6/7 Vianden

The town is a premier tourist attraction of Luxembourg and on the street an international blend of languages can be heard and the shops are accommodating of this. It's a pretty town dominated by the river and the castle overlooking on the hill. And of course we immediately set off to tour the castle but found the city old, picturesque and delightful - lined with old buildings and homes as the street winds it's way to the castle. The castle itself fell into ruin and was popularized by author Victor Hugo who lived in the castle ruin some months in the 1870s. The town has a museum and statue to Victor Hugo. The castle ruin was rebuilt in recent years and the self guided tour with an English guidebook was worthwhile. For the photographer it's particularly fun! The history can be google searched so I won't delve into it here. The city is backed by an old wall which drops back into town and provides a nice scenic alternative to the busy street. We had lunch at a corner cafe where we ate salads - salmon and a Ceasar , and watched the spectacle of trucks buses and cars negotiating the tight corner. We then walked over and rode the chairlift to the top of the hill above the castle- the wind picked up and a few drops threatened as dark clouds formed so back down and to the hotel we went for a nap ( it is a rest day). Tammy performs the Quigg maneuver which we named for our trail acquaintance Chris Quigg, who suggested lying on the back with legs elevated to combat foot swelling. Seems to work for awhile. We dined at an Italian restaurant on a terrace beside the river . We enjoyed talking with our friendly Portuguese waiter and I ate a regional lamb rib roast while Tammy ate pizza- the leftovers of which packed away nicely for lunch the next day.