Another cold day as we set out to walk around town again. A bit warmer than yesterday, but still with a wind that felt like it would blow through you no matter how many layers you were wearing. We still set out in the afternoon today, but walked down a different path than we took the day before; down towards Grund, a part of town we looked out over yesterday.
Our path started down a bike trail that went past some older houses, their gardens, and by an area where they are expanding a train bridge. I had seen the bridge from the higher ground yesterday. There were a lot of frozen footprints and bike treads in the ice covering the paths and bridge, meaning lots of people were still out walking and riding. I have seen several bikers, walkers, and runners out since I came here, although that is something I'm used to seeing back in Iowa.
Today is also Liichtmëssdag, a sort of candle mass, where children have paper lanterns that they carry around door-to-door and sing songs. They then are given candy or even money sometimes. We saw a few groups out, despite the cold wind. The largest group consisted of 8-9 kids and a couple adults.
We then began to walk up a very long hill, which I am told is where the Tour de Luxembourg (bike race) must pass. I couldn't imagine trying to climb that one on a bike. Even walking was quite the chore, but the area was beautiful. We then passed through the original town gate.
We took shelter in the oldest church in Luxembourg, Mëchelskierch (St. Michael's Church) for a few minutes to try to warm up. It was built in 987, and then reconstructed several times before the present day.
The next place we walked through were the remainders of the outer walls of the old town back when it was still a fortress. This took up most of the rest of our trip. The views into the valley were amazing, especially because the sun was beginning to set, and cast light on some places and shadow on others. We could see the bridges, the newer buildings from yesterday, the older buildings, the houses, and the historic streets and walls of the castle.
Our last stop was a souvenir shop, where I bought a keychain and a Luxembourg flag. I felt like a major tourist after this point. We took the bus home again, and then I hid under the covers for quite awhile, trying to warm up. The tea at dinner completely took care of the chills.
I am still not sure what we are doing tomorrow, Charel is still busy trying to decide. We will see what the weather holds tomorrow.
Full picture album from today is here:
Grund and Old Town
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