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Mullerthal Trail
The trip to Mullerthal was a bit of a mixed bag, but ultimately very rewarding. The first reaction was disappointment in just how built up the area is. Such a trail system elicits images of remote forests and a sense of accomplishment for those who complete the trek. The reality was passing by a busload…
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Luxembourg Beyond the City
It’s not so small as a city-state, but Luxembourg is a tiny country. It’s only around 65 miles (104 km) to drive from north to south, and it’s shorter from east to west. Despite its size, it’s got more than 70 castles to visit, and the capital, which shares a name with the country, is…
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Hiking Vallée de la Warche
The trip started out at the hotel in the east, crossed the dam, then descended into the valley in front of Reinhardstein Castle (14th-century). This portion of the trail was slightly rough, with the path being covered in roots and mud, and often disappearing into the rest of the forest. Thanks to GPS and a…
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Three Countries, One Day
The goal for the day was to get from Maastricht to Robertville, Belgium in order to hike westward through a valley the next morning. This route worked out nicely to take in some sights along the way: Drielandenpunt The first stop was the point where the Belgian, Dutch, and German borders meet. Much like the…
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Maastricht
After a short ride west from Valkenburg, the river known in Dutch as “de Maas” comes into view with a postcard-worthy look across the water at the (not-so-creatively named) city of Maastricht. While both sides have been developed, the historic center lies on the west bank, and that portion is ideal for a half-day trip.…
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Valkenburg
This small town probably wouldn’t get too much attention were it not for the ruins of a 14th-century castle, one with the distinction of being the sole hilltop castle in the Netherlands. That’s no surprise given that the surrounding province of Limburg is the only one in the country with hills to speak of. The…
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Walking Ghent
In total, this post’s photo series was captured over the course of ~19.5 miles (31 km), with just over fourteen of them trekked on Saturday alone. Public transit is available too, but the city is so dense with historical buildings that traveling by foot is the only way not to miss the viewpoints in between…
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Leuven
A Bit About Belgium (or is it België/Belgique/Belgien?) A convoluted history has led to a country with three official languages (Flemish Dutch, French, and German). In practice, there’s a tiny community of German speakers on the eastern border, and the rest of the country is divided more or less in half. In the north, one…
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From Brussels to Leuven
A Different Side of Brussels The city is certainly a bustling metropolis, plagued by the same issues as every other place with a relatively high population density. In the city center, trash is piled high for pickup, locals are hurried and unfriendly, and tourists are tripping over each other for the best selfies. Brussels is…
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Brussels at Night
Getting from Vegas to Brussels This was a quick, easy trip – under 22 hours! Yes, that’s a tongue-in-cheek statement about getting to Europe in general. That’s not to say that it wasn’t as smooth as possible though. Three hours early to the airport was way too much this time as there were no lines…