Like any true Czech, we had to take full advantage of this opportunity, so we left our car a bit behind the border and continued our scenic journey by train to the city center.

After exploring Luxembourg, we still had plenty of time, so we decided to head to the train station and hop on a random train to travel a few stops into the unknown, further taking advantage of the free train travel.

At the station, we made the decision to travel north and get off in the town of Marsch, where we had chosen two smaller castles as our destination.

The train experienced an unplanned half-hour delay, which forced us to reassess our program at the destination, and instead of castles, we headed by bus to a well-known local bakery, where we were constantly oppressed during the ride by an elderly lady with an electric bike.

At the bakery, we had a quick snack in the form of homemade pizza and set off on the return journey to the car. The return trip was met with another half-hour delay, and we were clear - traveling around Luxembourg doesn't cost money, but time. In the evening, we only had the drive south towards the Swiss border.

Cutlet

Camping Kockelscheuer

Plot 63

Weather: cloudy 23 degrees

Check in 14.00

By bike 5 km to the centre

National Day (Birthday of Grand Duke Henri)

21.00: European Championship Match Switzerland: Germany

Highlight: Corniche path along the fortress in Luxembourg

Low point: German equaliser in the 92nd minute

On Sunday, May 07, 2023, the journey continues to Schwebsingen in Luxembourg. The right bank of the Moselle belongs to Germany, the left bank to Luxembourg.

The daily distance is about 40 km and we will reach Schwebsingen after two locks and 5 hours.

We highly recommend the harbor as it has a gas station. You should definitely plan for it as the fuel prices in Luxembourg are set by the government. We stocked up on 600 liters of diesel at €1.39 per liter. However, please note that the gas station is operated by an external service provider and is not staffed every day.

You can find the service hours here:

https://www.schengen.lu/port-de-schwebsingen/?lang=en

The arrival at the harbor is managed exemplary. There is a quay alongside the entrance to the harbor, right next to it is the office of the harbor master who then guided us to our berth from the balcony. The gastronomy consists of a restaurant and a bistro, there are sanitary facilities available and the highlight is the baguette vending machine.

The gas station then opened promptly at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, friendly staff and of course sailor's yarn.

Last preparations at T5Orange still in the Eifel.

And then on the road .....

Welcome to Luxembourg!

Now it's Monday and we're heading to Luxembourg, a European country that neither of us has consciously visited before. As our location, we chose the city of Esch Sur Alzette in Berlin. After all, it is one of three European Capitals of Culture this year. That should be enough for my birthday, which we planned to spend here. The three-day accommodation is the newly built youth hostel, right next to the train station. Ideally located and the perfect starting point for our activities. The only thing we had to do was park the car in a nearby parking garage, because there are no free public parking spaces in the entire city. So the "Wilde Hilde" cost us 60 €, but we didn't have to pay a cent for transportation! Luxembourg is proud that all public transport within the country is free for residents and tourists. So get on the bus, get on the train or get on the tram, all without a ticket. Get off wherever you want and get on again whenever you want, all for free! Amazing! The main thing is less car traffic and less environmental pollution, because many buses (trains and trams anyway) run on electricity and sometimes without a driver!

So let's go today and look for a restaurant, we didn't feel like that and so we ended up at Carfour and stocked up on goodies. Because the recommendation of the youth hostel, a Portuguese restaurant, was closed. And after about 4 hours drive from Vreden via Belgium to Luxembourg, we didn't have that much energy anymore. And let's not forget that it's constantly over 30°. Even the beer on the terrace of the hostel quickly became warm.

Monday, 08.08.2022
Route: Malmedy-Luxembourg (partly by train)
miles driven: 24
Weather: sunny and warm

Calling today a biking day is actually a lie, as it is more of a train day. Thanks to the intensive research the night before, I know that there is a train from the small town of Trois-Ponts to Luxembourg City, and it's only about 20km to get there. I follow a different bike path than in the previous days through the beautiful, hilly Wallonia and I'm almost a little disappointed to arrive so soon. The train ride from Trois-Ponts to Luxembourg costs me €3.70 and €4 for my bike. For that, I can expect a 1.5 hour train ride through beautiful Belgian and North Luxembourgish landscapes (I really need to come back here!). The train is almost empty, quite new, and the train attendants are nice. Germany could take a leaf out of their book.

Once I arrive in Luxembourg, I have some time until my train home. I ride my bike through the old town of Luxembourg, which delights me because the buildings are more yellow and not made of red brick like in Dutch and Flemish cities. The old town is mixed with many new elements made of glass, and all in all, the city is quite hilly - just like its surroundings. I grab something to eat (the prices here match the city's reputation as a financial center) and make my way back to the train station.

Thanks to the €9 ticket, I can travel home affordably. However, it takes 9 hours (from 3:30 PM until half past midnight), 5 transfers (in Trier, Mannheim, Osterburken, Lauda, and Würzburg), and a lot of nerves (overly full bicycle compartments, not enough seats). But I also enjoy the company of some really nice and helpful people, the diverse landscapes of our beautiful Germany passing by, and the pick-up service by my husband in Nuremberg.

A very successful trip comes to an end and I can only say that I will definitely travel to Eastern Belgium and Northern Luxembourg again, as I'm a big fan of low mountain ranges and will definitely get my money's worth there, even if the areas are not known as major tourist must-sees (at least in my area).

15th-17th October 2021 - Working vacation in Luxembourg (goal counter for FC Jeunesse Troisvierges), staying at 'Le Presbytere' in the southernmost corner of Luxembourg on the French border, with a prior detour to Trier on the Moselle

This morning it is cold again and the ground is frozen... the advantage is that the grass is less muddy! We treat ourselves to a delicious coffee at David's bar, pay our bill, and grab four fresh croissants. If you are ever near Merry-sur-Yonne, you should definitely make a detour to this campsite! Small place, great bar, and fantastic staff!

We are driving through the smallest villages and most remote side roads again before we get on the train at Troyes. Our stage today is 430 km and is a lot of distance at once after a long time! Our destination is Enscherange in Luxembourg. The weather is cold but sunny, so at least we can enjoy the beautiful landscape... but that will change during our drive! Shortly after Metz, we want to stop at a Carrefour, buy some French delicacies before crossing the border! We choose one that is near the train station, and when we arrive there, we can't believe it! A huge parking lot in front of a complete shopping center and absolute traffic chaos!!! What is happening here on Saturday afternoon... are the shops closing here for the next three weeks, or why is everyone in France shopping here today? We secure a parking space in the back rows and two minutes later we are in the French Centro O with hundreds of shops! Where is the Carrefour? We fight through the crowds and luckily find the huge supermarket after a short time! Quickly in and, if possible, quickly out! Quickly put everything in the cart and off to the checkout. People are lining up here and when a new checkout opens, people almost fight... we are speechless and seem to get a short impression of home... oh noooo...!

We make it out unscathed and then stand obediently in line to leave this chaos. Quickly back on the highway!

After a short time, the good weather is over and we drive into a gray wall of fog! We can't see all of Luxembourg and we can't see the road in front of us either! But people are driving like crazy here... the next taste of home... oh noooo...!

The fog doesn't let up and the small country road that leads to the campsite is completely covered... but we still find it and arrive at a spot by the river at 5:30 p.m. We coincidentally meet someone since the reception is not manned and can check in right away. We are completely alone here, no other campers to be seen far and wide.

While we devour fresh sushi for dinner, we can't believe that our trip is almost over! Tomorrow we will head back to the land of potatoes and our mission will be almost accomplished. We will slowly approach home and first visit my mother in Heinsberg and stay there for two nights, then go to my sister's and finally head towards Velbert. Like on the way there... just suddenly six months later the other way around... unbelievable! We don't want to go home until the middle of the week...!

But for now, goodnight Luxembourg!

After a very peaceful night, we set off for Nancy today.

The GPS data for our parking lot there was somewhat misleading, because according to them, we should park in the middle of a bridge. On a major traffic bridge !!!!!!

So don't trust any GPS!

Then we decided to park UNDER the bridge ;-)

Heading towards the city, we cross a large beautiful park with playgrounds, cafes, water fountains, and a small zoo.

From there we reach the Place Stanislas from the 18th century. This square with gilded wrought-iron gates and Rococo fountains is located next to decorated palaces and churches in the historic old town.

I tried to take a panoramic photo...... It is simply impossible to capture this huge square with all its fantastic buildings and structures in one picture.

After 2 hours of city tour, we continue towards Luxembourg.

Au revoir France..... We love you. And we will come back..... Someday.....

Close to the German border, after refueling with cheap gasoline in Luxembourg, we will visit a campsite again today to wash all our dishes and to be able to take a shower again.

Tomorrow we want to try a parking space somewhere on the way to the north of Good old Germany before we want to arrive in Celle on Thursday.

Shopped, visited Trier and found it beautiful, apparently a lot of people also find Trier beautiful... Really insane, the amount of people there.

And because we didn't feel like driving too far today and the tank was getting empty, we decided to stay here. Not far from the city of Luxembourg and perfect for us beginners as the first camping site.

Tatsächlich waren wir froh über unsere Entscheidung, als wir mit dem Bus vom Park and Ride Parkplatz in die Innenstadt fuhren, die wirklich einer riesigen Baustelle glich. Dazu waren schon viele Straßensperren vorbereitet, da die Beerdigung des Altgroßherzogs Johann kurz bevorstand.

So begannen wir unseren Rundgang am Place de la Constituition, wo wir einen Blick über die Schlucht, die die Stadt durchzieht, werfen konnten. Auf der anderen Seite sahen wir den Turm des Sparkassen Gebäudes, das angeblich von amerikanischen und asiatischen Touristen bisweilen für das großherzogliche Palais gehalten wird.

Durch den oberen Teil der Parkanlagen in der Schlucht spazierten wir weiter und folgten dabei der alten Befestigungsmauer.

Dann sahen wir uns einen kleinen Teil der Bock-Kasematten an, den längsten Kasematten der Welt.

In den unterirdischen Gängen war es recht zugig und wir waren froh, dass wir dort nicht wie die früheren Verteidiger der Stadt wohnen mussten...

Als nächstes spazierten wir durch die Altstadt mit kleinen Gassen und hübschen Häusern.

Dort kamen wir auch am großherzöglichen Palast vorbei, vor dem Blumen für den Verstorbenen niedergelegt waren.

Nach der Altstadt sahen wir uns noch das Bankenmuseum in dem eindrucksvollen Sparkassengebäude an. In einem Tresorraum werden dort unter anderem Ausschnitte von Banküberfällen aus verschiedenen Filmen gezeigt.

Auf der Rückfahrt standen wir dann im Stau und waren froh, dass wir das nur ein Mal mitmachen mussten und nicht täglich, wie die 100.000 Pendler, die jeden Tag in das Großherzugtum strömen.

Luxembourg: Unexpectedly a really great country for cycling!

The bike paths always lead through forests, small villages, or fields. Almost never does a car pass by, so we can cycle side by side and chat in peace.

The capital Luxembourg also looks really beautiful. The old castle walls and towers impressed Mexi a lot!

But Luxembourg is indeed a very small country. We passed through it in just two days ;-)

Now we are already in Germany - on the border area with France. We have been cycling along the border all day, and the next few days we will also spend in France before we cycle through Bavaria for 10 days.

The landscape has become hilly again since Belgium, and we love it!

We are making really good progress now.

In New Zealand, our average was about 40-60 KM per day, with a rest day every 4th day;

Now, however, we are always cycling between 80-100 KM! And we haven't had a break for about 10 days.

We have actually planned out our remaining days. We still have about 1200 KM to go, and we only have 18 days left. So there are 2 options: either shorten the route, but then we would only cycle through flatland for days, or just pedal harder and stick to the original route (Luxembourg - Strasbourg - Lake Constance - Bavaria - Salzburg - Bad Ischl - Gmunden).

We are Austrians and therefore NATURALLY chose option 2 ;-) hihi!

But from now on, we probably won't have any more rest days, because the route is diverse and goes into the mountains! :-)

I traveled, learned Spanish, worked, supported, and had fun. I got to know the three regions of Peru: the coast, the rainforest, and the highlands.

I learned how to work as a psychologist in Peru, how to conduct patient conversations in Spanish, and how to lead group exercises. This not only provided me with linguistic skills but also gave me professional experience.

I started a research project and learned that things are not always easy from the beginning, that I have to be persistent, that surveys in Peru are very different from those in Germany, and that I can never compare the Peruvian way of interacting and speaking with the German way, and I shouldn't. And that I will miss them; that every country has its own peculiarities, strengths, and weaknesses, that every country can be lovable and a home.

During my time in Peru, I learned how to deal with a foreign culture and overcome fears. I stepped out of my comfort zone and now I know how to accept, how to solve problems without unnecessary complaints or frustrations.

I arrived at the airport in Luxembourg on March 1st. This is where my journey began, and now it ends here, after more than four months. But these four months have sent me on a journey that I will be part of for the rest of my life.

Another small stopover at the shopping center in Huldingen. The Luxembourg cuisine made it difficult for us to find something typical to eat. Äddi Luxembourg! We are now driving over the border. The friendly bus driver graciously took us across the border for free. It's amazing how nice and helpful people have been on our journey so far.

Let's see if we can find the border this time.

The realization of our challenge, which we have gained in the last few days, is: 'Our way there usually takes longer than the way back'.

On the wrong track, we take the way back through the forest. And now quickly pack our things and go to the bus. Just in time, we catch the bus. This saves us a downtime of 2 hours. We are now embarking on a 3-hour bus ride towards Belgium.

Not everything always goes according to plan. This is also part of the challenge. The previously planned tour to visit the Casemates was exchanged for a spontaneous 'second' city tour or a leisurely walk to the train station. Funny enough, our groups met again at the train station at the same time. Delicious sandwiches serve as our lunch. We leave the city of Luxembourg (to Diekirch) to start the journey to Beaufort.

The beautiful old town of Luxembourg is strategically located on the mountain. Valleys on the left and right are where the city has spread out. The bus ride in a double-decker, with an audio guide, is highly recommended. The friendly voice presented us with many interesting facts. The pauses in the narration are filled with pleasant music. We were able to visit many places. From the Philharmonie, banking district, RTL Group, European School, the European Court of Justice, European Investment Bank, the main train station with their interesting shapes and architectures. Unfortunately, an impressive city tour also comes to an end at some point.

In a quick run, Luxembourg city is very hilly. Outside the city center, there are many stairs that go downhill and later uphill. The European Parliament, as a second seat, would not be missed here. After a quiet night, we had our simple breakfast. We are now walking to Place de la Constitution to pick up our tickets for the Jump on - Jump off city tour. Finding your way with the map is not always easy. The locals are happy to provide information. Luckily, many people here speak German.

Spending the evening only in the youth hostel? Not with us! Even at night, Luxembourg has a lot to offer. With a small ice cream in hand, watching people in the street café, we enjoy live music at the Places d'Armes in the heart of the old town. In the warm summer night, we walk back to the youth hostel. An exciting day comes to an end.

The return journey from Schengen to Luxembourg went smoothly. Many helpful people supported us. Finally, we reached our youth hostel. We covered many distances on foot. After the room allocation was decided among the boys, we were able to occupy the rooms. The only thing missing for relaxation is the pool. We decided to have dinner in the youth hostel. There is carrot soup and salad. The main course is salmon and fries. There will also be a dessert. We plan to relax in the salon in the evening.

As cross-border commuters, between Luxembourg and Germany, we were able to enjoy the air of home. The Museum in Schengen offers a close-up look at the initial history of the EU, which is celebrating its 25th birthday this year (since the signing of the Maastricht Treaty on February 7th, 1992). The Schengen Agreement abolished border controls and strengthened cross-border cooperation between police and justice.