La Maison d'Amusement

The park in Echternach was certainly where much "amusement" took place! As Josee, Germaine, Holly and I trekked there after visiting the Basilica - more later on that - we all agreed that much merriment had taken place in the lovely Pavillon. And it is actually called La Maison d'Amusement. Now there is a museum in the room upstairs which looks at the architecture of many of the old villages and towns in Luxembourg.

During WWII, Echternach was very badly bombed as it was on the border with Germany which is right across the Sure (Sauer) River. The Pavillon is very close to the river and must have been an easy target. Thanks to Germaine Prim for showing me her photo collection and letting me use some of them.

So here it is in 1945 -

 

And here it is this summer of 2013 -



The Urn Photos

These two photos were taken about 58 years apart. The first one was taken in 1955 and the second one in 2013 - same urn, same park, same person with some modifications!

 

Just a few remarks before you have a look at them though. The photo taken this summer was on a very hot day. I also had done, for me, a lot of walking and so do not look quite as happy as the first one. I do also apologise for the lack of white socks. First, it would have been far too hot for socks for me and second, I don't own white socks any more! I also see that more gravel has been added to the walkways as I am not quite as high off the ground. This is still a lovely park and I'll post some more info on it.

 

Here we go -

 

And not to be outdone, here's Holly with The Urn!

 



 

Holly on the Continent

This is Holly enjoying champers on the sidewalk café in Echternach where we had great pizza.

Greetings from Brugge!

After a few days without wifi and Mom trying to learn Windows 8, I am making another post from my cell. Ah, first world challenges!
Anywho, yesterday and the day before we were in As, Belgium to visit with Karel and the Mardaga Hotel. This brought the story of my grandfather's time in the war very close to home. I may post more on that later.
Today we woke up in Brugge, Belgium. This beautiful city has restored many of its medevial buildings from rubble. That restoration continues even today.
Yesterday we toured the city by foot, bus and canal. Stories of Michelangelo, saints and wars were plenty. A bit of information overload but facinating. This North American is getting one heck of a history lesson!
Today Jemp and Lony are taking us for a drive along the Belgium coast north to the Netherlands. The weather is cooler (Mom and I are sporting lovely tans) and we may encounter some thunder storms.
Off to breakfast! XO Holly

Halifax, Tuesday, July 30, 2013 - Post by Anne

Halifax, Tuesday, July 30, 2013 – We got there in lots of time, lots of time! Waiting at the gate, a younger man asked me some questions about what to expect getting on the plane, etc. He told me this was his very first plane trip and he was going to Corfu via Frankfurt and Manchester! He was going to meet a woman he had befriended on the internet. This was to be their first meeting. People are so interesting sometimes when you just pay attention. I wished him Good Luck and I saw him getting off the plane in Frankfurt and he was getting pretty excited and was smiling a lot. Sort of like me!

I ran out of battery on my cell and the only place I could find in the airport was a plug beside the ladies’ room. So there I stood trying to be inconspicuous charging up the phone! A nice information guy in the Nova Scotia tartan vest told me there were plugs in some of the waiting seats but when I tried one, it didn’t work. Ah well.

I tried some German on the plane with my neighbour who spoke no English but the words have not been used in a long time. We did smile a lot and shared the very small seats for a long bunch of hours.

I got in at 7:30 am and the flight to Luxembourg didn’t leave until 12:50 pm so I had a long wait in an airport lounging area. There was coffee, tea, juice and water with some snacks as well for the taking. It was clean and comfortable. From there I went down a small elevator and through a very small security gate and then onto a bus which took me out on the tarmac to my flight on Luxair. It was kind of fun to see that it was a Bombardier plane. It was comfortable and very quick.

Jemp picked me up and we drove to his lovely home just outside Luxembourg City where we had lunch. We had some champagne to celebrate my birthday and then had a delicious lunch prepared by his gracious wife Lony. We had some wine as well with lunch. So, on top of no sleep on the transatlantic flight (love saying that!), 3 or 4 glasses of wine – it was really time for a nap before Jemp and I went to pick up Holly at the train station.

And there she was – sitting at a sidewalk café, eating a hot dog and trying to send me messages saying she had arrived in earlier than expected! So we all took off for Echternach and the Hotel de la Sure. We tooled around the town a bit and then had a glass of wine with Jemp on the terrace before he left. Then Holly and I sat out in the evening watching and I kept saying things like, “I remember that place” or “Imagine what that was like!”

Holly is finding out about me life back then – in spades! The stories are now coming from witnesses!

As soon as I can figure out how to do it, I’ll insert some photos here. But as we all know, if I don’t write it as it happens, it will be gone out into the ether!

August 1, 2013

This morning Mom and I woke at a reasonable hour and took our time getting settled and organized.  We had a nice little continental breakfast at the hotel and then went for a light walk along the Sure (Sauer in German).  The Sure is across the street from our Hotel de la Sure and is just down the road from where Mom lived...about 1 block.

Above, Mom and I are standing in Luxembourg looking across the Sure at Germany.  The little building to the upper left of Mom is a chapel.  Mom and friends would hike up there and it was a refuge from the "peering eyes of parents".  This is also a wedding destination spot and in the past 60 years, it has been restored.

 
Above:  Meet Emelye!  This lovely old friend of Mom's arranged our stay here at Hotel de la Sure.  Her brother's family owns and manages the hotel.  Emelye can be seen in one of Mom's earlier blog posts (see the photo of Mom and three friends - the one where Mom is wearing her Paris dress and white gloves).  Emelye is the one on the far right. 

Emelye's life story in a nutshell; she grew up to become a Steward (Flight Attendant) for Luxair and left there as their first and only (at that time) Chief Steward.  She then worked privately and retired after being the Steward for the inventor of the pantyhose.  Honest!  She now lives back in Echternach in a her mother's house with a wire-haired Dachshund, Funny.

What a delight!  She updated Mom on their old friends; where they are now and what they have done with their lives.  There were some great stories, some of which revealed the dramas of being a teen Anne.  I promised not to tell...online!  ;)  She hadn't spoken English in over 20 years yet she spoke with such clarity.  She was also wonderful about saying the French or Luxembourg-ish (Letzebueresch) word and then relating it to us in English. 

We're off for another stroll before meeting Jemp for dinner.  Later!

ANNE'S NOTES:

July 30 & 31– Halifax Airport – talked briefly to nervous guy from Liverpool, NS who had never flown before and was going to Frankfurt, Manchester then Corfu to meet an internet girlfriend for the first time! Tried a very little German on the plane – some words came but not great! Long wheelchair ride to Lufthansa lounge – nice guy hired by airport. Stayed in lounge until 12 – went through small security downstairs then on to big electric bus to plane on the tarmac – Luxair Dash 8. Short comfortable flight to Lux. Jemp a few minutes late – big hug, just great to chat. We went to his and Lony’s home – lots of levels and beautiful. Champagne for my birthday, lovely lunch – beef salad, frites, strawberries for dessert & red wine. Great conversation – old times. Had nap, Jemp and I went to pick up Holly at the train station – she’d caught an earlier train and had been there for about an hour and a half. Jemp drove us to Echternach. Saw lots. Hotel was ready and it was just great. Holly and I had a glass of wine with Jemp. Then she and I had a glass and chatted. Nice room. Holly had a Jacuzzi while Anne charged stuff up – Kobo, phone. Really tired.

August 1 – Breakfast at hotel, walked to where the train station used to be and then along to the Sauer. There is a plaque there now commemorating the US Army’s liberation of Echternach.

Water with Emelye at hotel then over to Oktav Amadeus, 56 rue de la Gare, Italian restaurant on the corner by the old Gare for lunch. Champers at both, Holly and I shared a pizza. Went back to hotel, then walked up to the square – it was very, very hot, we cooled our hands in the water fountains that were along the street – it helped but I was not hydrated enough either. We had dinner at the steak house next door to the hotel with Jemp. Went to our room and blabbed until 2:30 am. We learned about the blinds – outside which operated electronically. And we learned about the toilet flushing and the Jacuzzi tub and the shower plumbing. All required glasses and some were learned by accident. We had a blue cable connection to the Net in our room and WiFi on the terrace.

Testing from Luxembourg!

 

 

This was a test post from my Samsung phone.  First, I wanted to test a self-shot of Mom and I and second, I wanted to see if I could directly post a picture from my phone using the Blogger App.  It worked!  Off we go on our adventure together!