Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Luxembourg

I am attempting to describe what I consider to be the most amazing place I've visited in Europe: Luxembourg. We went to the capital city, Luxembourg City. The local languages are German, French, and Luxembourgish. Interestingly, I never heard Luxembourgish during my time there, or did not recognize it. I digress. Luxembourg seems to have heavy French and German influences. Many of the eateries were comparable to one's I've seen in France, and their wares were equally delicious! I took the liberty of eating one of their frozen confectioneries. Trust me, it tasted as good as it looks in the picture. The crunchiness of the nuts, caramel sweetness, and vanilla ice cream contrasted wonderfully. Attempting to try different things, I chose a vegetable sandwich for brunch that looked the least appetizing. To my pleasant surprise, it was actually quite good. In fact, all of the food I ate in Luxembourg was excellent. Following brunch, our group went to the Casemates. I had been insisting upon going there after reading about it online. In my opinion, it was the highlight of my travel experience in Europe. The Casemates are ancient castle ruins in Luxembourg. They are situated at the cliffs in the city. You can actually walk through them and explore. I am not quite sure how I can best describe them. The Casemate's architecture and aged bricks give them a really beautiful look. When appreciated alongside the breathtaking view of the city, the Casemates make for one of the most scenic places in Europe. I don't know what else to say, so the picture's I've taken of the Casemates will have to suffice. At the bottom of the Casemates were gardens with a walkway and a river. They were well tended, and far enough away from the road so that we couldn't hear any cars. The surrounding greenery was just very peaceful, and I very much enjoyed walking around the river and garden. On one of the bridges out looking the river, there were "windows” that slanted inwards. They were clearly made for safely shooting at the enemy, and a reminder of the violence that castles can endure. All in all, Luxembourg was the best place I visited during my time in Europe. I really enjoyed the food, culture, and history. If I ever am so lucky to return to Europe, I'll make sure to go back to Luxembourg City. Final notes: As you go through the photos, you'll see a picture of a lock with a heart on it. These are called "Love Locks". The idea is that love is as lasting and unbreakable as a lock, so you buy one with yours and your significant others' names. Then, you throw away the key and lock it onto a gate. This has actually proved problematic, because in large quantities they look extremely tacky and are difficult to remove from public property. The fad is popular all over Europe. Also popular in Europe are these pianos intended for public use. I played "Yankee Doodle" on one of them.