We would make a couple of stops as our coach bus made its way through the northeastern French countryside, including an excursion to Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg.
For the morning, we watched as the names of small towns flew by, jogging our memories--Disneyland Paris, Reims, Verdun, the Maginot Line, and of course, Champagne. David watched for places he'd been during his military service in Europe, and for places his father had been--serving with the 29th Division as part of the Normandy invasion and its aftermath.
European bus drivers follow very strict rules on the hours they drive, so our stop at a French highway rest stop was both for our benefit and to comply with these standards. From the outside, it looked like American travel plazas advertising gas and fast food.
We had forgotten, however, that we were in France, where they apparently see nothing strange about selling high-end champagne in a rest area. They also addressed the age-old problem of keeping the bathrooms clean by simply removing all the toilet seats. It would be the first of our "discoveries" about European facilities that would make us yearn for home!
We crossed the border into Luxembourg around noon and made our way to the Luxembourg City center where we had time to explore their Christmas market and grab some lunch. We picked a little cafe and enjoyed fabulous coffee, (which seems to be the rule wherever you go!) a bagel--AND their sense of humor!
We explored the Christmas market and picked up one of our "must have" souvenirs right away: a glühwein mug. Glühwein is a spiced wine served at Christmas markets, and each market produces a collectible mug to sell each year. We could have come home with a whole suitcase of different glühwein mugs (and a headache, I'm sure), but we decided to stop at one.
We also were treated to a walking tour of the City and learned more about the history of this tiny country. Beginning with Roman roots and then part of Charlemagne's empire, the area was buffeted about, belonging in turn to Spain, France, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium. It briefly gained its independence in 1867 but was occupied by the Germans during both World Wars. It's little wonder we saw this slogan (the motto of Luxembourg) on the wall in the city: it translates (roughly) to "We want to remain what we are."
The city exists within an enormous gorge formed by the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers, and the views from the cliffs above are breath-taking. In the distance, you can see the modern buildings out in the suburbs, but all around you are reminders of the long history of the area. We also had an unexpected treat! Some musicians had split themselves into groups and were stationed both at river level and up on the cliffs and were using the special acoustic properties of the topography to enhance their music in an impromptu concert! You can just barely see some of the brass players in my second picture.
Our last stop in Luxembourg would require us to board the bus again and head just out of town, near the airport, which, our guide reminded us, MUST be an international airport because there is no other airport within the borders of the country. In fact, within one minute of takeoff from the airport, you are already in another country! Next, we would visit the American cemetery honoring fallen World War II soldiers.
No comments:
Post a Comment