Like I was drawn to Luxembourg.
That's what I was thinking as we drove away from Luxembourg after Alisa agreed to stop there on our way to Belgium.
The day had started off pretty well. We had some French pastries. We had packed up the car in Steinbourg pretty efficiently. Our host came out to wish us safe travels and he gave the kids candy for the drive and recommended a brief stop to see a famous local castle.
We drove up to this Chateau Haut-Barr through the quiet town of Saverne, winding through a hilly wooded area and arriving at a leaf strewn parking lot. Above us towered weathered stone walls and a walkway.
We walked through the ancient gates (nearly 1000 years old) and hiked up a short incline to the next level. More of the castle still towered above us. The boys took a moment to look back on the gate and the upper levels.
We walked up toward that stairway seen in the upper right of the previous picture. It was high. It was metal and see-through. I let everyone go first so I could take a moment before going up myself.
We made it and were back on solid rock!
Once I caught my breath and the panic of the prior walk abated, I was able to look around. We did have to traverse another wooden bridge but this wasn't nearly as bad.
The climbs were worth it. We had panoramic views of the everything below us. It was spectacular.
The boys loved the views and stopped to admire a butterfly as well.
The drive to Luxembourg was fine. It was the arrival that was a problem.
For much of this trip I've been looking at our next destination a day or two before (but let's be honest, usually the day before).
I had already been hoping to go to Luxembourg given the spell it had over me and had read up about this small area that's been a strategic location for centuries. I made the assumption it would be pretty straightforward to get there with all the key sites close by each other.
Boy, was I wrong on so many levels.
Nothing was close. It was not small and the city traffic made it challenging to navigate. There was no medieval historical charm nor was there any fort nearby to explore.
What I will remember from our brief time in Luxembourg are crazy haircuts, a surprising number of shoe stores, and a deep river gorge that did not, in fact, have any river.
It was a frustrating stop. It emphasized the fact that even though you may have a fascination with a place for no good reason, you should still do your homework about it.
We trudged back to the train station with the wind chapping our exposed fingers and faces and got back on the road.
As we drove away, I kept wondering why I had been so drawn to this place. The more I thought about it, I believed it's just because Luxembourg is really one of the coolest name ever. Too bad there's more to something than just a name.
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