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Published: November 19th 2010
Europe by Bicycle: Part III
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Bastogne, Belgium to Wiltz, Luxembourg was the most pleasant bike path of the whole trip.
It even had lights in the tunnel. A tunnel which was for bicycles...no cars.
I probably didn't have to push my pedal more than half a dozen times to travel
the 20 km route. "Oh, that's the way, uh-huh uh-huh,
I like it, uh-huh, uh-huh." As K.C. and The SunShine Band would say.
Wiltz is a pleasant town at the north end of Luxembourg. It even has free first class
public washrooms. Wiltz is a major centre for the international scouting movement
and you'll see groups of young trekker/campers going somewhere.
For a country with only half a million people, it has more hostels
than most of the larger countries in the world.
There are campgrounds around but I decided to go to the Hostel in town.
Breakfast included.
I could dry out my gear.....again.
They gave me a single room and so I washed and dried out my
camping gear.
I got a few variations of which was the best bike route from Wiltz to Luxembourg
City in the south.
That city had been my first destination goal in Europe.
The route I decided on passed a number of boyscout camps. Then it appeared to
get suspiciously smaller. I came to the railway tracks and a worker told me I couldn't
go any further. The trail would end.
I wasn't happy about retracing my steps especially since I had a hard time finding this
trail. When I saw roadway I put on my bike helmet and went for it. Much faster than
the bike paths.
As it turned out the roadway I took ended at a town. But there was a train station nearby
that could take me to a point where I could rejoin a more direct path.
Luxembourg, the country, has only half a million people and isn't very big.
It's only 50 miles in length.
But it is one of the more economically successful countries in the world.
It was only a half day bike ride to the city, if I could get on the right route.
My first thought was to take the train to
the next station then continue on a bike route.
While
Wiltz Hostel
Wiltz is the first town entered coming from Bastogne, Belgiumtalking to people I found
that the price to the next stop was one and half Euros. Then I found out that €1.50
was the price to the city as well. This is the price for a bus in town, also.
The train was part of the public transportation system for the city.
The train ran with German precision. The train was to arrive at this station
at 21 minutes past the hour. It was 20 past the hour and there was no
train in sight. I thought well that's normal for trains but at 21 past the hour the train was there
in front of me.
There was to be exactly a one minute stop at this
station.
When I tried to ask the conductor a question about the bike, he interrupted me,
"THE TRAIN WILL LEAVE IN 45 SECONDS! GET ON!"
Luxembourg has both French and German characteristics.
I'm on the train thinking, same price for one stop or
for many stops to the city...mmm.
I told the conductor, "Luxembourg City"
Bicycle is free. see photo.
Luxembourg is a constitutional monarchy ruled by a Grand Duke.
The people speak Luxembourgish, German and French.
And the
Train Transport
One stop or the length of the country is the same price. Same as the city bus. young people at the hostel speak these and more.
Very humbling.
From Luxembourg I was desperate to get to the Rhine
where I had some sense of direction.
It was getting cold.
I went to the train station and asked about where I
could go. I asked the teller for a senior's price ticket.
OK!
I told her my bike was really old too.
She said, OK then its free.
Trivia: Skype's home was Luxembourg
I took a train to Basel, Switzerland.
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Grace
non-member comment
I love it
One of my friends´s daughter is going to live in this country you visited. I know it´s very expensive. It´s good there are many hostels.