A city for everyone

Yesterday, after breakfast, we set off to leave France after 2 weeks. Later, this decision turned out to be completely right, as on that day, 2 regions in France were declared as travel warnings, one of them being Paris and its surroundings. Throughout the day, we had to read that there were considerations to declare France as a whole as a risk area. So we made the right move at the right time.

We drove 232km to Luxembourg, partially on the "Voie Sacrée" - the road on which supplies were brought to the French front in Verdun during World War I. Again and again, we saw columns with soldiers' helmets or life-size pictures showing situations from that time period. We briefly considered making a detour to Verdun because there is a museum there where you can drive through a tunnel in a movable car and experience the history of that time up close. Unfortunately, it didn't work out because you have to register several days in advance.

So we continued to Luxembourg and the first thing we did was go to the gas station. After a loooooong time, the amount on the receipt was lower than the amount of diesel fuel we filled up: 97 cents per liter. Dad was really happy about that 😉

We quickly found the campsite. At the reception, there was a very nice young woman who spoke perfect German. We were warmly welcomed and had a short chat before we drove to our pitch. It's so big that two cars could easily fit, but it's always nice to have plenty of space. The first look at the sanitary facilities convinced us completely. The only thing that was criticized on the internet by other guests during the research was that it was very noisy due to the nearby highway and airport. But André was very amazed and said "Orr!" at every single plane and told us the model or number of engines. At every plane! But we didn't find the noise bothering at all.

For dinner, we grilled again because grilling is just awesome!

Not much else happened yesterday, no noteworthy photos were taken, so I decided to postpone the blog until today. But that means it will be more detailed.

This morning, we had fresh bread rolls from the campsite, in cool 14 degrees and light drizzle, but we still had breakfast outside. The day was expected to be nice and we had plans, so we went on the tour right after breakfast. To our delight, we learned that there is a bus stop a 5-minute walk away where you can take line 18 directly to the city center. And even better: public transportation in Luxembourg is free! Isn't that cool? After a 10-minute bus ride, we arrived in the middle of the city and immediately found ourselves on the promenade and shopping street. In addition to clothing stores with normal prices, you can also find Louis Vuitton, Rolex, or Swarovski. The cityscape is also characterized by a very colorful mix of people, as about 70% of the residents come from abroad. Therefore, you can read all sorts of languages on the shops or hear them among the people. 160-170 nationalities live here together.

Since we weren't interested in shopping, we walked a bit further and then arrived at St. Michael's Church. Like all the churches we have seen so far, it was an impressive building. Right after that, we arrived at the banks of the Alzette and the Casemates. Usually, you can enter the casemates, but everything was closed due to Corona. However, from there, you have a great view of all the historic buildings such as the military hospital, Neumünster Abbey, Fort Thüngen, and various museums. Luckily, the Pétrusse Express, a tourist train, was right there, and we were able to take a ride on it. The driver gave us headphones to plug into the train, then we could choose our language (out of 8 possible) and listen to a beautiful story about the city during the ride. We really enjoyed it, and we could see a lot. For example, the Clausen district, where there are many bars and restaurants, and companies like Microsoft or Amazon have their large office complexes there. After the ride, we tried to get something to eat there, but unfortunately, the restaurants either only open in the evening or have a lunch break. It's hard to understand, but maybe everything is different due to Corona...?

So we continued walking through parks, along the Alzette, to a glass elevator that connects the lower town with the upper town at a height difference of 65m. And again, you have a fantastic view from above. And the elevator was free again. Back in the city center, we found a brasserie to stop at. Considering that fuel is so cheap and public transport is free, eating out costs a bit more. So it was quite expensive, but we're on vacation after all. André dared to try a Luxembourgish specialty: "Gromperenkichelcher mat Speck, Keis an Ee" which are essentially hash browns with bacon, cheese, and egg. He actually liked it.

After satisfying our hunger, we went to the Letzebuerg City Museum. We were almost alone there, but it was great! The creation and development of the city and the state are very well presented, with various light installations, diagrams, and exhibits, but all in a modern way. You can go between 3 levels with a large glass elevator. The admission fee is 5 euros per adult, people up to 21 years old can enter for free, and the ticket is valid indefinitely for the art museum as well. So we got a good deal and got a lot in return.

The bus stop wasn't far, so we took the bus back to the campsite in the evening.

Our impression of the city was: diverse and versatile, both in terms of landscape, buildings, and people, with all sorts of contrasts. Mountains and valleys - highly modern buildings next to old, preserved structures from the past 1000 years (since 1994, Luxembourg's historical districts have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and people from all walks of life sitting together in restaurants. But driving into the city with your own car is insane. Since several European institutions have their headquarters here, Luxembourg is being built up as a metropolis, and accordingly, the city is a huge construction site. I read that there are a lot of construction projects that are supposed to be tackled one after the other, but it looks like they're building everything at the same time. But that's not a problem if you can get around well by bus.

All in all, it was a really great day with lots of impressions and 12 kilometers walked. I can only recommend taking a look for yourself, but one day is not enough for that. The region around the city also offers many hiking or cycling routes, I picked up some brochures. So if anyone is interested..

Right now, we're sitting in the campsite bar, I'm writing the blog while strong wind is coming up. That means we have to stow everything in the rear garage and chill a bit in the motorhome. Tomorrow we'll head back to Germany.

Best regards,

Die3Bolis