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September 12:  Lunguich to Palzem

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A beautiful day!  Today we will hit the big city of Trier with two goals: laundry and email.  Trier is an old historic city.  It also is large enough to support a chain bookstore with an internet cafe, a laundromat, and plenty of shops (even Arizona Dreams, that specializes in turquoise).Germany 083.jpg (326607 bytes)

At the laundromat, we meet an American who gives us a few pointers on the nuances of German society.

With clean laundry, fresh books and maps, and up to date communications, we depart Trier for a brief sojourn in the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg...

A few kilometers out of Trier, we cross the Mosel to Luxemburg.  Two differences immediately come to mind: the roads are dirtier and the bike lanes and paths are fewer.  Due to traffic, we are forced to ride through the vineyards and farm country up (and I do mean up) from the river.  After one particularly nasty climb, Germany 085.jpg (696799 bytes) we're finally able to rejoin the road and take a break at the minimarket in the next town. Germany 087.jpg (518479 bytes)  The only difference between a MiniMart in Luxemburg and one in the states is the clerk's accent.

Tiring of the charm of Luxemburg and it's roads, we cross the Mosel again to reenter the order of Germany.  At Palzem, we take a room at the local hotel/restaurant, buy a bottle of the local wine and retire to the terrace to enjoy the view. Germany 089.jpg (522018 bytes)  Germany 090.jpg (134352 bytes)

 
The bells, the bells... regardless of country, if a town has a church - in Germany, there are usually two, one Catholic and one Lutheran - you can be assured that beginning sharply at 7:00 am and continuing at regular intervals throughout the day there will be bell ringing.  Not your ordinary ding dong mind you, but a cacophony of energetic clanging that is assured of waking even the deepest sleeper.  And why is it, you wonder, that regardless of where you stay, your window is directly across from the bell tower?

So you get the big 7 am ring a ding (in one town, Jayne counted 80 peals of the bells), then quarterly wakeups for the next couple of hours, a midday serenade to accompany your lunch conversation, and a sundown concert to lull you to sleep.

 

On to Metz

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