Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Mythbuster Tour

It’s taken me two days to sit down and write this post because I haven’t been able to walk to my computer.

Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but my legs have been a bit sore. That’s because Nick and I did a Very Awesome Thing this past Sunday: we went on a 6.5 hour guided walking tour around the former fortress fortification lines of Luxembourg Ville.

It’s a program that has been offered once a year for the past four years by the Luxembourg City History Museum and this year, I happened to stumble upon it on the museum’s web site. (A notice also appeared in Lux Ville’s CityMag; order your free subscription by e-mailing your Lux mailing address to citymag@vdl.lu.)

The walk was essentially a combination of the Vauban and Wenzel city walks, with some passages through outlying neighborhoods thrown in for good measure. There were only nine people in the English-speaking group including Nick and myself, so I’m guessing that you may not have been able to make it to the event. But don’t worry, I’ve got a few fun facts from our fabulous, fearless guide to share that will make you feel like you went along for the tour...

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Bragging Rights for the Unathletic

As a newlywed, there are certain things you agree to because you think your significant other will eventually forget about them. Like riding your bicycle halfway across the country.

A few weekends ago, we finally completed a ride that Nick has wanted to do for over a year: the Piste Cyclable 2, a bike path that stretches from Luxembourg Ville to Echternach on the Luxembourg-Germany border, a one-way ride of 42 kilometers. It wouldn’t be our longest ride ever, but I was nervous because we had ridden part of this path last summer; I remembered more than one large hill, and had a nagging fear that there could be a lot more. And if there’s one thing that this House Frau does not like, it’s hills. (This would be in addition to wind and rain, if you’re asking.)

While I secretly prayed for a thunderstorm, we went ahead and made plans to ride to Echternach on a Saturday and spend the night. On Sunday, we would cycle home along the Sûre River on Piste Cyclable 3, a short 24km and mostly flat ride to the Wasserbillig train station where we’d catch a train back to the city.