Echternach (10 Jun 08)

Echternach is the next stop to gain a cultural understanding of Luxembourg. It's a small town of about 5000 people and the oldest town in Luxembourg.

Located deep in the Mullerthal forested region of the country, a bus ride is the way to go!



The main town square with the Urtsel or the Law Cross. Used to demonstrate the abbot's supremacy over the townspeople and a symbol of medieval power


This walking guide is seriously good and informative! Picked up from the local tourist office

The Basilica of Saint-Willibrord, the most important religious building in Echternach, for it was Saint Willibrord, an Anglo-Saxon monk who founded the abbey


Inside the museum with crypts, magnificent medieval manuscripts and treasures



The Orangerie, or Abbey Garden


Interestingly, the 4 statues on the front side of the Orangerie is supposed to illustrate the 4 seasons


The Pavilion

Sights along the municipal park and river Sure



Remains of the fortified town wall dating back to the 10th century, but now transformed into a tourist lodging!


Remains of the wall which have also gradually blended in with the neighbourhood






Weather's so hot that food can be sun-dried outside


The Denzelt, the ancient Palace of Justice

St Peter and Paul Church, built upon the remains of an ancient Roman castle

The Parlodrome, or garden pavilion, housed at the back of the basilica


A visit to the Roman Villa which was unearthed during excavation works to build an artificial lake in the area






For awhile, kinda reminded me of the ruins at Pompeii in Italy....but of course the site at Pompeii still beats all...

For more photos, go here

Vianden, Ettelbruck, Diekirch - Into the Lux countryside (9 Jun 08)

Transport within Luxembourg is really easy. And it's small such that the surrounding towns are within an hour's drive from the capital. Yet with the trusty Luxembourg card, I realised I was practically zipping through the countryside for free on its trains. (Ok the card costs 17 euros for 3 days, plus loads of free entries, free bus rides, free train services...damn worth it. And I cheated by using it on the 4th day to get my bus ride back to the train station....shhhhh :p)

First stop: To Vianden, with its restored medieval castle hidden away in verdant forests and one of the most visited places in the Lux.

A 30 min train ride and stopover at Ettelbruck and 30min bus ride to Vianden




Vianden, a town with a population of 1500

Victor Hugo, a famous French author who lived in Vianden and promoted its beauty and fairytale-like setting through his works

Vianden Castle


Situated deep in the Our valley, the telesiege / chairlift can be viewed from here




Chairlifts



Time to head up the chairlift. The Lux card includes one free 2-way trip!

Waiting for my turn to get scooped up onto the chairlift


And from then on I got bo liao and took some shots of my dangling feet out...Weee!!!!



Reaching the top...oh no....smiling tourist traps


But I succumbed anw and bought a photo from them...lol

Shots from the top





And this was when I thought it would be easy to trek to the castle, but I realised just how high up and far I was from the castle. The trek ahead looked heavily forested plus I had no map in hand and I swear I heard weird animal sounds. So not wanting to die alone in the middle of the Lux forest, I decided to go down the way I came from and head to the castle via the town...

Which led to another round of foot itchiness and wu-liaoness :p

I kick.....

And I kiap......


Even my finger is getting itchy too




Interiors of the castle




And next a short stopover at the town of Diekirch, in the search for Diekirch beer!


The donkey is the mascot of the town, with the aptly named donkey fountain with its barrel of Diekirch beer


And at Ettelbruck too, a small town that kinda reminds me of sleepy Loughborough

For more photos, go here