When we arrived in the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg,, we probably tromped halfway around it looking for our hostel, but we found it eventually. It was much like a college dorm room for six people, though in the entire time there all six were never full.
Exploring the city, we found its Christmas market, which wasn't nearly as large as Frankfurt's (though it featured live music), and crossed the valley to look at the Bank Museum. This featured a number of beautiful quilts on banking themes, as well as a model of their vault. We stopped for some hot chocolate before crossing back over to the Christmas Market, where I ate a post of really good cheese fondue that put me into a rather loony mood as we walked back to the hostel.
Because the following day offered us nasty weather, we spent most of it inside two of the larger museums, seeing them in detail. The first one, the history of fine arts, had a fantastic mural of the Nine Muses from a Roman villa discovered in Luxembourg only a few years ago. It was spectacular in its intricate beauty and incredibly well-preserved. The museum also had a drawing by Victor Hugo and a few Impressionist paintings well worth seeing.
The museum of the history of Luxembourg itself, though was just incredibly cool. It had everything in order, easy to find, and good places to sit periodically. It explained the history of Luxembourg well, from its first ruler, Count Siegfried, to an elaborate exhibit on the religious makeup of Luxembourg today. It was all fascinating, especially the sections of World War II and Luxembourg's role internationally. To burn time afterwards (because everything in Luxembourg closes ridiculously early), we went to a theatre for old films, the Cinemathique. We saw this really, really strange picture called The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds. Yeah. The title says it all.
Our next day was almost wholly unremarkable. We saw the local cathedral in the morning, which was absolutely gorgeous for its simplicity and lovely stained glass windows. Then, we went to see a museum we wanted to see. .. and it was closed. So, we walked around the valley a bit and enjoyed the natural beauty of the place. We never did our walking tour, unfortunately, as the rain came down in icy, cold, freezing sheets. We spent the rest of the day in the hostel, playing card games. Somehow I managed to lose at each one spectacularly.
I was actually grateful to move on to Brussels from there. The rain, the limited hours, and the number of good tourist sites closed for the winter had really gotten me down. I almost wish that I could go back to Luxembourg during the summer, when the casemates and the ducal palace are open, but at least I got to see what a country that small looks like once. If I had to pick another country that small to visit, I think it would be Lichtenstein, because the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland is based off of theirs.
Just random thoughts. If you ever go to Luxembourg as a tourist, go in the summer. Trust me. I love you all, and don't want you to waste your time on it.
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