Luxembourg

July 13, 2019

After Bastogne, we drove the 1 hour to Luxembourg. Michelle drove this time. When entering the City Center, we had a hard time finding parking. I wanted to park near the front, but with so much road work, lanes were closed. In addition, there were bus lanes which only buses could drive in. After about 10 tough minutes, we found a parking spot. In Germany and now Luxembourg there are spots to find that aren't too pricey, unlike Hawaii or in fact Waikiki where you pay like $15-$20 for parking.

We did our taking picture and memorizing landmarks before exiting the parking structure. We found this strategies to be very important when coming back.

As we walked through the City Center, we immediately saw that things were dense, lots of people in small places and things were pricey. The City Center is beautiful a mix of old and new. Since we were so hungry, we decided to eat a late lunch/early dinner. We tried to find Lux Burger, but couldn't, we settled with Charles Sandwiches which was listed as a cheap eat with great reviews. The waitress was very nice and spoke good English. None of us know any French so we couldn't reply back. Looking at the menu, there were burgers so everyone got burgers except me. I got the smoked salmon sandwich. In Europe, they don't really get the water thing. In America, water is free, but in Europe it cost money for them to pour water. Usually Europeans drink soda or alcohol with their meal. We ordered water, Michelle and I had a bet that they would charge us for water 20 Euros was the bet. The burgers were about 10 Euros which is a little pricey, but they were huge and juicey, double patties. My smoked salmon sandwich was huge. I expected thinly sliced smoked salmon, but it was filet. The food was so good. Michelle didn't like the french fries though, I thought they were good.

After we ate, I wanted to see the Gëlle Fra which is translated to Golden Lady. The statue is dedicated to the thousands of Luxembourgers who volunteered their services during World War II and the Korean War. The statues is of the Greek Goddess Nike which represents Victory (or freedom). I took a few pictures, but no one in the family seemed interested. I though they would since we just came from Bastogne.

Next, I wanted to find the Grand Ducal Palace, home of the Grand Duchy. But we went across the bridge and that wasn't it. So we went back and found it. It wasn't open, but they do tours from July thru September, unfortunately it was sold out when I checked. The place is huge and I could take a picture of a fraction of the building. Across the Grand Ducal Palace was the Chocolate House. As we entered, it was obviously that they were ready to close up because they were packing away stuff. However, according to store hours, they were still open for another 2 hours. What they had left was overpriced, so just left without buying anything.

As we walked back, we immediately saw that all the retail shops were closed, even the bakeries and some restaurant. Wow it was only 8pm, but I guess everything closes early in Luxembourg. We ended leaving and shopping at a nearby ESSO gas station. I bought my Bofferding beer which is the Beer of Luxembourg. We bought other stuff as well, the best thing was this watermelon soda. It was good and I made sure I took a picture so we could buy it the next time we come here. That is the good thing about living in Europe, especially Luxembourg, neighboring countries are close by so we can hope in the car and go.

Michelle drove back to Otterberg. We got home at about 10pm. We were tired, these road trips do take a lot out of you. Improving your stamina is important.