From the 17th to the 19th of June I went to visit Luxembourg. I was surprised at how beautiful (and clean...) it was, and after 4 months in Holland, the hills and forests were an extremely welcoming sight!
There are two bridges connecting the new and the old part of Luxembourg City, and in the valley underneath there used to be a river. This is what's left of it (can you spot the tiny-winy canal down there, to the right in the first picture?? What's up with this northern- continental fetish of controlling water in canals... )
The next pictures are from the Kasematres; the old fortress protecting Luxembourg (also known as the Gibraltar of the North, because of it's impenetrability). It used to be an enormous labyrinth of passageways in the mountain, covering 180 ha - compared to the citys' 120 ha. They started building it in the 963, and ever since it's been extended. But after Luxembourg declared themselves neutral during the wars, they had to demolish most of it. What's left today is, off course, a tourist attraction, and on the UNESCO world Heritage list.
Here's a view on the
Grund Valley:
From the old part of the town:
The grey building in the middle is the oldest house in Luxembourg. On the thing built on the outside of the house (wow, I really don't have any word for it...) it's written: 'we want to stay the way we are', which has become the motto of the city.
This is the tower of the church of St.Miguel; the oldest church in Luxembourg.
I would definately recommend going there; it's very beautiful, apparently there's a good nightlife (we didn't check it out..), and no lack of shopping-oppurtunity. There's also a lot of interesting history, and one last fascinating fact; one third of the population (of less than 100.000 inhabitans) are acctually Portuguese!
Brussels
On the way back to Amsterdam we stopped in Brussels. Another beautiful city, unfortunately we only spent about two hours there. However, Ivan was the guide, and he's been there before so we could see some of the most important things in this short while.
The Grand Place...
The
Manneken Pis (landmark of Brussels)...
...and we bought chocolate!!! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....
On the train back my backpack got stolen; nothing of great value, but still, it SUCKS. It feels so completely unnecessary. What was in the backpack was basically clothes, my favourite pair of shoes (assholes!!), my favourite piece of jewellery that was a present from my grandparents and the keys to my appartment. Well, I guess it was bound to happen, sooner or later, since it never happened to me before. And I will make sure it wont happen again. Hopefully...
Anyways, a nice trip; and it was good to get out of the city a bit. Especially because people here have started leaving, and it's just sad.
And as we got higher, it started snowing!! And Ula, my friend, was so excited!
