The Short Break
Sunday
17th February
There
were nine of us on this trip; seven walkers and two non-walking spouses. We had to get up
very early to be on board the coach in Wimborne by 0515. However the journey
was uneventful. We drove to Folkstone and then crossed the English Channel in
thirty five minutes... underneath it, of course. Without getting wet. Most of
us didn't bother to get off the coach during the undersea passage. We then had
a straightforward run down to Vianden, the village-cum-small town in Luxembourg
where we would be based on this trip. We would have a lot to see in the next
three days.
Luxembourg is the world's only Grand Duchy - the head of state is a
Grand Duke, but he does have prime minister who does all the tedious jobs like
deciding whose heads to chop off. The country is a landlocked micro state so it
has an army but a navy would be a bit pointless. Luxembourg is a founder member
of the EEC and the European Centre on the outskirts of Luxembourg city is a
confusing mass of modern buildings housing the various European organisations.
The Luxembourgers think it is a jolly good thing, but I suppose they would,
wouldn't they. It brings in lots of money from other nations. Luxembourg is
also a centre for international banking so they must be a very moral nation.
The banks come here - so we are told - because of the political stability and
because Luxembourg is the world's twelfth least corrupt nation. It is also one
of the richest nations in Europe partly because of the money it makes out of
banking. Well, we won't dwell on that.
Let's move on to Vianden, which is a
small town in the Ardennes region, more specifically in the Our National Park.
Yes, the Our does belong to them but it's also the name of the river running
through the town. The Ardennes is historically remembered as the location of
the Battle of the Bulge in WW2 and there are numerous memorials to American
troops killed here. Vianden and the Our River are in a valley about an hour's
drive north of Luxembourg city, overlooked by a splendid castle, one of
Luxembourg's finest. Our hotel here was comfortable and clean and the Wednesday
Walkers were able to dine together in the evening. A table for nine was set
aside for us each evening.
Monday
This
morning we had a short walk before our coach left the hotel for Luxembourg
city. The walk along the river bank in Vianden allowed some nice video shots of
the castle on the hill overlooking the tiny town. We didn't know then that we
would be walking up to it that evening. It was an interesting walk, but more of
that later. The weather was good to us. It was cold but the sky stayed clear
throughout the day. We saw some snow lying but thankfully the roads were all
clear.
When we got to the city we picked up a guide who took us on a coach tour
and then took us on a walking tour. The coach tour included the European centre
which had grown considerably since I used to come here to the Eurocontrol
Institute of Air Navigation Services, but we did actually drive past the
institute and the guide pointed it out. The walking tour was mostly confined to
the upper end of the city - the area
with the most expensive shops - and we had some nice views over the gorge that
runs right through the middle of the city. We had a snack lunch together and
then just had enough time to take the lift down to the Grund, the old town at
the bottom of the gorge.
When we got back to Vianden we had time to spare
before dinner so we set out for a walk through the town. I thought we were
going to walk by the river, all on the flat. Silly me. This was a walkers
holiday! We walked right up to top of the hill overlooking the town, as far as
the castle. When you see the video you have permission to gasp in amazement.
The air was so thin up there we should have brought respirators and ducked to
avoid the overflying 747s. Think "Where Eagles Dare" and you'll begin
to get the picture, although the local cable car doesn't run into the castle.
But the view is spectacular. Once again we all dined together this evening and
then gathered in the lounge for a group gossip and a couple of steins of local
beer.
Tuesday
The
trip today was to Trier. The day began a little overcast but dry. Trier is the
oldest town in Germany with many Roman remains and the cathedral is the oldest
bishop's church north of the Alps. It has a history stretching from the fourth
century to the present day. One of its claims to fame is a raised chapel behind
the main altar which contains a robe reputed to be a garment worn by Christ. A
walk around the town enabled us to take in various other historical buildings
including the grand palace, basillica and amphitheatre and a C&A store. We
haven't seen one of those back home for some time now.
On the way back to
Vianden we took a different route and met with an unexpected road closure. The
susequent diversion took us over hilly and twisty roads clearly not built for
coaches. The scenery here showed persistent snow coverage, leaving us glad
there was no precipitation today. Back at the hotel we variously occupied the
time until dinner with coffee, sleeping, sampling the local beer again and
keeping a record of the day for future blog use. Dinner was accompanied by a
lady singer who failed to get us up on the floor dancing. Nice try but we're
walkers not dancers. Afterwards we gathered in the lounge for a chat. Tea was
served in dinky hand painted tea pots and with... horror of horrors: HOT milk.
The Luxembourgers haven't yet cottoned on to the English tradition of cold milk
in tea. Lou took the milk jug out into the freezing night air to cool it down.
Wednesday
Today's
trip took us to the Moselle region, famed for its wine. Our last full day in
the Grand Dutchy started out a little bit overcast but still dry. And the day
stayed reasonably bright for us. Wines have been made here in Luxembourg since
Roman times and the local growers reckon they've now got it just right. Very
little of it is exported as they prefer to keep it to themselves. A pity, as
they produce some very good wines. Their
Pinot Blanc is well worth a bottle or two if you can get hold of it. Our
trip took us to a winery at Grevenmacher. We had a conducted tour of the
manufacturing process and then settled down to the serious business of tasting.
The wines we tried were sparkling and made by the champagne method but they
can't be called champagne as the name is protected for use only by wineries in
the Champagne region. But we enjoyed the wines we were given and even bought a
bottle or two to take home. We then drove on to Remich, beside the Moselle
River where we had lunch. No names mentioned, but some people had
chloresterol-rich sweet crepes lathered in chocolate and cream. The return trip
to Vianden was made following the Moselle and Our rivers.
Thursday
The
short break in Luxembourg was over and it was time to go home. We left Vianden
at half past eight in the morning and headed back north to the Channel Tunnel.
So, what did we learn about Luxembourg? It's small, you can drive across it in
an hour. But there are five European states that are smaller still. It has the
world's third largest per capita GDP, after Qatar and Lichtenstein. And little
more than half a million people live there... although many more commute into
the European Centre from other countries in order to spend the money we so
generously give to the EU. And we learned that they make some nice wines and
some quite palatable beers. Set against that, we learned that the Luxembourgers
still have a hill to climb in giving up smoking and they haven' t yet cottoned
on to our need for cold milk in tea. But we'll forgive them in the light of
their pleasant countryside and friendly welcome.
Finally, we must thank Beatrice for organising this trip. Hannam Holidays came up trumps again. Thank you, Beatrice, we had a good time.
The
Travellers:-
Beatrice, Tony, Wendy, Trudy, Lou, Sue,Tricia, Fionnuala, David
Next Week
Meet at Wendy's at 1015 for a Bere Regis walk
