Weekend day-trips

Its amazing how fast a week can go by in my new "unemployed" way of life!  There has been so much to write about but Alex and I have been trying to get settled and complete the "arrival checklist" that I've been quite busy! 

I want to catch you up on our fantastic first weekend in Luxembourg: our Saturday trip to the Vianden Castle and a Sunday afternoon drive through the wine country of the Moselle region of Luxembourg.  Though we still have SO much to discover in Luxembourg City, Alex and I were in the mood to explore a few other parts of this beautiful country.  Here are a few things we found...

Saturday:
The Vianden Castle (built between the 12th and 14th centuries) is about 40 minutes north of Luxembourg City.  The quaint little town, on the edge of the German border, is situated right beside a river making it so charming and lovely.  Here are a few pictures of the castle, itself...

(Yep, I'm sure the coat looks familiar :) So excited that our air shipment - the rest of my clothes - arrives in a few days!)

(These adorable little sheep were beside the road on the way home and I made Alex pull over :)

Sunday:
After church on Sunday (we were blessed to find a really nice, English-speaking one!), Alex and I took a drive East toward the wine country.  The wine region of Luxembourg is called the Moselle, named after the Moselle River, which serves as the border between Luxembourg and Germany.  The Moselle is known for white wines - specifically reisling and champagne.  Vineyards and wineries dot the banks of the river for miles and the sight was absolutely breathtaking!

Alex and I started our journey in Remich, one of the "larger" and more southern Moselle communities.  The first "cave" (cellar) we found was appropriately named St. Martin's so, of course, we stopped :)  The gentleman inside the "cave" let us taste as many wines as we wanted and we ended up taking two bottles home.  After our tasting, Alex and I decided to drive up the Moselle to check out other caves for future trips and the scenery continued to amaze us...

So that, everyone, is just a hint of what you have to look forward to if/when you come visit us!  Alex and I are really anticipating harvest in the fall because we hear the vineyards are even more gorgeous when they are full of grapes!

On one last note, today is Good Friday and we've discovered that Easter is celebrated in a huge way in Western Europe and Luxembourg.  Schools are closed for 2 weeks and businesses take today and/or Monday off in honor of the holiday.  It is so refreshing to find that Easter is a very important time of contemplation and celebration for this culture.  May we remember that our faith is grounded in the miracle that occured so many years ago on Easter and my our hearts delight in the redemption that is now ours because of it. 

Love until next time...Melanie