August 2017.
Summer of this year is just setting on its horizon. And I have the last opportunity to venture in Europe before I travel to Calcutta for Durga Puja.
The advantage of being on a lookout for something different is - you always end up finding the most awkward yet beautiful, splendid yet less touristy places. Mullerthal trail in Luxembourg is one such place.
Luexmbourg is one of the smallest states in Europe and it is one of Europe's landlocked country i.e the country is surrounded by land on all its sides. The capital city of the country, also called Luxembourg is a mix of old and new Europe. On one hand it has evidence of WorlWarII trenches and war shelters, medieval architecture, 18th century arched bridges and cathedrals; On the other hand, it has broad streets, modern museums, planned gardens, electronic automobiles, private jet hangars and so on.
A little far from the capital city, bordering Germany lies the sub-region called Mullerthal. It is also referred to as the Luxembourg's Little Switzerland. Its a long stretch of over 100Km over the green mountains and valleys, crossing streams, waterfalls, forests on the mountains. It is this green trail with breathtaking views that we were about to hike.
But Alas! The day we arrived at Mullerthal, the region received a scanty rainfall. It was more like a drizzle than a heavy shower. But the local tourist office warned us that the weather looked dicey and the mountain routes were very slippery. They didn't allow us to do the hike we wanted to. There are 3 Routes in that region that you can hike. We wanted to do Route 3 which is the longest, most adventurous and more scenic than Route 1 & 2. I was absolutely disappointed. Being adamant about doing a hike, we were at last given permission to do half of the Route 2. We set off on our feet with a snickers bar and a bottle of water.
The trail we followed was a short 14-15 KM hike with lots of ups and downs, typical hilly routes through forests and green pastures and some occasional streams and ponds. It did not have any gorgeous waterfall or deep thrilling gorges but it was more than enough to uplift our mood. Having showered in rain, the green mountains looked greener and brighter. It was nature at its best. My hiking shoes might not agree with this statement as it was struggling with the frequent muddy glop at times.
The path was pretty empty, partly because of the rain, partly because this place was still safe from the commercial tourism. Exactly the kind I love.
We did not stop en-route and at the end of the hike, after all the uphills and downhills, our legs were pretty knackered. My friend even got a bad twitch in his left foot which troubled him for a few days later.
Our hike being done, we roamed around the cafe and the market places of the area. The whole attitude of the region seemed very relaxed; could be because it was on the weekend. The rain started picking up and my specs needed constant wiping. Finally I ended up buying an umbrella from one of the shops. If you know me, you would know, I somehow hate carrying umbrellas. :/
Inspite of all the rain and the initial dissappointment, the Mullerthal day was well spent. I had this hearty longing to come back to this place again someday to finish the hike I wanted to do. It was lovely.
The luxembourg city was equally interesting. The worldwarII tunnels and the shelters were amazing. You enter this cave like big stony structure and walk through the shady cave ways. As you make your way through it, it reveals itself like a very well thought out maze. Its absolutely different inside from its exterior look. The small holes that were used as windows and the holes that were used for firing in defence tell you tales of a difficult yet impressive past. What impresseses you is the intelligence and the perseverance of human beings when they are pushed to their extreme.
The city maintained its medieval look by preserving the royal palaces and buildings, arched bridges over the river.The city is very well planned with its broad parallel streets meeting the high streets at every junction. The high streets were lively with some random open air performances scattered here and there. There was a couple on a bicycle performing a balancing/dancing act with music; a middle aged man singing English songs and selling his Audio CDs; two tall men dressed as clowns and so on. Worth mentioning is a smallish French patisserie where we had an almond croissant each and a cafe called 'Paul' having the best coffee ever! My friend has become the biggest almond croissant fan from that day onward!
The long weekend got over so quickly that it felt like our trip came to an abrupt end. We were staying in IBIS which was very close to the airport. After a brisk 2.5 days, we were there in the same airport again waiting for our flight back to England.
However, my heart is still lurking in the winding trails of Mullerthal. I want to go back again and I want to hike along those big green beauties.
Summer of this year is just setting on its horizon. And I have the last opportunity to venture in Europe before I travel to Calcutta for Durga Puja.
The advantage of being on a lookout for something different is - you always end up finding the most awkward yet beautiful, splendid yet less touristy places. Mullerthal trail in Luxembourg is one such place.
Luexmbourg is one of the smallest states in Europe and it is one of Europe's landlocked country i.e the country is surrounded by land on all its sides. The capital city of the country, also called Luxembourg is a mix of old and new Europe. On one hand it has evidence of WorlWarII trenches and war shelters, medieval architecture, 18th century arched bridges and cathedrals; On the other hand, it has broad streets, modern museums, planned gardens, electronic automobiles, private jet hangars and so on.
A little far from the capital city, bordering Germany lies the sub-region called Mullerthal. It is also referred to as the Luxembourg's Little Switzerland. Its a long stretch of over 100Km over the green mountains and valleys, crossing streams, waterfalls, forests on the mountains. It is this green trail with breathtaking views that we were about to hike.
But Alas! The day we arrived at Mullerthal, the region received a scanty rainfall. It was more like a drizzle than a heavy shower. But the local tourist office warned us that the weather looked dicey and the mountain routes were very slippery. They didn't allow us to do the hike we wanted to. There are 3 Routes in that region that you can hike. We wanted to do Route 3 which is the longest, most adventurous and more scenic than Route 1 & 2. I was absolutely disappointed. Being adamant about doing a hike, we were at last given permission to do half of the Route 2. We set off on our feet with a snickers bar and a bottle of water.
The trail we followed was a short 14-15 KM hike with lots of ups and downs, typical hilly routes through forests and green pastures and some occasional streams and ponds. It did not have any gorgeous waterfall or deep thrilling gorges but it was more than enough to uplift our mood. Having showered in rain, the green mountains looked greener and brighter. It was nature at its best. My hiking shoes might not agree with this statement as it was struggling with the frequent muddy glop at times.
The path was pretty empty, partly because of the rain, partly because this place was still safe from the commercial tourism. Exactly the kind I love.
We did not stop en-route and at the end of the hike, after all the uphills and downhills, our legs were pretty knackered. My friend even got a bad twitch in his left foot which troubled him for a few days later.
Our hike being done, we roamed around the cafe and the market places of the area. The whole attitude of the region seemed very relaxed; could be because it was on the weekend. The rain started picking up and my specs needed constant wiping. Finally I ended up buying an umbrella from one of the shops. If you know me, you would know, I somehow hate carrying umbrellas. :/
Inspite of all the rain and the initial dissappointment, the Mullerthal day was well spent. I had this hearty longing to come back to this place again someday to finish the hike I wanted to do. It was lovely.
The luxembourg city was equally interesting. The worldwarII tunnels and the shelters were amazing. You enter this cave like big stony structure and walk through the shady cave ways. As you make your way through it, it reveals itself like a very well thought out maze. Its absolutely different inside from its exterior look. The small holes that were used as windows and the holes that were used for firing in defence tell you tales of a difficult yet impressive past. What impresseses you is the intelligence and the perseverance of human beings when they are pushed to their extreme.
The city maintained its medieval look by preserving the royal palaces and buildings, arched bridges over the river.The city is very well planned with its broad parallel streets meeting the high streets at every junction. The high streets were lively with some random open air performances scattered here and there. There was a couple on a bicycle performing a balancing/dancing act with music; a middle aged man singing English songs and selling his Audio CDs; two tall men dressed as clowns and so on. Worth mentioning is a smallish French patisserie where we had an almond croissant each and a cafe called 'Paul' having the best coffee ever! My friend has become the biggest almond croissant fan from that day onward!
The long weekend got over so quickly that it felt like our trip came to an abrupt end. We were staying in IBIS which was very close to the airport. After a brisk 2.5 days, we were there in the same airport again waiting for our flight back to England.
However, my heart is still lurking in the winding trails of Mullerthal. I want to go back again and I want to hike along those big green beauties.
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