Hello again, how have you been? During my blog break we took a spontaneous road trip to Luxembourg with a short stop in London. As soon as we drove into London, I realised how much I had missed it. By the Marble Arch my heart was beating faster and at Hyde Park Corner I felt a sense of thrill (the area is part of my London comfort zone). The London stop was way too short for my taste but in the evening, as I was standing on a deck of a ferry, breathing in the refreshing sea air and admiring the White Cliffs of Dover, I was feeling more than content.
Why the London-intro to a post on Luxembourg? Compared to my London excitement, arriving in Luxembourg after eight months away took me by surprise. As probably most of my blog readers know, Luxembourg was our home for more than a year and the move to the UK last November was done in a bit of haste. I didn't really have the time to say goodbye to the city. Without dwelling much on such thoughts I sometimes wondered if perhaps I wasn't quite done with Luxembourg, but as I walked its streets again - I could have done so blindfolded and still found my way - I realised that I was indeed done. I loved seeing the city again but there was nothing I was holding on to; if my destiny with Luxembourg was once entwined it had been disentangled.
I hope my tone of voice doesn't come off as negative. My old city, Luxembourg, is a place worth visiting and I would especially recommend it to those who enjoy city life but aren't fond of big and noisy cities. Luxembourg is small and quiet (probably boring for those seeking wild nightlife) and in the city centre, you not only have narrow cobblestone streets but also a beautiful landscape. You can walk down into the Pétrusse Valley and at certain points, you almost have to remind yourself that you are in a city.
My son and I went for a walk in the valley and ended our walk in the old quarter, Grund, where I took these photos before sitting down at a café. (See more photos of Luxembourg.) To me, this part always looks more like a set of a fairy tale than an actual place where people live. From what I have heard it is very expensive and mostly inhabited by foreigners, which I find rather sad. The fact is that Luxembourg has one of the most expensive housing markets in Europe. Even some of the foreigners working there, and some citizens, choose to live on the German, French, or Belgian side of the borders where housing is cheaper. We actually thought about doing that; we thought about moving from Antwerp, where we lived before, to a place in the south of Belgium. I'm glad we didn't and instead got to experience living in Luxembourg.
