A Week of Ups and Downs

August 17 - 21 was a period of ups and downs for us, and I'm using that description in a literal, geographical sense, not the metaphorical sense meaning life's highs and lows. During our several-days-long trip to areas of Luxembourg north of Luxembourg City, we began to wonder if there was a flat surface anywhere in the country. In Luxembourg, "10,000 steps a day" has a whole new meaning, as it seemed like most of those steps were associated with actual staircases and other changes in elevation. It also translated to the driving experience, where the roads through the Ardennes in the very north and the Mullerthal in the east had switchbacks that made Lon wish he was driving a motorcycle--or his old Porche 914 from his high school days. The experience pointed out the wisdom of doing certain kinds of travel when one is still fit enough to do so. Who needs a fitness club when the day-to-day activities of everyday life constitute a workout?

After considering several options for taking a break for a few days from the shipyard and boat sale prep, we settled on northern Luxembourg as promising an easy journey to-and-from Toul, and interesting and beautiful things to see and do during our stay. We chose to stay in the village of Vianden, tucked along the Our River in the east of Luxembourg, just west of the border with Germany. Only two hours by car from Nancy, its location would make our day trips to neighboring locations short and easy.

Vianden is most known for being the location of a medieval castle built between the 11th and 14th centuries on a rocky spur atop the ruins of a Roman fort and a Carolingian refuge. The castle was the principal residence of the Counts of Vianden until the early 15th century. 

Left: This was one of our first views of the Vianden Castle as we walked from our parked car on the
road above Vianden town center toward our hotel on Aug. 17.
Right: The aspect of the castle that faces the Our River, as seen during our first walk through 
the village.

The castle is today considered to be one of the most beautiful in Europe and one of the finest examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. It was not always thus. It had been sold and partially dismantled in the 19th century so that its stones could be used elsewhere. It suffered further damage during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944-45, as Vianden sat in the Eislek Region of Luxembourg that was at the center of the fighting. Even as the Battle of the Bulge drew to a close in January 1945, Vianden remained under German occupation for an additional two weeks, and on February 12, 1945, was the last Luxembourg town to be liberated. After ownership of the castle passed from the Grand Ducal family to the Luxembourg State in 1977, restorations began to bring much of the castle back to the appearance it had in medieval times. It's now open to the public for a small admission fee; its galleries host special events; and it has served as a filming location for at least a few movies: Sherlock Holmes (1990, Christopher Lee), Shadow of the Vampire (1999, John Malcovich), and George and the Dragon (2004, Patrick Swayze).

The Vianden Castle prior to restoration.

We took a break from driving on Tuesday, August 18, and spent the day in Vianden. Given the kind of summer it's been weatherwise, it was unusual to start the day with low clouds and off-and-on showers. No complaints from us, however. We started our explorations with a steep walk up to the castle.

Our hotel was situated on the main street of town uphill from the river. At this stage in our
approach to the castle we were even further uphill, with more altitude yet to be gained.

Upper left: entry portal to the castle; Upper right: the summer gallery
Lower left: Knights Hall; Lower right: Archeological crypt.

Medieval Vianden can also be found in the presence of what is left of the defensive ramparts that used to encircle the upper village. Originally there were 24 towers and 5 gates. All of the gates are long gone, but a few of the semi-circular towers remain, and the 17th-century Hockel Tower, built as a watchtower that was capable of being lived in, is now used as a bell tower.

Left: Lon approaches the Hockel Tower and walls of the ramparts. The Vianden Castle can
 be seen at the upper right of the tower.
Right: The Hockel Tower and walls as seen from Vianden Castle.

After a great deal of up-and-down required to see the castle, we decided to cut ourselves some slack and find the "flattest" route we could for an afternoon walk. The skies were still pretty grey, so we grabbed an umbrella and headed for the path alongside the river.

Upper left: the city hall; Upper right: we stayed at the Auberge du Chateau, a small hotel
owned and operated by a lovely couple. Well-placed in the old town and great breakfasts!
Lower left: the dam just outside of town had "reverse grafitti"--faces of dam workers were created
in the algae and soil build-up on the dam face by pressure washing a laser-etched pattern.
Lower right: Saint-Nicolas Church, a 13th century church built by the Order of the Knights
Templar, rebuilt after a fire in the early 18th century.

View of the Our River and the castle from the top of the dam.

After walking back from the dam, we felt brave enough about the weather to risk riding the Vianden chair lift. Aside from a few drops now and then, we stayed dry. Be sure to check any fear of heights at the entry turnstiles.

The Vianden chair lift opened the year that Lon and I were born, so it's been operating for quite 
some time. The lift currently being used is the second-generation model from 2006. The elevation
at the lower end is 220 meters, and it's 440 meters at the top. Left: our view on the way back down. Upper right: the view of the castle and the village from our chair. Lower right: the chair
 lift experience is designed to provide photos of the riders as they approach the upper station.
 Paying a 5-euro fee didn't spare us from the "Visit Vianden" marketing promo inserted into the photo.

Vianden also lays claim to being the residence of Victor Hugo for two months in 1871, a small portion of the multi-year exile that he spent outside of France for denouncing the coup d'etat of Napoleon III.

Upper: Victor Hugo stayed in the building at right, which now contains
a small museum about his life and work.
Lower: a recent sculpture of the author holding some of his famous
literary characters. He was not a master of conversation in this setting.

On Wednesday, August 19, we headed north out of Vianden to try to dodge rain cells that were to the south of Vianden. Our first stop of the day was the town of Clervaux. Clervaux is known for its UNESCO-recognized photographic exhibit displayed in the local castle called "The Family of Man." The theme was a focus on the commonalities of people and cultures around the world. Unfortunately for us, we arrived in Clervaux entirely too early in the day for the exhibit to be open. We weren't interested enough to wait, so we walked around town briefly, then left for our next destination.

Clervaux Castle (right and upper left), whose oldest parts date to the 12th century, was nearly
destroyed during one of the opening engagements of the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. The
post-battle view of the town and the damaged castle is at lower left.

Upper: a Sherman tank that was involved in the Battle of Clervaux is on display in front of the
 castle. Lower: Remembrances of the war. Although the Americans at Clervaux ultimately surrendered
to the Germans, they delayed the Germans long enough to significantly disrupt the German plans
to speedily reach the town of Bastogne.

  

As "Napoleon was here" is to France, so "Victor Hugo was here"
is to Luxembourg, even if only for a short stay.

We arrived in the village of Esch-sur-Sure just in time for lunch, a good thing because we were going to need sustenance for the climbing that awaited us. Esch is a small medieval village situated in a narrow bend of the Sure River, and lays claim to being the home of the ruins of a fortified castle that is among the oldest in Luxembourg. Records of the castle's existence date back to 927. As the weapons of warfare changed, so too did the town's defensive capabilities. In the 15th century, a wall was built around the village. As with the castle in Vianden, the years from the 16th to the 19th centuries were not kind to the castle and village fortifications in Esch, as they became a source of cheap building materials for the people in the surrounding areas. 

Upper left: It was obvious that a good deal of "up" was going to be required
for us to reach the round watchtower above the village. Upper right: we're
not quite sure if the yellow foot was indicative of "walking path for dummies,"
or a remnant of some special event in Esch. Below: the watchtower (left)
on one rocky spur, and the donjon and chapel of the castle (mid and right)
on high ground separate from the watchtower.

A small taste of the physical challenges of the day: upper left: medieval stairway from the
lower town up to the watchtower; upper right: Lon climbing the first set of watchtower stairs;
lower left: Pat climbing the second set of watchtower stairs; lower right: Lon on stairs
leading to the castle.

The castle as viewed from the upper level of the adjacent watchtower.

The watchtower as seen from the castle.

The castle ruins were restored mostly to the extent of stabilizing existing walls. The chapel
(lower left) was rebuilt a bit more extensively. The donjon (tall square building) was
in relatively good shape because it had been used to house local families and therefore
 never dismantled.

Upper: old city walls and a tower incorporated into other buildings.
Lower: another remnant tower, this one freestanding.

We loved the exploration, but did find the climbing to be exhausting. It was no sacrifice to head back to the hotel in Vianden and kick our feet up for the rest of the day. The town got some much-needed rain that evening, but we woke up the following day to cool temperatures and a bright sky. 

Thursday's excursion saw us pointing the car south to the Mullerthal region, known as Luxembourg's Little Switzerland because of having a landscape similar to parts of Switzerland. The area is known for its hiking, and the capital of the region, Echternach, is the oldest town in Luxembourg. We were most interested in hiking on one of the short trails--about 4 km in length--near the town of Berdorf. The entire 112-km Mullerthal Trail would have been a bit much. 

We made a slight diversion on our way to Berdorf so that we could see the castles in the nearby town of Beaufort. There are two in town, a medieval castle in a partial state of ruin and an adjacent 17th century Renaissance residence. One of the draws of the site is that the castle makes a few specialty liqueurs, among them a black current variety called Cassero. Going on a tour through the Renaissance palace on a guided tour includes a small tasting of the liqueur. 

The medieval castle, built between 1050 and 1650.

The 17th-century residence.

Both castles were impressive from the exterior, and while a more extensive visit inside may have been worthwhile, we were somewhat anxious to take advantage of the cooler morning hours to hike the trail out of Berdorf. It was also true that a liqueur tasting at 10 a.m. did not hold a great deal of appeal.

Berdorf is a small town of just over 2,000 inhabitants. It is considered to be the heart of the Mullerthal Region, sitting as it does on a high plateau surrounded by a rocky landscape with numerous hiking trails and a well-known climbing area. We had seen photos of some absolutely stunning rock formations, and were definitely attracted to the idea of quiet, natural seclusion when we decided to do the 4.1-km "B2" circular hike. The scenery didn't disappoint, and the terrain definitely challenged us, but secluded we were not. 

The B2 trail was rather crowded on this August Thursday, probably because 
it was still vacation season. There were lots of families, some with quite
young children; dogs; at least one group of elementary age children and their
accompanying adults; and the usual assortment of singles, couples, and other
small groups. The congestion was worst at the beginning of the hike, then
lessened as the "side hike" options that presented themselves thinned the herd.

We had no complaints about the scenery.

Lon is dwarfed by the rocks.

The B2 is rated as a moderately difficult trail. The variety of ways to go up and down kept us on our toes and we were very happy to have hiking sticks to assist with the trickier passages. And they WERE tricky, which made the fact that a number of quite young children were hiking this trail with their parents all the more amazing.

Upper: stairs and more stairs.
Lower: The Raiberheil cave requires the hiker to duck at the entrance,
which then opens to reveal a ladder "escape route" to the cavern exit at the top.
The photo lower right shows the ladders; at left, Lon is ascending the final ladder.

Left: this rock stairway was very steep and a little slippery from the recent rain. We got a
bit "off" on our trail navigation, so after going up the stairs we found that we needed to turn
 around and go back down--more difficult than "up" because they were so steep.
Right: sometimes a "stairway" was of a more eclectic composition, comprised of
roots, random stones, and the underlying soil.

Left: a narrow (one-person wide) stairway through a cleft in the rocks.
Right: Sometimes nature needs an assist to bridge challenging gaps.

The view during our well-deserved, and much needed, stop for lunch.

We were rather wrung out after our 2.5-3 hours amid the rocks and trees, but we still decided to press on to the town of Echternach. As the oldest town in Luxembourg, it had some interesting history associated with the local abbey and traces of former Roman habitation. 

The route from Berdorf to Echternach, although a short 15-minute drive, continued the
"beautiful rock formations" theme. It was roads like this that had Lon wishing for a motorcycle.

When we got to Echternach we found that even a refreshment stop wasn't enough to give us the energy to explore Echternach in the manner that it deserved. The best we could do, and only because we were parked so close, was to pay a brief visit to the nearby preserved foundations of a Roman villa. The villa was discovered about 50 years ago, during the construction of artificial Lake Echternach. The archeological excavations that ensued dated the villa to around 70 A.D.

The villa was one of the largest in the area of Roman occupation around modern-day Trier, Germany,
 and the center of a wealthy rural estate.

After our active and physical day, we were happy to again be able to kick our feet up for a while in our Vianden hotel room. We went for an early dinner, then packed so as to be ready for a relatively early departure from Vianden, as we had to get the rental car back to Nancy before noon.

On the last night in Vianden I finally managed to stay awake long enough to see the
evening illumination of the castle. 

Sticks 'N Stones

On Monday morning, July 27, it was time to depart from Quimper and head to our next base, Vannes, which is the prefecture for the southernmost of Brittany's four departments, Morbihan. As was briefly mentioned in an earlier posting, we were shortening our stay in Vannes from three nights to two nights. Logistically, this meant that we would have one full day to explore Vannes and had to select any other "must see" sites in Morbihan from what could be done during our drive from Quimper to Vannes and from Vannes back to Rennes.

There were lots of things to choose from: well-preserved medieval villages; the Bay of Morbihan and its islands; castles, preserved and otherwise; coastal fishing ports and beaches. It was a menu with too many choices. Ultimately, we decided we'd already had the pleasure of seeing lots of castles and a variety of coastal features, and Vannes promised to deliver more "sticks" (half-timbered buildings) for us to appreciate. It made the most sense to head for something more unique, the very old "stones" to be found in Carnac and Monteneuf.

Morbihan is home to the world's largest concentration of megalithic sites in one place. Huge collections of standing stones, erected in the Neolithic Period over 6,000 years ago, still dot the landscape. The biggest and most famous of these megalithic sites is the "Carnac alignments", a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the coast near the town of Carnac, about 66 miles from Quimper and 20 miles from Vannes. Roughly 3,000 stones are erected in precise alignments within several distinct groups that overall span roughly four kilometers in length. The first formal protection of the Carnac alignments didn't come until 1889, as before that, the sites had been subject to quarrying, road building, and neglect. Even since 1889 restoration has been piecemeal, and more about documentation and preserving what is left, rather than full reconstruction of the Neolithic status of the site. The site currently has a Visitor Center and Museum. Walking the perimeter of the site was free; it was only guided tours that had a charge.

The meaning behind the stones and their arrangement is not yet known. There are no apparent links to astronomical entities such as the sun, moon, or stars. 

A panoramic view of one grouping known as "Le Menec", named for the adjacent village,
with over 1000 stones in a distance of 950 meters.

A closer look gives a better idea of how the standing stones (menhirs, which is Breton for 
"long stone") are aligned. 

The Kemario grouping.

A Dolmen, a collective tomb, which was a very common type of burial place in the Neolithic
age. It is missing the stone monument (cairn) that would typically cover such burial places.

The Saint-Michel tumulus is a Neolithic burial mound upon which a small chapel was
built in the mid-17th century. It is the largest grave mound in continental Europe.

Carnac is not just the location of Neolithic rocks. It is a resort town in its own right, with several beaches, marinas, and a long, waterfront promenade.

 

Top: when the tide is out, the boats rest on the mud.
Bottom left: the beach expands and exposes edible snails (periwinkles) should a beachgoer care to
to search. Bottom right: our first ever use of a tourist train, done in the name of expedience to
 get a general view of the surrounding area in the available time, and not a bow to geezerhood.

Despite it being a Monday, a day when many restaurants are closed, we were able to find an open bistro so that we could eat before continuing on to Vannes.

Vannes, like Quimper, was fortunate to escape significant damage in WWII. This means that the old city has much that is still authentically medieval. Of special note, Vannes still retains about 75% of its original ramparts, a section of which dates back to 3rd century Roman construction. 

Top: the section of the ramparts stretching from the 15th C. Connetable Tower (in the distance)
to the--also 15th C.--Joliette Tower. This section contains some Gallo-Roman elements.
Bottom left: Joliette Tower to the Prison Town Gate.
Bottom right: the "French gardens" create a large park between ramparts and water.

The Castle of Hermine was a small, fortified castle that had been integrated into the ramparts of
Vannes, and served as the main residence of the Dukes of Brittany in the late 14th and 15th
centuries. Although the building above is called by that name, it is in no way the same 14th building.
The original castle on the site was completely dismantled and demolished in the 17th and 18th C. 
The current building was constructed in 1785 and used as a hotel. Since 1976 it has been the property
of the city of Vannes and is obviously receiving a huge influx of renovation money.

We welcomed ourselves to Vannes with some refreshment at a cafe
in Place des Lices, a square created during the 14th C. It is now the
city's market square, but was formerly the site of tournaments.

Lon beckons from the window of our Airbnb apartment on the 3rd (and
top) floor of a 17th C. half-timbered building in Vannes. The building
was immediately adjacent to the 17th C. Saint Vincent town gate. The
view from the window on this side was toward the old town.

Left: the "other" side (front) of the Saint-Vincent Town Gate. The window of our apartment
is circled in blue at the upper right of the photo.
Right: our view of the city port from that blue-circled window. There were quite a few
restaurants in Place Gambetta, but the well-insulated windows kept the noises at bay.

The original Roman port in Vannes was slightly further inland. Due to silting issues, the port
shifted to this location in the Middle Ages. In 1697, King Louis XIV donated the stone of the
ruined Castle of Hermine for use in the redevelopment of the quays. Commercial shipping
ultimately declined, and the port was developed into a modern marina. Because the waters are
tidal, a lock system had to be installed downriver to ensure that boats would stay afloat at low tide.

Outside the ramparts, the medieval city disappears and the town planning ideas of the 18th
and 19th centuries are evident. That includes the late 19th century Town Hall, a smaller copy
of the Hotel de Ville in Paris.

There are lots of "sticks" in the plethora of half-timbered buildings in the medieval center. The
13th century belfry of the Cathedral Saint Pierre rises above it all.

To the left, the Town Gate Prison, of the 13th and 15th centuries, was one of the most important
components of the city fortifications. When it was built it was called "Porte St. Patern", opening
as it did into the St. Patern neighborhood (photo at right). The name of the tower changed when
it was used as a prison in the 18th century. The St. Patern neighborhood is in the location of the
original Roman settlements, and is now a popular restaurant and entertainment area.

Inhabitants of Vannes in the 19th century started calling these two figures "Vannes and his wife."
What they represented when they were first created no one seems to know.

The walk around central Vannes had only consumed Tuesday's morning hours. Although it was getting to be rather hot, we decided to walk down the port quay for about 30 minutes to see what could be seen and possibly opt for an afternoon cruise on the Gulf of Morbihan. We walked as far as a brewpub that overlooked the mouth of the Marle River before it empties into the Gulf. The tide was out and a fair amount of unattractive mud was the main impression. Over cold drinks and a snack in what looked like new development, we pondered whether we were up to being a captive audience for three hours exposed to the sun on the deck of a tour boat. Heading back to the apartment and taking it easy during the heat of the day won out.

Dinner on Tuesday night was at a restaurant in the old town where skewers
were the order of the day. The shrimp certainly looked impressive, but by 
the time heads and tails were removed there was disappointingly little to eat.
At lower right is ratatouille, the French ideal of a vegetable accompaniment,
and my idea of mush.

Our train from Rennes to Paris was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29. The drive to the train station to return the car was only about 1.5 hours, so with a sufficiently early departure (although not TOO early) we were able to make one intermediate stop. Apparently, we hadn't had enough of rocks when we visited Carnac, because another crop of standing stones was available to visit just off our driving route.

The Menhirs de Monteneuf were discovered in 1986, with archeological excavations beginning in 1989. This all seems rather recent for something so significant as a collection of Neolithic age standing stones. They remained hidden for so long for a couple of reasons. First, around the 10th century, religious authorities viewed the stones as pagan symbols and ordered them to be torn down. After that, nature took over in the moorland and buried the fallen stones under dense vegetation. The several acre site contains over 400 stones, of which only three were still standing in the 1980s. When archeologists finally examined the site, their excavations revealed that the original packing stones and pits were intact underground. The subsequent research gave archeologists enough information to re-erect 42 of the main stones where they stood 6,500 years ago. Many more stones remain fallen and/or buried, waiting for additional funding and research.

A view of the site. An interpretive trail has been created on the archeological site and entry
was free of charge. As with Carnac, guided tours carried a fee, but as they were given in French
when we were there we didn't bother.

Top: Lon is included in the photo for size comparisons.
Bottom: some standing stones, but many more remain fallen.

Left: Mother Nature keeping a tight grip on a stone.
Upper right: a burial site.
Lower right: a reconstruction of how stones would have been moved and erected.

An hour after arrival we were back on the road and on our way to Rennes. Our train travel went seamlessly, and we were back on CARIB by 8 p.m. that evening. The next two days were busy with preparation to receive prospective buyers for CARIB who were flying in from Canada to look at her on August 1. As I am slightly superstitious that "it ain't over 'til it's over", I will only say that we now have an active "Memoradum of Agreement" to purchase in hand. If all goes as we hope and anticipate that it will, the sale should be completed and ownership transferred before we return to Florida on September 30.

Meanwhile, we are using the time to do some of the touch-ups that we would normally do at the end of a cruising season. We've also been socializing with other boaters who are also captives of the drought-related waterway closures.

Last Friday night (Aug. 7) a group of Aussies, Kiwis, and Yankees got together at "Angel's
Pizza" here at TSNI Marine.

On Saturday, we went into town to check out this year's sound and light show at several venues around Toul. We weren't quite as impressed as we were last year, but perhaps that's because it's not new to us this year. We also had to share it with a lot more people, as a Saturday night concert in the garden of the City Hall had brought in quite a crowd.

Upper: the Jardin des Poetes (Garden of Poets)
Lower Left: Front facade of the Cathedral.
Lower Right: center of the Cathedral cloisters.

Upper: Gallery of the Cathedral cloisters.
Lower Left: City Hall Garden.
Lower Right: Cloisters of Collegiale Saint-Gengoult.

We're off next week for a road trip to rural Luxembourg.