Friday evening I left Michele’s place at 7 p.m. having not yet heard from Wei-Wei who wanted to walk me to the station. As I was saying my good-byes to Michele, Wei-Wei called: she was on the bus and would arrive “immediately.” I told her that I would wait two minutes, and then I had to start walking. The bus did not come, so I began walking slowly so that Wei-Wei might catch up with me. At the corner a Moroccan man wanted to talk: he was a draggeur. After several “jamais” (never) from me, we parted ways. And I continued to the station.
The train was not yet there and I had almost a half hour wait for the departure time, so I scanned the crowd for Wei-Wei. There she was! She was so thoughtful to want to see me off. I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around “last” time things, so it was very nice to have Wei-Wei there. The train arrived and my bags were heftily weighed down, so I need to work my way to the car. We said “good-bye.”
The car was directly in front of the door, so after checking the ticket, I made my way up the stairs, one bag at a time, to my couchette. Since it was a second-class ticket, there were six sleeping places in the cabin. Mine was in the middle – not on the bottom, not on top. There was a young man who greeted us as we departed Nice. I explained to him that I did not know where to put my bag. (I had placed it unattended at the end of the car in the spot for bicycles.) He brought it back to my cabin and tucked it away underneath the window, behind the ladder. I felt better.
At Nice, I was alone, but by the time we had stopped about four times, all the spots were taken. My first cabin-mate and I kept the lights on in the cabin until 9 p.m. After that the other four people entered in the dark, but they managed getting settled quite well. I did not watch a clock because I knew that my stop in Luxembourg City was well after the sun was up. There were plenty of interruptions of sleep from the noticeable changing speeds of the train, people coming and going through the car, as well as the berth being a little uncomfortable that I really only catnapped through the night. By the time we stopped in Nancy and Metz, I was alone again, and I had part of the breakfast that I had packed – hard-boiled eggs, carrot sticks, and butter cookies.
The train arrived in Luxembourg just after 9:30. The young man from the train assisted me with my big bag as I descended from the train, and he directed me to the elevator. I was with another woman who I followed through the station to another elevator that brought us up on the street. Now I was outside the station, and I looked for Elisabeth and Guy, my hosts for the next week, first there, then inside. There they were holding a placard with my name on it. We first had coffee across the street in a hotel coffee shop.
Then Guy gave me a tour of Luxembourg City through the old town and to the airport to the car rental. That’s when I realized that my directions did not seem to indicate that the EuropCar desk was at the airport. I hauled out the papers; no, back in town, actually, just behind the train station. Oh well, Guy was very nice about that. We found the office, and Elisabeth and Guy waited for me so that they could lead me to their bed and breakfast.
At the first stoplight, the manual transmission car stalled. It always takes me a little bit of time to adjust to the feel of a new car. Gratefully Elisabeth was with me and we were on our way again soon. The landscape is very much like the wooded areas of eastern Iowa. I can see why my Manternach ancestors made their home in Iowa. At the house, there is a driveway that would require me to back up or down as there is no room to turn around by the house – with the experiences of the car so far, I didn’t feel ready for that, so Elisabeth invited me to park in her spot at the end of the lane.
The inn is delightful. I have a suite of rooms all set out prettily and comfortably. After unpacking a few things and eating the remainder of my breakfast foods, a nap seemed to be the wisest course of action for the first part of the afternoon. The bed was so comfortable and the house so quiet that I slept for over an hour. About 3 p.m. I knew that I had to get up for the rest of the day. Elisabeth offered to lead me into Larochette to the supermarket as well as to an ATM. After picking up a few things for lunches or suppers for the week, we parted.
When I parked the car near the bank, I strolled around the plaza to the church, which was being cleaned in preparation for the Saturday night service, and to the office of tourism. Finding that the Chateau, a dominant site from below, was open until 6 p.m., I decided to make a visit. When I parked the car in the lot, thunder was rolling, but I decided to take my chances and enter the site. This must have been a magnificent place in its time (14th century) built right into the rocks at the top of a mountainous bluff by 5 noble families of the area. The views of Larochette were spectacular. The ruins had many stories to tell. I took lots of pictures, but they cannot begin to give a sense of the natural grandeur that was emphasized by what must have been grand structures. One of the manors has been restored. That building alone must have provided work and lodging for many people. Excavations are continuing at the site. There was only one sign that told people not to climb on the walls – other than that, there was much to explore for all ages.
Now to see if I can find my way back to the inn: The GPS does not want to recognize the address, but as long as I can remember and learn the way that is better anyway. It was no time at all until I was back. I made a simple supper of soup and a sandwich, watched TV in French, German and Luxembourgish, was falling asleep by 8:30, waking up at 9:15 and headed to bed.
I don’t remember turning over at all during the night. I saw that it was light, checked the time – it was just 6:20 a.m. Being in my first real bed since coming to France, I saw no reason to get up until the alarm went off at 7:40 a.m. By then I was aware of some delicious smells coming from downstairs.
Elisabeth had breakfast ready for me at 9:00 at the dining table. There was sliced ham, cheese slices, pastries – the cutest was especially for Easter, a danish shaped like a bunny with chocolate covered ears and tail and a raisin for its eye. I saw that there was a bell to call Elisabeth. I tapped it once, never being too bold. But I should have given it a series of taps so that she could hear it. Next time. About 9:15, Elisabeth came in with tea and a soft-boiled egg. It was a sumptuous breakfast.
Easter Mass was especially nice at the nearby church. The town of Heffingen is less than a ten-minute walk up the hill. The church was easy to spot. I arrived a little after 10 a.m. The musicians were gathering. I spent some time studying the little hymnal which contained mostly German prayers and songs, but a little section of French, too. By the time Mass started at 10:45, a good number of people had arrived, but the church was not crowded. This was too bad, because the musicians did a fine job with the program. The priest was of Nigerian origin. He alternated between German and French. The Gospel was read in German by one of the parishioners. The short homily given by the pastor was both in German and French. For the Eucharistic Prayer, everyone stood until the acclamation then they sat until after the Lamb of God. The only thing that all were invited to sing was the recessional hymn. The number for the song was projected above the altar. By the time I found the page, I was able to join in on the second verse. All in all, the musicians made it a very nice celebration. It was also good to see that families hung around for a while afterwards chatting.
I made my way to the cemetery across the street to look at the names on the tombstones. Very few plots seemed older than 1940. Later I asked Guy about it. He explained that generally a plot is kept about 30 years. When there is no one left to tend the plot, the remains are removed and someone else may purchase it. This does not give me much hope for finding Manternach gravestones, especially from the time of my ancestors who departed in the late 19th century.
After a short walk around town, I headed back to the inn. By now the sun was very warm and I was dressed too warmly in my suit. After a bit of a cool-down in my room, I joined Elisabeth and Guy, who had invited me to their Easter celebration with family (their daughter Margret) and friends, at the pond behind the house for “pies.” The pie was quiche Lorraine and a meat pie of Alsace-Lorraine origin, which I had. The salad was delicious, too. Afterwards we had two delicious treats: cheesecake and a chocolate cake with coffee flavored with vanilla, cinnamon and chocolate. Friends stopped by throughout the afternoon. At the very last we had home languages of German, French, Luxembourgish, Portuguese and English. It was quite the international celebration – a most enjoyable day.
It doesn’t seem that I will be able to call family via Skype today because my computer is not talking to the Wi-Fi at the house just yet. Hopefully in a few days I’ll be able to make it work. Thinking of you, Dear Reader.
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