When You Are Not Going Anywhere Remember Where You've Been.

I hope for spring but the skies are often grey these days.
Clicking through some photos I remembered blue skies
and sunshine and an afternoon with friends.

 

During our last school break, Tonya, David and
Christopher picked us up in Lessy
and we went to visit "The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg,
a constitutional monarchy and an independent sovereign state,
tucked between Belgium, France and Germany."
Fourty-five minutes after hopping into the car we
 were in another country....and sunshine!

After parking and exiting the garage, the city
greeted us with her contrasting architecture, from ancient
walls of fortification meandering through the city to the

numerous high rise buildings where banking and financial services predominate.

looking down from the wall of the old village

We discovered a stone stairway along one of the ancient walls;

 down we walked, hugging the rock facade toward the bottom 

where a small river of water flowed through a stone trough.

It has been months since we have seen the sun so the 

boys threw off their coats and floated sticks down

the "river Luxembourg." 

We crossed the "river" and walked up the other 

side of the rock face to nouvelle Luxembourg where

numerous banking institutions line the streets.  

Crossing back we discovered the Old Luxembourg, where

the  Grand Ducal Palace stands on the site of the first maison

communale built in 1244 and of the Hotel de Ville.

"That is the smallest grand palais I have ever seen" said

Alec.  Perhaps this is because Luxembourg is one of the

smallest countries.  "Oh, I wish we could go inside," he

added.

not the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, eh? 

After a little research I discovered that the
Luxembourg Army is under civilian control!
 The country has no navy or airforce.
 The army is an all-volunteer force.
 I wonder what their budget is compared
to the US of A?

Directly opposite the Place of the Duke is The House Of Chocolate, a true find.
It was inside this place that I first heard Luxembourgish spoken, one of the official
languages; the other two are French and English.

  

Once inside this Chocolate House you can choose a

"spoon of chocolate" (about 50+ varieties).

this looks pretty good mom

After you choose your chocolate spoon, you mount an old, stone, spiral staircase

and enter a small gathering space.  A server then brings you a steaming hot cup of

milk into which you dunk your spoon of chocolate;  et apès....heaven!
       

After consuming our decadently rich hot chocolate I thought

a visit to a cathedral was in order.  

Christopher

Alec spent so much

time in the confessional that the priest left!  

We will definitely return to this city of parks and ancient fortifications and 

history, and of course, the Mudam, a cutting edge modern art museum

Lady Rosa of Luxembourg by Croatian artist
Sandra Ivekovik, a public art installation
in 1970 which addressed the often
overlooked role of women during wartime.