What was quite unreal too, for me, is that first you see the crosses of 25.000 men, then at the end of the cemetery, you go through the gate and walk up the mountain like they also did back then, knowing that that there was a big chance of not returning.
The complete battlefield is there… As you reach the first French communication trench, there are big bombshell craters around. After going further up hill through the French trenches you reach a very small no man’s land, the craters stop because the frontline was very close to each other and couldn’t use the artillery there.
Then you enter the German trenches, much better build, even narrower and confusing like a labyrinth. They are further up the mountain, partly carved out of the stone, and all the trenches are stone walled. There are also bunkers, carved out in the mountain.
After reaching the monument (with fantastic views of the Vosges!!) and more German trenches you find the German supporting buildings, and as you are further away from no man’s land, the craters of the French bombshells appear. Finally after a long walk down hill, you reach the cemetery again.
Because it is quite far away from everything the whole walk it is peaceful silent with only sounds of nature. Very few fellow visitors. For most of the time we had the feeling of walking alone there.
