American Cemetery / The Caves of Valkenburg / Game #2
Our day started in Nuland, where we set out to the American Cemetery in Southern Holland. Exiting the bus, we weren’t sure exactly what we were in for, however after a guided tour of the site we were profoundly moved. We started with a summary of how the war unfolded and how we were ultimately victorious. From there, we were taken to a wall commemorating the fallen soldiers who were unable to be identified. Then, as a sea of white crosses sprawled out before us, our guide took us to one particular grave marker. His account of just one of the 8301 soldiers bravery was almost overwhelming, as it gave us a personal insight into the incredible courage and commitment these men displayed for their country. Having the opportunity to roam through the vast field of crosses, read the names of the fallen, and feel the cold marble with our own hands took us far beyond any lesson learned in a textbook. One of the most interesting facts we learned was that 100% of the graves have been adopted by local citizens, who have committed to care for each and every one of the soldiers who lay in rest at the American Cemetery in Margraten, Holland.
While walking around Valkenburg, we stumbled upon an outdoor church that had an altar set inside a naturally occurring opening in the side of a mountain. Picture of this church is at the top of this blog.
Next, we found ourselves in the heart of Valkenburg, and headed towards the caves. Upon entering, the history lesson began, as we descended by the light of a sole lantern into a small portion of a series of caves that were more than 40 miles long. They had been used by everyone from the Romans to the students of Northern State University. Amidst the caves were sculptures and paintings done by students, professionals, local residents, depicting everything from saints to dinosaurs, as well as fossils that have proved the presence of dinosaurs. Roughly a mile into our descent into the earth, we were relieved to discover that our Dutch guide had a back up flashlight in case of emergency. We were surprised to learn that we had entered a series of caves that were over 2000 years old and had been used by the Romans. It was awesome to see that they had preserved it to this day and the town still uses it for practical purposes such as their Christmas Carnival and concert on a stage cut out of the soft stone of the earth. Our guide mentioned that the Queen of Holland herself attended last year’s concert, carrying on the tradition set forth by her predecessor of attending the annual show.

We capped off the night with a match against VV Venlo from Holland’s top professional league. They were as good as advertised and they smashed us 14-0. Despite the shellacking we learned a lot and worked hard from start to finish; as hard as it may seem to believe we actually learned and as a result became a better team. We made some adjustments at half-time and as a result played a significantly better second half, limiting them to only a few goals against their starting 11. With no goalie, both Tia and Fedor gave a valiant effort in the net. We are back at the hotel now, having a late dessert. Tomorrow, we’re off to Germany….