Luxembourg was a good transition point for us, with its three official languages, French, German and Luxembourgish. It takes particular pride in its "European" identity and has been a wholehearted supporter of the European Union and the various agreements which preceded it. Several EU headquarters are located there and there is a significant international community.
Modern Luxembourg
The country is tiny: population 500,000, land area 2,586 square kilometres. It is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. It was a Roman fortress but its modern history starts when a Frankish count built a chateau there, on a rock well situated high above the river.
Our first night on the barge outside France was spent in a small wine town in Luxembourg, Bech-Kleinmacher. The grape vines were planted on the slopes on both sides of the river and came down to the water's edge in places. As we went along further, we were amazed to see areas of vines planted on seemingly impossible slopes and in small plots in amongst rocky spurs. Some are equipped with tracks for an inclinator. Almost every village along the banks of the Moselle seems to be centred on the grape. People seem to rise early here: the bells of the village church in Bech - Kleinmacher woke us at 6.30 am with a peal which seemed to go on for several minutes. We have not noticed this anywhere else so maybe the people of that town believe in the early bird getting the worm.
Old Luxembourg
There seemed to be a large number of Luxembourg locals coming to these river side towns to enjoy the summer warmth there. Remich particularly was set up with attractions for visitors such as a beautifully decorated merry- go- round and many tables for al fresco coffee and dining. The Esplanade Hotel there would have been at home at Manly Beach (Sydney, Australia). Fortunately, the Merry-g-round played many different tunes during the day- we were only four metres away from it!
We spent a day in the city of Luxembourg which could be easily reached by bus from Remich, one of our stopping points. The bus trip itself was interesting as it revealed the attractive hilly terrain which makes up the country. Luxembourg started as a fortress on a plateau, (more details). There are some very attractive buildings and the museum provided an excellent and realistic feel for the history and culture. For example, we learned that the people of Luxembourg are mad on football (Soccer for us Aussies) despite the fact that they have won only five of over 200 international matches spanning the last 50 years. Winning isn't everything in Luxembourg! It was difficult to obtain lunch in Luxembourg despite the huge number of restaurants. Time after time, we were asked if we had a reservation and turned away because the place was full. Finally we found a place in a small corner of the town.
Typical Wine Village
The start of many vineyards
It seems as if Luxembourg has lower taxes than Germany and France. Interesting as Luxembourg has the second highest GDP per capita in the world. We were able to buy fuel at significantly lower prices than in France or Germany. A friendly man we met on a train also told us that tobacco and coffee are a lot cheaper than he can buy them in Germany. He travels five hours by train once each month to fill up a suitcase with these items. He does not drink so could not tell us if the same applied to alcohol. We paid low prices for local wines, so perhaps so.
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Best Regards,
Penny and Dave
Old Luxembourg Viaduct