The cheerful town of La Roche is found on the banks of the River Ourthe in the Ardennes region of southeast Belgium. The Ardennes region extends into Luxembourg, Germany, and France. It is a region rich in flora and fauna and is generally regarded as the most enchanting area in Belgium.
It is dense with magnificent ancient forests and also the site of three major battles – the Battle of the Ardennes in World War 1, and the Battle of France, and the Battle of the Bulge in World War 2.
We stayed in a hotel in the village one New Years’ Eve. We enjoyed a delicious meal with Spike at our feet and watched some fireworks over the River Ourthe. Spike, not much of a fan, but a good sport for a while until we headed back to our hotel room in the early hours. It was a most tiresome start to the year in that Spike must have eaten a morsel of something that made him sick as the proverbial dog. We (read I) spent most of the rest of the night pacing up and down the sidewalk outside the hotel as Spike was always very good about letting us know he needed to go outside, regardless of how horribly inconvenient.
The town of La Roche is often referred to as the Jewel of the Ardennes. On the hill overlooking the town, the Romans built a fort. As Roman influence waned the area was invaded by the Franks, a Germanic people. Where the Roman fort once stood a Castle was built in the 9th century. By the 1700s the castle was abandoned and neglected and these are the ruins that now dominate the town.
Nothing much of the town is left from before World War 2 during which it was bombed completely.
During this trip, we also explored surrounding areas including the British World War 2 cemetery at Hotton and the Basilica at St. Hubert, the foundations of which date back to 817. The Basilica of St. Hubert is a popular pilgrimage destination. St. Hubert is known as the patron saint of hunters and woodsmen, as well as mathematicians and metallurgists. Yet on St. Hubert’s Day (November 3rd), large numbers of dogs are brought here to be blessed!
Dog owners travel from near and far to make the trip for the St. Hubert blessing each year, and it’s not only dogs – falcons and horses get the blessing too apparently.
