Luxembourg, Reims and Paris

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We arrived in Luxembourg late afternoon - got off the train then onto a bus to the hostel which we knew was sistuated near the casemates. We got off the bus and had to a long walk down a steep hill to the hostel. Long walk down meant long walk back up when we left and lots more times in between!! The hostel was really nice and very new. There was a bar and a restaurant so we had ourselves a beer - they had a fruity one which was almost like Kriek but it wasnt Kriek - and they also did Croque Monsieurs. For those of you who are not acquanted with Croque Monsiers they are the french toasted sarnies with cheese, has and bechamal sauce - yum, yum.

Next morning we got up to a nice sunny day though it was a bit chilly and we decided to do the audio guide of the city as it had been recommended to us by some other travellers. That took us a few hours then it was time for lunch. After lunch we headed off to the casemates for a look around there. Got into a bit of trouble even before we got inside. We both wanted to use the ladies toilets but it was 50 cents to go in which you had to put in the door slot. We decided to cheat a little and Lyn held the door open for me - suddenly some woman was banging on the door of the toilet going off her rocker and telling me I needed to give her 50 cents. Woops! I grudgingly gave her the money and was very tempted to steal the toilet roll - after all 50 euro cents is almost a dollar just to go to the loo!!

Luxembourg is not that big a place and we had heard of a little town close by - Esh sur Sure - which was one of the prettiest villages in Europe so as we could buy a transport ticket for the day for 1 euro 50 we decided to catch the train and bus and visit Esh. It did live up to its reputation though of the 200 and something inhabitants we only spotted 16 of them in the time we were there. We did a walking tour through the town which was very picturesque but there were not many other people around and very few shops or places to eat.

On our way back to Luxembourg we caught the bus to the area which contains the Philharmonic Building, the Museum of Modern Art and various EEC buildings. There was also an old castle there and we went walking around the walls. I stepped up onto one of the walls to take a photo and oops - the rock I stepped on fell out. I gave myself a nasty bruise on the leg to add to the ones I already have on my thigh and hip from the Bruges bicycle fall. Was also worried that there were cameras and that I was about to be arrested but it didn't happen.

We heard there was a nice hostel in Echternach just out of Luxembourg and it was next to a National Park where there were lots of walks so we headed off there for a few days. Hostel was 2kms out of town but brand new and it had its own climbing wall - almost made we want to take up rock climbing again watching everyone on the wall' Not far from Echternach was the border with Germany so we took a stroll over there with a plan to have lunch like we did from Bruges into the Netherlands but we couldnt find a restaurant we liked so we crossed back over to the Echternach side after taking the obligatory photos of course.

We did some very nice walks in the area and it was very peaceful. Autumn colours were amazing and when the leaves fell it was like it was raining but it wasnt. We found a nice little pub to have lunch swilled down with some nice Rose - only drawback was that back at the hostel there were several school groups of kids around 13 - 14 - very very noisy kids so although we enjoyed the walks in the woods we decided to move on.

Next stop was France - we decided on Epernay as it was in the champagne area. We had to get the train to Nancy then change trains - somehow we ended up on the train to Epinal which is in totally the wrong direction so we had to get off, go back to Nancy then get the train to Epernay. Unfortunately we discovered there was no accommodation in our price range so it was back to the train station and onwards to Reims. We knew there was a hostel there and were sure we would get a bed which we did though it was the smallest room we have had yet - we thought at first there was only one bed but the other one was folded up into the wall. We also bumped into a young French Canadaian guy - Jean Philippe whom we had met in Luxembourg. He was in Reims working for two weeks selling maple syrup in the Canadian village which had been set up in town. Dont know how he went though as weather turned nasty just before we left - cold and rainy.

We did manage to fit in a visit to a champagne house - Taittingers - we got a very interesting tour of the cellars. There were something like 3 million bottles of champagne down there and in various stages of maturity. We found out all about how the bottles have to be turned and saw a little video of the guys who turn the bottles - prime cases for RSI from what I could see. Apparently they also have machines which turn the bottles but most are still turned by hand. Grapes are also hand picked and you can put your name down to be part of the picking team - something to think about!! They get the bubbles in the bottles by adding yeast and sugar but they then need to take this sediment out. To do this they freeze the neck of the bottle, the sediment freezes and pops out along with some of the champagne. Another machine tops up the bottles then they get corked and wired and ready for labelling. Last bit of the tour was the best bit - the tasting. We only got one glass unfortunately but it was very tasty.

Next on the list for us was Paris - for me it was the 3rd time, for Lyn the 2nd so we had both "done" the Eiffel tower so didnt feel the need to do it again. Same for the Louvre though neither one had visited the Musee d'Orsay so that was on our list. We also had a squizz at Pere Lachaise cemetary, did a walking tour of Mont Martre and a cruise on the Seine. Did I say it was cold and raining? Well, not all of the time but when we did the Mont Martre tour we were up at Sacre Coeur and there was an incredible thunderstorm and we got absolutely soaked - looked fantastic from up there though.

A couple of Lyns walking friends were in Paris too and had an appartment in the Marais area near the George Pompidou centre. We met them at the Eifel Tower one morning, had lunch with them and then they invited us to their place for tea. They had been in UK taking part in the Coast to Coast walk. Unfortunately one of the party - Lynette - had fallen down and broken her ankle in several places - she had to be airlifted to hospital by helicopter - only 3 or 4 days into the trip too - talk about bad luck. Anyway, we had a very nice dinner in the Marais cooked by Pam and Rhonda - probably one of the best meals of the trip - thanks girls if you're reading this!!

Lyn had been to Versailles previously but I hadn't so we headed off there for the day. Even though it is not peak season there were still long queues for Versailles - I think we queued for an hour to get in. It is very opulent and over the top - both magnificent and obscene at the one time. I actually preferred the gardens to the palace itself - they were fantastic though very exhausting and we didnt get to see all of them. Lyn had been before on Sunday which is when they turn on the fountains and have music playing so I think for her it was a little disappointing second time around.

We also went to Tuileries gardens which were beautiful and to Rodins garden where we took lots of photos of the statues. The thinker was in the garden but the kiss was in the museum - we only went to the garden so missed out on seeing the kiss. We also spent a nice hour or so relaxing in the Luxembourg gardens where there were lots of people playing chess or tennis or just lazing around. I love Paris as a city and I think you could live there for a year and still not see all of it.

Paris is the end of Europe for us and it's off to Canada and the US but that's for another blog.

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Photos

Sittinhg near the Casemates
which we later visited

Idyllic
mini switzerland

Philharmonic building
rather nice eh?

I stood on that rock
and it fell out..... only a few thousand years old....nah, just been renovated

Esh sur Sure
one of Europes prettiest villages

Echternach
one of the walking trails

Bubbles
tasting the Taittinger

Changing guard
at Versailles Palace

Cooks in the kitchen
Pam and Rhonda hard at work