View Larger Map
Sunday, June 30 - Luxembourg City
This is a day of rest in Luxembourg, and what a beautiful day it is! It is perfect for lying about in a park and catching up on my journal, which I do for much of the afternoon.
I never new much about Luxembourg before this visit and it has caught me surprise. What a gem of a city! I have heard it being referred to as Gibraltar north. Although it looks nothing like Gibraltar, I can now see why. It sits on a limestone plateau with a river cutting deeply through it that makes it easily defensible. It also makes the city look stunning. The river gorge is primarily parkland and is green and lush with 
vegetation and flowers. It has the air of the magical city of "Rivendell" from Lord of the Rings. The city is a tremendous fortress of layered ramparts enclosing most of the central city. Within the 15 km of walls and ramparts there are many kilometres of hidden tunnels, many which have been sealed since the 19th century. Now the fortress is only a tourist attraction. There are two major bridges that span the river gorge, and I am able to get some incredible shots from their decks. All in all, it doesn't
take long to walk around the most interesting parts, perhaps an hour or two, so I do it all at a leisurely pace.
The hostel is a bustle of activity and confusion in the evenings, especially in the chaotic office. I am glad I don't work here. At dinner, I meet a couple interesting travelers. The first is Chad, a 23 year old American. He's a brush-cut, dark-haired, cute, fresh, blue-eyed guy with a quick mind. I'm attracted more by his open, questioning mind, so free of presumptuous arrogance that many young people have. He loves the new experiences that travel is bringing him. He doesn't trust American foreign policies and he seems to have a high sense of moral justice.
The other youth, Brent, is a long-haired blond, 19-year old Californian, who takes ideas more to heart than Chad. He tells me he has always felt like an outside and has a habit of challenging authority and process. He is a major in classical piano performance and also plays guitar. He likes pop performers like Elton John and Billy Joel too, for the sincerity of their work. The three of us spend the evening talking. Both boys are straight and for the first time feeling like they are part of a minority, being English-speaking here. I tell them that I have always been part of a minority because I am gay, and that leads to another hour of interesting conversation.
We end up at a local pub not far from the hostel, called the Pygmalion. There we meet two Canadians who are also staying at the hostel. Benoit is a funny, down-to-earth Quebecois. I had seen his name in the sign-in registry. He had put "Quebec" as his country and I dreaded having an argument with a separatist, but
after having travel through France and endured their condescension and ridicule he is thrilled to meet another Canadian. I practice my feeble French on him and he practices his feeble English on me. The other Canadian is a Winnipegonian named Marty, who is embarrassed that he can't speak any French. The three of us cheer in the start of Canada Day at midnight, the country's 124th birthday back home. The five of us head back to the hostel before the 1:30am curfew. I stay up with Brent and Chad talking for another hour.
PHOTO 1: Luxembourg from Montee de Claussen
PHOTO 2: looking south
PHOTO 3: one of the two bridges that span the canyon
PHOTO 4: the other bridge and the canyon walls
PHOTO 5: Luxembourg Gardens
PHOTO 6: Luxembourg Lane and ramparts
PHOTO 7: my room in the youth hostel
No comments:
Post a Comment