Luxembourg

Retraced my train steps a bit this morning to return to Koblenz and spotted a few more Rhine castles en route. Changed here for another train to take me down the lovely Moselle Valley. Calmer with river traffic than the Rhine, this was another beautiful trip in the morning sunshine, with vineyards lining the rolling banks of the river. I remember staying at a B&B here with Mum and Dad. Dad was in his element sitting in the garden facing the Moselle with a glass of wine made on the premises. As usual, I was keen to push on and he said ‘just you go ahead, you can pick me up here on the way back’.

Visiting this area reminded me of another place we stayed at on our German trip. It was getting late and we stopped at the first ‘Zimmer Frei’ (rooms vacant) sign we could see. It was a small hotel unfortunately named Hotel F…k. In the morning I asked my Dad if the hotel had lived up to its name and he replied with a big grin ‘oh yes’. Mum just smiled and shook her head and said ‘see that man!’

We passed through Trier, the oldest city in Germany, and soon arrived at the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. One of the smallest sovereign states in Europe, it came across as a charming place, easy to walk about and see the main sights. I visited the vast underground system of passages and galleries known as the casemates which are one of the major tourist attractions. Then had a lovely walk along the Corniche - nicknamed the most beautiful balcony in Europe. Had a nice local Luxembourg dish for dinner - some kind of boiled ham with roast potatoes and broad beans. I had forgotten how much I like broad beans. And all washed down with a refreshing Luxembourg white wine - delish!Read more