Livin' La Vida Luxem: Mullerthal

Let me begin this post with what may be the number one way to turn heads on a Luxembourg motorway...

Be seen driving in one of these.

A 1972 Emerald Green Cadillac Eldorado

My friend, Christian (seen on the passenger side), has an affinity for American cars...especially those with big engines. His 'everyday' car is a 5.0 liter Mustang! Christian invited me to dinner this past weekend, and when he came to pick me up, this is what he was driving! I have no idea how he navigates the narrow streets of the city, but we somehow made it from Luxembourg City to Esch on Alzette and parked this behemoth in a residential section of town! Needless to say, seat belts weren't really an option. I did, however, have the feeling that if we were to hit anything, it would merely be a glancing blow. This must have been how Patton's men felt! When we left the restaurant that evening I swear I saw three Citroens swoop into the space we vacated :)

I know I use the word 'surreal' a lot in this blog, but how else can I describe some situations. As we were leaving Esch, we were flagged down by a kid (maybe 20 years old). He was driving - wait for it - a 1985 Cadillac Eldorado!! I didn't have the courage to snap photos of the two cars side by side...I wish I had, now.

Oh, yeah...Christian has the Continental package - what else?

Ok - now on to Mullerthal.

The Schießentümpel Cascade

After my evening out in the Caddy, I decided to take the boys for a walk in the country the next morning. Mullerthal is a region of Luxembourg just northeast of the Ville. It is know as 'Little Switzerland' because of the interesting rock formations, hilly terrain and medieval castles. Perhaps the most photographed site in Luxembourg that isn't in the Ville is the Schießentümpel Cascade. If you thought I was exaggerating that living in Luxembourg is like living in Fairy-Tale-Land, here's proof that I am not. Trolls, for example, do exist. They live here in Luxembourg, but they are apparently quite shy.

Toby, Jonas and I hiked a section of the Mullerthal trail which brought us from the cascade through the forest, into the idyllic beauty that abounds in this area and then back to our starting point at the falls. Over the Schießentümpel there is an amazing stone arch that spans the creek, and if you look carefully you'll see a Troll hiding under his bridge...I've not heard of anyone being eaten recently, but one can never be to careful.


Here is the stone bridge...

...and I'm pretty sure you can just make out the Troll's face in this photo :-O

From the cascade we hiked up to a plateau and out into the countryside. Just for the record, this hike took place in late April. Please notice the lack of leaves on the trees! Spring is taking its sweet time in arriving this year. Nonetheless it was great hiking weather, and the boys had a blast!

Luxembourg farmland surrounding the village of Waldbillig


...and here we are back at the cascade. Our own little monsters posing under the bridge :)

Since we were only a couple of miles from the ruins of Beaufort Castle, we decided to take a ride over after our hike and see some medieval ruins. Luxembourg is chock-a-block with castles, abbeys, Roman villas, etc...ruined or otherwise. Beaufort dates back to at least 1150 AD and probably earlier. The site was most likely fortified as a defensive position for the Abbey in Echternach, Luxembourg's oldest city. The medieval castle was reinforced several times through the Middle Ages. Once warfare advanced to a point beyond which walls and moats were of little use, the nobles built the Renaissance Chateau next to the ruins. The last owner of the Chateau passed away in the summer of 2012, and Beaufort is now under the care of the Grand Duchy. Plans to create a culture center are already in progress. Can't wait to go back and see the rest of this place. In the meantime, here are some photos I took of the ruins with the boys in tow...yes, they let the dogs on the castle grounds!