"Home and Away" a Luxembourg Travel Page by titabell

Our aborted trip to Switzerland this year to visit a friend lead us to a weekend trip to the nearby Luxembourg to unwind and wallow in our disappointment.

Backpacks were packed with some overnight necessities and snacks. Our earliest bus drove like mad that made us reach the train station earlier than usual. Railpasses were signed, connecting train booked and we dashed off to the train that would take us to Brussels where we had to take another train with destination Luxembourg.

We arrived at the main train station in Luxembourg at half past ten. The station seemed a lot calmer today (there were no sightings of suspicious characters hanging around the area, nor cops with canines) than it used to when we last visited Luxembourg some 2 months ago. The sun was up, the temperature warm (too warm for me actually---20°C), and there were tourists all over the city.

The attack of my hypothyroid prompted us to secure a room for the night. I feared that after the day's sightseeing, I would be in such pain and wouldn't be able to travel back home. We didn't have to look far. Outside the main train station was a row of prime hotels to choose from. We chose the Mercure Grand Alfa Hotel---a four-star hotel with the most mpressive building and a location that is just a few steps from the main train station. Honestly, we didn't even know that it was a four-star until we took a picture of the hotel from outside after our day's stroll. We were never really star-oriented travellers. We judge the accommodation according to its price-worth, not by the hotel's own standard. The receptionist was very friendly. Without further adoo, she offered us the promotion of the day right away. Breakfast was not included but were given the two choices---the express and the buffet...the one, cheaper than the other.

Our room was on the third floor of the building. I told my son not to expect too much as we paid so less for our accommodation. Surprisingly, the room was huge, the bathroom was clean and grand with a separate toilet. Twin beds instead of just one large bed, a dining table, flat screen tv, a large writing desk and a terrace that opens up to the city streets of Luxembourg fronting the bus terminal, train station, restaurants and shopping street. Too busy? no! We love movements. It was nice watching people go by. In the evening, we could hardly hear any noise. The hotel had a good noise insulation. Naturally, I performed the dance of joy upon seeing our accommodation. Son immediately took his laptop and took advantage of the free wi-fi.

We headed for the city center, where the tourist action is, stopping over at the grand Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin. It is founded in 1613 and used by the Jesuits and later named as the Church of the Lady Comforter for the Afflicted and was known to have the power to perform miracles. More about this church will be on my tips later on...

Although we have been here so many times, the urge to take the same pictures again and again is inevitable. The views are exhilirating, the buildings are of exquisite architecture and people seem to be happy all the time. There were tourists all over with their cameras at hand or just their phone cameras for the unprepared. We avoided a lot of tourist traps including the train and tourist bus ride. First of all, it will create a big hole in our pockets, secondly, the local bus company offers a weekend ticket for up to five people for only €6. With this weekend ticket, one to five people can travel the country for a day in weekends.

Tired and starving, we decided to take our lunch at the first restaurant that wasn't tourist-busy. We ended up in Restaurant Takobo. I have no idea if it was a Chinese or Japanese restaurant. Foods were Chinese except for the sushi that they were selling. It was very clean but cheap. A large box of noodles cost €5.30. A large lunch costs €7.50. We could hardly finish our lunch as the portions were really big.

After our hearty lunch, we re-visited some of our favourite places such as the Grand Ducal Palace (the residence of the country's royalty), the Place Guillaume, the History Museum of Luxembourg City and took some scenic pictures of the city at a bird's eye view.

We ended up our day with a dinner in our hotel room. Delhaize supermarket is just in front of the hotel and it is the smartest place to buy your groceries, snacks and even meals. They sell warm broiled chicken, bread, fruits, etc. We opted for apricot pastries, mixed grapes, softdrinks and some crisps.

After breakfast the following day, we walked down the memory lane at Mondorf les bains and Remich.

...to be continued