Luxurious Luxembourg: The Little Rich Grand Duchy of Europe

- July 19, 2019, Friday

- One of the things that fancy me in Europe is the existence of tiny countries that most people fail to remember or whose existence people fail to acknowledge since they are usually lost between bigger and more heard-of countries in Europe. One such tiny country is located southeast of Belgium, west of Germany, and north of France. This is none other than the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg! Despite its size, it is the richest country in Europe and one of the top 10 richest in the world. As its official name states, Luxembourg is a "Grand Duchy," which means that it is ruled be a grand duke (sort of like their king.) Currently, Luxembourg is the only grand duchy remaining in the world, and despite its size, it has its own national language close to German: Luxembourgish; French and German however, as well as English, are all well understood, and only a fraction of the population speaks Luxembourgish as a native tongue. As it is a small country, it is a popular day trip from surrounding countries like Belgium. For those who wish to travel to Luxembourg, do understand that it is a country on mountains, and some parts of the country's cities will be located on a plateau, and others will be on flat ground or a lower plateau. The streets of the cities may also go up and down, so it may be difficult for whose who have a hard time walking.

- Luxembourg is a 3-hour train ride from Brussels, and stop at the country's capital, Luxembourg City. Ticket reservations are not necessary but I thought of booking in advance since it was an international trip. Luxembourg's national railway company is called the Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL for short, click here for the train's official site.) It also leaves from Brussels Centraal Station in Brussels, Brussels Nord, and Brussels Midi/Zuid (the central, north, and south railway stations). Do note that there is another station called "Brussels-Luxembourg"; this is NOT Luxembourg City, but a part of Brussels. When booking tickets online, also check for the timetable for DIRECT TRAINS between Brussels and Luxembourg. Some trains go directly between both cities, but most journeys need you to change trains at Arlon Station (still in Belgium, near the Belgium-Luxembourg border.) I usually avoid having to change trains since there might be delays in the first leg of the train, which will require me to wait longer for the second train in the station where I'm supposed to change trains. Since the online tickets do not have a specific time indicated (i.e. you can ride on any train that goes between Brussels and Luxembourg within the date indicated on the ticket,) just take note of the times when the trains would go directly between cities. However, as these direct trains vary in frequency (and on some days they may not have direct trains,) at least you are aware.

- Since my mom and I left Belgium early in the morning, we arrived around 10:00am, and immediately rode the cab to Casemates du Bock as it is quite a long walk from the station. Do note that there are casemates in Luxembourg, a "casemate" (pronounced as "keys-meyt" or "kahz-maht" in some languages) being a fort or in some cases an armored enclosure where guns are fired. In case you're doing your research for your itinerary, or when asking for directions or riding a cab, make sure you specify which casemate you wish to go to; Casemates du Bock is the most popular one.

- Before entering Casemates du Bock, we took some pictures of the Grund, one of the lower districts of the city. The most iconic structure in the Grund is the 17th-century Neumunster Abbey, which is not used as a cultural space and function hall. The Grund can also be seen from a famous wall at the exit of the Casemates du Bock, and closer to the city, called Chemin de la Corniche.

Welcome!!

Map of the capital.

Railway station.

Neumunster Abbey.

There are plenty of Aqueducts.

- We later went inside the Casemates du Bock after taking nice pictures of the Grund. This fortification is one of the oldest sites in the city, being built in the 10th century. It looks like a giant ant's house from the inside because of its maze-like structure. It was used until the 18th century, when Luxembourg was forced to demolish parts of it to assure its neutral stance in Europe. Luxembourg's fortifications, especially the Casemates du Bock, made the country earn the title "Gibraltar of the North."

Inside the Casemates du Bock.

Looks like an ant's house.

Fire!!

At the bridge connecting the casemates to the old city.

Fortification.

Another view of the Grund and the Neumunster Abbey.

- From the exit of the Casemates, which again is a wall called Chemin de la Corniche, we visited a church right behind the wall. Built in the 10th century, the St. Michael's Church, a quiet church in a quiet part of town, stands as the oldest religious site of Luxembourg.

Inside St. Michael's Church.

- We later walked to the downtown, passing by the Grand Ducal Palace and to the main square called Place Guillaume II. The whole square was being renovated so I did not get to appreciate it that much. However, the tourist information center at the square may be important especially those who wish to purchase tour tickets to the Grand Ducal Palace; the palace is open to the public during summer, when the royal family is away.

Luxembourg City is one of the cities that will really bring you back in time.

The church at the center is the St. Michael's Church.

The Grand Ducal Palace, but more on that later.

- Near the square, to the south, is one of the most well-known churches in Luxembourg. The 17th-century Gothic-style Notre-Dame Cathedral, stands as the only cathedral in the whole of Luxembourg.

The spires of the Notre-Dame, as seen from Place Guillame II.

It's a giant cathedral in a tiny country.

Main hall.

I like the paintings on the walls.

Back door.

Spires and roof from the back. Also notice how the Dutch flag is almost identical to the Luxembouger flag. The only difference is that the flag of Luxembourg has a lighter shade of blue.

Lion fountains.

- Across the street from the cathedral is the Petrusse Casemates with its small amusement park. There, one can find a memorial statue called Gelle Fra, made in 1923. Today, this statue honors the Luxembourgers who perished in the two World Wars, and later on, the Korean War. My mom and I also ate lunch there, as there were numerous food stalls beside the Gelle Fra.

Musee de la Banque from afar.

Gelle Fra.

- After lunch, my mom and I slowly made our way back to the Grand Ducal Palace for our guided tour. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside. What I can tell you, however, is that visitors can see some of the actual furniture that the royal family uses, precious gifts like vases and jars and other works of art from different countries - including two heavyweight malachite vases that were gifts from the Romanov family of Russia. The Grand Ducal Palace was built in the 16th century, and first used as a city hall before becoming the residence of the royal family.

The Grand Ducal Palace from the outside.

- We learned a lot about the life and advocacy of the royal family of Luxembourg, and becoming more curious, we actually wanted to know more about the significance of this tiny country. After all, this is also one of the headquarter/main cities of the European Union. However, since we did not want to go back to Brussels too late in the day, we had a leisurely stroll back to the train station for our train back to Brussels. I also understand that we only saw a fraction of Luxembourg City, and more so the entire tiny country. However, there are bigger and nicer castles and historical sites scattered all over the Luxembourger countryside. Maybe next time, if I have the chance to go back to Luxembourg, I might consider staying a few more days just so I can see how this little country can surprise me further!

- Please don't forget to read all about my other adventures in the Netherlands, and Belgium, here!!

THE NETHERLANDS

Part 1, Amsterdam: here, and here

Part 2, Zaanse Schans: here

Part 3, The Hague/Den Haag: here

Part 4, Haarlem: here

Part 5, Hoorn: here


BELGIUM

Part 1 and 5, Brussels: here, and here

Part 2, Ghent/Gent: here

Part 3, Bruges/Brugge: here

Part 4, Antwerp: here