Thursday, January 23 & Friday, January 24 – Luxembourg City
Apologies for the delay in updating the journal, it’s been a busy few days!
In looking back over the course of my travels, I must say that I have had pretty good luck with the weather. As recently as my trip last winter, I encountered beautiful days at the critical locations (Iguazu Falls, Galapagos, Easter Island). And my multi-day trek on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu could have been ugly, but turned out great. The one case of bad luck I can recall was my trip to Nepal. I went during the time of year that typically promised the optimum viewing of Mt. Everest. Unfortunately, the week prior to my arrival a typhoon made landfall in India and worked its way north to the Himalayas. The good news is I missed that week, because it rained every day in Nepal! The bad news is that clouds still covered the mountains during the week of my stay. Oh well, I still had a great time, and I ultimately did get a glimpse of Everest – by taking a small plane up above the clouds! That was pretty cool in itself!
Anyway, I digress. The point I’m ultimately getting to is the fact that my entire stay in Luxembourg City (and beyond) was engulfed in clouds and fog. But there is a bright side (pun intended!) – it didn’t rain or snow! And it was still a fun stay; I’m just disappointed I wasn’t able to present the true beauty of the city.
And there was a comedic aspect to the whole thing. I was following the weather using the app on my phone, and here’s how it went these two days:
Forecast as of Thursday Morning: Cloudy in the morning, clearing skies around noon, and for the remainder of the day. That’ll work – I’ll walk around in the morning, get the lay of the land, and then do some picture taking in the afternoon.
Forecast updateThursday Noon: Still cloudy, clearing around 3pm, will remain cloudless through the afternoon and evening, and all day Friday. That’s fine, there’s still plenty more to explore, and I can decide what I want to go back to this afternoon and tomorrow.
Forecast update Thursday 3pm: Pretty much a repeat of noon, just 3 hours later! (cloudy, clearing for tonight and tomorrow). Okay. I’ll try for something tonight.
Well, you can pretty much guess how this played out. It was cloudy Thursday night and Friday morning. But the forecast continued to tease about clear skies in the afternoon. Of course, that never happened! I wasn’t going to be fooled twice though (I’m no dummy!), so I gave in and took some pictures of a cloudy Luxembourg.
Luxembourg City has a population of about 120k, of which 70% is comprised of foreigners. It is a significant banking and administrative center in Europe, and it is ranked as having the highest per capita GDP in the world (2018; the U.S. is 8th).
It’s a great city for walking, because it is not particularly large. But its layout is complex, as the city is set on several levels, straddling hills and dropping into two gorges.
Okay, enough babbling, let’s get to some pictures!
Interesting contrast – in the foreground is Fort Thungen (now a museum), while directly behind it is the glass and concrete structure housing the Mudam, Luxembourg’s museum of modern art.Notre-Dame Cathedral. Its cornerstone was laid in 1613 and is the only cathedral in Luxembourg.Alleyway in the Old TownThe Place de Metz – the state bankThe Cercle Municipal – a convention and exhibition centerRoad way from Grund up to the Old Town. Grund is a district located in the valley below the center of Luxembourg City on the banks of the Alzette River.Looking down into Grund from the Rham PlateauLooking at the Old Town from GrundClausen Viaduct railroad bridge, ca 1862This is pretty cool. It’s the Pfaffenthal Panoramic (pedestrian) Elevator which connects the city quarters of Ville Haute, the historical city centre, with Pfaffenthal, in the Alzette River valley below.PfaffenthalNeumünster Abbey, Saint John’s Church, and the Wenceslas Wall in Grund. The Wall is part of the former fortifications of Luxembourg City, which were mostly dismantled in 1867. The fortress was of great strategic importance for the control of the Left Bank of the Rhine, the Low Countries, and the border area between France and Germany.Looking back at the Old Town from another portion of the fortressI think the sign is telling me to beware of falling rocks!
Saturday, January 25 – day trip to Vianden
Vianden lies on the Our river, near the border between Luxembourg and Germany. It is known for its impressive castle and beautiful location in the Our valley.
The trip from Luxembourg City takes about an hour, split equally between a train followed by a bus. And it was nice that I could buy a public transport day pass for €4, which covered the whole trip.
Of course it was a cloudy day; actually bordering on foggy!
This is definitely a cute little town! Shame about the weather. I stopped in the tourist office, and the women I spoke to said it is packed here in the summer. So I guess the lack of people is a major benefit of visiting in dreary winter! Victor Hugo stayed in Vianden on several occasions between 1862 and 1871, doing much to promote its attractions to the outside world. A replica of a Rodin bust of Hugo, located on the bridge across from the hotelVianden Castle. Looks kind of spooky in this weather!Vianden Castle is one of the largest fortified castles west of the Rhine. With origins dating from the 10th century, the castle was built in the Romanesque style from the 11th to 14th centuries. A Renaissance mansion was added in the 17th century, but in the 19th century the castle was allowed to fall into ruins. It was fully restored in the 1970s however, and opened to visitors.I was impressed with the castle/museum. Very well restored and presented.View from the castle down to the town below. A little foggy today!I like this travel poster from the 1930s. Note how the castle is shown as it was then – in a state of disrepair. (this poster could definitely use a better framing job – I offered Meuer’s services to the museum staff!)
Sunday, January 26 – transit from Luxembourg to Liechtenstein
Here is my travel schedule for the day:
Luxembourg City to Mulhouse, France by train; 2h 30m; 1st class (more about that in a later post!)
Mulhouse to Zurich by train: 1h 20m; 1st class
Zurich to Sargans, Switzerland by train; 55m; I had a 1st class ticket, but sat in 2nd class
Sargans to Vaduz, Liechtenstein by bus; 30m
Vaduz Au bus stop to hotel on foot; 5m
The 1st class car for the trip to Mulhouse. The same style car was used on the journey to Zurich.The waiting area at the Mulhouse Ville stationI had a little over one hour connect time in Mulhouse, so was able to wander around a bit. Here’s the outside of the station.And there was a nice little marina across the street from the station!Waiting on the train to ZurichOn the journey to Sargans in 2nd class. I had a short connection time in Zurich, so I just hopped on the train as soon as I could. There was no reserved seating for this intercity train, so I’m not even sure if there was a 1st class car.My hotel in Vaduz (I arrived at night, this was taken the following morning)My hotel room – $130/night, including breakfast
Monday, January 27 – Vaduz
Good Morning Vaduz! Hello blue skies! The view from my hotel room balcony.The breakfast area at the hotel
Liechtenstein is a small country, with a population of about 40k (the population of Vaduz is 5k). It is 15 miles long x 8 miles wide.
There are many hiking/biking trails like the one on the left throughout the town (I’m standing on a bridge). I like the weathered building on the left.I just liked the two color extremes here!The pink building in the background is the winery of the Prince of Liechtenstein (a charitable foundation). Vineyards are on the left and right.The Red House is an emblem of Vaduz. It is fronted by another vineyardThe Vaduz Castle, as seen from town. It is the palace and official residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein. Construction started in the 12th century.I’m on my way up the path to visit the castle!A view of the town along the pathThe green space in the middle is the Prince’s vineyard. To the right is the vineyard in front of the Red House.Made it to the top!This is the working residence of the royal family, so entry is not possibleThe Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein is the state museum of modern and contemporary artGovernment BuildingParliament BuildingInteresting that these two buildings with such contrasting styles are right next to each otherCathedral of St. Florin, ca 1874
6 thoughts on “JE 41”
Great pictures UT! Everything looks beautiful – even with clouds/fog!
Great pictures UT! Everything looks beautiful – even with clouds/fog!
Thanks Holly!
Looks beautiful even in the fog! The architecture is so interesting. Have fun.
Thanks Kari!
Liechtenstein looks like a neat little country!
I agree Kait! It is.