Luxembourg city and surrounding

I needed to do some business in Luxemburg city and thought I could combine it with a short holiday. The most impressive combination between culture and nature is the Petrusse Valley in the heart of the city. The Petrusse and Bock casemates are historic works worth looking at. When you arrive at Place d'Armes you look down into the valley at a beautiful park with a lot of greenery.

From here we can get straight into the city centre and old town where we can look at old architecture, do some shopping and buy coffee, Belgian chocolates and the famous Belgian speculoos cookie sandwich spread. The grand supermarket Auchan in Kirchberg is located in a huge shopping mall with many cafes and restaurants. Here you can buy all sorts of spirits and wine for nearly half the price you would pay in Germany. Many Germans who live close to the border come here, do some shopping and return to their home on the same day.

Lac Esch sur Sur

This time I used Couchsurfing again and made great friends. I had a couple of days laughing and talking to them. Unfortunately it was midweek and they didn't have time to join me to explore the beauties of the country. On the first day it was raining, I visited a few museums, saw the Palace of the Duke, The Cathedral  and the winding roads in the old town. The Cafes Chocolate House and Oberweiss are the most renowned and not quite cheap cafes. The other cafes are a lot cheaper and not all that bad.

If you travel everyday, you can buy combined tickets for EUR 16,- you can use on all the trains, trams and buses in Luxemburg. So on my first available day I went to Mondorf, a small spa town with a pretty park and thermal sources in beautiful nature. Then I continued to Remich on the Moselle using the same bus service. A one-hour-tour by boat on the Moselle gives you the feeling how  close Europeans live together. The left side belongs to Luxemburg with beautiful Luxemburg vineyards, the right side is the German side with lots of forested areas and camping sites.

In a small country like Luxemburg you can do three different tours to three different places with different nature and ethnic cultures within one day. The average Luxemburgian speaks four languages: Luxemburgian or Letzeburguesch, German, French and English. German, French and Letzeburguesch are the official languages but most people speak Letzeburguesch among each other, French better than German. Some of them speak even six languages.

Me at Place d'Armes looking into Petrusse Valley Park

The north of Luxemburg, the Ardennes bordering very close to Belgium is one of the most beautiful places in Luxemburg. Just the train ride along the Petrusse Valley in Luxemburg city, through the Ardennes to Clervaux is a trip on its own. I walked a steep walk from Clervaux Palace to Clairvaux abbey.

The day was long enough to return to Luxemburg city. Unlike by car, the bus and train lines only operate between Luxemburg city and other towns. So I had to return to Luxemburg central station to catch the bus to Echternach. I enjoyed my time at the Echternach man-made lake, went to a huge supermarket and then arrived at Echternach station in time. Another huge shopping mall was under construction.

One of the most picturesque places are Vianden and on this day I forgot my camera. I never thought that the pictures would rest in my mind so a camera wasn't even needed. The bus ride between Ettelbrück train station and Vianden was another trip through breathtaking scenery. Vianden itself was another harmony between nature and architecture. Beautiful weeping willows hanging onto the river, hills, forested hiking trails, a beautiful palace, castle ruines and an ancient bridge were the highlights of this village.

My Couchsurfing hosts Michael and Pipoc

I took a walk in the old town before I climbed up to the castle ruines and the castle itself was beautifully refurbished. Nearly approaching the end of the day, I discovered a hidden campsite on the other side of the river.You could pitch your tent by the water, barbeque the meat you just bought in town and have a relaxing day. It is just very close to the old town. Unfortunately they don't have many supermarkets in both Vianden and Clervaux. So prepare yourself by buying food at Auchan Kirchberg super market before going on a camping trip. It is different from Echternach where the county expected a lot of revenues from nearby cities in Germany.

Last but not least I am so grateful and happy that I could surf Julia and Michael's couch. It was such a nice family who of course spoke several languages and we were so amused that Michael, his brother Bruno and father George spoke German together. My faith in Couchsurfing is now restored, not exactly  in the management and staff members but the interesting people I got to meet and stay with. Of course  we had already made plans for them to visit us next year.

What to do in Mainz in a day

I have been living in Mainz for most of my life now and it has become like my hometown. However, I will always find hidden places that I didn't know much about. As somebody asked what to do during a 5 hours layover in Mainz, originally I have written an article called "5 hours in Mainz". Later I thought it will be too superficial and hectic to see too much of Mainz in 5 hours, so I have directed it at people who spend at least a whole day in Mainz.

 Mainz, the capital city of Rhineland Palatinate is only located half an hour by train from Frankfurt Airport. However, unlike Frankfurt, Mainz is a city geographically small enough to put your arms around. You can gain good memories by visiting for the day, although to really enjoy the city you need to prepare off the internet or stay longer. I would recommend at least one night stay in Mainz. Hotels are expensive but you can look on AirBnB or other websites. There is a nice hostel in Mainz too. A day ticket for Mainz is paramount if you take at least 3 trips. If you have more time, you can use the same ticket to see Wiesbaden, the capital city of Hesse. Wiesbaden is located at the foot of the Taunus Mountain range and used to be a famous spa city for German and American nobilities .

Antique excavations near Fort Malakoff and Lothar Passage mall:
Mainz dates back to more than 2000 years and there are many excavations not yet discovered. Two antique Roman excavations were found by accident as the city started to build shopping malls. The Roman Theatre ruines are just opposite Fort Malakoff at the Bahnhof Süd(train station south).The ruines were so vast and gigantic that they cancelled the whole construction of the mall. The second one was at Lothar Passage shopping malls. The Roman Isis temple ruines were found by accident. Unlike Südbahnhof they went on with the shopping mall from where you can enter a shop with Roman books, wines and other artefacts. Just walk down the steps going down to the Isis temple ruines

Malakoff, Roman Theatre, Rhine walk, Fischtorplatz, Dom, Augustinerstr
From Malakoff shopping mall, you are ready to start your walk past the beautiful small parks, old houses and medieval fortress Reduit while enjoying the other site of the river. There is a Rewe shop in the Malakoff mall to buy your beer and food. Have a beer on the steps by the Rhineside between Fort Malakoff and Hyatt Hotel. This way you can save your money for a pub.

Continue your walk and have a short break at Holzturm(wood tower) and continue walking until you reach Fischtorplatz. The Dom(Cathedral) will be your point of orientation on the left-hand side. Walk past the large Cathedral square(Liebfrauenplatz) towards Höfchen(small court), the center of the city. Here you can find any type of cafe you would enjoy.The real old town Augustiner Str with medieval half-timbered houses and cafes starts after the Höfchen(small court) to the left side.

Spend some time walking the Augustiner Str, the real Mainz old town where you can view many medieval half-timbered houses and the Agustiner church and priest seminary. You will find many places to have a drink but my favourite is the Domgickel, Klingelbeutel. and Weinhaus Blum, located a bit off Augustiner Str. The Altstadt Cafe has nice food and is not extremely expensive. At the end of Augustiner str you can view the Baroque church St Ignaz, their oven-shaped catacombes and more typical Mainz wine holes. Turn left direction Holzturm and you will be back at the Malakoff area where you can enjoy beer gardens in the evening. Takes at least 2 hours and more.

Make sure you have a day ticket for the bus to travel back and forth. This is the website that can help you find your way:
http://www.rmv.de

Dom, Ludwigstr, Mainz opera, Schillerplatz, Gaustr, St Stephan, Kupferberg
Starting from the Dom, you can also walk Ludwigstr towards Schillerplatz where you can walk into Gaustr. and walk up the hill to St Stephan church. The Mainz Balkon on Ludwigstr opposite Mainz opera is a new grill pub restaurant overlooking  most important sights of Mainz.  From Schillerplatz you can walk up the Kupferbergterasse or join a guided tour at the Kupferberg Sektkellerei( sparkling wine manufacturer). From here you can easily walk to St Stephan church.

This church is famous for its Chagall windows which Marc Chagall donated to the archbishopry of Mainz for excellent cooperation with the Jewish community. On a sunny day, the whole church turns blue when the sun shines through these windows. There is also a synagoge in Mainz if you have the time to view it.My favourite breakfast cafe is 'Dicke Lilli Gutes Kind' in the Gaustr. .Takes around 2-3 hours or more

A short summary you can hopefully enjoy within a couple of hours:
1.Fort Malakoff, steps for picnic, stroll along the Rhine side, inner city incl Dom(cathedral), architecture, other cafes, old town Augustiner Str . At least two hours including relaxing breaks.
2.Dom, Ludwigstr, Schillerplatz and St Stephan church. Cafe 'Dicke Lilli Gutes Kind' in the Gaustr., Kupferberterasse and sektkellerei

If you have more time or would like to focus on the Rhineside only, you can start your walk in the Neustadt area, see a less touristy area where mostly locals chill out in the grassy areas. You can start at the "Kaisertor" at the end of the Kaiserstraße which is part of the former fortress built by Napoleon. Here you can see nice grassy areas, flowers, picnic tables which are beautiful but far less refined than the area between fischtorplatz and Malakoff Shopping mall. Walk past the new town or Neustadt where you can still see some of the old houses, past the old town with view on the cathedral(Dom), past Malakoff passage area straight through to the Stadtpark(City park), a beautiful park with a large enough rose garden with marvelous views on the Rhine from high up. Apparently the Neustadt area has been bombed a lot more than the area near Malakoff Shopping Mall and Hyatt Hotel.

You can still see a lot in 6 hours but you have to rush and this is not pleasant at all.There is the famous hustling and bustling Mainz farmer's market on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday


Mainz official website:
www.mainz.de

What to do in Mainz in a day

Somebody asked me what to do when they only have 5 hours lay-over in Mainz, the city which is now dear to my heart because I have lived here longer than in any other place. Originally the title of this blog entry was "5 hours in Mainz".

Mainz, the capital city of Rhineland Palatinate is only located half an hour by train from Frankfurt Airport. However, unlike Frankfurt, Mainz is a city geographically small enough to put your arms around. You can gain good memories by visiting for the day, although to really enjoy the city you need to prepare off the internet or stay longer. I would recommend at least one night stay in Mainz. Hotels are expensive but you can look on AirBnB or other websites. There is a nice hostel in Mainz too. A day ticket for Mainz is paramount if you take at least 3 trips. If you have more time, you can use the same ticket to see Wiesbaden, the capital city of Hesse. Wiesbaden is located at the foot of the Taunus Mountain range and used to be a famous spa city for German and American nobilities .

Antique excavations near Fort Malakoff and Lothar Passage mall:
Mainz dates back to more than 2000 years and there are many excavations not yet discovered. Two antique Roman excavations were found by accident as the city started to build shopping malls. The Roman Theatre ruines are just opposite Fort Malakoff at the Bahnhof Süd(train station south).The ruines were so vast and gigantic that they cancelled the whole construction of the mall. The second one was at Lothar Passage shopping malls. The Roman Isis temple ruines were found by accident. Unlike Südbahnhof they went on with the shopping mall from where you can enter a shop with Roman books, wines and other artefacts. Just walk down the steps going down to the Isis temple ruines

Malakoff, Roman Theatre, Rhine walk, Fischtorplatz, Dom, Augustinerstr
From Malakoff shopping mall, you are ready to start your walk past the beautiful small parks, old houses and medieval fortress Reduit while enjoying the other site of the river. There is a Rewe shop in the Malakoff mall to buy your beer and food. Have a beer on the steps by the Rhineside between Fort Malakoff and Hyatt Hotel. This way you can save your money for a pub.

Continue your walk and have a short break at Holzturm(wood tower) and continue walking until you reach Fischtorplatz. The Dom(Cathedral) will be your point of orientation on the left-hand side. Walk past the large Cathedral square(Liebfrauenplatz) towards Höfchen(small court), the center of the city. Here you can find any type of cafe you would enjoy.The real old town Augustiner Str with medieval half-timbered houses and cafes starts after the Höfchen(small court) to the left side.

Spend some time walking the Augustiner Str, the real Mainz old town where you can view many medieval half-timbered houses and the Agustiner church and priest seminary. You will find many places to have a drink but my favourite is the Domgickel, Klingelbeutel. and Weinhaus Blum, located a bit off Augustiner Str. The Altstadt Cafe has nice food and is not extremely expensive. At the end of Augustiner str you can view the Baroque church St Ignaz, their oven-shaped catacombes and more typical Mainz wine holes. Turn left direction Holzturm and you will be back at the Malakoff area where you can enjoy beer gardens in the evening. Takes at least 2 hours and more.

Make sure you have a day ticket for the bus to travel back and forth. This is the website that can help you find your way:
http://www.rmv.de

Dom, Ludwigstr, Mainz opera, Schillerplatz, Gaustr, St Stephan, Kupferberg
Starting from the Dom, you can also walk Ludwigstr towards Schillerplatz where you can walk into Gaustr. and walk up the hill to St Stephan church. The Mainz Balkon on Ludwigstr opposite Mainz opera is a new grill pub restaurant overlooking  most important sights of Mainz.  From Schillerplatz you can walk up the Kupferbergterasse or join a guided tour at the Kupferberg Sektkellerei( sparkling wine manufacturer). From here you can easily walk to St Stephan church.

This church is famous for its Chagall windows which Marc Chagall donated to the archbishopry of Mainz for excellent cooperation with the Jewish community. On a sunny day, the whole church turns blue when the sun shines through these windows. There is also a synagoge in Mainz if you have the time to view it.My favourite breakfast cafe is 'Dicke Lilli Gutes Kind' in the Gaustr. .Takes around 2-3 hours or more

A short summary you can hopefully enjoy within a couple of hours:
1.Fort Malakoff, steps for picnic, stroll along the Rhine side, inner city incl Dom(cathedral), architecture, other cafes, old town Augustiner Str . At least two hours including relaxing breaks.
2.Dom, Ludwigstr, Schillerplatz and St Stephan church. Cafe 'Dicke Lilli Gutes Kind' in the Gaustr., Kupferberterasse and sektkellerei

If you have more time or would like to focus on the Rhineside only, you can start your walk at Frauenlobplatz in the Neustadt area and walk past the old town with view on the cathedral(Dom), past Malakoff passage area straight through to the Stadtpark(City park), a beautiful park with a large enough rose garden with marvelous views on the Rhine from high up

You can still see a lot in 6 hours but you have to rush and this is not pleasant at all.There is the famous hustling and bustling Mainz farmer's market on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday


Mainz official website:
www.mainz.de