Lux Be A Lady

Why did I decide to visit Luxembourg? There are three reasons: (1) Say I've been there, adding another country to my list (2) Another stamp in the passport, especially one that's hard to get (3) It's one of those places that I've looked at on the map for years and have always wondered what's there.

So what is there? Well, the city of Luxembourg is kind of a generic, though picturesque, European city that could be anywhere in nearby parts of France, Germany, or Switzerland. The attraction is that it's the capital of it's own country. Central Luxembourg is situated atop a hill, surrounded by centuries-old fortifications with gorges and valleys running around it. The steep drops in elevation make for a striking contrast between the highlands and the lowlands.

As for what's inside the city itself, well, it's a very pleasant place, though not particularly special. There are several small plazas, with restaurants and cafes and the occasional music festival during the warmer months. (I actually was there for the New Orleans jazz festival, which was a bit incongruous given the location. They had hung banners in the design of the Confederate flag, likely without knowing the connotation.) Predictably, it's also a small place. You can walk across the downtown area in ten minutes. Every second building in Luxembourg seems like it's a bank. In fact, they even have a banking museum.

If you want to see more of Luxembourg, check out the pictures from my trip, using the link from my June 10th post. Again, it was certainly interesting to visit, but nothing beyond the fact that it's a small, independent country really warrants a special trip.