Luxembourg: Day 2

Day 2 started out with checking train/bus schedules at La Gare, then getting some breakfast on a street corner cafe. I brought along a roll and orange I'd been hoarding so I ate that, but got some black tea with milk and sugar. They give you a little pitcher for the milk, and it made me feel like I was participating in a quaint tea party.

We caught a train that would take us to a bus stop and then up to the Chateau Vianden. We sat in a compartment with an interesting man who was casually drinking a beer and snorting a bit of snuff right on the train, but we figured, c'est la vie. The train and bus rides were pretty scenic, and we saw a lot of fields and clusters of houses and cows along the way.

We drove through a couple small villages, including Diekirch, on the way up to the castle. Vianden is kind of touristy, with lots of cafes and restaurants, and since it was a beautiful day, tons of motorcyclists and fancy car fanatics were out riding. We saw a good many tiny dogs prancing around--they're the perfect accessory, we've come to find, in all the places we've been so far.

We had a long hike up the winding road through the village up to the Chateau Vianden. The castle was very impressive, way up on its perch on the hill; I don't think I've been to a castle, outside of the faux one in the Magic Kingdom, until today. From what I collected, it's been around since the third century, and since then it's been a continuously growing project. Many different people have restored it, and it's still undergoing some construction. The architecture was beautiful, and there also was a cartoon art exhibit that was displayed inside. It was for a regional competition to depict either stay-at-home dads or house-husbands. Pretty hilarious stuff.

We split up for dinner, and a few of us went to a nice bar/cafe on the street where I got the meatballs/salad/fries dinner. It was tasty, and afterwards, we got delicious ice cream with real fruit in it (mine was lemon and raspberry). We saw Victor Hugo's house right there on a street corner, and there's a hotel across the street named after him and a bookstore of his works set up inside the house. We enjoyed the day for a little longer and then caught a bus and train back to the City, hung out in La Gare for a bit, and then headed on home to Metz. All in all, it was a relatively inexpensive, entertaining, and very successful trip.

I'll let you all know what we plan to do next!