The Viper Pilot has a new toy.
Something he never knew he wanted…the Viper Pilot has officially joined the tablet world. I surprised him good. 🙂
We have a really tough time sitting still on the weekends. Usually we find ourselves adventuring out and about on what we like to call “staycations.” Of course, that’s only when we aren’t skiing in the Alps. Yesterday we went to the teeny tiny little country next door called Luxembourg to see what it’s all about.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if Luxembourg was a country or a city. Since moving to Europe, I now know that it consists of a variety of regions: pasta country, beer country, wine country, tapas country…and “the other ones.” Lux was one of the latter, almost a fictional place in my mind. You never hear people say, “Oh man, you gotta try the _____ in Luxembourg City!” So when the Viper Pilot suggested a day trip to Luxembourg, I was game. I love new places to explore.
So if you aren’t exactly sure where this tiny country of 500,000 people is, it’s squeezed in between Belgium, Germany, and France. You know the little knobby thing on a jigsaw puzzle piece? It’s kind of like that chunk.
Even if you know what you were looking for, you still have to squint and zoom in on a map to find it. The capital is Luxembourg City, also called Luxembourg, which is possibly why a lot of people don’t know that it’s actually a country…and as it turns out, it happens to be the wealthiest country (per person) in the world, a founding country of the United Nations and the European Union. Who knew.
The city appears to have been built to be enjoyed rather than lived in, with a pleasant mix of shopping, offices, and recreation.
The city boasts a stunning scenic view from every angle: valleys and rivers with the charming little homes built into the cliffs, a smattering of churches with pointy steeples lining the clifftops, palaces and grand government buildings dominating the historic side of town.
The city has a boisterous history, and only survived the cycles of European defeats and victories due to its fortifications, making it a prime example of military excellence.
The country recently celebrated 150 years of independence after being heavily fought over by Prussia and France. Apparently, being one of the smallest and the wealthiest country in the world has its benefits.
During WWI, it was occupied by Germany but allowed to contain its independence. Due to it’s strategic location, the country was unable to maintain neutrality and was again occupied by the German Nazi’s in 1940 during the invasion of France. Luxembourg was unofficially annexed to the Third Reich thereafter until American forces liberated the country in 1944.
Located in the heart of the city is the Notre-Dame Cathedral (not the famous one you’re thinking of, that’s in Paris). This particular church, built in 1613 as a Jesuit church, and boasts noteworthy late Gothic architecture.
We spent the day meandering through the busy streets, people watching, and window shopping. We found a cafe with only soup on the menu. Um, yes please. I had carrot soup with yogurt and dill, organic bread and a hot cappuccino. It most certainly warmed me from the inside out <– best part.
Afternoon snack consisted of waffles. Not quite the Belgian style, but delicious nonetheless. (We were both covered in a nice dusting of powdered sugar by the time the waffles were completely consumed.)
By the way, check out this horse dog…he was certainly turning heads…
We made one last stop on our way back home.
Unfortunately, it was closed to visitors, but we could peak through the gate and trees to get a glimpse. The cemetery is a sprawling 50.5 acres and is the final resting place of 5,076 American service members, including General George S. Patton. If you are a history buff and have a chance, read about his death here. The graves are marked by simple white crosses.
We will make another day trip back to see it better on another day. It is well worth the short drive.
We stocked up on local wine and beer and hit the road for home to go to a birthday party for one of the Viper Pilot’s fellow flyers. It was a good day! We attempted to make a run for Tongeren, Belgium to do some antiquing this morning, but the weather changed our plans. Snow. <– I am so over it.
What did you do this weekend?
PROST!