September 8th Wednesday: Rain showers on and off all day: 12 – 15 degrees Celsius
Breakfast was included with our room at the Eden au Lac, so we enjoyed their elegant buffet breakfast in the fancy dining room under the white Murano glass chandelier. The Eden au Lac Hotel (I never saw the lake!) was really a resort where people went to spend a week or at least several days. They ate all their meals there, walked on the trails, swam in the pool, sat in the lounge, and did whatever else resort people did. The hotel people tolerated us transient people, because they weren’t fully booked, but they really weren’t especially happy with us…. They kept inviting us to come back when we had more time to spend more time there, etcetera. Actually, our room was on the “warn” side. It had seen better days. However, the bathroom had been totally updated with new fixtures and shiny gray marble walls and floor. The bathroom was so modern that it didn’t match the dated, but cozy, bedroom.
Luxembourg Countryside
We checked out about 10:00 and drove north along the good Luxembourg roads. We had read about some castles or “chateaus” along the N-10 road and wanted to see them. The weather was cloudy with large dark clouds passing quickly overhead.
The Chateau Beaufort
The first was Chateau de Beaufort, located about 6 kilometers off the main road in a lovely valley. Beaufort is a lovely town with a population of about 1,370 people. The castle was built in the 12th century and restored by the governor of Luxembourg in the 16th century. Today, it is mainly in ruins, but has a restaurant and a few empty rooms to explore. Although the light was not so good because of the clouds, we still took photos of the outside. We decided not to go into the chateau but to continue driving.
An Intersection in Luxembourg
The weather seemed to improve and the sun peeked out intermittently. We drove on the E-421north of Diekirch and onward to the Chateau Bourscheid.
The Chateau Bourscheid
This castle was in better condition than the Beaufort due to the fact that it had been recently renovated and was owned and operated by the government today. The Chateau Bourscheid has its origins in the 11th century, when it consisted of a tower building linked to a chapel. The long surrounding wall with its watchtowers was completed in 1384 when a separate residential building was designed for the masters of Bourscheid.
It was threatening rain so we decided not to pay the entrance fee and go into the chateau and we walked back down the hill to the parking lot. We continued north along the main north/south N-7 road through the beautiful countryside of Luxembourg.
The Luxembourg Highway
The land is hilly and there are many fields and farms in the distance. It is a pleasant road which goes through many small and lovely villages.
We crossed the border back into the Netherlands (Holland) several hours later and followed the signs to the city of Maastricht. We had a frustrating time trying to find the Crown Plaza Hotel because of their vague directions on the Internet, which stated that the hotel was along the river on Ruiterij #1.
The Bridge Over the Maas River
The directions left out the fact that you could not drive along the riverbank, and that the Ruiterij street was a small cul de sac located just in front of the hotel.
Houses Along the Maas River in Maastricht, NL
We found the hotel by some stroke of luck Jeff spotted it from the other side of the river and we figured out how to get there on a car bridge and we finally checked in.
Typical Street in Maastricht
We went out in the late afternoon to explore and find a restaurant for dinner. We found the main market square which was lined with restaurants on one side.
Markt Square
We chose a restaurant and had a good dinner. “Frites” (French fries) seem to come with every meal no matter what you order, which is OK since they’re so good! But there’s no ketchup – just mayonnaise and salt. Maastricht is a pretty city and the historic center is a fun place to explore.
The View From Our Table in the Markt