Issue 27 / Travelling Through Lovely Luxembourg

by Vallisa Chauhan

Travelling Through Lovely Luxembourg

Dec 06, 2015

Luxembourg is often referred to as the green city of Europe, with nearly one third of the surface of the city shaped by beautifully landscaped green spaces. From the Place d'Armes square to the Viaduc, the city is full of culture and has so much to offer.

Luxembourg also known as the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is in Western Europe boardered by Belgium, France and Germany and is known as one of the smallest sovereign states in Europe. Its capital is Luxembourg City and Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the monarchial head of state. The country was one of the founding members of the European Union.

I recently had the chance to pass through Luxembourg City for a few days, which is actually more then enough time to capture the magnificant city and all its wonders.

^{View of Germany from Remich.

Photo Credit: Vallisa Chauhan}

Since this trip was a business trip for my mom and a little pleasure for myself we decided to stay in the small town of Remich for the first night in a family run hotel. Although not as luxurious as some of the hotels in the city, it was peaceful with views across a lake that boardered Germany. We took the bus into the city so that we could take in the views. The bus in Luxembourg is pretty inexpensive at 2 Euros for a ticket that is valid for two hours and 4 Euros for a day ticket.

For anyone that is trying to save some money this is defintily a good idea.

^{Sofitel, Luxembourg}
^{Photo Credit: www.sofitel.com}

On day two we moved to the Sofitel Hotel in the city and it was beautiful. The Sofitel has some amazing views opposite it and to help customers take in these views the breakfast is served on one of the upper floors with huge windows and breathtaking views.

^{View from Sofitel, Luxebourg.

Photo Credit: www.tripadvisor.com}

We bought a day pass for the hop on hop off City Sightseeing Tour but the weather was not great and we stayed on the bus for the full two hours listening to the histroy of the city.

Luxembourg has a lot to offer in such a small place. I am a huge fan of cathedrals and the Notre Dame Cathedral was beautiful. It's a Roman Catholic Cathedral situated in Luxembourg City. It represents the late gothic architecture and was built between 1613 and 1621. The crypt is the resting place of John the Blind, King of Bohemia and the Count of Luxembourg. The crypt also houses many of the Grand Ducal Family.

^{Inside the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Photo Credit: www.trekearth.com}

When you think of a palace you think of a grand building standing high above a city but this is not the case in Luxembourg. In fact, the Grand Ducal Palace is situated in the heart of city, and even though it's a beautiful building, it can be hard to find. It is currently the residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and it's where he performs most of his duties as the Grand Duchy. The building was origianlly the Ciy Hall followed by the headquarters of the Luxembourg Government.

^{Grand Ducal Palace

Photo Credit: www.decortoadore.net}

There are also a number of art musuems in Luxembourg. One of the more famous ones is Mudam, also known as the Grand Duke Jean Musuem of Modern Art, and it stands on the site of the the old fort Thungen. The building was actually inaugerated in 2001 by the Grand Duke Jean who it's named after.

^{Mudam

Photo Credit: www.tripadvisor.co.uk}

Something I personally found very intersting was the Casemates, known as the Bock. These are situated in the historic part of the city in the north-eastern corner. The rocky cliffs tower over the River Alzette and it was here that Count Siegfried built his castle in 963 making the basis of of the town of Luxembourg. Over the years, the Bock has been attacked and reinforced and in 1867 a Treaty of London was signed and this stopped all attacks and this has now become a huge tourist attraction where you can walk into the caves and take in the amazing views of the city.

^{Bock Casemates

Photo Credit: www.odyssei.com}

Now, of course, being Indian one thing we always look for when we are abroad is a good Indian restuarant and there are loads in Luxembourg. To name a few there is the Taj Mahal located on the Rue de Strasbourg, Restaurant Tibet which actually has Indian food as well as a Tibetan menu and Swagat which has buffets and al a carte menus.

^{Indian Food

Photo Credit: www.tablenewtampa.com}

^{Main Image Photo Credit: www.kras.nl}

Vallisa Chauhan

Author

Vallisa Chauhan (@vallisachauhan) presents the Flagship breakfast show on Lyca Radio 1458. She has scripted and produced a full feature film called "Those 4 Walls" and is currently working on other projects. She loves travel and movies and tries to fit in both as much as she can.