WW2 War Cemetery, Oosterbeek, Memorial Day 2014

For more shots of the war cemetery ... and some houses ...

Oosterbeek is where A Bridge Too Far took place in real life, and where parts of the film were shot. The tragedy was all a consequence of Operation Market Garden.

I did say I was going there today; not exactly a now-or-never plan, but something I'd long wanted to do. There are, of course, other war cemeteries scattered across the country -- Breda ... Margraten ... Rhenen ... to name a few. Do you know what? They won't be the last, I think. I hope so, though.

Curious moment ... while walking among the tombstones and noting how most of them were Americans or Canadians or Brits, with the details all in English, I suddenly came across one with hubby's family name, also detailed in English, rank and airborne division and all. I was very intrigued. Was he an American or British flyer or infantryman? He was not a resident of Oosterbeek, that was clear. The moment I got home, I opened my family book straight away and looked him up. No, he wasn't related.

But, of course, Oosterbeek is more than war memorials. It's also filled with rather old houses and homesteads. The area is restful, which has led to the proliferation of retirement homes. I actually spent some time just walking around shooting some of them.

There is a lovely B&B there ... Chalet Dreyeroord ... where, unfortunately, the battery of my camera conked out. It's for sale ... any takers?