Even for those not particularly interested in war (that includes me), a stop in Bastogne is worthwhile. The town itself is sweet, built around a historic old centre with quaint cafes (which I can assure you sell a good hot chocolate!). Just outside the town you’ll find theBastogne Historical Centre which includes an impressive star-shaped memorial building, and you can climb up on top of it for views across the Belgian countryside. The museum itself is probably most interesting to war buffs.

Several members of my family are keen war historians and when I told them I was going to pop into Belgium during a trip to Luxembourg, they told me that it was an absolute must that I looked into Bastogne. It was a name slightly familiar to me from high school history lessons, but I had to read up on it to remember it was a key part of the Battle of the Bulge towards the end of World War Two.

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