bridge – Roving Sun

January 26, 2026September 9, 2026

Bourscheid Castle

After a big breakfast at the Luxembourg Marriott Hotel Alfa, we took the tram to the north side of the city to walk over the Pont Grande-Duchesse Charlotte again as the weather today was much better than two days ago. We then took a train and bus to visit the Château de Bourscheid. Unlike Vianden, this castle was outside of town and was in a ruined state. We returned to Luxembourg for a very late lunch and then visited the city’s fortifications on the east side of the Alzette atop the Plateau du Rham before returning to the Marriott after sunset.

January 24, 2026September 7, 2026

A Wet and Foggy Day in Luxembourg

We woke up at the Luxembourg Marriott Hotel Alfa to a dark and foggy morning. After breakfast, we walked across the Pont Grande-Duchesse Charlotte to visit the Musée Dräi Eechelen within Fort Thüngen. We then walked down into the Pfaffenthal district in the valley formed by the Alzette and ascended back up the Ville Haute via the Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator. After lunch, we walked to the south above the cliffs and walls of the Luxembourg Fortress and the Chemin de la Corniche until reaching the Citadelle du Saint-Esprit at the south end of the Ville Haute. Later in the evening, we returned to the Ville Haute to see the view at night and to have a light dinner.

January 22, 2026September 7, 2026

Luxembourg City & Casemates

After breakfast at the Luxembourg Marriott Hotel Alfa, we walked to the north across the Passerelle to the Ville Haute. We enjoyed the view of the remnants of the Fortress of Luxembourg, briefly descended to the Grund via elevator, and visited the Notre-Dame Cathedral before walking through the Bock Casemates. After, we had lunch in front of the Grand Ducal Palace before visiting the Pétrusse Casemates. We walked back up through the Pétrusse Valley, spending more time in the Ville Haute before returning to the Marriott via an interesting walkway suspended below the Adolphe Bridge.

December 19, 2025August 16, 2026

Nagasaki and Super Mario

After waking up at the ザブラッサム熊本 The Blossom Kumamoto, we checked out and headed over to 長崎 Nagasaki by a combination of Shinkansen and conventional rail. We left our bags at the 長崎マリオット Nagasaki Marriott and visited the 山王神社 Sanno-jinja and its one legged torii, having lost the other leg during the atomic bombing. After, we took the 長崎ロープウェイ Nagasaki Ropeway up to the top of 稲佐山 Inasa-yama for a fantastic view of the city. Next, we took a quick look at the 眼鏡橋 Spectacles Bridge before having a sushi dinner and checking in at the Marriott. Our room ended up being fantastic! In the evening, we took the Shinkansen over to 武雄温泉 Takeo Onsen to ride on the Super Mario train which was operating as the Midori.