To Germany and Back Again: Hiking in Vianden

Sonndeg, 15 Mee.

Ever since coming to Luxembourg in September of last year, hiking has become one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend. I first went hiking in Vianden way back in November, when we took friends visiting from Belgium to hike and see one of the country's most famous castles. Because of the cold, we only did a section of the trail and I've been dying to go back ever since.

Before Madeleine heads back to the USA on Tuesday, we decided to squeeze in a visit to Vianden to revisit the trail and check out one of the Grand Duchy's most scenic spots!

Castles and Casemates and Cities ... Oh My!

Freideg, 25 Mäerz.

After visiting Rachel in Scotland last month, it was only fair that I return the favor. She came and spent a week of her spring break in the Grand Duchy.

In addition to an impromptu afternoon trip to Rodemack, our adventures included: hiking the Mullerthal-Consdorf trail with my housemates, attending classes at the University of Luxembourg Belval Campus (very new) and my local high school (very old), exploring Luxembourg City and touring the Bock Casemates, hiking from Berdorf to Echternach, and climbing all over visiting the castle ruins at Esch-sur-Sûre. Rachel even took advantage of her time in Luxembourg (and my time in the classroom) to visit Brussels and Trier!

Hiking in the Our Valley: Exploring Vianden

Sonndeg, 29 November.

I've spent a solid portion of the last two months talking about how much I love hiking in Luxembourg. And it finally come back to bite me in the butt, when a Fulbright friend and her boyfriend came to visit and told me they didn't care what we did "as long as we went hiking." Hiking. On a weekend with a high of 39 degrees. Riiiight.

But on Saturday morning, we decided to brave the cold! We bundled up as we had never bundled before, hopped in the car (or, more accurately, walked to the train, took the train, walked to the bus, took the bus, and only THEN hopped in the car #publictransportation), and headed to the northeast of Luxembourg. We decided to visit the town of Vianden, the home of one of Luxembourg's most popular tourist attractions. I had visited the Vianden Castle when travelling through Luxembourg in November 2013, but hadn't been back since! The area was just as beautiful -- if not more so -- as I had remembered.

It wound up being a chilly but wonderful day ... and hey, the cold never really bothered me anyway! (LOL.)

Hiking in Little Switzerland: Berdorf to Echternach

Sonndeg, 27 September.

As you probably know, I've made no secret about how excited I am to explore Luxembourg's Mullerthal Region. After a wonderful hike with my housemates a few weeks ago, I decided to try yet another outdoor adventure this weekend!

This time, a few American Fulbrighters and I decided to try hiking to Echternach, which has the distinction of being the oldest town in Luxembourg. From the moss-covered rock formations to the stunning views to the incredibly personable city of Echternach, this hike has to be one of my favorite adventures yet!

 

Amazing, right?!

Hiking in Little Switzerland: Mullerthal to Consdorf

Donneschdeg, 24 September.

If you've seen my Fulbright Bucket List, you'll know that hiking along the Mullerthal Trail was one of the things I was most excited to do in Luxembourg. (Rather inexplicably, I should note, as there's no love lost between me and outdoor exercise. Yuck.) Well, I wasted no time -- on my second full day in Luxembourg, I got the opportunity to cross the first item off my list! I spent the day hiking with four other international students from my residence.

We started our hike in the village of Mullerthal (after which the Mullerthal Region and Trail are named). The twelve kilometer hike took us along a portion of the Mullerthal Trail and to the town of Consdorf.

This gorgeous waterfall on the Black Ernz River is called -- wait for it -- the Schiessentümpel. (How fun is Luxembourgish?!) The waterfall is one of the most popular spots for hikers in Luxembourg and was even voted one of the world's most beautiful bridges earlier this year. (Or was it? The article is in German.)