We first planned a weekend in Luxembourg in 1973. Something (I’ve long forgotten what) came up and we never went. So its been a long time on the to do list. Christmas seemed a good opportunity to spend a few days away somewhere reasonably near but as usual it needed to be somewhere we had never been.
So – Luxembourg.
The ferry journey was good and from Calais we had a long journey to our hotel. This should have been ok – the coach was warm and comfortable. Only one problem the driver was feeling festive. Little Donkey and Little Drummer boy playing on a loop – FOR SIX HOURS! This was on a day that The Daily Mail (I always believe every word) told us that Mary and Joseph would not have been able to afford a donkey. Do you know how many pa rum pum pum pums there are in Little Drummer Boy- its interminable!
So to honour Him pa rum pum pum pum. When we come. Baby Jesus pa rum pum pum pum. I am a poor boy too pa rum pum pum pum. I have no gift to bring pa rum pum pum pum. That’s fit to give a King pa rum pum pum pum rum pum pum pum rum pum pum pum. Shall I play for you? pa rum pum pum pum on my drum?
Enough?
Vianden
Anyway we survived the journey and and arrived at our really nice hotel around midnight. We were staying in a pretty town called Vianden.
This is a lovely place to stroll around. The church had a fabulous nativity scene, if you put a euro in the box it lit up and the water wheel turned. There are also beautiful cloisters on the side of the building. The walk up to the castle is steep but worth it, there are a couple of good bars on the way.
Luxembourg City
Our visit to Luxembourg city was on a grey rainy day but it is still a lovely small city. It is a place for expensive shopping, I did chose a a wonderful Dior outfit but for some reason JP wasn’t having any of it. So we we walked around looking for the old town near the river. We found the Grand Ducal Palace and some interesting old buildings.
We also found something that I knew nothing about- kilometre markings on the Voie de la Liberte. These commemorate the route General Paton’s army took from Normandy to liberate France, Belgium, and Luxembourg at the end of World War 2. Freshly painted with flowers beside some of them they are obviously still important to the local people.
A good visit despite the rain.
