Luxembourg - Day 2

It was a very lovely, albeit overcast Luxembourg day. After another very nice breakfast with great fresh grain breads, cheese, salami, cereal with prunes, figs and walnuts and a boiled egg. I met an American family originally from Dorchester, Massachusetts (such a small world.) It was a women in her 40’s, her retired father visiting from Mississippi for the holidays and the women very sweet 10 year old son. The women is an IT consultant for a company in Stuttgart, Germany. She kindly asked for my business card as she has some friends who bring in artists to teach and performance artist to do their productions in Germany. One never knows maybe here friends might need a playwriting teacher or professional director. It was very nice of her to ask anyway.

I took the number 15 bus from outside the train station to visit the American World War II cemetery that was only about 3 miles outside the city. I’d read about it online and it sounded like a very peaceful emotional place and certainly a good place for American’s to visit. The bus doesn’t go right to the cemetery so I didn’t end up seeing it unfortunately. I saw a small Luxembourg cemetery that was pretty but not the same thing.  The cemetery is described online as: American Military Cemetery, Hamm:  A beautiful cemetery with more than 5,000 soldiers, most of whom fell in the Battle of the Bulge of WWII in 1944-45.  The cemetery also has an impressive chapel and is the burial place of General George Patton. Luxembourg was a key place for the final battle of the war as the main hub for the American Army to plan their attack.

 

The bus took me back to town and I did the 2:00pm walking tour from the city center. It was a very interesting tour and I learned a lot about the country being one of the first to be a part of the European Union when after the 2^nd World War Luxembourg and a few other countries I think France, Italy and Switzerland included felt that if they could regulate the steel and coal industries they could avoid another world war and that’s what they did. Luxembourg has a huge steel production or at least they did until about 5 years ago when it was sold to the Indian Billionaire, Lakshmi Mittal who is planning on moving the steel production to Russian, India, China, etc. because it’s less expensive to produce there. Our tour guide was clearly not happy about this as he pointed out the World Headquarters of the Mittal company. Well at least they will keep employing Luxembourgers at their offices if not at the steel plants in the countryside.

Luxembourg is also home to the world headquarters for Skype and the European headquarters of Amazon.com which is located in the Clausen district which is the hippest and most artsy of the neighborhoods in the city and is located at the base of ravine.

Luxembourg is also home to many banks and because the city plays a major role in the European Union even though the country is smaller than Rhode Island and has only about 500,000 citizens. It’s close proximity to Brussels I’m sure is a huge draw as well as it having been such a key player from the very start. The Kirchberg neighborhood which is located across a very modern bridge houses various European Union institutions, including the European Court of Justice, European Court of Auditors, parts of the European Commission, the Secretariat of the European Parliament, the European Investment Bank, and the European School of Luxembourg.

Also in the Kirchberg area is the Mudam Luxembourg - Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean is the foremost museum dedicated to contemporary art in Luxembourg, and strives to be attentive to every discipline and open to the whole world. Its collection and programme reflect current artistic trends and appreciate the emergence of new artistic practices on a national and international scale.

I visited the museum after the tour was over although I didn’t go into view the museum exhibits, I was just too tired after walking several hours in the brisk air, but went to view the incredible architecture done by the architect who designed the pyramids at the Louver Museum in Paris and is also a very interesting creation as the building is built up around the foundation of the former fortress walls of the old city. “The building, by famous Sino-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei, is a marvellous dialogue between the natural and historical environment. Standing against the vestiges of Fort Thüngen, it follows the course of the former surrounding walls, and is rooted in the Park Dräi Eechelen (planned by landscapist, Michel Desvigne) which offers magnificent views onto the old town just a short walk from the European district of Kirchberg.” The back of the museum is in the old fortress used very well from what I could see as I walked around the building as gallery space.

Back to the tour, which was well done by our very enthusiastic and informative guide, was done in English and German so once he finished with the English part he would have us walk on to the next spot of interest while he repeated everything he’d just told us to the Germans. I met this very nice doctor from New Mexico who was visiting Europe with her daughter who had just finished a semester in Strasbourg, France.

Luxembourg, like a lot of large cities has some really interesting public art including these two bronze sculptures. 

The guide pointed out the brick bridge that I had walked over several times since I’d been here was actually at one time when it was first built the largest brick bridge in the world. “Adolphe Bridge has become an unofficial national symbol of sorts, representing Luxembourg's independence, and has become one of Luxembourg City's main tourist attractions. The bridge was designed by Paul Séjourné, a Frenchman, and Paul Rodange, a Luxembourger, and was built between 1900 and 1903. Its design was copied in the construction of Walnut Lane Bridge in Philadelphia, the United States.”

 

We walked back toward the center of town to the Notre Dame Cathedral and it was nice after having spent some time in there admiring the beauty yesterday to have the guide point out some of the interesting features I hadn’t noticed. The 17^th century Belgian tapestry with their intricate detailed work, the pillars which are of Spanish Renaissance design and have Arabic symbols carved on them, the balcony in the new section that was for the royalty but that the Duke preferred to sit with his people over sitting above them, the carved details around the organ in the back of the church which featured images of a dragon, Shiva, the Indian Goddess and even Medusa the women who would turn people to stone in ancient mythology. The guide said no one can explain why the architect had those images included in a Catholic church and that it has certainly made people pause and wonder. I must say it is strange, especially the Medusa part.

 

In 1985 Pope John Paul II came to visit this Cathedral and they have a plaque to commemorate that although it didn’t say his name, odd. And outside the cathedral, at the main door, there were more Arabic carvings along with several beautiful statues of Peter and Paul and the Virgin Mary with Child.

Luxembourg is a very diverse city with 60% of the 500,000 inhabitants being foreign and it’s great to know that with all this diversity the city is voted the safest in the world because it means people of varied cultures, religions and races can live harmoniously.  The guide did make a few telling sounds that out of the 40% of Luxembourgers that included in that number are the numerous Italians and Portuguese whose families moved here decades ago after the war and never really got involved in the Luxembourg culture but made communities with their own but are considered Luxembourgers because they’ve been here so long.

From there we walked past that building I mentioned yesterday that had the guard outside and it turns out it’s the palace for the Duke, hence the guard and today there was one as well and the guide joked that that was one half of their army. I would imagine they don’t have a huge armed forces but I’m sure it’s more than two. But Luxembourg is voted the safest city in the world so I guess just a few guards would be all you’d need.

The streets were pretty busy with tourists and locals shopping and the it really came alive which was nice to see since it was so quiet yesterday for the holiday.

The guide also pointed out a large stone outside the Duke’s palace with mostly faded letters carved on it. The stone commemorates the first European country to give women the right to vote and it came about because there was a Duchess at the time and the women of Luxembourg felt if a women could rule then all women should be able to vote, all very logical, right!

 

So that was my day and I was back at my hotel after having had a late lunch at the café across the cobblestoned path from the Duke’s palace and picking up a little snack for dinner in my room. All this crisp fresh air has made me tired I must admit and I’m off Kolon (Cologne,) Germany tomorrow for a few days.

 

Below is a little information on Luxembourg from the internet:

 

“Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy (A grand duchy, sometimes referred to as a grand dukedom, is a territory whose head of state is a monarch, either a grand duke or grand duchess) of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. Today Luxembourg is the only remaining grand duchy. However, some former ruling families of historical grand duchies still retain the titles granted to them, usually from the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815.

 

Luxembourg is fairy-tale stuff…complete with the happy ending. The story of this land’s tumultuous history beguiles with its counts and dynasties, wars and victories, fortresses and promontories. Only the dragon is missing. It's no surprise that Luxembourgers are a proud people whose national motto, Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sin (‘We want to remain what we are’), sums up their independent spirit. The population of 469,000 is predominantly rural based – the only centres of any size are the capital, Luxembourg City, followed by Esch-sur-Alzette.

 

Luxembourg is the epitome of “the charming European city” we all grew up imagining. It’s amazingly cosmopolitan but not overwhelming, except for its extremely complex history. Its gorges traverse the city, making it a spectacular three-dimensional city, with lit-up fortifications along the walls of the gorges -- perfect for the historian and the romantic. And the food is a lovely mix of French, German, Italian and of course Luxembourgish. Luxembourg is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its old quarters and fortifications.

 

Luxembourg has more Michelin stars per capita -- it has 11 starred restaurants -- than any other place in the world. (The city is home to the only two Michelin star Italian restaurant outside of Italy.) Luxembourg is home to the only  female chef in the world who won the Bocuse d’Or, the highest honor for chefs.

 

Luxembourg Interesting facts:

*The Schengen Agreement, which abolished border controls within the European Union, was signed in the Luxembourgish town of Schengen, on the Moselle river in 1985.

*Luxembourg was one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union).

*Luxembourg is the only Grand Duchy in the world.

*Luxembourgish is a language spoken at home by all Luxembourgers.

*Primary school children are taught in German and secondary school children are taught in French. *English is taught in the schools and is commonly spoken to tourists.

*Fondation Pescatore  is an elegant retirement home with a beautiful park, walking distance from the pedestrian zone in Luxembourg City.  It served as General Patton’s headquarters for four months during the Battle of the Bulge.