Gate at the Luxembourg-American Cemetery

Tuesday, 11 August. The Rhapsody tied up at Traben about 8:00 a.m. Again the morning was cool, overcast and rainy. We left by bus on the optional tour of Luxembourg at 8:30 and arrived at the Luxembourg-American Cemetery and Memorial in Hamm just before 10:00. The Cemetery Administrator led us on a tour. There are 5075 graves, many casualties of the Battle of the Bulge. Lt. General George S. Patton, who died in a car accident in Heidelberg after the war, is buried here. The bus then took us to the Sandweiler German War Cemetery a mile away. There are nearly 11,000 graves there. The contrast between the crosses in the two cemeteries was striking, the American ones gleaming white marble, the German ones dull gray stone.
 

 

Grave of General Patton

Looking back toward the gate

Sandweiler German War Cemetery

It was 11:30 before we finally got into Luxembourg City. A local guide led on a one hour walking tour, including Notre Dame Cathedral (begun 1613), the Grand Ducal Palace (begun 1572 but greatly expanded & modified), and the City Hall (1830). We had a delicious lunch in a local restaurant featuring a large quiche Lorraine, followed by dessert and some really outstanding coffee. ("Best I've ever tasted." - Jane) Then we were on our own.
 

Notre Dame Cathedral

Gate & statue of Queen Beatrix

The Grand Ducal Palace (no guards today)

Luxembourg City Hall

Jane and I thought we'd visit the Petrusse Casemates, an elaborate network of underground fortifications (1644). (We'd seen them on our visit here in 1961.) We got as far as the ticket window when we saw a sign cautioning about the hundreds of steep steps to be climbed. Jane said she could never make it, so we gave up that idea. We were near the Place de la Constitution, on the edge of the city center (Centre), so we walked to the edge for a view.

Jane at railing above the Petrusse Valley Looking toward the Adophe Bridge

Luxembourg City has some very unusual topography. The Centre district was built on a high plateau separated from the surrounding area by deep valleys. These valleys are now spanned by long bridges that connect the various parts of the city. We were standing between the Adolphe Bridge and the Passerelle Viaduct, looking into the Petrusse River Valley and across at the Gare district. We walked past the Casino as far as the Adolph Bridge but realized we wouldn't have enough time to go further because we had to be on the bus at 3:00.

 

Villages in the Mosel Valley

 

Once the bus was on the highway that followed the Mosel, we had great views of the villages below us along the river. The sun even started to come out as we reached Traben a little before 5:00. While Jane rested, I immediately went out for a quick look around. Traben is right across the Mosel from Trarbach, connected by a bridge with a fancy towered gate on the Trarbach side. Like Bernkastel and Kues, the two villages are now a single entity. The ruins of the Grevenburg Castle loom over Trarbach. I only had about 20 minutes before I had to be back on board but, being alone, I managed to see quite a bit, mostly on the Trarbach side.


 

Looking across at Trarbach

Bridge gate on Trarbach side

Looking back at Traben

Grevenburg ruins above Trarbach

The ship sailed for Boppard at 5:30. Dinner was at 7:00 as usual. 

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