Echternach

As summer wanes here in Luxembourg, I recently used the opportunity provided by a bright clear day to take the boys out and explore more of the Grand Duchy. After a brief lunch in the town of Echternach, Toby, Jonas and I hiked another section of the Mullerthal - or as it's known here Le Petite Suisse.

For me, this summer was all too brief. We had some deliciously hazy, hot and humid days back in July, but now as August is ending, our daytime highs struggle to reach 20 degrees Celsius (70 ºF). Since I am a native of the Washington DC metro area, hazy, hot and humid just seems appropriate for the summer months. I'm sure with time I'll be able to cope with these clear, cool and crisp days as August tips into September. Listen carefully - that's the sound of me pulling up my Big-Boy Pants :)

Echternach is a stunning town built on a bend in the Sauer (Sûre) river that predates the Roman occupation. Along side an ancient Roman Villa Luxembourg's oldest city sprung up around the Benedictine Abbey founded by Saint Willibrord in 698! Back in the day, it was the Abbey at Echternach that quarreled with our own Neumünster Abbey over influence in the greater region. I think due to its more formidable and more defensible geography the Ville de Luxembourg naturally won this battle. The center of Echternach, however, remains a picturesque example of a Medieval village, and there are beautifully maintained formal gardens between the Abbey and the river. 

The Rococo Pavilion in the Abbey's 'Pleasure Garden'

The Basilica of St Willibrord - complete with a pure blue sky!

We decided to lunch in the town center across from the City Hall...the boys are really working hard on their table manners. 
 

Like I said, its a work in progress. The boys are doing quite well!

After lunch I took the boys back out for more Mullerthal! This area reminds me a lot of a Petite West Virginia. The limestone bluffs and babbling brooks are eerily reminiscent of the forests and mountains of the Monongahela...only on a much smaller scale. We hiked a nice circuit of about seven kilometers (or about 4.5 miles). Mr Toby is getting up in years, so we try to keep these excursions to a reasonable distance. There's plenty more to see with over 100 miles of trail yet to be explored...that should keep us busy for a while :-P