Luxembourg is a tiny country with lots of great sightseeing

Larochette Castle was started in the 11th century and expanded gradually; by the 14th century there were 5 manor houses within the castle walls

The town mascot of Diekirch is the donkey; the whimsical fountains were the only reason to visit I could find

General Patton liberated the town of Ettelbruck on Christmas Day 1944; the town is also home to the Patton Museum describing in detail how the 3rd US Army beat back the Nazis

What an awesome mailbox!; I'm not sure it's very practical but it might keep a lot of junk mail away

Originally Patton's grave was with his troops but it attracted so many visitors that it was moved to the front of the cemetery; there are numerous speed cameras in the country as I discovered when I received a 49 euro ticket for going 47mph in a 45mph zone:-(

Adolphe Bridge opened in 1904 in Luxembourg City with the largest stone arch in the world; the corniche here is often called the Balcony of Europe

The Grand Ducal Palace is the official residence of the country's monarch and where he performs most of his duties as head of state

The American Cemetery is next to the Luxembourg City airport; the Americans also built an adjacent cemetery for the German troops

The Crehange house dates from 1385 and was restored during the 1980s; there was a photo exhibition inside but no opportunity to enjoy the views

My hotel room was stifling hot with no AC; it was cooler outside but hot by Luxembourg standards in the upper 80s

Robert Schuman, born in Luxembourg, was twice Prime Minister of France and was the co-founder of the European Union

The Schleck brothers from Luxembourg are world-famous cyclists; it was common to see serious cyclists although there are no shoulders on the lightly traveled roads

This tree, and dozens like it, grace the pedestrian streets of Ettelbruck; the working class town had an ambiance in stark contrast to that of most of the country

This woman was churning butter when the dog knocked the churn over; this statue sits where the butter market existed way back when in Ettelbruck

Jean-Claude Juncker, who just met with President Trump, was Prime Minister of Luxembourg before becoming President of the European Commission in 2014

The medieval castle of Beaufort was built in 4 different stages between 1050 and 1650; from the second half of the 18th century it was uninhabited and often used as a quarry for the town

Beaufort's Renaissance Castle remains virtually unchanged from when it was built 360 years ago; it was built by a prominent military figure

The residential part of Vianden primarily lines the riverfront streets on either side of the Our River; there were tiny fish in the shallow river

Victor Hugo sent a letter from Vianden in 1871 talking about the United States of Europe, some 85 years before the EU became a reality

Vianden Castle is perched above the Our River which runs through the town of 1800; the river is dammed just outside of town

One of the major national beers is called Diekirch because it is brewed in this town of the same name; the town of 6000 was the first in the nation to have a pedestrian zone

During the Luxembourg Revolution in 1848, the government was run for one week from my hotel in Ettelbruck; it's been the worst hotel of the trip mainly due to the lack of AC

Every little hamlet, no matter how small, has lush flower arrangements on their light poles; the country is criss-crossed by an extensive network of hiking trails

The American Cemetery is final resting place for more than 5000 service members; interestingly, the largest cemetery for US WW2 troops is in Manila

Esch is just one of seemingly endless tiny villages; every couple of kilometers is another town of under 1000 people and this pattern extends around the country

Esch has a Disney-like atmosphere with the castle ruins and the tiny village with restaurants and souvenir stores; I can see why castles were so popular because these little rivers have lots of hairpin turns

European countries do a great job in the summer adding flowers on bridges, lamp posts and other public spaces; you hardly see any litter in Luxembourg

These sure sound like Funyuns to me!; the grocery stores have huge aisles of snacks, candy, chocolate and tuna but a puny selection of cereal

In 2003 the Family of Man photographic collection was added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register; it originally ran in 1955 at NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art

Clervaux Castle stands at a height of 365 meters on a rocky spur above the town, surrounded on 3 sides by a loop in the River Clerve

It's unusual to find a castle that doesn't occupy the highest piece of land around, but Bourscheid Castle actually lies beneath the town of Bourscheid

The River Sure had lots of families camping along it; I would have enjoyed the castle much more had there not been clear cutting of the forest behind it

Luxembourg was right in the center of the worst fighting during WW2; the Battle of the Bulge focused on the Ardennes Forest in Belgium, Luxembourg and France

The tour of the Grand Ducal Palace was heavy on the history of the monarchs; the Nazis trashed the palace during WW2 when they used it as a tavern and concert hall

Luxembourg City only has 115,000 residents; the city was the first to be named a European Capital of Culture twice

This is the most famous waterfall in the region and draws hordes of people (I waited until everyone was out of my photo); it's cool how the water has carved ridges in the rock

The Orangerie (1735) in Echternach and the abbey gardens; the tourist office had a helpful pamphlet that gave commentary for a good walking tour of the town

The Basilica of St Willibrord in Echternach; a church was built around 800 that was about the same size as the current church

The Denzelt building (originally 1444) is the centerpiece of the Echternach's main square; the building has gone through many transformations through the centuries and now mainly hosts weddings

This wooden footbridge is named after the creator of the Luxembourg-Germany Nature Park; the Sure River here is the boundary between the 2 countries

This is the Three Towers in Luxembourg City; the central tower was built around 1200 when the second fortification ring was completed while the two flanking towers were added in the 14th century

Cars are still the main means of getting around the country; I found the buses and a new light rail system very helpful in navigating Luxembourg City

Luxembourg City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its fortifications; Luxembourg has the second highest per capita GDP in the world

Victor Hugo immortalized the castle when he wrote 2 of his carnets here and drew numerous sketches

Esch-sur-Sure sits on a spur of land in a meander of the River Sauer; the dilapidated castle and bucolic setting draw tourists to this town of only 314 people

The most spectacular and famous castle in Luxembourg is Vianden in a town of the same name; it ranks among the best in Europe with a cute town to boot

I wonder if this great horned owl can smell the PowerBar in my backpack; you could pay to have the owl perch on your arm (I'd rather the owl be in the wild!)

The Knight's Hall at Vianden had a ceiling originally made of slate which collapsed in 1847; the signage in the castle was only in German and French

The small country of Luxembourg has more than 100 castles with Beaufort being the third oldest!; some are now privately owned while others are public buildings