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Moien From Luxembourg

July 25, 2021 by libertatemamo 22 Comments

“It’s all so neat and tidy” was my first thought.

Hellooooo from Luxembourg

The streets were impeccable, houses too with gardens perfectly manicured, sculptures in stone and topiary bushes in elaborate spiral shapes. Everything was clean and quiet, the picture perfect suburban neighborhood.

“I wonder where teenagers go for fun?” was my second thought.

It didn’t seem like the kind of place you could get into trouble and it amused me that I was even thinking about that, but such are the random things that ramble through your mind the first time you get to a new place.

We’d made it to Luxembourg, our first country outside of France in almost two years and it felt like a monumental step. After so much planning and thinking, starts that turned into non-starts, and bumpy obstacles that almost turned us back we’d finally made it “somewhere else”!

The trip was real now in a way it hadn’t been before. We were properly on the road again with new experiences at our fingertips, and all the joys of the unknown ahead. This is what we’d left the comforts of home for, and the fact that we’d finally made it was both exciting and invigorating.

Biking the vineyards by Wasserbillig
Riesling grapes perhaps?
The church in Mertet

Our First Real Time In Luxembourg

Luxembourg has always been a bit of an enigma for me.

It’s such a teeny spot that I’ve only ever driven through it before. It’s one of the smallest Sovereign countries in Europe measuring only 82 km (51 mi) long and 57 km (35 mi) wide, pegging it at a mere 2,586 km² (998 sq. miles) in total area. That’s around 0.8 the size of Rhode Island (for my American friends), or just a smidgen smaller than Dorset (for my UK readers).

I’ve never really stopped in Luxembourg before as it’s such a teeny place

Since EU borders aren’t really controlled here, you can easily end up zooming through the place without even noticing.

Even inside Luxembourg, you still see signs for Luxembourg…yup, it’s a mind warp!

We completely missed the border sign, so the only indication we got that we’d actually left France was the SMS message on my phone welcoming us to Luxembourg.  Plus of course it’s both a capital city and a country, so even when you’re actually inside Luxembourg you still see signs directing you there, which is kind of a mind warp.

Other fun facts; Ranked by GDP per capita it’s the richest country in the world, thanks to shall-we-say very favorable tax and financial regulations, and a small core population (most workers commute in). No wonder everything looks so darn perfect.

Plus it’s the only Grand Duchy in the world, which means it’s still officially ruled by a Duke or Duchess. This is celebrated every year on June 23rd, also know as the Grand Dukes birthday despite the fact that no Duke has ever actually been born on that date. Go figure….

New languages are a challenge -> camping exception, but free to roller skate??

Finally, they have their very own language which is something I somehow didn’t actually know until we stopped here.

Luxembourgois is a Moselle-Franconian dialect of the West Middle German group, basically a mix between northern French and Germanic which makes it a real brain tease. The majority of the local population still speak it, although most folks are bi or tri-lingual with German and French so you may hear all three languages as you’re walking around. Yet another mind warp.

“Moien” is the basic greeting, technically a “good morning” but used causally throughout the day. I adopt it confidently and throw it around like a flower bearer at a wedding, with a big beaming smile. Learning how to say hello is something I always try to do in every new country as I find it breaks down barriers even if you don’t know another word of the local language.

Everyone feels better after a hello and smile, don’t they?

We Stay By The Moselle River

Paul has scouted out a neat little municipal campground (Camping Schützwiese) in the Eastern corner of the country by the Moselle river, just across the border line from Germany.

Stone pavers….yeah!!!

It’s a fairly basic place, but with all the necessary amenities (showers, laundry, dishwashing area etc.) and it has a large green, grassy parking area, the front of which overlooks the river.

Despite the alluring views, we’re not keen to park on the softish grass, especially after our mud-lubbing experience in France and a story that the host casually shares about how a whole row of campers had to be towed out last year after the big rains.

Errr, yeah, nee merci….

Thankfully there’s a few sites with stone pavers in the middle, so we grab one of those. We have no views, but zero chance of sinking either, a fact we’re even more thankful for after it rains heavily again that night**.

We Decide To Take A Day

The Moselle riverway has biking for miles
The greenway by camp was great for Polly
Riverside regulars

We decide we like the spot enough to make it a rest-stop in our driving schedule, a little repose before we make the final push through Germany to Denmark.

The campground location is perfect.

It’s walking distance into downtown Wasserbillig which is a teeny place with not much to speak of other than a rather nice church, a few restaurants, a mini-sized aquarium (much touted in the local tourist handouts) and some grocery stores with insanely low alcohol prices (thank you low taxes). It’s a nice spot, but I don’t get much of a vibe from the place until I get to the river.

The Moselle is clearly where it’s “at”.

The Moselle is the heart of this place, its flowing lifeblood and where everyone goes to hang out. It’s a beautiful river of course that runs for over 330 miles (~545 km) across northeastern France and western Germany.

Here in Wasserbillig, and along the SE part of Luxembourg it’s also the border to Germany so you can “pop across countries” on the bridge or any of the many ferries that take just a few minutes to make the crossing. A greenway path runs for hundreds of miles on both sides so it’s also popular spot with hikers and bicyclists, many of which crisscross the Moselle to make a circular route around the river.

There’s wine here too!

Fields of pretty vineyards cascade down the hills leading to the river, with a rich history that date back to 2nd century (when the first vines were planted by the Romans to supply their Garrisons, so they say). These days the most well-known grapes from this area are Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Elbling all of which produce white wines, from dry to sweet and sparkling too.

A crisp glass of Riesling on a hot day is a thing of beauty.

Ein Große Bier Bitte!

In the afternoon we walk with Polly to a small cafe where Paul, superbly happy, gets a sparkling beer the size of his head. It’s a Luxemberg pale ale which is both tasty, light and refreshing, perfect for a sunny summer day.

Now that’s the face of a happy camper!

Afterwards we wander back to camp enjoying views of the river and the many people bicycling and walking around.

There’s an old couple sitting in the shade holding hands, a young gal with her pug, smoking and playing by the bank, a family set-up picnic style with music playing and their young daughter rollerblading around, and of course there’s fishermen lined up all along the banks in search of a lucky catch. Come sunset the day crowd thins out and a small crowd of teenagers gathers, sharing clandestine kisses and cans of cheap beer.

I finally know where they go to get into trouble….

The next day I discover a little bike trail that heads up into the vineyards. It’s a lovely ride with almost no-one around and spectacular views along the river. I take a moment to stop and enjoy a brief burst of sunlight at the top, relishing in the newness of it all and that sense of exploring once again. It’s such an energizing feeling.

Even Polly has gotten into the travel-groove again.

She spends her days sniffing in thousands of new smells along the trail and then sleeps like a log snoring soundly from the exhaustion of it all. We can’t do the multi-mile hikes we used to with our old girl, so it’s more like a meandering sniff-walk these days, but she’s just happy to be a part of the adventure. And of course we’re always happy when she’s along.

The Moselle river is the lifeblood of this place, and where everyone goes to hang out

Ready To Push On

We don’t do anything much else during our stay other than work a bit, relax and recuperate from our last few days of driving.

That’s Germany right across the way

You could say we stayed in Luxembourg without really seeing the place which would indeed be true. We didn’t make it to see the Capital with it’s old fortress walls and miles of underground Bock Casemates tunnels hewn directly into the rock. Nor did we see the forested plateaus of the Ardennes with its fairytale Bourscheid Castle. Alas, traveling is almost always like that. You visit a place only to realize there is so much more to see.

Perhaps some other time we’ll come back to explore this enigma of a spot again, but for now we’re driving with a purpose. Tomorrow we hit Germany and a few days after that we’ll be home. Well, home for me anyway. And I simply cannot wait to share it with you!

See you there, my friends…

** Devastating Rains: We didn’t know it at the time, but the rain we saw our first week on the road was just a small precursor to the devastating floods that hit Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and some parts of Luxembourg just a few days later on July 15th. Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes, and many tragically lost their lives. We were incredibly lucky that we passed through Germany just prior to this, but our thoughts remain with all those who were impacted. It will take a long time to re-build what has been lost.

The lovely Moselle river valley is a picture perfect spot

 

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« A Bumpy Start Through France
A Zoom Through Germany »

We LOooVE Comments, So Please Do

  1. Beth Jackson says

    July 25, 2021 at 3:40 pm

    So happy to be traveling along with you again!

    Reply
  2. Patrice says

    July 25, 2021 at 5:19 pm

    Hi Nina, I”m interested to know if there is a website to search for properties in France. Nothing grand, just idyllic, tranquil, beautiful but inexpensive.

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      July 25, 2021 at 11:15 pm

      Yes there are several. I recommend seloger (https://www.seloger.com) for starters. You can also look at some of the individual companies such as Legatt (https://www.leggett-immo.com). I think those two will give you a good start. Once you hone in on a particular region, it’s worth traveling to work with the local real estate agents.

      Nina

      Reply
  3. Patty O'Connor says

    July 25, 2021 at 6:39 pm

    Love the report of your trip. We made our first trip, this month, outside of California since the pandemic began. We ventured to Bend, OR, where the Deschutes river runs through it and feels like the lifeblood of the City. We tow now so we can explore but love how Europe has campgrounds within walking or biking distances to the towns and scenic places.

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      July 25, 2021 at 11:16 pm

      How wonderful! Bend is a lovely spot and you’re right, the river is definitely one of its key attributes. We love the breweries there, and the hiking trails.

      Nina

      Reply
  4. Carolyn says

    July 25, 2021 at 7:44 pm

    Beautiful pictures! It is so nice to see you exploring again! Thank you for letting us be a part of your “new” journey!

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      July 27, 2021 at 5:22 am

      Thank you so much for reading along!

      Nina

      Reply
  5. Patrice says

    July 26, 2021 at 5:31 am

    Thank you!

    Reply
  6. Margaret says

    July 26, 2021 at 6:52 am

    Oh Nina, I love your post! I truly have Travel envy now!
    I haven’t commented much but read All your posts with joy.
    Your photos as great too! So funny about Paul’s beer
    I see he’s activated his Backpack, or is he trying out a new one?
    You guys look so happy too!
    Safe travels!
    See you next week,
    Hugs, Margaret

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      July 27, 2021 at 5:10 am

      Good eye Margaret! That is indeed his Camino backpack re-activated for this trip. We’re getting good use out of it. Lovely to see you comment, and glad you’re enjoying our travels.

      Nina

      Reply
  7. Mick says

    July 26, 2021 at 9:26 am

    Thanks for bringing back memories. 35 years ago, temporarily living in Germany, a friend and I did a last-minute road trip to Luxemburg. We knew nothing, so after crossing the border we stopped at a cafe to check things out and perhaps find out what language they spoke. I think we found the only cafe in Luxemburg that only spoke French. After a panicked drive to the city going through all the French we knew (mainly phrases from songs!), we arrived to find that pretty much everyone speaks French, German and English. The street cafes accepted what was then a multitude of European currencies. Small countries are so cosmopolitan and cool places to hang out.

    Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Your USA campground reviews are still the best.

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      July 27, 2021 at 5:12 am

      What a cool memory Mick! I have to admit this little stop made me curious to come back to Luxembourg and explore it some more. I’d love to see the capital. Thanks for sharing your old road trip story!

      Nina

      Reply
  8. Dijana says

    July 26, 2021 at 10:56 am

    Good to hear the luck has improved and fantastic travelogues continue.
    Awful about the floods though.

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      July 27, 2021 at 5:14 am

      I was so shocked to read about the floods, and could barely believe we’d been in Germany just the day before. It’s so incredibly tragic and sad.

      Nina

      Reply
  9. Suzanne says

    July 26, 2021 at 11:37 am

    “You visit a place only to realize there is so much more to see.” Isn’t that the honest to goodness curse of the traveler? I’ve come to accept I can never see it all, but that doesn’t stop me from trying! As a travel junkie, it’s what propels me through life.

    So sad about the floods, but relieved you were a few days in front of them.

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      July 27, 2021 at 5:15 am

      I’m with you, fellow travel junkie. I’m always amazed at how much there is to see in the world. We are very lucky that we get to travel and experience it all.

      Nina

      Reply
  10. Bob McLean says

    July 27, 2021 at 11:37 am

    The “Big Beer” reminds me of a time when we were visiting Paris, and I foolishly decided to order “Une Grande Biere”. That’s a litre.
    That would have been not such a big deal, but then we decided to take a “river cruise”. No toilettes.
    Youza.
    Not the best situation. But a lesson learned.
    And now that I think on it, I suspect that would never happen on this continent, as some sort of “Head” is required over a certain size of vessel. Hm. Only in France I guess?

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      August 1, 2021 at 12:01 am

      HA! Good story, and funny…in retrospect of course 🙂

      Nina

      Reply
  11. Laura says

    July 27, 2021 at 1:55 pm

    Nina,
    So glad Polly is with you. We just did a trip to Bend in our old full time home with our 18 year old cat, Buddy. He is old and has lots of
    Issues but still has the gumption to go out and nibble green grass at the campsite. We are traveling home today and I know he is going to be happy to be home. Love that you are on the road again.

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      August 1, 2021 at 12:01 am

      Yeahhhh to traveling again. So glad you guys are getting out too. We miss our kitties so much, so I always love to hear about other traveling cats. 18 is a fine, fine age.

      Nina

      Reply
  12. Ulysses says

    July 30, 2021 at 11:20 am

    Did your husband Paul inform the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg is from Cuba? Love that you guys are traveling again. Hope to see you in a future trip to Europe.

    Reply
    • libertatemamo says

      August 1, 2021 at 12:00 am

      No, I had no idea! Thank you for that interesting fact.

      Nina

      Reply

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