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LUXEMBOURG CITIES
The
Moselle Valley, just east of Luxembourg City, is one of Europe's most
idyllic wine producing regions. The Moselle was canalised in 1964 and
links the Grand Duchy to larger European waterways.
The nation's motto is inscribed everywhere
throughout the capital : "Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sin - We want to remain
what we are".
Only 82 km long and 58 km wide, Luxembourg
is slightly smaller than the US state of Rhode Island and not much longer
than metropolitan London.
Still, its borders encompass 2586 km² of
varied landscapes, from forested highlands in the north to rolling farmland
and vineyards in the south.
The capital, Luxembourg City, is 294 km
east of Paris, 190 km southeast of Brussels and 176 km west of Frankfurt.
Northeast of the capital, the Müllerthal region is Luxembourg's 'Little
Switzerland', an area of predictable charm.
Müllerthal (Little Switzerland)
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Centered around the old Christian town of Echternach,
in a pocket of woodland northeast of the capital, the area's hiking,
cycling and rock climbing also make it one of the most touristed
areas in the country. If you're in Echternach on Whitsunday (the
7th Sunday after Easter), wave your hankies with the locals celebrating
the pageant of St. Willibrord, Luxembourg's only saint, who
lived in town in the 8th century. His mortal remains now lie in
a white marble sarcophagus in the town's basilica.
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Moselle Valley
Wine
tasting is the obvious attraction of the Moselle Valley, and if you like
sweet, fruity whites, then the trip is well worthwhile. The valley's Route
du Vin, or Wine Road, begins at Wasserbillig and follows the Moselle River
south through the wine region's capital at Grevenmacher and beyond to
the picturesque villages of Wormeldange, Remich and Schengen (42 km).
Each village celebrates nearly all stages of the wine-making process during
the festival season from August through November.
The beautiful Moselle River, which marks
southern Luxembourg's border with Germany, is known to locals as the 'Wine
River'. April through September, its waters are plied daily by the MV
Princesse Marie-Astrid, a tourist boat that hits all the major sipping-spots
from Schengen (Pact from 14th June 1985), at the southernmost tip
of Luxembourg, to Bernkastel, Germany.
The French writer, Victor Hugo, made a
design with pencil from the castle of Schengen in 1871. The design is
nowadays on a wine label.
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