Good Friday cycling in Prümtal

If you have done all wonderful Luxembourg bicycle roads, go across the border to Germany. Prüm is a good starting point for bike trips in Bitburg-Prüm district. Just like last time, I took bus number 407 from Ettelbruck to Prüm. As usual, the day start with coffee and schnecken at Fischer bakery located at Ettelbruck railway station.




Good Friday is NOT a public holiday in Luxembourg, but in Germany it is. This is why Prüm is even more quiet than usually. Luckily André bus follow Luxembourg calendar. Everything else closed, the tourist information next to Hahnplatz was open, serving hikers and cyclists.


First few kilometer follow Eifel-Ardennen track that I took last week when riding to Troisvierges. This place, Pronsfeld Bahnhof was important railway hub especially for military purposes. In 1930's it was used for transporting building material for Siegfried Line (Westwall in German) with it's 18 000 bunkers, tunnels and tank traps. On the place of the station there is a memorial. Here split Prümtal track AND Enztal track to the left, Eifel-Ardennen track (Belgium, Luxembourg) to the right.


Few kilometers further, at Lünebach, the Prümtal track and the Enztal track split. They will meet each other again some 40 km further south at Holsthum, north of Echternach. We follow Prümtal track, left.


Prümtal trip on map:



In Lünebach you should stop at CAFE 1900, even if you are not hungry yet. It looks wonderful and will surprise you with hundreds of vintage art and handicraft objects, friendliness and excellent home made cakes. They are also equipping a small museum to be opened soon.




Schwarzwalder kirschtorte is highly recommended.


River Prüm at Waxweiler. Prüm is a left tributary (Nebenfluss) of the river Sauer. It has length of 85 km.


An important cultural and religious tradition started at Waxweiler. The legend tells that year 728 A.D. monk St. Willibrord, originally from Northumbria, Scotland, came to preach the Good News to the pagans of the Eifel region, including Waxweiler. Instead of listening to Willibrords message, people preferred to have a binge drinking and dance party. Willibrord said to them: "So tanzet denn ohne Unterlaß, wenn ihr vom Teufelsdienst nicht lassen könnt" (Ok then, you are to dance without cease, if you cannot stop serving the devil". After hearing this, they couldn't stop dancing and jumping up and down. But Willibrord had pity on them and set them free. Later on those dancing people were happy to do pilgrimage to Echternach, where Willibrord became bishop. Still today, every year on Whit Sunday (Tuesday after Pentecost) the people of Waxweiler have the honour of leading the Dancing procession of Echternach.

The St. Johannes der Täufer (John the Baptist) Church at Waxweiler was destroyed in big fire in 2004, but soon built again. I am not sure if this is John the Baptist, but he looks cool. John is pointing at "The Lamb of God"


Another tradition in the region, also in Luxembourg, is the so called Klibberkanneren.
(I don't know how they call it in German.) The Church bells fall silent on Maundy thursday (Gründonnerstag) in German, kiirastostai in Finnish, 濯足節) and do some serious repentance so that they can announce the resurrection of Christ on Easter morning with clean heart. When the church bells are silent, kids go to street to make huge noise, "klibberen" and they sing "d'Klack laut éischt, zweet an zu af". These kids were doing the same in Waxweiler:



There are weird people in Prüm valley.


And some deers doing their OWN thing.


Bitburg Stausee is a 9 meter deep water reservoir and recreational area. If you don't find any better, a cup of cappuchino or a fleischwurst by the lake is not a bad idea. It was too cold to sit there for long, tho.


The Kiosque


Tipi village close to Irrel and Teufelsschlucht Natural Park with impressive rock formations. There is a coffee shop as well, but I cannot say what it is like.


Easter time is the time when Dutch holiday campers arrive in every river valley of Germany. Prümtal is no exception. It is still cold, 8 degrees celsius, but it doesn't stop most fanatic campers.


Now the sugar of the ride in the following photos. The most wonderful part of the ride was the 15 km or so on the hills between Waxweiler and Bitburg Stausee. Landscape was pure awesomeness. Majestic valleys, forests, fields and sky. Be forgiving to my little Panasonic LX5. She is doing what she can, but the creation is too beautiful, the light too heavenly and colours too transcendental for her to document them in their fullness.


















After 75 km wonderful ride we cross the river Sauer (where the river Prüm joined few kilometers earlier) to Luxembourg,


and take bus back to Ettelbruck (40 km). Ticket 2 euros, bicycle free.