Date: 15th September 2022
Travelled: 0 kms from Luxembourg City
Visited: Luxembourg
Stayed: Alzingen Camping, โฌ21, N49.56910, E06.16010ย ย
Budget: 113 days @ โฌ102 per day
Once the thunderstorm had moved on, we enjoy a quiet evening in the campsite in Alzingen.
When breakfast is done we walk off to the bus-stop to start our second day in Luxembourg City. Fifteen minutes later we arrive at the Gare, but this time we jump on the first tram heading towards the centrum.
The tram stop is less than a 5 minute walk to the tourist office and Hotel de Ville (French for Town Hall or Rathaus), pictured below. We were hoping for a ticket to visit the palace but where told the Royals are back, so no tours.
We walk across the Place Guillaume II (Luxembourgโs main square) and around the corner to the Palais Grand Ducal. Built in 1573 this lovely building with its numerous turrets is no Buckingham Palace. Itโs tightly surrounded by other buildings so it is hard to appreciate when you cannot stand back enough to properly take it in.
Not to worry we enjoy watching the guards going through their well practiced drills.
Leaving the Palais we walk off in search of the Musรฉe dโHistoire de la Ville de Luxemburg, which our guide book highly recommends. You would think with a gob-full name like that it would stand out like dogs balls, but no.
We stand around outside the Lรซtzebuerg City Museum, we walk in and ask. Apparently they changed the name. The lady explainsโฆthe locals refer to their country as Luxembourg but their city as Lรซtzebuerg.
So we pay the lady โฌ3 pp (seniors) and go exploring.
The lower floors of the museum focus on the period 1563 to 1900 which is an interesting look at European politics and royal families. Luxembourg has been attacked and besieged by just about every country in Europe at one time or another. Its survival seemingly based on being a city-state that provides a neutral buffer between other more powerful nations.
Whilst the story of the German occupation during the world wars is told, itโs limited. The upper floor is mostly about the social life of the city.
On the museumโs top floor there is a terrace that provides a view of the corniche and part of the Grund, pictured above.
Moving on, we jump on a tram once again heading north across the Parc de Ville to the Villa Vauban. This grand old house is the home of the Musee dโArt de la Ville de Luxembourg. We get free entry with our tickets from the history museum earlier, so bargain.
I know what your thinking, another gallery full of old dutch and flemish paintings based on the bible, but itโs not. The theme is more on the natural lives of people. Which is good because you can only enjoy so many pictures of Saint Sebastian full of arrows.
We are pleasantly surprised to find a special exhibition of John Constable works from the Tate in London that are currently on display.
There are some 20 of Constableโs painting, always water, sky and clouds. We really enjoyed taking in the scenes of rural and seaside life of 19th century England.
Back on the tram once again, this time we alight at Place des Martyrs (see the picture of the striking Libertรฉ building below) and take a short walk to the AM Tunnel.
The AM Tunnel is a contemporary exhibition gallery. Originally a tunnel that formed a link between casements in the city defences, the tunnel which still links a series of four bank buildings was modernised in 1993, then used as a hanging space. Technically itโs 15m below street level and 350m long, its a free entry. There is a permanent exhibition by Edward Steichen who amongst other things was the official war photographer for the US Navy. The current temporary exhibition is from an artist called Gilliane Warzรฉe. Pam and I both thought it was fabulous.
Amy was my favourite, but they are all so good.
Itโs not like us to do a museum and two galleries in a day, but that was our second day in Luxombourg or was it Lรซtzebuerg. It doesnโt matter, we ride another tram to the Gare and jump straight on a #413 back to Alzingen and the Hymer.
We find a little boulangerie just up from the campsite, so we look forward to some toast in the morning.
That was our day.
Michael + Pam
