Pilsen Liberation Fest

Every year in Pilsen, Czech Republic there is a liberation fest.  It celebrates the liberation of Pilsen by the soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry during WWII.  To learn more about the yearly fest check out this link http://www.liberationfestival.com/ .   Since this is Shayne's unit we decided to go with a group of friends.  It's a quick hour and a half drive from our house to Pilsen.  Pilsen is also the home to the famous Pilsner Urquell brewery so its guaranteed good drinks!  We picked up Mike and Lena Saturday morning in Weiden and then headed on our way to Czech!  After checking into our hotel we stopped by the Pilsner Urquell brewery to see if there was anything going on there.  They had a small band playing and some people hanging around but we decided to make our way into the city center to see what else was going on.  Pilsen is a relatively small city and very walkable so to was easy to get around from our hotel without having to drive anywhere.  As we got close we saw some static displays set up reenacting war time conditions.  There was a British WWI camp set up as well as an Afghanistan camp trying to display the current conditions.  As we headed further into the city we found lots of people dressed in US military gear.  The uniforms they were wearing were from many different decades.  They all seemed so excited to be wearing them and to celebrate the liberation day.  It was really cool to see how much of an impact US troops made on this city.  We enjoyed some beers and walked around for a while.  When we were in the main city platz there was a ceremony that began.  They were awarding a scholarship in George S. Patton's name and this was the first year that someone from the Czech Republic had won so it was a pretty big deal to them.  When they were announcing the names of the distinguished guests we heard them say that one of Patton's grandsons were there for ceremony.  For my armor officer husband this was pretty cool.  After watching the ceremony we continued to walk around and then ended up over by the side of the stage where everyone was standing.  We decided we were going to try to talk to Mr. Waters, Patton's grandson.  So after following him around from person to person for a little bit we finally got up to him.  When Shayne introduced himself and told him that he was part of the 2nd Cavalry and he gave Shayne a coin!  Coins are really popular in the military as a token of appreciation and recognition.  Shayne has a collection of coins already from different things he has done, but this is by far the most unique one he ever received.  He even got to take a picture with him.

After that we tried to find a spot to watch the incoming parade.  There were lots of old military vehicles driving into the main platz with veterans riding inside.  

It was so wonderful to see the veterans who had made such an impact in this cities' history coming back for his weekend celebration.  Unfortunately, the number of veterans that are able to make the trip each year dwindles but seeing the dedication of the ones who still do make the cross continental trip is heart warming.  After we looked at some of the vehicles it started to rain so we headed into a little cafe to wait out the storm.  It was nice to sit inside and chat with everyone for a bit before we headed out and found someplace nice for dinner.  We ended up a steakhouse and I had a burger, which was something I don't think I had eaten, besides at home, since I moved to Germany.  And it was actually pretty good!  After dinner we all headed back to the hotel and left early the next morning, after enjoying a great European breakfast of meats, cheeses, and breads of course!