Vianden, Luxembourg

Tuesday, we took a couple of days off, and made a 3-night trip to the town of Vianden, in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is about 4 hours by train, followed by a half-hour by bus, into the heart of the mountainous country of Luxembourg. Dark forests, deep gorges, running mountain streams, lakes, orchards, and farms, dotted with little tiny towns of about a thousand people each every few miles. The town of Vianden, founded in Roman times, is located less than a mile from the German border, about two hours north of the city of Luxembourg. It is the site of the Castle of the County of Vianden, who is the ancestor of the house of Orange-Nassau, from which William of Orange (and today's Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands) are descended. The castle is on the mountain above the town.

The buildings and architecture in Luxembourg are very different from Flanders, which in turn is even different from the Wallonian part of Belgium. Luxembourgish architecture, even the brick and stone buildings, are covered in stucco which in turn is painted in various colors. The Luxembourgians keep their towns clean and neat.

However, many of the Luxembourgians had an "attitude", somewhat arrogant and superior. Of course, Luxembourg has the highest per-capita income of any European country, has one of the lowest tax rates, lowest unemployment rates, and highest standards of living. So I guess they have a reason for feeling superior: they are.

Overall, however, most people we met were nice. Vianden is a tourist town, and we met many nice and wonderful people from all over Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, England, and even Alaska! French is heard as often as German. Luxembourgish is a combination of German and Dutch, and is different from both -- to the point of being considered its own language.

The castle has been fully restored and is kept in pristine condition by the government of Luxembourg as a national monument.