Day: June 17, 2016

Luxemburg City, Luxemburg

Luxemburg City was an overnight stop from Switzerland to Amsterdam. We arrived at about 5:00.  Marcia immediately put the washer/dryer to work.  Marcia, Ella, Rachel and I went to dinner.  Sarah opted to stay in the apartment.

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Our apartment in Luxemburg City.  I backed the car into the opening because it was raining when we left in the morning.
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A view of the train station in Luxemburg City, which was near our apartment.

While approaching Brussels, google kindly notified us of an accident clogging traffic on our route.  Marcia clicked on the suggested alternative route.  Plan B led us off the beaten path to a wonderful neighborhood restaurant (left photo below).  Shortly after we ordered, the waitress brought five small spoons.  Marcia asked about the red substance on the spoons. The waitress said, “American beef.”  I asked whether it was tartare and the waitress said yes with a big smile.  Since all the other tables had been served the same tartare beef, I decided to throw caution to the wind and try raw beef.  Much to my surprise it had a pleasant texture, coarser than ground beef, but not a solid chunk of meat. Marcia had asparagus croquettes while I had the vegetarian salad (with the other four spoons).

The above picture to the right is a photo of a fence.  Interesting.

 

Lake Thunersee, Switzerland

The morning started sunny and in the mid-sixties.  The perfect morning on the lake gave way to on and off drizzle.  We missed the boat we intended to take from Hiltenfingen to Interlaken. Fortunately, there was another boat 90 minutes later.  With the extra time we bought some bread and pastries for breakfast.  We sat at Pier 17 and watched 12 young kids individually take out 12 Optimist sailboats.  Once they were clear of the dock, pairs of high school-aged kids went out in sailboats with spinnakers.  The wind was gusty and they handled their boats well, hiking out over a well healed sailboat so their bodies were parallel with the surface fo the water.

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It is hard to differentiate the snowcapped mountains from the clouds in middle of the picture. The picture was taken while we cruising from point to point in a large boat.
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While cruising the lake, Rachel and Sarah had a contest to see who could hold their nose the longest.  After at least 20 minutes they called it a tie.
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When we returned from the boat ride, Sarah and Rachel took advantage of the playground at Hotel Bellevue in Hilterfingen. There was a light rain but they were not bothered.
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Rachel strikes a pose.  You would not know there was a light rain.

Trummelbach Falls

The next day Marcia, Ella, Rachel and I drove 45 minutes to Trummelbach Falls. It is unique in that over many years the falls cut various channels through solid rock. The power of the water is captured in the below video.