Chair-lift

Viaden castle sits high on a steep hillside.  There are a few options for how to get to the castle.
1.  Drive up and park in a nearby parking lot
2.  Walk up a steep and winding road
3.  Take the chair-lift and then walk through the wooded hillside to the castle.

You can see from the photos which option we selected.  That is Kyle and Kyra at the bottom of the photo to the right.

The chair-lift was a pleasant way to enjoy the morning and views of Viaden and the castle.













The chair-lift took us to the hill top next to the castle.  This meant that we enjoyed a short hike down and back up to the castle hill top.

Along the way Allen complained that his legs and feet hurt from his cross-country training.  However, he was the one who ignored the gently sloping path in favor of the steeper paths that were more direct.

After our castle tour (tomorrow's blog will be the castle) we climbed back down and up to the chair-lift and rode it back down into the valley.  Overall I'd say it was far more enjoyable than driving or walking the entire distance.

Town of Viaden

The town of Viaden is in northern Luxembourg and lies in a river valley.  My words and photos will not due this town justice.  It is charming and quaint and pretty and delightful.

The main street is made of bricks and winds gently down the hillside and crosses the river.  Almost every window is adorned with a planter overflowing with flowers.   Just walking down the street was enjoyable.

There were many restaurants, brasseries and tea rooms which made choosing a place for dinner difficult.  We eventually settled on a little place called La Tourelle.  Unlike the other eating establishments on the main street it did not have a cafe in front.  It did however have a terrace in back.  The terrace didn't have a view of anything special but it as it was off the main street it was very quiet and peaceful.  

They were ready to serve many nationalities of tourists as their menu was in at least six different languages.  In addition to their main menu, there were a few new dishes, but that menu was only in French.  I'm glad I looked at it because I found this wonderful "tartine."  It had potatoes, cream, onions, gruyere cheese and prosciutto.  Very, very good.  Very, very unhealthy.

As we were all tired after our day in the city, we went to bed early to rest up for our castle adventure on Sunday.   Here are just a couple of photos of what the castle looks like from the town below.  

American World War II Cemetery in Luxembourg

Before leaving the capital city area we stopped at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial .  Here lie 5,076 American soldiers, most of whom died in the Battle of the Bulge.  The grounds of this cemetery were beautiful and well-kept.  The graves are laid out in a gently curving pattern in a quiet and reverent setting.

Part of the memorial included displays of the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge.  This enabled Kyle to show Allen and Kyra the movement of armies in Europe, including areas where we have been.

General George Patton is buried in this cemetery.  His grave is set apart from the others but his grave stone is no bigger nor more grand than a private's grave marker.

Towards the entrance of the cemetery is a small but tall stone chapel.   On its side is an inscription which reads:

IN PROUD REMEMBRANCE OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS 

OF HER SONS AND IN HUMBLE TRIBUTE TO THEIR SACRIFICES 

THIS MEMORIAL HAS BEEN ERECTED BY 

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 

Neither Allen nor Kyra has studied World War II in school yet, but they are already learning about what happened as they walk the ground were battles have been fought.  By the time they study it, either here or in the US, they will have a better feel for the places involved and the sacrifices made.