Luxembourg, The City of Flags

We spent today in the city of Luxembourg, capital of The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg! And for the first time in almost six days we had cloudless blue skies and sunshine! It was perfect, because in all of its natural beauty, Luxembourg is not a city I would want to see without a bright sun.

We arrived around noon, and proceeded to tour the downtown area. I’ve been trying to eat healthy
while overseas, but my host father insisted that I have an ice cream cone. And it was a glorious ice cream cone! Walking down the inexplicably umbrella overhung streets licking my mint chocolate chip gelato was nothing short of a religious experience. I have to say one of my favorite things about Europe is that more often than not a middle aged business man in a well tailored suit will be in front of you in line for Gelato. It always cracks me up when he walks off casually with his double scoop strawberry cone in one hand and a briefcase in the other.

Next we explored the casemates and crypts that earned Luxembourg the title of Gibraltar of the North. Some of the dimly lit winding stairways and narrow passageways were downright creepy. But the almost century old structure was impressive nonetheless.

We then made our way down a series of stairways to a beautiful garden nestled into the side of a steep hill.

  

And we finished our day exploring this naturally beautiful part of the city. Hilariously, the meal we had in Luxembourg was Tex Mex of all things. More than four and half thousand miles from home I can’t escape the Texas influence.

It was a wonderful day. I appreciate that a country as small as Luxembourg (population 531,441) is so prideful of its heritage. In the city center, you literally could not take a photo without inadvertently capturing a Luxembourg flag in the frame. It is a beautifully spirited country! It’s the kind of place where there’s nothing weird about hundreds of umbrellas hanging from the sky! And there’s something really great about that!