Democracy Does Not Come Cheap.

I drove back to Brussels from Strasbourg today. It was a tiring week, so I decided to stay the extra night (not at taxpayer's expense, I hasten to add).

Driving through Lorraine, I stopped off at St Avold, to stretch my legs, and to spend some time with some fine men.

St Avold is the American military cemetery in Lorraine. It is a beautiful place, and almost 11,000 heroes rest there. I sometimes like to spend time here, and reflect.....

If you never saw it, then you should visit this sacred place. Walking from the small car park, and past the Chapel, one is suddenly faced with a breathtaking visage. It really does put everything into perspective very quickly.

To those of my colleagues who do the Strasbourg trip every month I would say that we see the signs to St Avold on the motorway, and it is actually only about 4-5 minutes off of the main road. Take some moments, visit, pay your respects, and reflect on how expensive democracy is. And thank God that it was not us that had to buy it!