Meuse-Argonne Military Cemetery

Bless you, Harriet, for making this effort to remember one who died so young for his country and has lain in a foreign field, without a visitor, for so long! Go to this official American Battlefield Monuments Commission website, http://www.abmc.gov/search/wwi.php, and there you will be able to enter his name or other information and get the location of the grave within the cemetery. And note on the website that: "If you are a family member planning to visit a grave, we suggest that upon arrival at the cemetery you go directly to the visitor center where a staff member will be honored to escort you to the grave or Tablet of the Missing."

Note: I have not gone from Paris to Verdun American Cemetery by train/bus, so anyone out there who has done it, PLEASE jump in. * * * ¶ Harriet: This official website provides information on how to get there from various locations, http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ma.php, and photos and videos of what it looks like, and other practical information for getting there. You're not alone in this, there's an organization to help you do this.

Also, I realize you're only interested in spending time at the cemetery, but maybe these two prior discussions will help provide additional information: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?topic=43060 * * * and also this one http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?topic=51204

I found a train schedule that could get me from Paris to Verdun and back in same day by leaving Paris about 6:45 am and returning at around 10pm. So it looks doable although busy. Roundtrip about $98,in going next month, couldn't get fare quote for March but maybe similar for same day of week? I think it will work out.

Harriet, how do you plan to get from Verdun to the cemetery? It's about 20 miles as the crow flies and in that part of France the road distance is about double that. Since there are no highways and the route will take you through every little town (a good thing!) you should allow for at least two hours of travel to and from Verdun.

The Cemetery info says there are taxis at the train station to get to the cemetery.

Harriet: Go here to this discussion thread, http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?topic=43060, and then look at the last post in the thread. It's from Kathleen, she went by train. If you click on Send Private Message under Kathleen's name, you might make contact with her and can ask her questions.

To see train schedules from Paris to Verdun, use this website, http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en, for researching train schedules from Paris to Verdun. It's the Bahn site and is more user friendly than the French official train site, you won't use it to buy a ticket but is easier to use to research. Input in the From box Paris, To Verdun (exclude country name, just city/town names); date isn't important, just click up arrow till you get a day next week that's either weekday or weekend, corresponding to approx what day of week you think you'll do this; the time box to the right of the date box is important, input 0600 to get schedules starting at 0600. Skip the rest of the boxes and click the red Search box. A screen will appear asking your age, just put in any number, doesn't matter b/c you're not going to use the Bahn site to buy a ticket. Then click the red Refresh button. The next screen will show you the schedules, including bus connections. Click the down arrow at the LEFT MARGIN to get the details for any train. If you click around, there's lots of information and maps for each train. Abbreviations: TGV = high speed train, usually more expensive but fast; RE = regional train, slower and often lower cost than TGV; Bus indicates where it will be necessary to connect to a bus; RER = regional train within Paris metro area.

When you get to the point of buying a train ticket, Tim of Minot ND will tell you how to do that.

Harriet, I have a great-uncle buried at Meuse-Argonne and I've made this trip a couple of times. It's an easy do. You can take a taxi from the train station to the cemetery. It's not at all an odd request. The taxi drivers spend most of their day driving tourists along the Voie Sacree to Verdun battle sites. The cemetery is northwest of Verdun. Going by taxi will not be cheap. You're talking about 50 euro+ round trip. For about 45 euro you can rent a car in Verdun about a block from the train station. Your choice. You're looking at about a 45 minute drive. Beautiful and scenic. The cemetery is huge. You'll want to spend a couple of hours there. It's an amazing place. The gentlement at the information desk at the entrance will find the location of your uncle's grave and either give you a map or personally escort you to the site. I'd request an escort...they're a great wealth of knowledge and information. If you happen to be stolling by, say "hi" to Kenna Davis; Plot H, Row 25; Grave 24. Happy travels!