Taking a Break

Best laid plans....

R and I had planned to take a long weekend in Switzerland - we'd made hotel reservations, bought the requisite sticker that allowed us to drive in the country, got the suitcases down from the attic. But the night before our planned departure, Switzerland announced it was closing its borders to those coming from Luxembourg and any travelers would have to quarantine for 10 days. Well, okay then.

It's true that Luxembourg's COVID cases are on the rise. It's probably a combination of very aggressive testing and the population's general weariness with not being able to live their lives leading them to become more relaxed in following the preventative guidelines set forth by the Luxembourg government. Whatever the cause, other countries are alarmed and are making it harder for those who have been living in Luxembourg to travel. Case in point: Switzerland.

I had already requested the leave - just three work days - so I decided to go ahead and take them anyway. R and I stayed at home, but went to Strasbourg, France one day, and hiked in Luxembourg on the two days remaining. While disappointed that we didn't get to experience Switzerland, I did enjoy just being out of the office, and Luxembourg is always great.

A few photos:

A panorama of Bourscheid, with its castle. Hike #1!

It was really a beautiful view.

A little perspective.

Dorks having fun storming the castle.

My knight in shining armor ... took this photo.

The hike was a bit over six miles.

We went through forests and fields.

St. Martin's Church in Septfontaines. Hike #2!

These were lovely life-sized statues dating from the 13th century.

Forest bathing.

Septfontaines and its castle-on-the-hill.

A Hike Near Beaufort

Luxembourg has about a million hiking trails. Okay, maybe a few less than a million, but still a lot. And they sell great books that show all of the trails - round trip trails, rail station to rail station trails. The books divide the country into segments and then provide details, complete with photos, of every single path. It's the greatest!

Last weekend, R and I drove about 30 minutes to the Beaufort area, parked in a designated area, and then hiked about four miles in a round trip loop. After we hiked we drove into town to check out the castle - we were surprised at how many people were milling about, so we decided not to go in. I took a few photos of the outside and we went on our merry way. We plan to do many more in the next two years (there are 200 round trip trails in the book).

Very peaceful and not many people about.

Each trail that I've been on has been a mix between forest and farmland.

All the roads not taken!

Beaufort Castle - built about a thousand years ago.

Domrémy - The Birthplace of Joan of Arc

Hurray for three-day weekends. I would happily work until I'm 70 if every weekend could be three whole days.

R and I split the days between Germany, France, and Luxembourg, and it was awesome. On Friday we went into Trier, Germany - just browsing through antique shops, walking around, and having lunch. On Saturday, we made a day of it and went to Domrémy, France to see Joan of Arc's birthplace, and then on to the Montsec WWI Memorial, and finally to lunch in the little town of Commercy, France - where Madeleine cookies were invented. The day was a perfect combination of history, scenery, and food.

The parish church of Saint-Remy, where Joan was baptized.

Inside the house - looking in to the room of Joan's sister. You can see the church through the small window.

The exterior of the house. Joan was born in 1412, so it's held up remarkably well.

In the church. The stained glass is not original to the church, but was created in 1955 to replace those destroyed in 1940.

Another bit of stained glass in the church.

"Jehanne" was the name she went by in her lifetime. 

The countryside near the Basilica.

Outside the Basilica.

Construction began on the Basilica in 1881, and it was dedicated in 1926. Joan of Arc was canonized in 1920.

This is the ceiling of one of the outside porticos.

Inside the Basilica.

Inside the Basilica.

A painting in the Basilica.

The Montsec American Monument - WWI.

Really beautiful.

R looking over the map of the area.

A little hiking trail through the woods near the monument.