MEDITERRANEAN SIGGY AND HEATHER TRIP AROUND THE MEDITERRANEAN WEDNESDAY, 3 APRIL 2013

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1 D A I L Y N E W S L E T T E R MEDITERRANEAN SIGGY AND HEATHER TRIP AROUND THE MEDITERRANEAN WEDNESDAY, 3 APRIL 2013 Siegfried Land I am writing this newsletter from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. We are camped next to a rushing river in a town that boasts the most visitors in the whole of this country. Vianden is nestled in a gorgeous valley overlooked by a most impressive chateau. It s even colder than where we have been with snow drifts still persisting in sheltered spots. It is in the Ardennes highlands. Touring in a Van We cannot imagine touring around Europe any other way - give us a motorhome any day. The flexibility to go where you want and when you want; the joy of stopping each day in a new and interesting location; or staying somewhere for as long as you like; and being able to pull up for a cuppa at any time and enjoy a room with a view, are just a few of the plus points. Of course, Heather will admit to worrying about whether our van will miss the trees lining the roads and having to cope with me worrying about using too much gas (in case it runs out and we have trouble buying some more in faraway places like Turkey or Greece) plus whether we will be able to get over road humps unscathed because our van s exhaust and back-end is so ridiculously low. Anyway, we shall see how it goes. Some 1000 years ago Count Siegfried of Ardennes (now fancy that - Count Siggy!!) built a castle high on a promontory thus laying the foundations of today s Luxembourg. Every European super power has tried at some stage to conquer Luxembourg - without success. Its not called the Gibraltar of the north for nothing. Our drive today from Gulpen passed briefly through Belgium and then up on to highlands with lots of winding roads. We were particularly impressed with the town of Clervaux. We snapped photos from a number of vantage points around the town but it was too cold to stop and take a ride on our bikes. Instead we saved our ride for Vianden. The ride around the town was freezing. We had to do it however - it was just so beautiful. continued on next page CHEAPER EGGS? We were surprised to find that eggs are sold 10 to a carton in Europe. In Australia we still hang on to our imperial legacy of 12 ( a dozen) to a carton. COPYCATS? We did a double take today when we saw both the Dutch and the Luxembourg flags - they are essentially the same except that Luxembourg s blue is lighter. LANGUAGE Within a very small area we had to cope with 4 languages today - Dutch, Flemish, French and German. Shopping was at times a giggle, and road signs and advertising hoardings were quite perplexing. The official language of Luxembourg is Letzeburgesch. Page 20

2 The heater is on and the van is warm... what more could one want? The streets were narrow and cobbled and the houses multi-coloured. The hills around us were heavily wooded with bare limbs waiting for the sun. The signs were in French. The languages spoken were French and German. The whole of Luxembourg is only 82 km long and 57 km wide. The secondary roads are very passable in our rather large van. In some towns we had to squeeze through narrow spaces between houses that jutted out but we noticed many larger trucks than our van so they must be able to get through. We came across a number of roadworks with lights to allow only one way traffic. At one point, whilst waiting at one of these lights, an impatient driver wanted to pass us only to realise his mistake. We glared at him as he backed up behind us. Drivers are the same all around the world I guess. We have just had a lovely shower and are now writing and surfing with our computers. The heater is on so the van is warm. What more could one want? Page 21

3 PHOTOS EVERYTHING WE DO IS A NEW EXPERIENCE. HAVING TO WORK OUT WHAT A SIGN MEANS, LOOKING AT HOW PEOPLE DRESS FOR THE ICY WEATHER, WATCHING CHILDREN PLAYING HAPPILY IN FREEZING CONDITIONS, LISTENING TO MANY STRANGE LANGUAGES AND TRYING TO WORK OUT WHAT IT ALL MEANS. SOME PEOPLE WOULD FIND IT VERY STRESSFUL BUT WE ARE INTRIGUED BY IT ALL. WE CAN IMAGINE HOW IMMIGRANTS MUST FEEL WHEN THEY FIRST COME TO AUSTRALIA AND HAVE TO IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN OUR CULTURE. Page 22

4 D A I L Y N E W S L E T T E R MEDITERRANEAN SIGGY AND HEATHER TRIP AROUND THE MEDITERRANEAN THURSDAY, 4 APRIL 2013 Heading South Today was a day of two halves. The first half, the morning, was spent ambling along two beautiful valleys in Luxembourg. It was gentle and relaxing despite the narrow roads. The second half of our day was spent going full tilt on freeways to get to Freiburg, Germany before the end of the day. We are now in Freiburg exhausted. Land of my Grandfather I am in the land of my grandfather. Emil Muller (and his father with the same name) was born in Ebnet on the outskirts of Freiburg Germany. It is Black Forest country, the land of Hansel and Gretel and that wicked witch. This area is known for its beautiful heavily forested uplands where trekkers and bike riders can lose themselves in the hundreds of kilometers of walking and biking tracks. Tomorrow we aim to spend time ambling around this area and do some looking around a number of the local cemeteries. The road from Vianden to Echternach, along the Luxembourg side of the Sauer River, was a delight in the early morning. We noticed a number of camping parks on both sides of the river. At one stage we accidently crossed over to the German side of the river but quickly crossed back. It was so much nicer on the Luxembourg side of the river. We stopped for a walk at Echternach, Luxembourg s oldest town. The place had a great feel about it - old town ambience, grand architecture, and an enormous abbey that dominated the town. Started in 1016, the church was badly damaged in the Battle of Bulge during World War II. We were amazed how warm it was inside. We walked around the town for about an hour before driving on through the Moselle valley - wine country. continued on next page PEANUT BUTTER? An Aussie would think this container was full of crunchy peanut butter. When I opened it up and tried it it was certainly crunchy but the Dutch would have a real giggle - its shortbread biscuit mix. Yum - but no nuts. WHAT DO YOU CALL... a person from Holland? A hole? What about a person from Belgium? A bell? And a person from Luxembourg? A burger? I was born in Hamburg Germany so I must be a hamburger. FLAGS AGAIN The Belgium s liked the German flag so much (or at least the colours) they simply copied it and turned it around? Actually it was the other way around - Belgium had its flag first. Now take a look at the Luxembourg and the French flags!!!!! Amazing. Same situation? Page 23

5 We only had a short 3 hours available to amble along the Sauer and Moselle - we could have spent days here. The Moselle River is a large river flanked on both sides by rows upon rows of vineyards. The valley is an excellent place to catch the sun. We drove for almost an hour along the valley and had lunch on the river bank with the swans. It was time to move on if we were to get to Freiburg by evening. This last part of our day was a boring fast drive through France towards Strasbourg and then turning south towards Freiburg. As soon as we hit France the roads and the buildings began to look a lot more shabby and our fuel gauge dropped rapidly due to our high speed. Then to make matters worse, as we were looking out for a fuel station and driving through the huge Strasbourg city centre, our newly purchased GPS suddenly gave up the ghost. Luckily we had a replacement - the one that came with the van. After much frustration, minus E20 freeway tolls, we found ourselves in Littenweiler near Freiburg. Tomorrow we go searching for evidence of my ancestors. PHOTOS PEEP HOLES EVERYWHERE FARM SOLAR PANELS PARKING SQUEEZE Echternach town centre FASHIONABLE TREES Page 24

6 PHOTOS Lighting a candle for a sick friend in Echternach cathedral Page 25