for them, the local people brought flowers to the soldiers' temporary graves, and then to cemeteries, a tradition which exists to this day at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery. Henri-Chapelle may be the single most beautiful cemetery you will ever visit. The design is stunning, with the graves arranged in row after row, with each grave stone made of dazzling white Italian marble. And the dedication of the staff and volunteers to maintaining the grave sites is remarkable. Thanks to all who serve and have served. This review was written in gratitude for all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

The Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery is a breathtaking sight. The history alone is fascinating and…read moretouching but the site itself is beautiful and a must see if you are in the area. The staff is very knowledgeable and extremely helpful. The site holds fallen Americans of two major efforts. One involved the First U.S. Army's drive from September through December 1944 through northern France, Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg into Germany. The second included the Battle of the Bulge and its elimination, enabling allied forces to advance farther into Germany. We were coming to visit the SO's great uncle, who passed away during the latter effort. We arrived really late and they were closing the gates to the parking lot, but they were nice enough to direct us to park across the street so we could still visit. The manager actually went above and beyond and offered to make an appointment for us last minute to come back before the end of our trip. He explained that he could put together a family memorial service and information packet for us, We came back a week later, and he gave us a brief tour and vast amounts of information- both about the site and about the SO's relative (the path of his final days, approximately where his last battle took place, etc) along with additional resources for us to request additional documents and records. We ended the very informative tour at the headstone, where the manager cleaned the stone and performed a short but touching ceremony. The SO's parents spoke some words and his father was presented with US and Belgium flags to take home. Words can't really describe it, but it was very moving. If you are coming to visit a relative, I highly recommend scheduling an appointment in advance. What the staff and local village do here is nothing short of beautiful and amazing. The staff will take great care of you.

This is an old coal mine that closed in the 1980s. The area is dotted with mines and this one is…read moreone of the few you can actually tour. We would suggest that you buy a combo ticket to do everything. That's what we did. The mine tour is given in French and Dutch. You can request an audio guide in other languages. We chose the English guides. They take you down into the mine and the tour stops at various panels to explain the operation of the mine. In some areas they demonstrate the operation of the mine equipment. You will be walking down a series of steps, but there are no uphill steps. At the ending, you tour the processing area in the tower above the mine. Next, we rode through the town and countryside on a trolly train. That was followed by a visit to the museum and finally a hike around the mine grounds. It is well worth climbing the 204 steps to the top of the slag heap to see the view of the countryside. Allow yourself around 4-5 hours to do everything. We also stopped for lunch in their restaurant in the middle of our tour and the food was good. We would highly recommend spending the day here.

Blegny-Mine is definitely one of the most interesting places in the region of Limburg and Liège to…read morevisit. It's the only mine in Belgium where you can really go into the underground and the guided tour is foreseen in several languages, including English and Dutch. After visiting the mine it's nice to take a walk on the hill too, because it offers nice views for photography.