For the longest time Tony has had a screensaver showing this wonderful view of Luxembourg's Adolph Bridge at Night. Finally, we are going to go see it in person. We haven't done a weekend getaway together since last fall, so it is well overdue.
For this getaway, we decided to try flying out of London's City Airport which is easily reached by the tube. This means that rather than taking the bus or tube to a train station, and then riding a train 30 minutes to one of the outlying airports, we were able to hop on a bus to the tube stop, and a short 20 minutes later, we were relaxing and having our traditional Bon Voyage Latte and Pain au Chocolat. We did discover that the Tate and Lyle Sugar refinery where they make Golden Syrup is right next to the airport.
We had an easy flight on a small plane, with a unique view of the Landing Gear. Ever the geek, I was watching it in flight to see how it all worked. Very interesting to see the hydraulics and shock absorbers take weight as the plane contacts the ground.
the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has a very new and beautiful international airport. There may only be one airport in the entire country as it is the 3rd smallest country in Europe.
We hopped on the bus to town. It was a hybrid vehicle and to further enhance it's green status, it had green artificial turf on the floor and green upholstery. . . It was interesting to hear the vehicle's engine turn off and on as the vehicle needed it. I'm willing to bet that if all cars could simply slow their engines down to a standby mode while stopped at a light, or waiting in traffic, gas consumption levels would be cut down significantly.
We arrived in downtown Luxembourg to discover that it appeared deserted. It turned out that that day was Ascension Day for all the Catholics in Luxembourg which is predominantly a Catholic country.
We stayed in a small business travelers hotel that though not spectacular, proved to be serviceable, and centrally located to the town square.
We walked from the hotel to the town square pausing to look at the Independance memorial. Luxembourg was passed around amongst the larger European countries until the mid 1800's when it officially became its own country. There are these really interesting bronze statues at its base. They have these great wear stains that make them appear to be melting.
Upon arriving at Place de Guillaume II, the town square, we discovered that the tour de Luxembourg bikers had just come in, and that they were celebrating the completion of this leg in the square.
The energy was very fun, and I could see Tony's nostalgia for the times he spent on the Aids Ride or "Tour de California". We both sold our road bikes when we moved to London.
Perched in the center of the square is a statue of Duke William II on horseback. He helped the country to establish its first parliamentary constitution.
Just beyond the square is the Ducal Palace. Luxembourg has a Grand Duke that presides over the country. I'm not exactly sure what role he places in the government, but his picture is everywhere (much like the Queen in England).
The shield of Luxembourg is quite pretty featuring a red lion on a blue and white stripe background. It is reminiscent of the Belgium Coat of Arms as Luxembourg was part of Belgium at one time.
Tony and I strolled around the city enjoying the warm sunny air. I can't tell you how nice it was to feel warm sun and to see such lovely clear blue skies. It was a beautiful day, and before long it was time for a beer!
We tried the local brew, Bofferding. It is a pleasant lager beer, brewed much in the German tradition.
Tony and I wandered over to Place de Theater, the second major pedestrian square.
We liked this square a lot, and ended up sitting here in the afternoons or evenings eating a sandwich or having an ice cream.
There is a small pavillion in the center where the local bands and orchestras came to perform. It felt like a very tight-knit community, with this as its heart.
St Mary's church, originally built by the is the national cathedral and the religious heart of the city. There are these wonderful fountain heads. Sadly, they were not running, but it would be wonderful to see them all spitting water.
Luxembourg's history goes back to the ancient Romans as it was the crossing points of two main Roman roads. You can still see traces of the ancient history of the city inserted into the walls of the new city.
Much of Luxembourg is built on top of a hill surrounded by a large gorge called Vallee de la Petrusse. it is a remarkably picturesque setting.
The hilltop and gorge made for the area to be easily defended, and it was never successfully invaded until modern times after its defences had been dismantled.
We loved walking along the edge of the gorge and enjoying the almost surreal valley with its adorable little cottages and streets. I kept thinking that it looks like some sort of fake miniature with model railroad train passing over distant brick bridges.
We saw the ancient fish market where food was traded and sold. Much of it looks as it did almost 700 years ago.
From there, we wandered down into the Petrusse Valley through one of the original fortified gates to the city.
One can easily see why the city had successfully eluded capture all those years.
The slow flowing water and the quiet relaxed atmosphere was very enjoyable.
I think even my blood pressure dropped a bit. . .
We followed the valley floor through a large beautiful green park. Cool shade was welcomed on this warm afternoon.
One can see the fortifications extending the heights of the already steep valley walls.
There were small buildings and churches built into the valley walls as well giving the area an unusual surreal quality.
Before long, we reached the Adolphe Bridge, and we knew it was time to climb a steep path out of the valley to reach our hotel. At one time the 84 meter center span of the stone bridge was the longest in existence.
The climb out of the valley afforded us the beautiful views of the bridge that had inspired our trip here.
That morning before heading out, we went to visit the market in Place de Guillaume II. It is held every Saturday, and is a traditional German flower and food market. It is definitely not a tourist only event as we saw a lot of locals there buying vegetables and food.
The flowers were beautiful too.
One really nice, almost Italian looking villa, had become some sort of retreat center. It had some very nice grounds.
From the Valley of the Seven Castles, we drove up to Vianden Castle, which the TI office had highly recommended. It was by far the nicest castle we visited, and the town in which it is situated is very cute.
We rode the ski-like lift up to the summit above the castle, and walked down to it. We bought a return ticket, but elected not to do it, as it was a tricky walk down the hill, and ultimately, the walk from the castle back down to the town was a pleasant and picturesque way to return. I do recommend riding the ski-lift up as it affords some beautiful views of the castle and valley below.
The castle had been in a bad state of disrepair, but the town has restored it, and now it is a museum and cultural center. In many ways, it once again has become the heart of this community.
