I’ve taken you here before, to Luxembourg, the tiny capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, but this time I am on a mission to best my own record of visiting museums in one day, and this place is the place to do just that. Along the historic city center, there is a museum mile of sorts, and when you look at it on the map it is curved like a smile, hence its reference to “Museumsmile.”
I’m dropped off in the middle of the town with only an address and no map. Luckily, I’m pointed in the right direction and easily find the tourist office around this square where I get my museum pass (9 euros for 7 museums)–it’s not too far from the palace and other interesting official buildings:
The museums do not open till 10, so I make my way to the upper part of the city for these views that I’d fallen for the first time I came here:
In order to get those shots, you have to endure the steep inclines followed by sharp declines:
Anyway, I arrive at my first stop: the History Museum of the City of Luxembourg…
They are having a special exhibit on the discourse of poverty in Luxembourg; can poverty be creeping into the consciousness of a country seemingly as rich as this once again?
It’s a beautiful building with wonderful almost-aerial views,
and my favorite stop is at this neon swing…
One down. Next is the National Museum of History and Art, an incredible ten-story structure that I absolutely want to convert into my own house (one story for shoes, one for bags…hey, might as well dream big, right?):
No photography is allowed, and my legs feel like cooked spaghetti after I finish walking through the tenth floor. Two down. Just outside of this museum, they are putting up a huge pine tree in front of this building:
And while I could choose to rest my feet at this cozy restaurant,
I opt to turn left uphill for these views instead–let me give you the almost-360 view:
Then it’s back down the hill…
to the third museum: the National Museum of Natural History,
It’s literally a 30-minute stop in this museum. Three down. The weather is getting colder and colder each time I leave a building, but I can’t help wander around this Christmas market:
And not too far from here I spy a Ladurée, and as much as I would love to pop in and pig out on the macaroons, it’s starting to rain and I’ve got a few more museums to see still. So next up is the Casino Luxembourg-Forum for Contemporary Art:
This space is just cool. Huge lofts for artists in residence, art lovers, art researchers, or just visitors looking to dry out in one of their libraries. No wifi for me to check email, but after sifting through all their art books in the library, I loiter around their interesting displays and even get to meet an artist in the midst of installing his exhibit. I sort of don’t want to leave this place because not only is it raining and getting dark outside, the wind is now shrieking. I don’t think my umbrella will survive. Four down.
The last museum, Museum of Modern Art Grand-Duke Jean (MUDAM), is actually on the other side of the city and I have to take the bus. Oy! I can manage trains and subways but I’m usually not too good with buses. Yet by some miracle, I manage to find the right one and hop off at the Philharmonic stop:
Wowza, this is worth all the hassles!
And just behind the Philharmonic center is the MUDAM:
Very cool place. Lucky for me, this night all the museums happen to be open late, so I get to visit my last and fifth place without too much rushing. I’ve got two hours left before my pickup, and after a leisurely visit, I get to chill out with some hot tea and a delicious apple crumble tart:
Five down. Some people run marathons to best their personal records. Others climb taller and taller mountains. As for me, I’m already looking to see where I can go next to hit 6 museums in one day. Gotta find more comfortable shoes!
Tags: Casino Luxembourg, History Museum of the City of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, MUDAM, Museumsmile, National Museum of History and Art, National Museum of Natural History
Remember the bestseller that became a movie, The Bridges of Madison County? It really has no relevance to where I am today, but I’m reminded of it because there are a lot of bridges and arches all around the city of Luxembourg that make great photo ops:
I actually have five more bridge/arch pictures I’d like to share but I’ll spare you in today’s part 2 of the City of Luxembourg. Like any great European centers, you can walk in just about any direction and find some cool plaza to people watch or soak in architectural history, or both:
Here are the town hall,
the Grand Ducal Palace,
and the Gëlle Fra (golden lady), a war memorial dedicated to volunteers in WWI,
The lower half of the memorial looks like this:
Tomorrow we’ll switch gears and I get to put on my Flemish ears. It’s impossible for me to pronounce most of the Flemish words–and I say this next at the risk of losing all my Walloon friends– but I love listening to TV or radio commercials in Flemish; even announcements on trains sound good to me. Not the most romantic sounding language in the world but I’d like to learn it one day!
Tags: Flemish, Gelle Fra, Grand Ducal Palace, Luxembourg, Walloon
If and when you think about fairy tales, do you imagine it to look like Vianden (Veianen)?
Actually, my fairy tale looks more like 31 rue cambon, but for today let’s just say it should be this charming commune in northeastern Luxembourg.
As I amble through this cobblestoned town that dates back to the medieval ages,
there’s some sort of pre-festivities buzz going on from the Veinen voll Musik (music festival) and every so often I’d spot someone breaking out in song–in this case this gentleman is singing a melodic, traditional song in Luxembourgish:
There are signs of musical performances everywhere…
In the middle of the town center there’s also a mini food fest,
accompanied by this ensemble that’s playing You Are My Sunshine…
while I order frites from these ladies who stand ready to make customers fresh batches:
By the time I sit down to eat my fries, the band breaks into some Louis Armstrong song. But let’s get back to this business of fairy tales, shall we?
Certainly the Vianden Castle is one of the most impressive castles I’ve seen,
but c’mon now, do fairy tales exist? The jury’s still out on that, but on this warm afternoon, as a commoner I have to say my happily ever after is found right here:
Pretty soon my pants won’t fit me if I eat my way through Europe at this rate 
Tags: 31 rue cambon, frites, Luxembourg, Veianen, Veinen voll Musik, Vianden, Vianden Castle
Up next is Clervaux (Klierf in Luxembourgish), another place swept up during WWII as the Battle of the Bulge was raging. It is about half an hour or so away from Wiltz.
Today it is a postcard pretty town that, for a few American tanks displayed almost as a war memorial, spills over hills in a very sleepy sort of way, making it hard to imagine that its heart, this medieval castle, was once in flames in December of 1944:
On another hilltop is the Clervaux Church that provides both sanctuary for the mind and eye:
Up and down the hills of this commune, there are charming houses wrapped around its slopes…
But I’ve been reading about the abbey that’s on yet another hill outside of the city center:
Unfortunately it is closed for renovation so exterior shots are all I have…
You know how after you’ve spent a few hours enjoying something, such as a fun dinner party or concert, and before you leave you take a slow look to review what you’ve just experienced–like a last mental snapshot to store the event in your head? That’s exactly what I’m talking about in these last two photos I take of Clervaux as the town disappears behind me…
Tags: abbey, Clervaux, Luxembourg
Early this morning I cross the border into Luxembourg and am greeted by patches of fog…
that slowly yield to wonderful vistas of my first stop in the town of Wiltz (or Wolz in Luxembourgish):
I’m happy to get out and stretch my legs while checking out the surrounding real estate. On this cute street,
I find a sweet little house with a bridge and blooming apple trees in its garden:
I reach the town center just before 10am and human activity is barely stirring:
Lucky for me a patisserie is in full swing and I grab a schnecken, a German raisin pastry with bits of apples inside (can I hear a yummy please!):
Can you imagine how well the schnecken goes with views like these:
One of my favorite buildings is the city hall:
The tourist information center is inside this chateau that also houses a museum…did you know that Wiltz is quite well known for the scouting movement and campsites?
Just at the foot of the chateau is a small, hillside, outdoors music hall where they are presenting the musical Evita. I wish I had enough time to hang around for the evening show. All in all I wander around this sleepy yet seemingly efficient commune for about an hour and a half before moving to the next stop. And from what I do get to see, Wolz, ech hun dech gaer (Wiltz, I love you–at least I think that’s what I just wrote)!
Tags: Add new tag, Luxembourg, schnecken, scouting, Wiltz
