Relaxing Weekends

The weather here has been unique the past two weeks. Following a mid-week filled with gray clouds, cold, and rain, the weekend rolls around and brings in the warm weather and sunshine. Needless to say that our "training" from living in Seattle for many years has proven to be very helpful as we navigate the weather changes. On the first nice weekend, we ventured back to Echternach, Luxembourg to seek out the popular "lake" in the middle of the city.....or large village, depending on who you ask. For those readers from Seattle, picture Green Lake on a day where there is no clouds in the sky and the temperature in the high 70's (21 Celsius for our non-US readers). One of the main attractions near the lake in Echternach is the Roman Villa where upon paying a few Euro's you can walk among the restored foundations and imagine what life was like living there some 2,000 years ago.


There is only one thing that can help keep you cool while walking around in the heat: ice cream. If you fancy ice cream, then Echternach will not disappoint. For less than 2 Euro you can stop by one of the many ice cream stands located throughout the village and pick up a tasty treat. I opted for Vanilla because it just sounded good at the time.

One of the most amazing sights of the day came from watching the "tour train" navigate the narrow streets of Echternach. The main walkway is filled with people, especially after a swarm of buses filled with tourists shows up. It does not take long for the walkway to become crowded and difficult to navigate. After making our way up through the crowd in search of dinner, we found a great restaurant that offered patio seating. Perfect. Not long after we sit down do we hear this strange bell ringing. It's getting closer. Wait, why are people moving to the side in that narrow street. Holy cow......it's a miniature train with 3 cars attached filled with tourists. The impressive part, I must say, is how the driver navigated the tightest left-hand turn I have ever seen. Not one person was hit and this guy looked didn't look nervous at all....yet another example of how good these kids are behind the wheel.