3-day trip to Crecy, Agincourt and Waterloo
There were always the odd battles that did not only decide on victory or defeat, but about warfare in general and political aftermaths. For example the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour which sealed the decline of the battleship or the German panzer divisions that defined new warfare. The two medieval battles at Crecy and Agincourt sealed the fate of the knight as a decisive weapon. Waterloo on the other side was not only the final military defeat of Napoleon but also the political return to old feudalistic terms and a change of the status quo.| Day 1 |
We travel from Cologne with the Coach of Excellence (pick up at Cologen amain railway station at 09.00) to Crecy in the French department Pas de Calais. During the ride we will learn via the multimedia centre more about the medieval by the presentation of TV documentaries that deal with the battles and the English longbow. Upon arrival at the Crecy battlefield we will get an overview from the Crecy look-out. We will learn about the English and French battle orders, the location of their camps and how the French army approached Crecy. We continue to the monument of John the Blind who got killed in battle at the very same spot. We will then carry on to Abbeville and check into the Mercure Hotel where we will spend the next two nights. Dinner at the hotel. |
| Day 2 |
Before we head for Azincourt we use the opportunity and pass the former airfield of Jagdgeschwader 26 (Squadron 26), Germany´s most famous fighter squadron. Commanders of the unit were - among others- Adolf Galland, Josef Priller or Walter Krupinski. We then continue to Agincourt and go first to the excellent Centre Historique Medieval. Here you learn via multimedia presentations and exhibitions a lot about the times when knights ruled the battlefield. We will look at the knight´s equipment, weapons and learn of their tactics and the uncomfortable fight through the visor of a helmet. After that you will have an hour to experiment with a longbow, obviously under instructions of a professional. We then continue to the actual battlefield, which has changed very little since 1415. Here we will hear of the incredible story of Henry V., the mud and the deadly encounter with an English longbow. Then we will travel back to Abbeville. |
| Day 3 |
We travel with the Coach of Excellence to Waterloo. During the trip we will have a chance to „warm-up“ with the help of the feature movie „Waterloo“ featuring Orson Welles, Christopher Plummer and Rod Steiger. You will visit the Waterloo Centre with its museum, battle panorama and cinematographic presentations. After that we will climb the lion´s hill which indicates the spot where the Prince of Orange was wounded. A total of 226 stairs lead to the top of the monument where you can enjoy a beautiful view of most of the entire battlefield. We will continue with a ride in a purpose built vehicle across the battlefield to such famous locations like Hougomont or La Haye Sainte. On the way back to Cologne we will pass Quatre Bras, where two days prior to Waterloo a battle was was fought between contingents of the Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the French Army on June 16, 1815. We will continue to Ligny, where Napoleon won his last victory against the Prussian army under Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. With a visit to the small but beautiful museum of Ligny we will finish our trip to Waterloo and continue to Cologne. |