MEUSE


Meuse is a true gem for lovers of


the French countryside, and geting around by car is a delight – you are more likely to see a tractor than a car on most of the country roads.


Remembrance in Meuse In September 1914, with Meuse in the front line, German forces pushed 20km beyond French defences near Saint-Mihiel to form what became known as the Saint-Mihiel salient (‘bulge’ or land that juts out). This scene of fierce fighting is today marked by remaining trenches, dug and inhabited by both sides. Franco-US forces finally liberated


it in September 1918 (lost US troops are commemorated at the immaculate Montsec American


Clockwise from above: The peace and tranquillity of the open road in Meuse make for a delightful driving experience; art-spotting in the Vent des Forêts; the Fort de Douaumont; the area's emblematic poppies; the mirabelle plum is a juicy Meuse icon; in Bar-le-Duc, redcurrant jam is prepared by hand using a goose feather to remove the pips; the town is brimming with eye-catching architectural detail from the Renaissance period


Monument américain aux morts de Pennsylvanie in Varennes-en- Argonne (built in 1927). The Argonne Museum in Varennes currently has an excellent collection of World War One 3D images on display (seven hours’ worth!), while the town’s clock tower is notable, too. Here, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinete were nabbed in June 1791 by Revolutionaries aſter fleeing Paris. A must-see close by is the


Monument, 377m up on the Bute de Montsec). Among many other


commemorative sites in this part of Meuse are the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery; the batle- scarred hill at Bute de Vauquois (a village razed in 1915); and the


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Romagne 14-18 museum, where Dutchman Jean-Paul de Vries has gathered an eclectic collection of war artefacts, including many weapons from the local area, which he first visited on holiday as a child. The collection depicts daily life for a soldier in an area that witnessed vicious and prolonged fighting. The charming café next door offers pause for reflection and refreshment. Leaving Argonne and heading southeast, you reach the Verdun batlefield, scene of the longest batle of all, from February to December 1916. For


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