Hiking with the naked snails
Started the day with a walk to the Luxembourg train station…not to take a train - just to take a photograph. This stained glass window in the Luxembourg train station is also my first memory of Europe from my trip when I was 18 years old. We took the train from Luxembourg to Trier back in 1985, the first stop on my teenage adventures in Germany.. It still looks exactly like I remember- when I get home to the US I’ll post my vintage photo too so we can all compare. 
We were also greeted by the coffee angel this morning. Many places were closed for the holiday. We walked to a shop I found on the web near our hotel…and a few people were hanging outside the door drinking espresso. But when we went to go in a young woman said …sorry we are closed. We must have looked a little disappointed, because then she said.. “But I can make you a you coffee!” Turns out she owns the place, and was just hanging out with her friends at her shop for the holiday. So we drank our cappuccino on the street with her and her friends,..and it was free! A very friendly Luxembourg welcome, and a nice start to the day.
We met with our friends in the afternoon to do a little hiking in the Mullerthal - Luxembourg’s “Little Switzerland.” We saw lots of dramatic rock formations, mossy rocks and trees and great views. This required some patience from my fellow hikers as there were a lot of steps - but I managed OK, especially after Katja found me a natural walking stick. Katja and Janka really took care of me, clearing the trail of rocks and sticks. And Rich pulled me up some stairs between his photography efforts. It was a team effort to get Kat’s arthritic knees through the Mullerthal - but you can get by with a little help from your friends. But I also figured out that my leftover used face mask could pinch hit as a hair scrunchie - new green zero waste business idea?
We started and finished the trail in the town of Echternach, the oldest city in Luxembourg. We walked around the cute town, ate some well earned gelato, had dinner and visited a church.
Do you think I can get this little fellow I spied in the church to rub my tired knees today? See you tomorrow from France!
We were also greeted by the coffee angel this morning. Many places were closed for the holiday. We walked to a shop I found on the web near our hotel…and a few people were hanging outside the door drinking espresso. But when we went to go in a young woman said …sorry we are closed. We must have looked a little disappointed, because then she said.. “But I can make you a you coffee!” Turns out she owns the place, and was just hanging out with her friends at her shop for the holiday. So we drank our cappuccino on the street with her and her friends,..and it was free! A very friendly Luxembourg welcome, and a nice start to the day.
We also did a little city walking on our own. This fountain is at the Place de Paris, a pedestrian area near our hotel and Janka’s apartment.
We met with our friends in the afternoon to do a little hiking in the Mullerthal - Luxembourg’s “Little Switzerland.” We saw lots of dramatic rock formations, mossy rocks and trees and great views. This required some patience from my fellow hikers as there were a lot of steps - but I managed OK, especially after Katja found me a natural walking stick. Katja and Janka really took care of me, clearing the trail of rocks and sticks. And Rich pulled me up some stairs between his photography efforts. It was a team effort to get Kat’s arthritic knees through the Mullerthal - but you can get by with a little help from your friends. But I also figured out that my leftover used face mask could pinch hit as a hair scrunchie - new green zero waste business idea?
We also saw lots of Nacktschnecke, literally “naked snails”. Though really they are kind of “homeless snails”. But it’s a cute name for the little guys. Janka once put tiny numbers on a bunch of them and had a “Race” I’ll try to upload her photo of that tomorrow.
Did the Nachtschnecke sighting prompt Rich’s dinner order of escargot? Probably. But those weren’t naked - the escargot came robed in garlic butter!
We started and finished the trail in the town of Echternach, the oldest city in Luxembourg. We walked around the cute town, ate some well earned gelato, had dinner and visited a church.
Do you think I can get this little fellow I spied in the church to rub my tired knees today? See you tomorrow from France!
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