Vianden

I'm waayy behind on this blog but will try to catch up in the next week or two (don't hold your breath, though).  We have been busy in the past month trying to see as much as we can before our two years is up. I know, I know, we just got here, but there's a lot to see -- and we don't want to miss any of it.

Most of our outings have been short day trips around Luxembourg, Belgium or France, but we did take a longer venture to Paris.  That deserves a post all its own.  Near future, I promise.

One of my favorite outings was to Vianden on a rainy Sunday a few weeks ago.  It's reputed to be the most magnificent castle in Luxembourg, and it didn't disappoint.  Well, except maybe Will who says he's "had enough of castles."  (He'd seen all of two, but I guess to a five-year-old boy, that's enough.)

It's perched atop a huge hill, essentially dominating the skyline from any point in the little town:

It also offered spectacular views over the valleys below:

And nice window seats that allowed little girls to indulge fantasies of being princesses:

And plenty of suits of armor and scary, medieval weapons to interest little boys:

(I just noticed how the reflective trim of Will's jacket glows with the camera flash.  How funny!)

Gargoyles or other interesting creatures hung from the top of the castle:

And there were lots of great photo ops to make Mom happy (not that the kids were thrilled about it, but they mostly cooperated):

Apparently, Victor Hugo lived and wrote in Vianden for a few years and you can visit his house, which has been turned into a museum.  Being a big fan of Les Miserables, I wanted to see it.  But we didn't.  Grumpy, tired, cold kids aren't much interested in seeing the former homes of 19th century French writers.  Go figure.  Maybe next time.

There's also a telesiege (chairlift) to whisk you up to the top of the hill, but it was closed when we were there so we had to make our way to the top the hard way.  Maybe next time.

And there's an adventure park complete with rope courses and zip lines that let you whiz around the forest.  But it was closed too.  Maybe next time...or maybe not.

Bottom line, though, there will be a next time.  We're just going to wait a few months to let Will regain his enthusiasm for castles.  Or maybe letting him fly through the forest on a zip line will do the trick.