9/24: Luxembourg Impressions

In random order are these impressions or takeaways from our week touring Luxembourg at the beginning of our trip.

1. Huge numbers of people seemed to smoke and it was allowed almost everywhere - disappointingly, their butts were dumped in the street.

2. Great roads and drivers who followed the normally accepted 'rules of the road' - they used turning signals, stayed in their lanes, adhered to stop signs, allowed other drivers to merge, etc.

3. A country of castles.

4. Didn't encounter very friendly people.

5. No plastic was served in restaurants, as in bottles of Coke or water.

6. Incredibly small country - could drive from north to south or east to west in 1.5 hours! However, it generally took us close to an hour to get from one town to another because we weren't going in a straight line!

7. Steven thought that all the villages and towns seemed to blend in with each other. But I liked the juxtaposition of the pastoral scenes right up against the forests and then back to rolling hills and cows!

8. Surprised at the prevalence of uniformly Catholic churches in every town or city we visited. Likewise, a huge number of roadside chapels compared to any other Catholic country we'd visited to date. Wonder how that corresponded to the number of practicing Catholics.

9. Surprised at the scarcity of English signage in museums or anywhere unless it was a WW2 site. All the more remarkable when you consider the country is surrounded by Belgium to the north and west, Germany to the east, and France to the south and the common language is English for all  At the same time, museum staff would use English first when talking to visitors in front of us. Never experienced that before.

10. Disappointed at the innumerable English-language shop names and signs elsewhere - remember the same impression from visiting Belgium three years ago: Simon's Pizza. Garden Point. Biomart organic market. Floral Design. Highlights by Lanterns. One stop - all you need. Luxembourg - let's make it happen. "7 motorcyclists killed in 2024. Take care."

11. Dogs in most restaurants even upscale ones.

12. Didn't see a single clinic or hospital in our first five days. Only in Luxembourg City because it's so close?

13. No litter except cigarette butts everywhere. No graffiti essentially.

14. No distance signs were listed - only the town a few miles away.

15. Free transportation for everyone including foreigners nationwide. Surely, a first!

16. Very large number of people of African descent. Passed groups of young schoolchildren with fully a third or more being of African heritage.

17. Almost no traffic lights - only, it seemed, when construction was taking place.

18. Can't remember ever seeing so many bookstores, especially when they all appeared to be independent, too! How encouraging when we see bookstores in the US in dire financial straits.

19. Heartily recommend people to visit both the country and capital of Luxembourg - we both were impressed with how scenic it was, and how there was so much to see and do in such a small nation if you are interested in medieval castles, a country with a convoluted history, WW2 sights, hiking, practicing your French and German depending on what area of the small country you're in, cruising along some of Europe's fabled rivers, fine dining experiences, an extensive winegrowing area, boutique hotels, an 'easy' country to visit, and love driving on back roads and small country lanes with a feeling of always being safe!

Next post: Exploring Palermo, Sicily.

Posted on November 3rd, 2024 from Tunis, Tunisia just a few days before heading home after two months on the road again. Steven and I would appreciate any suggestions people might have about where we should travel overseas or internationally next year - would prefer someplace off the beaten track but safe, with no more mosaics and ruins for a good while! Even though we're not even home yet and have more trips planned for the rest of 2024, we have itchy feet for 2025. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.