Karen’s Blog

We left our lovely B&B in Belgium for the long drive down to our B&B in Luxembourg. Along the way we stopped in at Val Dieu Abbey where we walked the grounds and bought some beer and cider in the abbey shop. On to Spa, where we ate lunch at Domino’s, a steakhouse that also featured Romanian dishes. We wandered the town, then continued on our way.

When we arrived at the B&B, it was a real disappointment. The owners seem to have a real aversion to well-lit rooms (perhaps they’re vampires). In the room we slept in last night (we’ve switched rooms for the second night), there was space for six bulbs in the chandelier, but only two worked. It took some arm-twisting to get more bulbs.

Then the bed was horrid. The box-springs was broken so the mattress sagged in the middle like a hammock. After an awkward night sleeping on the broken bed (my body kept wanting to roll into the middle) we did manage to get a different room with a perfectly fine bed. The only downside is the toilet is in the hall, but that’s no biggie.

The breakfast was stellar, despite the bed issues. Incredible chocolate croissant, a lemon curd filled pastry, rolls, thinly sliced ham and cheese as well as other meats. Fresh fruit and some good coffee.

We headed out to Larochette to hike. First up to the castle (quite a climb), where a beautiful cat followed us up, then through the countryside (including alongside some cornfields), then back into town. It was about a 7km hike in all, with some gorgeous scenery along the way. We had sandwiches at a patisserie (where the wind kicked up and nearly blew over all the umbrellas). My sandwich was ham on the world’s best baguette. Yum!

We then drove down to Echternach where we shopped, then walked along the Sauer River until we reached a bridge that crossed over into Germany. We hung out at a German pub where everyone but me drank a glass of Bitburger ale. I’m not much of a beer drinker, unless it’s a very malty variety.

We walked back into Luxembourg, then returned to the B&B. I should be resting, but I wanted to get the blog post and pictures out. Enjoy!

We took the train into Amsterdam yesterday where we ate two meals, visited two museums and met two new friends who were from two different countries (heh). We started the day with lunch at Renzo’s, an Italian deli with a selection of yummy pasta dishes. You pick and choose what you want–a little of this, a little of that. They warm it for you as needed, then serve it up. Since there were no tables available in the small place, we ate on benches outside. Quite delish.

Afterward, we walked to the Van Gogh Museum and my husband and I went inside while my brother and sister-in-law ran errands. They’d recently visited the museum.

Van Gogh has always been a favorite of mine and it was marvelous seeing so many of his famous artworks displayed right in front of me. There are of course no photos allowed, but I have memories to take home.

After the Van Gogh museum, we did some wandering around the city (I bought some Dutch tulip bulbs) until the entry time for our ticket into the Anne Frank House. That is a moving and somewhat horrifying exhibit. To have lived that life, hidden away as such a young girl with the threat of discovery by the Nazis at any moment is unimaginable. I’m claustrophobic and the close spaces were sometimes difficult for me to navigate.

After Anne Frank, we met up with two friends of our in-laws, Cassandra and Marco. She’s from the U.S. and he’s from Italy. We headed off across the city to Pak Nam Pho, a Thai restaurant tucked away in an alley. Although the food took forever to be served (small place, one cook), it was fabulous (phad thai & red beef curry). It was so tasty I ate far more than I should have and was completely stuffed.

After saying our goodbyes to Cassandra and Marco, we headed back to the train station. We had good transportation karma–we caught the train just before it departed and the bus we needed at the other end pulled up right after we arrived. So we got back to the house speedily where I collapsed into bed.

Pictures here.

And so our exciting European vacation begins. Okay, we won’t be visiting a lot of Europe–just the Netherlands where my brother-in-law lives, plus Belgium and Luxembourg and a bit of Germany. By the way, one of my goals for this trip is learning how to spell Luxembourg. I think I can tick that one off my list.

We will be celebrating our 30th anniversary at a B&B in Luxembourg, in what I’m told is a lovely little town. How cool is that? We’re also planning on a day trip to Köln, Germany and certainly traveling around the Netherlands. And we’re hoping for a chance to do some folk dancing with one or two local groups. It’s great that dance is international.

I’m hoping to blog a bit here and there and post photos. We’ll see. I don’t want to spend too much time glued to a computer screen.

I already miss my kitties, but we have a great housesitter staying with them. I’m sure she’ll give them lots of scritches and ply them with lots of treats.

Next post from the Netherlands!