Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

July 23, 2016-

Our loop continues to Luxembourg City from Trier, approximately 40 minutes by car. We are camping for one night a little south of the city, so we set up our tent and then take the bus into town. On Saturdays the bus is free and is walking distance from the campsite to the city center. We are excited for the live music since the Blues and Jazz fest is happening this weekend. There are over 230 musicians playing at different band stands that are set up throughout the city. We figured we would be able to explore the city and catch some of the live music!

In the center we grab a map from the tourist information point and find a place to eat. We settle on this Mexican restaurant nearby since Germany does not have the best options for this, it was good. They did provide chips and salsa free of charge which is unique to Europe from what we have experienced. The Palace of the Grand Dukes and the Cathedral Notre-Dame are both in the central square. The Cathedral was built between 1613 and 1621 by the Jesuits to serve as a church to their college, now the national library. The North gate is characteristic of the semi-Reniassance, semi-Barroque style of the period.

We begin the circular walk, Wenzel Luxembourg, which winds along the river up a steep hill for amazing views from the top and to listen to music along the way. The acoustics are amazing from this point high above the band stands, since the valley is below and the sound is resonating of the walls. Our plan works out perfectly as we head to the Bock Casemates there is no entrance fee since one of the bands was getting set up and ready to play within these historical alcoves. The casemates is a UNESCO World Heritage site and full of mystery. While they were getting set up, we toured the massive underground passageways and tunnels that were the military's defense system. The first casemates were built in 1644, under Spanish domination. This fortress which was a foundation for the European military architecture, has changed owners multiple times throughout its existence. Italian, Spanish, Belgium, France, Austrian, Dutch, and Prussian engineers took part in the gradual extension of this fortification. The defense system carved out a depth of 40 meters. During both World Wars, the casemates served as a shelter with the capacity to protect 35,000 people. Since 1933, the casemates have been open to the public. There are multiple ammunition points with breathtaking panoramic views of the city.

After the casemates we follow the trail towards the bridge and the largest live music band stand that you can see from above. Crossing under this really old bridge, which you can also access from the bock casemates. The bridge dates back to 1735 and both cars and pedestrians can walk through the under side of this double bridge. 

As night fall approached we had gorgeous views of the sun setting and then jumped around to multiple venues to listen to live music and have a few drinks. The number of people increased at nightfall. I believe the bands played until 0300, but we did not make it that late. It was a great setting with awesome acoustics since the city sits in a valley. 

Although our day spent in Luxembourg was short and more about the music scene than tourist sights we feel that we were able to take in some of the tourist history and sights while heading from one band to the next! We are lucky to have visited this small country in Europe. Next stop will be Metz, France as our loop continues. 3 countries in 2 days, not bad...