Echternach, Luxemburg

We took a drive this past weekend to the oldest town in Luxemburg: Echternach. It was founded in 698 by the Anglo-Saxon missionary Williburd and is surrounded by great hikes, the Sauer river, and is absolutely beautiful. Walking into the main marketplace, we realized there was a run held earlier that morning. Since our French is still a "work in progress" we assumed this race was only for kids (taking note of the signs for a 1K).

Some of the great sights in Echternacht include the Basilica, the abbey, and the Rococo. The weather for our visit was perfect: sun, no clouds, and about 70 degrees (21 Celsius for the non-US readers). We took advantage of the many benches in the city park near the Rococo and bathed in the sun while watching the Sauer flow by.

City Park (with Andrea enjoying the sun on the bench)

More city park views

The Rocco in the background in the city park

View of Echternach

Basilica

We found a great Italian restaurant for lunch and were lucky enough to find a table in the back "patio". One of the coolest lunch experiences yet.

Energy restored, we changed the footwear and headed out on the Mullerthal Trail (http://www.mullerthal-trail.lu/). Each of the trails offer amazing views if you have the time. We decided to head out on the Walking Trail 1 that begins near the Echternach marketplace. A few K's in, we came upon the Wolfsschlucht (or Wolves Canyon).

On the far side of Wolves Canyon there are two different vantage points that you can climb up to. The stairs reminded me of climbing Haystack rock on Mt. Si because it was that steep. You would never find anything this steep and precarious in the states without a HUGE warning sign.....

The view atop the Wolves Canyon is impressive. Here we are looking towards the next town of Berdorf.

Hiking back to Echternach we noticed the woods were quite sparse when compared to the Pacific Northwest. No ferns, no bushes, etc.

There is much more to see in Echternach (the Roman Villa for example) and many more trails to explore so we know our return will be soon. Perhaps next time we will remember to bring our French translation book.....nah, where is the fun in knowing what the signs are telling you??!!