Luxembourg

This was an impromptu part of the trip. Not planned, just hey, were close to the border, so why not. Had I known, I would have taken a pass. Not a great city in my mind, the city not the country. I'm sure for the people who live there it's okay but for tourists it's pretty pricey. Why spend 25 Euro for lunch when you can get the same or better ten minutes away in Germany for less than half? It is a city where there is big money, where people from all over come to hide their money from the tax man and where residents don't seem to mind the high prices. The only inexpensive things are gasoline and cigarettes. If you need to use the washroom in Luxembourg be prepared to pay and pay big. I used the facilities at the main train station and it cost 1.10 Euro to do so. That's almost a buck fifty for a pee!!!





This should give Toronto Mayor David Miller some ideas on how to fix the finances of the city. Start charging at Union Station, mind you they'd need to do some work to bring the washrooms up to par. There are pay toilets thru out the city, which does make it easier for tourists walking around.

We didn't stay to long that's for sure. On the drive back towards Wiesbaden our route took us along the Saar River, smaller than the Mosel but just as pretty. This wine region is on the edge of the Hunsrueck Mountains and also produces a very nice Riesling. After getting lost again, we managed to get to Saarburg and score a room in a small out of the way but charming hotel/restaurant, within walking distance to the centre of town.



This little inn called Auberge St. Laurentius deserves mention by name because of the incredible hospitality of the host Herr Weber. It is a family run Inn, very rustic, with great beds. That alone deserves my accolades but the breakfast the next morning was one of the best of all the places we'd stayed in.

We walked through the town over foot bridges that were strategically placed and found a nice little restaurant for dinner. The following morning we left for our final destination of Idar-Oberstein before Wiesbaden.


Residents like to refer to their town as "Little Venice"



Idar-Oberstein



In Idar-Oberstein I shopped a little since this town is famous for gem cutting and jewellry manufacturing centers. Mostly quartz crystals and semi precious stones and I found a lovely rose quartz ring in a silver setting for myself.

Below is the 15th Century church called Felsenkirche (Chapel in the Rocks) built into the rock face. Legend says it was built by a local knight in atonement for the murder of his brother. 216 steps from the main market will take you up. Needless to say, I did not make that climb.




The last stop on our journey was for lunch in the village of Oberbrombach. A beautiful restaurant called Landhaus Sonne (Country house Sun) where the host took extremely good care of us. An absolutely gorgeous last meal on our journey.





One of the most striking differences between Canada, Germany and Greece was that in almost every restaurant dogs were welcome and water dishes set out for them. The health inspectors would have a fit in Canada and in Greece, not a chance.

The last push back was done on the Autobahn. We had done 420 KM over 4 days on small two lane curvy roads and it was a blast. Back to Wiesbaden for a final visit with relatives and then Auf Wiedersehen...



Tomorrow I will write a little about Greece if I can get a connection, which has been pretty good the last couple of days. I stopped taking the heart pills and I'm actually feeling pretty good. I need to shake this depression one way or another before the cruise.