Wonderful Weekend in Luxembourg

Hannah and I decided to stay in Luxembourg this weekend in order to save money. And it's a very good thing we did. Due to a volcano erupting in Iceland, much of Europe is now covered in a large volcanic ash cloud. Because of the cloud, flights have been cancelled for the past 5 days and the airlines still have not received clearance to resume flying. I have friends who left last Wednesday or Thursday for the weekend and are now stranded in various European countries until they can find a way home. Jenn was supposed to fly to southern Italy on Friday, but her flight got cancelled so she stayed in Lux too.

Strangely enough, the weather in Luxembourg was amazing this weekend! From what I could tell (that could must be way, way in the sky) the skies looked completely clear and it was sunny and warm.

On Friday we went on a half-day school trip to Vianden, Luxembourg to visit the Vianden Castle. Honestly, I decided to tag along for the free lunch. I had already been to the castle once before but it's a pretty castle worth visiting twice (especially for free). When we got home from the trip, Hannah and I babysat Sam and Lynn.

On Saturday morning, Jenn, Han, Danie, Lynn, and I went to the street market in Lux city. There was a lot of fresh produce and many flowers being sold. Danie let us all pick out our own flower to plant in the backyard to remind her of us when we are gone. I picked out an impatient, planted it, and 24 hours later, it was dead. Typical.

We shopped around and Danie took us into a really unique store where she bought us all rings. She said she wanted us to have them as reminders of her when we're home in the US (a lot of reminding will be going on).

When we got home, we ate a delicious chicken meal and then hung outside for the rest of the afternoon. We helped Danie garden and planted our flowers. Danie made us burritos for dinner. They were SO good! I forgot how much I like tacos/burritos.

On Sunday Jenn, Han, Danie, the kids, and I took the train up north and went hiking. The plan was to get off at a stop, follow the trails to the next train station, and take that train back home. It was supposed to be about a 4 mile hike but after about 2 hours of hiking we began to get the sense that we had somehow made a wrong turn. Keep in mind this lovely hike was taken with a 4 year old and a 1.5 year old. Considering Lynn slept almost the entire time, that wasn't a huge issue (except for Danie who had to carry her), but Sam was pretty well spent. When we finally figured out where we were and where we wanted to be, we decided it would be quicker to just walk along the road back to the train station where we started. Without Sam, the walk back would have taken a little over half an hour and it would have been much longer with him. So, we flagged down a nice lady in a car (otherwise known as hitchhiking) and she agreed to take Same, Pitt, Pitt's friend, and Jenn to the train station. Danie/Lynn, Hannah, and I walked the rest of the way. We got to the station 5 minutes before the train came and then took it back home.

We ate baked potatoes and cooked asparagus for dinner. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it a lot! Danie made all of our meals for the weekend and we ate like queens. After dinner we played outside with the kids, I skyped my family, and at night we enjoyed chocolate fondue! Apples, strawberries and bananas in chocolate. Yum!

I'm supposed to go to Sweden this weekend but I have a feeling I'll be staying in Luxembourg again. I really wanted to go to Sweden, but I won't be too upset if I can't make it. I'll keep you updated.