Month: June 2023

Luxembourg Day 4 🇱🇺

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Our last day in Luxembourg! As it was National Day, we knew that shops and cafés would have reduced opening hours, however it was basically a ghost town as nothing was open at all.. apart from Pret! We had hoped to visit one of the local bakeries this morning, but the chain will have to do. We had a granola bowl, toasties and drinks, and because we were bordering on re-mortgaging the house to pay for it all (don’t let all this talk of cost put you off.. we’re just pigs) the lovely man behind the counter gave us a free cookie. The food was really tasty – I definitely think Pret is up there with the best tasting coffee chain foods.

We could see large groups of people and families heading over to the Adolphe Bridge, so we guessed this is where the events of today would take place. We joined the crowds of people who were all waving their flags, and watched the military planes fly past. Although really cool to see, they really don’t do it as well as the Brits 😉 the Luxembourg Amry then all drove past, followed by the police, fire and ambulance. We were a bit too far away to hear the band that was playing, so decided to move a bit further down to see what was going on. Unfortunately we got there just as they had finished, however we managed to grab a spot at the front just in time to see the Grand Duke and his wife get in their car and drive past. We even got a wave! So surreal, but funny to think we have gotten closer to the big bollocks of Luxembourg than we have to our own.

The craft bar we had stopped at a few days prior wasn’t far away, so we decided to pop in for a cold one. We watched the dignitaries in their smart get-up wandering the streets and shaking hands with people, and members of the military band chatting to the crowds. It was really lovely to watch. We spotted a large crowd over by the army tents so decided to check it out. They were only giving out free beer!! As many as you wanted! They had stands where you can try on their gear and sit in vehicles. There was a band playing and food being served. It was such a great atmosphere, and the weather was perfect.

We decided to spend our last few hours in Luxembourg just wandering the streets. However, now the parade was over, the shops and restaurants were starting to open. We have walked past a bar called Urban every day, so we grabbed their last table and settled down to a fruit beer and some lunch. The food was really tasty, and the portion sizes were huge! For the final drink, we went to a vintage bar over the road, where locals sat on knackered old arm chairs playing chess.

On the walk back to the hotel to get our bags, we took the scenic route for one last look at the ruins and then up the panoramic elevator. It takes you from historic at the bottom, to modern at the top and is 71M tall. It’s free to use and gives great views across the city. We could hear music playing in the park so decided to check out what was going on. It was absolutely swarming with families. There was games everywhere, including inflatables, racket games, giant board games, as well as food and drink carts. As we’re not one for early arrival to the airport 🤣 we decided to grab one last drink and take a slow walk through the park. It’s such a massive shame to be going home. We’ve had such a great time soaking up all the atmosphere of the last few days, and The Script and 1975 were headlining City Sounds that evening!

I hope we have put Luxembourg on your radar to visit as it’s such a lovely country. Maybe even get a trip booked for 22nd/23rd June 2024 to party with the locals! Whilst public transport is free, hiring a car will allow you to see all the little towns around the country in just a few days. There are plenty of hiking trails, and even a little waterfall. The old town is stunning and perfect for a peaceful walk, and the bars are great for just watching the world go by.

Luxembourg Day 3 🇱🇺

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We woke up this morning to the weather we are usually blessed with on our adventures… rain. We had planned to explore the Mullerthal Region today, which is referred to as Luxembourg’s little Switzerland, however we hadn’t really packed for wet weather, and decided it would just end being a soggy and miserable day. Instead, we went for breakfast at one of the highest rated spots. Obviously, when we got there, every table was full; the majority with cool young hipsters and their laptops who clearly had no plans to move all day. Luckily, a table of mature ladies vacated, so we dived straight in. Whilst the latte was a massive letdown, the food made up for it and set us on our way for a day of cafe hopping.

Walking tour Ken had recommended the Chocolate House for its delicious hot chocolate and perfect view of the guards outside the Grand Ducal Palace. We got there as the rain had stopped, so we were able to get a seat outside. There are so many different flavours of hot chocolate to choose from. Mark chose orange, but unfortunately, he had to say pardon 3 times when the waitress asked if he wanted dark or milk. When he eventually realised what she was asking, he went with milk, but she had other ideas and gave him dark instead.

Another recommendation we had been given was Bock Casemates – a subterranean defence system made up of kilometres of tunnels and one of the most important visitor sites in Luxembourg. It’s an inside activity, so perfect for a soggy day! During the two World Wars, the Bock Casemates (and those of the Pétrusse valley) served as a shelter with the capacity to protect 35,000 people in the event of a bombardment. It’s an interesting site to walk around and also gives you alternative views across the city. Luckily, these tunnels are a lot bigger and wider than the ones we visited in Vietnam! As there was a break in the rain and feeling a little snackish, we popped to Ladurée for some overpriced drinks and super tasty macaron. The rain break didn’t last long, and accompanied by lots of thunder, it began again.

When we booked this trip, we had no idea of the significance of the 22nd/23rd June to Luxembourg. The 23rd is National Day – a day to celebrate the Grand Duke’s birthday, but celebrations get underway on the 22nd. It all begins with the traditional changing of the guard in front of the Grand Ducal Palace, with the participation of an honorary detachment from the Luxembourg Army. The Luxembourg Military Band also provided musical entertainment, including ACDC Highway to Hell! We managed to get a really good spot to watch everything, but felt very out of place without a Luxembourg flag to wave.

The evening celebrations was a DJ set by Flavour Trip, Wade (nope.. no clue either!) and Lost Frequencies. As this didn’t kick off until later, we decided to pass some time by visiting a cat cafe. The first one we visited in Prague was a bit of a disaster as a cat piddled all over my scarf! Luckily no such event happened this time. We were surrounded by lots of fabulous kitties who were very interested in trying to lick the cream out of Mark’s milkshake. Just before we left, the owner gave us some treats to give them, and they all came running. Actual cat heaven.

The forecast for the evening was poor, so we decided packed our umbrellas. As we got bag searched to go into ‘City Sounds’ we were told we were not allowed to take umbrellas in, and to leave them by the entrance in a giant umbrella pile. I’ll give you one guess as to whether they were still there when we left 🙄 we got some food, beer and wine and got our spot ready for Lost Frequencies. The heavens decided to open just as the set began, and everyone around us got their umbrellas out!! Absolutely fuming! Luckily I had the wanker hat. The main event of the 22nd is the firework display – one of the biggest in Europe. We piled onto the tram with 1000s of others and got to the viewing area. There was so much pushing and shoving, and we ended up being stuck behind a tree. Although we had a slightly reduced view, the fireworks were INCREDIBLE. There are so many great places to watch the fireworks, so getting there early is a must.

We had seen all the bars getting ready earlier in the day for the huge street parties which kick off after the fireworks, so were keen to check them out. Unfortunately being 5ft2 in a crowd isn’t the best, and I hated every minute of being squashed, shoved and trodden on. It really was hell. Although the atmosphere was great; the drinks were massively overpriced and it was impossible to move, so we decided to head back to the hotel. On the way back through the square where we had met Ken, we discovered lots of space, a great DJ and cheap drinks. So we were able to enjoy some of the party vibes with the locals.

Luxembourg Day 2 🇱🇺

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We woke up to a glorious first morning in Luxembourg. On our tour with Ken yesterday, he told us about a local market on Wednesdays and Saturdays which is perfect for getting meat, cheese, fruit and veg and other tasty treats. We decided to check it out and get our breakfast like the locals do. Mark decided to try out some of his GCSE French, but got as far as Bonjour, before ordering a punnet of strawberries in English. Luckily the stall holder spoke excellent English, so there was no confusion with what we wanted. It was then my turn to order the pastries, however this time all of their labels were in German. As I didn’t even reach GCSE German, I decided to just point at what I wanted – we’re such British tourists 🤣 we spotted Pret had some seating outside, so grabbed a coffee and sat with our goodies watching the world go by.

There are so many places to visit in Luxembourg, and it’s so small that you could drive North to South in around 2hrs. We however have not hired a car, so decided to spend today visiting Vianden as it’s easy to get to on public transport. As I mentioned in day one, one of the great things about Luxembourg is public transport is free! I did however have to pay 70c to use the toilet in the train station. The first leg of the journey was via train to a town called Ettelbruck. The trains are double decker and very clean, with plenty of leg room. The second leg was via bus to Vianden. Unfortunately we had the craziest bus driver known to man, who decided to overtake a tractor, and car, whilst going round a bend and going uphill. This is obviously a manoeuvre he has done before, as he did it with such confidence, and we are still here! This whole journey took around 1hr.

It is said that Vianden is one of Luxembourg’s prettiest towns, and its clear why. It has charming winding streets, pastel coloured houses, and of course, the castle up on the hill. The castle had been renovated over a number of years so its worth going inside for a visit. There are a few ways to the top, but we obviously had to take the chair lift. The ride is slow, meaning you are able to fully take in the surroundings, and the views are stunning. Once at the top, there are a few viewpoints, and of course a restaurant. You then need to walk to the castle – we chose the ‘challenging route’ as it was much quicker. Its very do-able, just a bit uneven underfoot.

Entry to the castle is €10, and is definitely worth it to see this authentic masterpiece of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. You can go around at your own pace, and luckily no volunteers that want to grab you in every room 🤣 there are plenty of rooms to visit, as well as items found on digs around the castle, outfits they would have worn and towers with great views.

We decided to take the easy route back to the chair lift, however this wasn’t signposted well at all, and after about 10 mins we decided we would definitely get lost in the middle of the forest, and retraced our steps back to the challenging route. We had read about a bakery selling the best croque monsieur in Vianden, so we headed there to try it our before we headed back to the city. Unfortunately.. they had sold out 😭 so we settled for a meat and egg baguette before heading back to the bus stop, to begin the journey back. As it had been a hot and sweaty day, a few of the passengers were rather fragrant…

We got back to the hotel, showered and headed out for a Maccies. We went to one a bit further out as it was bigger and had screens to order off – always makes it easier in another county! It was the cleanest one we have ever been in, and we enjoyed adding another one to the world tour list. On the tram there we spotted a busy area with a funfair, so decided to head back there for a look. Mark fancied a pudding and went to the churros stand. After being told multiple times to just get a small, he ordered a medium, and there was enough churros to feed the entire country. Although they were tasty and not greasy like some of them can be, we were quickly defeated.

We had also spotted a cool looking bar, and soon realised they sold 100s of cans of beer from all over the world. Mark enjoyed getting beer advice from the owner, and we sat outside with our drinks (I even had a beer! Fruity obvs) There was a very interesting group of people next to us however, and the bloke was really getting into telling them how he didn’t like being fingered 🤷🏼‍♀️ As it was getting late, we decided to head back via one more bar we had seen in the town. A gin and tonic was €12, however I definitely had at least half a pint of gin, so I guess it was worth it! The heavens decided to open, so it was a quick dash back to the hotel and to bed, ready for another day of exploring.

Luxembourg Day 1 🇱🇺

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The alarms were set for a super early start this morning as our flight was from Heathrow, and to save us nearly £100, we chose to use Purple Parking rather than park at the airport. Luckily Mark’s parents are around an hour away from Heathrow (one of the reasons I swiped for him haha) which makes the journey there a slightly easier one. Purple Parking is super easy to use and would 100% recommend them (pending car collection!). We hopped onto the shuttle bus and arrived at T3 in around 10 minutes. We got into the queue for bag check, but it soon became apparent that we were in the queue for American Airlines instead! This seems to be a common mistake as others soon followed us to the correct check in area next door. We whizzed through security, and this meant we had over 2hrs in departures! We went to Spuntino for breakfast, which for airport standards was actually very good. And of course, a breakfast pudding from Nero 😋 we made our way to our gate, and then came the dreaded announcement.. a flight delay! The tannoy stated “there has been a big accident on the tarmac meaning the crew can’t get to the plane. Fire are in attendance”. This made it sound very dramatic, however after around 20 mins, we were allowed on the plane. Then came the next bit of news.. we’ve missed our slot and Luxembourg is too foggy to land in, so we’re being put into a ‘holding bay’ until we could take off. After nearly 45 minutes here we were able to take off, for the super lengthy one hour flight. The best thing about flying BA, is even though it has taken me longer to drive to Birmingham, you still get a free drink and snack from them.

One of the great things about Luxembourg, is all public transport is free! Even for tourists. Getting from the airport to the city centre is super easy on the bus, and we were really fortunate that our room was ready early when we arrived at the hotel. After a quick swill and a change of clothes, we headed out to see what Luxembourg had to offer. One of the first things we noticed was how clean the place is, but that could be to do with the amount of bins there is.

The many bins in the park

To get another UNESCO ticked off the app, we headed to the old quarter and fortifications. We walked along The Chemin de la Corniche, which is said to be “Europe’s most beautiful balcony”. I’ts clear to see why.. the views are absolutely stunning. We strolled along some the passage ways down to the waters edge of the Alzette to get a closer look at the bridges and architecture. It can only be described as like something out of a fairytale, and is the perfect place for a bit of peace in the middle of bustling city.

As we know absolutely nothing about Luxembourg, we decided to book a walking tour, with the added bonus of wine tasting. As we had around 20 mins before we met the group, we decided to have a drink. From the very minimal research we did before coming, most of the reviews and blogs say service is slow and waiting staff are VERY rude. We sat outside a cafe and got completely ignored by the waitress, and after a good 5 minutes of no interaction, we got up and left. As we were now running low on time and getting dryer by the minute, we decided on swinging by maccies to get a drink from there (don’t worry, we will be visiting properly tomorrow as part of our Maccies World Tour.) We headed to the meeting point where we met some fabulous gays from the group, an American and an Aussie who are living together in The Hague! The tour guide however was nowhere to be seen, and we eventually got comms that the previous walk was taking a while, meaning ours was going to be delayed. The boys recommended a bar just around the corner, so we popped there to kill some time, and luckily the service there was good, with a great selection of beer.

We headed back to meet the group and our tour guide, Ken. A very enthusiastic chap who is born here and lived here his whole life. We learnt that by the age of 16, most people in Luxembourg can speak French, German and Luxembourgish, and large proportion can speak English. In fact a lot of locals here can speak 7 different languages! We walked around cute squares, saw the Cathedral and Grand Ducal Palace, the Pont Adolphe Bridge, and once again, the Corniche. Luxembourg is the 2nd richest country in the world and has the highest minimum wage in the EU. This is why so many people from the bordering countries come to work here, hense why so many languages are learnt and spoken by locals. It’s also the only Grand Duchy in the world, and we’ve accidentally planned our trip around the Grand Dukes official birthday – but more about that later! We tried 2 wines, one of which was Crémant de Luxembourg, a quality sparkling wine. Both were delicious. We don’t really ever do walking tours, but this one was really enjoyable, so will probably do more of these in the future. We booked through Get Your Guide.

This evening we decided to go slightly out of town to a highly rated tapas restaurant. And I have to say, the ham croquettes and patatas bravas were probably the best we’ve ever had. Even beating Barcelona! Although a relatively pricey meal, it was worth it. We walked back into town to have a drink overlooking the valley, and this was the perfect end to the day.