One of the reasons I've been so pathetic with my blog this November, other than just being extremely important and busy obviously, is that I have been off inter-railing. Translated that basically means taking a lot of trains. In Europe. And essentially spending a whole lot less time reading and a whole lot more time cycling like a moron around poor unsuspecting European cities, eating an embarrassing amount of stroopwafel, filming a Euro-pop music video (don't ask) and consuming a considerable number of beverages.
Right, back to the books. I did read. Hoorah! Excuse me while I congratulate myself... Anyway, what I read and when is not what I'm going to ramble on about this time - that will come later. I have decided instead to ramble on for a couple of paragraphs about a very big literary name and a very small town in a very small country.
What on earth do people do in Luxembourg? It's the question that appeared on everyone's faces when I told them that was one of our stops and it's definitely what I was asking when we strolled around Luxembourg City one Tuesday evening and didn't see a single person for 25 minutes... The answer, it seems, is to get out of the city and get stuck in to the countryside. Luxembourg really is beautiful with its rolling hills, quirky Gothic villages and extensive vineyards and one of the places it is most proud of is Vianden, a small town (with city status it is keen to add) in the North East of the country. It almost seems as if the town itself grows out of the surrounding hills, now turning a beautiful orange and red with autumn, and at the top of this spiraling town, looking down on its citizens from up high is Vianden Castle, a striking, Gothic, Hogwartsy (yes that is an adjective) mansion, stealing the show.
Despite its obvious beauty, charming streets and haunting castle, Vianden could have remained almost entirely unknown were it not for some help from the literary might that was Victor Hugo. The French author best known for his epic Les Miserables stayed in Vianden on several occasions between the years 1862 and 1871 and there is now a museum showcasing some of his works as well as an impressive Rodin sculpture, as you can see in the photo above. Looking up at Vianden castle from the river on a sunny autumn day, it's not hard to see why such a place might inspire artists such as Hugo. During his stays he wrote prose, poetry and drew sketches to capture the town, its atmosphere, its people, bringing it out of the shadows and introducing it to the rest of Europe. Arguably a better legacy than the 1000+ word brick he wrote... I only talk condescendingly because it is my nemesis, staring down on me much like Vianden Castle from my book shelf still unread - the only difference being that I did actually conquer the Castle.. the book is still very much ahead of me.
P.s. I genuinely took these photos myself. That is not a request for compliments (although they will be both gratefully and gracefully received), but merely to show that this town really as beautiful as they say it is. Go see it next time, you know, you find yourself in Luxembourg...
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