Luxembourg

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Hello everyone,
The first thing I noticed in Luxembourg was the aerial cranes. There were ten in one direction and nine in the other. We were told that the growth rate is 4%--the largest in Europe. Unemployment is only 4.6%. Luxembourg goes back to 963. It is in the middle of three valleys, so has a natural defence. In 1867 it was declared neutral and unarmed--unless you count 1,000 volunteers and three canons. The guide said that during WWII, the Germans didn't exactly invade--it was more like they just walked in. As a result, there was no real damage done. In 1867 it also became an open city, so the fortress had to disappear. There are some remains because to eliminate all the walls and gates would cause other structures to collapse. Same problem with the tunnels. If they were eliminated then the whole city would collapse. After the walls came down, the population grew from 900 to 110,000. The entire country is only 1,000 square miles with 460,000 people--41% are foreigners. They have 112 different nationalities. They speak Luxenbourgish, but French is the legal language and newspapers are in German. By grade eight, kids have learned French, German, English plus speaking Luxembourgish at home. By law, any correspondence sent to a government office in French, German or Luxembourgish must be answered in the same language.



The country has a duke or duchess. They abdicate rather than waiting until they die to turn over the reigns. Been this way for a couple of generations. It is so that a coronation can be celebrated as a joyous occasion instead of being tempered with sadness over the passing of a monarch. They have 60 representatives in government. They have elections every five years. Of the four parties, the two with the most votes form a coalition government. They also have a 99% voting rate--there is a $700.00 fine for not voting without a really good reason.

We visited some trendy little restaurants in the basement of old buildings. We were told that the origins go back to 1500s when by law citizens had to keep one year's worth of food in case they were ever under seige, so everyone had a basement for food storage.

By the way, about the big picture at the top of the page. 350 years ago Luxembourg suffered the black death--thousands died. Since then they have a pilgrimage every year to their protector. This is coming up shortly so the alter is decorated for the event. It usually isn't this fancy.

Bye for now,
Donna

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Photos

1
Main cathedral in Luxembourg City. Learned that cathedral is not just a big church--it is home church for a Bishop.

2
Amazing gardens in Luxembourg. This was all tulips.

3
When they stopped being a walled fortress, they realized that they couldn't tear things down. They opened up walls like this so it was no longer a barricade.

4
Another part of the original walled city.

5
Another part of the original walled city.

6
Saint Michael slaying the dragon--a gift from King of France. Guide pointed out that it is small as statues go, the dragon is the size of a dog, and if you look at the dragon's expression, it looks like he is tickling him to death. No love lost between these two countries.

Comments

[John H]

pics
Did you take these photographs? Some are simply spectactular! I'm sure you're thinking on writing about your travels in a form that will include sex and violence not indicated here. Think about including many of these pictures too!