Kind Strangers in Luxembourg City

---

I just got done exploring my sixth European country--Luxembourg! What a blessing this day trip has been. Last night I was feeling worn out and wasn't sure about making the long journey. When I woke up this morning early to the sound of my neighbor's loud music and checked my watch, it was just a few minutes after eight. For some reason I was renewed about the idea of the trip, jumped out of bed, packed quickly for the day and was off on my journey on the 9:09 am train. Jesus blessed me with a renewed strength and perspective on taking the trip. The opportunity to jump out of bed and travel to another country isn't one that I'll always have!

Luxembourg didn't let me down one bit. It's beautiful with an interesting mix of modern shops and historical artifacts/architecture. Some of the city is up above while other parts are down in a valley below, where a river rushed over its stony bed. Luxembourg's city walls created in the AD 900's and are partially standing and add charm to the city, while giving us a look into the past.

I took a tour of the casemates beneath these walls. The sections I visited are called the Petrusse Casemates, which were made by the Spanish in the 1600's and took us 250 steps underground. It was really interesting. The tour not only gave me the opportunity to get to know Luxembourg City's history but also gave me the opportunity to meet some smart,friendly travelers--Joas (Portuguese version of John) and Olivie (Oh-liv-EE-A). They have been best friends for 25 years...since being next door neighbors as children in Portugal. Joas is a native and still lives in the seaside city of Lisbon, which he claims is the top place to visit alongside Barcelona. Olivie has a background in Belgium and New Zealand and has been living in Brussels for seven years-to which he recommends a visit. After the tour Joas was even nice enough to give me his email address so I could get information on Portugal and Spain. Wow.

Then after the tour I asked the sweet young women who were running the tours if there was a grocery store nearby. Instead of just explaining it, they walked me there! How sweet....more than I'd ever think complete strangers would be. On the walk over we talked about Luxembourg a bit, but also talked about a trip they took to Miami, Florida, which they really enjoyed! One girl especially loved how one can be casual in the US and not be looked at twice, but she explained that if you dress that way in Luxembourg City you'd be stared at. Interesting. The other girl talked about the US being filled with fast food. She said it was dangerous and that her body didn't like what she was doing to it. Ha.

I feel so blessed to have met these people. Jesus put them in my path to show me love and give me some companionship on my solo journey. He is just so good and will provide....trust.

After getting some drinks for the train ride and picking up a big souvenir mug to remember the trip, I set off to the next of the city sights on my list. I made my way to some phenomenal views of the city and partial fortress walls from the Bock casemates/Panorama. Gorgeous. I'm so glad I decided to get out of bed early this morning! 😉

---