A picnic by the river

We are very blessed with nature in Uganda. Sometimes we take it for granted, but we shouldn’t. Many people travel thousands of miles in search of a piece of heaven, a heaven that we in Uganda, can find in each corner around us.

Another country that has magnificent spots is Luxembourg, and one of its most breathtaking cities is Vianden which is located in the north-eastern part.

One beautiful day in September, we drove with a friend to Vianden for a lunch picnic. Ready with food, a tea flask and Luxembourgish pastries we set off from Luxembourg city.
Being one of the smallest countries in Europe, this 47km-drive is considered one of the longest to the northern part. However, this is no ordinary drive.

There are no concrete jungles here, it’s all about nature and there is not a dull moment throughout the trip. Beautifully built and smooth roads , tall old trees standing alongside the roads, very sure that they are well protected by a very green government policy that , so far, has not bent under the pressure of developers.

Besides, its stunning landscape, Vianden is famous for its castle that was built around the 13th century, and had seen bad days at the hands of several owners. This was not until it was given to the State of Luxembourg who, in turn did a great job of renovating it.

What is equally famous as the castle is the fact that the famous French author, Victor Hugo stayed there for a short while. Hugo loved Vianden, and visited it many times and the house where he stayed for a longer period, is now a small museum.

As the drive was hilly, we made a stop on top of one of the hills for a small break , this is when I couldn’t stop taking photos of the stunning views surrounding us. Suddenly a light drizzle started and we headed back to the car. We drove towards the river bank where we were planning to picnic. The month of September, though strikingly beautiful with autumn leaves, is not the most stable weather-wise. Summer had just ended and winter had not yet come. Knowing all this, we had our umbrellas ready, but luckily once we sat next to the river, a few rays of sunshine came through.

After eating, chatting and savouring this beautiful environment, we headed towards the town centre for a cup of coffee. Here, there is a number of good coffee shops and we picked one that was recommended to us. The aroma of the coffee that we got was already tickling the taste buds! And this was the best end of a lovely day before heading back home.

editorial @ug.nationmedia.com