MOT to LUXEMBOURG
 

DIEKIRCH-1988
 
ORGANISERS: - Chris and Mary Hall
 
CAMPSITE: - Camping Op der Sauer.
Postcard (in sunshine!) courtesy of Bruce Kelsey


Wet, wet, wet, wet!!!!!!!!!!! You might not be surprised to learn that this MOT was, er, wet.
Understandable really, as the campsite was on the very bank of the Sure river, and it rained a lot, well, more than a lot. As the water table rose, so did groundsheets, and much baling out and mopping up was to be seen at most times.
With the generous help of the campsite management, who allowed flooded-out families with young children free use of their chalets, we got through the week. After a while despair gave way to resignation, and eventually to laughter, and a good time was had by all, well almost all.

This trip spawned the first MOT T-shirt - 'I Survived Diekirch'.


Diekirch is a town with a certain charm, when we could see it through the rain.
The area's history ranges from the Romans (Mosaics in the Municipal Museum), through the 5th century church of St. Laurent (below centre), to the Second World War and the Battle of the Bulge.



When we bought our Series ll convertible we envisioned touring round with the hood down on lovely sunny days, especially on the overseas trip. We had already got a prize for the leakiest convertible on a tour of the white chalk horses of Wiltshire and surrounding counties, and had applied liberal quantities of silicone sealant to all of the seams. So at least the car was prepared for Luxembourg, we had a relatively new tent, so we were pretty sure that we would be safe from even the heaviest rainfall. However we were not fully prepared for the rigours of camping in the Grand Duchy.

We eventually arrived after an uneventful journey from Calais, having been held up in Dover for a while, to be told that it had been raining constantly for the past couple of days, and it was apparent that as it was still doing it there was absolutely no chance that we would be able to get the tent up in the dry. We managed it between the showers, and also erected our old tent that was to be the abode of my brother-in-law Phil. So we were safe from the rain, but not from a rising river which ran alongside the site, and not from the rising water table.

On the left is the publicity photo, calm, serene, slow flowing, more than 3 feet from surface to the top of the bank.
On the right is brother-in-law Phil - by the river, fast flowing, muddy, and scarcely a few inches from giving his trainers a wash. The campsite is on the right, and is lower than the level of the path!

Sunday was cancelled, well, the quiz drive anyway - roadworks!

So, we went into town, in the sunshine.
First priority - find a beer, found other like minded souls, and chatted for a while before moving on to see some of the sights.
They seem to be very fond of their fountains in this part of the world, but this one is a bit different, you can move the limbs of the donkey wherever you like.

Monday was nice - no rain!. Well not when we set off for Grevenmacher on the Moselle river where we were to board a boat bound for Trier in Germany.

Photo below left courtesy Andrew Salaman - Grevenmacher carpark.

The boat, Princesse Marie-Astrid, had a bar, so, as we were not driving, and had 2 hours to kill.......
Half of the organising partnership, Chris Hall, can be seen in traditional pose, as can Charles Shipp.
Trier, founded by the Romans (they called it Augusta Treverorum), and the birthplace of Karl Marx, seemed to have a number of shops selling leather jackets, and Sue just couldn't resist. Why Sue and Ro Lumsden are sporting a couple of those things you stick in the ground, set light to and hopefully keep nasty biting insects away I still can't fathom - it must have been a good idea at the time; humungous umbrellas might have been more useful.
Trier was quite pretty, so it was nice strolling around, and lunch was good. They like their fountains too.
We had just 3 hours before we all boarded the boat for the return trip, well, almost all, the boat couldn't wait for John Allen and son Nick who were last seen looking rather forlorn on the quayside. They caught the bus, and weren't much later back than the rest of us.
Thoughts of sitting in the sun on the return were forgotten, the clouds turned blacker and eventually we were treated to a downpour, still the bar was still open, and nice and warm.
It was still bucketing down when we arrived at Grevenmacher, so we all had to scurry back to the cars. Sue and I got to ours to find that we had a puncture, oh great joy!!
The rain had been pretty general, and the campsite was in turmoil upon our return, with several participants, particularly those with small tents, mopping out, and in some cases moving in with those with larger accommodation until they could dry out completely. As you can see from the pictures below, the campsite was becoming quite disgusting, but most of
those under canvas were undaunted, perhaps not quite the happy campers we usually see, but making the best of it all the same.
Unfortunately for some, the places they had chosen to set up home were just a little too wet for any sort of comfort, so the only thing to do was to move, and fully erected tents bobbing their way across the site was a regular, and somewhat surreal, sight.
Everyone mucked in to help those in need, and the campsite manager very kindly let flooded out families use their vacant chalets free of charge.
Photos top right and below left courtesy of Ann and Malcolm Bates, and below right courtesy of Bruce Kelsey.
Evening gatherings are an integral part of MOT's, and, as there isn't always room enough to get under cover, parties in the great outdoors are the norm. Now, it doesn't really matter what the weather does, we have wellies, waterproofs, woolly jumpers and umbrellas, so no excuses. The only concern is to ensure that the rain doesn't get into your drink!

Luxembourg is an interesting city, and has an equally fascinating history. It is built around a rocky promontory which overlooks the River Alzette, and was called the 'Gibralter of the North' during the 17th century. A strategic site, probably first recognised by the Romans, had been an almost impregnable fortress for nearly nine hundred years, but in 1867 the Treaty of London declared the Grand Duchy perpetually neutral, and most of the stronghold was dismantled. Some of the old fortifications are still in evidence, and they clearly demonstrate the military importance of the city. Further information about Luxembourg City and its fascinating history can be seen on their website.

We went on the Tuesday, and, along with many other MOTers, we enjoyed some warm sunshine.

J.W. Turner painted the town in 1826 and again in 1834, prior to the Treaty of London, so his depictions are of the fortifications intact.

They really do like their fountains in this part of Europe - must be something to do with the amount of rain that falls, and maybe they like the sight and sound of splashing water so much that this is a sure way of getting a fix all year round!
They are very imaginative though, but some of them are downright surreal.

Dark clouds were building, so we headed back to the campsite for another evening spent chatting with friends and getting wet on the inside as well!
Another 'just have to do it' place is Vianden, a pleasant town set on the banks of the River Our, dominated by a magnificent castle, and boasting the only chairlift in Luxembourg. Famous author Victor Hugo spent his self imposed exile here.
Photo below courtesy of Ann and Malcolm Bates
Photo below courtesy of Bruce Kelsey
The chairlift takes you up 450mtrs to a terrace and restaurant, which offers some stunning views - provided you go on a nice sunny day - unfortunately we didn't!
The WW2 'Battle of the Bulge' features large in the later history of the Ardennes, and museums and preserved fortifications abound for those into tanks and artillery. We had a brief look.
Some people went on the organised trips to the Diekirch Brewery, but we were booked on one of the tours that was cancelled - much disappointment, so we drowned our sorrows in Diekirch Beer!
On Wednesday evening we all trooped off across the river to the Banqueting Suite in the Hôtel de l'Europe; opulent surroundings for the trip's en-masse dinner. The food was fantastic, and, as it seems to be a national philosophy to serve mountains of food on a very large plate, we were all stuffed by the time dessert came round; a far cry from beer and nibbles on a damp and grubby campsite.
Prizes were given, speeches were made, the raffle was drawn, and by the end of the evening everyone was warm and 'relaxed', and somewhat unwilling to venture back to sodden canvas.


The campsite people lit a gigantic bonfire on Friday evening, so we had a party.
It was an ideal opportunity to finish up the booze and crisps, don silly hats, make a lot of noise, join in an apt rendition of 'Singing in the Rain', have a final chat with friends old and new and look forward to the following year.

 
IAN PORTSMOUTH

PHOTO GALLERY - Ann and Malcolm Bates, Bruce Kelsey and Andrew Salaman


Read Mary's Rally Review which appeared in the Sept/Oct 1988 issue of Minor Matters by clicking here.