The country of Luxembourg is probably not on most people’s European vacation itineraries. It is, after all, one of the smallest nations in Europe (only 998 square miles). But what it lacks in size it makes up for with quaintness.
I visited here during my 2007 summer in Europe with my friend, Teresa. We were ecstatic to find out that two of our dearest friends, Melissa and Stewart, were going to be in Europe during the same time we were. They were visiting Stewart’s brother and his family in Luxembourg City, the capital of this Grand Duchy (the only Grand Duchy in the world, by the way). So we made plans to meet up with them!
We had been staying in Rothenburg, Germany for a few days and made our way via train to Trier, Germany, just outside the border of Luxembourg.
Our “lunch” on the train
Melissa, Stewart and Jay met us at the train station with ketchup and mayonnaise covered french fries in hand. Apparently this is a “thing” in that region. Here’s hoping the trend doesn’t make its way to the U.S….. 🙂
The city of Luxembourg is built on a plateau and looks so beautiful and impressive as you approach it. Once we arrived at Jay’s home we met his wife, Jane, and their adorable daughter, Ava.
The following day we all hopped into two cars and drove north to the town of Clervaux. First on the agenda was lunch and we settled on a little French cafe. This was my first experience in a French-speaking country and I loved it! I would have loved it even more if I could actually speak French. 😛
Lunch was good, especially the fries! You’ve never had good fries until you’ve had some from this region of Europe! Yum!! I had to laugh, though, at the “salade” that came with my meal, which consisted of a piece of lettuce and half a tomato slice. Ah well.
After lunch we headed to the Chateau Clervaux which dates back to the 12th century. The first exhibit we visited was Castle Replicas – models of the castles and palaces of Luxembourg. It wasn’t the most exciting exhibit I had ever seen but the next one definitely made up for it!
The Family of Man is the largest photographic exhibition of all time and consists of 503 black and white photos by 273 artists from 68 countries. It was excellent and explores the many facets of humanity. I was so impressed with the entire exhibit!
Next we made our way into a small World War II museum dedicated to the Battle of the Bulge. I am fascinated by that era and absolutely loved looking at all of the documents, weapons and uniforms that this museum contained.
We left the chateau and headed back to Luxembourg-Ville for the evening. Our time in this country was short but sweet! The following day Teresa and I bid adieu to our hosts and left with Melissa and Stewart to make our way to Munich, Germany.
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