Above all our expectations! WWl
Our day spent with Rafael was amazing from the pick up at our hotel, La château des Monthairions, until the minute he dropped us off yesterday evening. Our planning and contacting Rafael started months ago. We wanted our tour tailored to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather who has served in the AEF in WWl. We sent Rafael copies of his diary, photographs and letters from a Frenchwoman he had fallen in love with when he was stationed at St. Dizier, south of Verdun.
Raphael also told us of the places we could easily visit on our own in four days we would be here, places with all the information there in English, as well as French and German. So, in our first two days we went on our own to St. Dizier, the Verdun Memorial, Belleau Wood, the Meuse Argonne American Cemetery and the St. Mihiel American Cemetery, and trenches up in the hills. So then yesterday we visited More American Cemeteries that we would not have, a trench reconstuction and most impressively the two fortesses in those built for the protection of Vernun, Fort Vaux and Ft. Douaumont!
Raphael is not only well versed on the history we were seeing, but also more informative than any tour book or museum could ever be. He made the history of the forts come alive. Two men were so impressed with overhearing that they tried to eves-drop!
Not only is Rapael knowledgeable, but he delivers in a captivating way, (which as a retired DOD art teacher, I really appreciated!). Too, his organizational abilities are exceptional, as is his Mercedes van.
Now for the pièce de résistance- Today Raphael wrote me on the research he did last night on my grandfather’s French love. He sent me an email on why I was unable to track her down in St. Dizier. He found she had moved to Lyon, and why, and whom she had married and when (her father-in-law was a famous French artist which I loved!), the year she died and her children and grandchildren. Coincidentally, the final leg of our trip takes us to Lyon, so we plan to try to find her grandchildren!
Merci from my heart, Rafael! We hope to see you when next in France! We were just in Epernay before this. I wish we had contacted you about that!
Date of experience: 09 September, 2026
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