Post It from Camping Bon Accueil, Alzingen, Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. Sunday 21st June, 2015.
After leaving Karlsruhe we had a more pleasant days drive up to Luxembourg partly on motorway and on major roads. At last we managed to see something of Germany other than the fast moving congested motorways and even crossed the countries two main rivers, firstly the Rhine and then the Moselle nearer to our destination. Along the Moselle valley we could see the grape vines growing close to the road side.
Camping Bon Accueil is a small site of 70 pitches on the edge of Luxembourg City with easy access by bicycle or bus into the centre. It is very well laid out and we were allocated a pitch overlooking the tent area in the centre of the camp ground. It was a large pitch which enabled us to fit on sideways so we had a lovely hedged setting for our door and canopy side. The new shower facilities were absolutely excellent and very modern. We arrived fairly early in the afternoon and were glad to have phoned ahead the night before because by 1700 the site was full each night.
We filled up with very cheap diesel at 1.086€, or about 80p, a litre as we arrived and later took a much needed stroll into Alzingen after two days of just driving. There was a large supermarket close by and Sharon got her longed for Coke Cola Lite!
Adjacent to the camp site is a public park and throughout June the City were having lots of musical festivals at various locations. The park was one venue and our first night it was Opera in the Park! Whilst we were here we took a walk through this beautiful parkland setting and saw the many professional and local children’s sculptures dotted around. We also had a chance to listen to a local band/orchestra playing and wished I had taken my wallet out with me to indulge in a beer and some ‘Pomme Frites’ with the locals.
I also had a chance to collect emails etc. using the sites free Wi-Fi and was pleased to learn that my Post It stories were being used by our Spanish friend as a teaching aid for his pupils at their school in Sucina, Murcia. So to all you pupils, Buenos Días, and I hope you are enjoying our travels with us. We hope to be back in Murcia later in the year so keep asking Señor Hernandez the questions.
On the Saturday we visited the city travelling there by the bus rather than off-loading the bikes as we were likely to leave on the Sunday. The journey was speedy and very conveniently located close to the camp site. To our surprise the 2€ return fare each was waived on a weekend for the tourists, making our stay even cheaper than it already was. The city is a mix of modern and old buildings in a multi lingual setting so not speaking good French posed no problems at all. We discovered that almost all the whole city shuts up shop on a Sunday so we opted to visit the many shops on offer. It is clearly a vibrant and wealthy city based on its banking environment and this was also reflected in the designer shops and prices. However we managed to have a really good lunch with all the trimmings in a very nice restaurant and it did not break the bank at all.
I don’t think I have ever seen so many eateries in one place before and my eyes were constantly dragged to the fancy shop windows where all manner of sandwiches were sold. This was the first place we had seen such food on plentiful offer and I was hoping that not all the shops would be closed the next day for our return visit.
On the Sunday we returned to the city centre to stroll around the old town and take in the views. As we got off the bus at the edge of the central shopping area it was almost like a ghost town and for a capitol city this was somewhat of a surprise, not to mention the fact that in England we are now used to a 24/7 culture and I suppose that is what we are used to.
We had a good tour around the old part and looked down from the fortifications into the old city below. There were some lovely gardens right throughout the valley which made for a nice view, mixing the greenery and the small river with the old buildings. Up at the higher levels in the new parts of the city there was a stark contrast with ultra-modern architecture.
On the outside of the old fortified city we were also able to see properly the Place Guillaume II where the Hotel Du Ville is located with a view of the Cathedral of Notre Dame’s spires in the background. On the Saturday it was the venue for a thriving fresh produce market where many people were shopping. We could also tour the streets that were less occupied with visitors and see places once again such as the Palace of the Grand Dukes and the Cathedral with the magnificent spires which dominated the skyline.
From getting off the bus I had been looking to see if one of those sandwich shops was open and to my disappointment I could not see one of them open, their windows were now bare. Luckily I later found one that had a café included and it was open for lunch. We had the most beautiful Chicken Caesar salad sandwich on crusty sliced fresh bread to take away. I ordered two but when the lady ‘boxed’ them individually I realised that I what I had thought was one sandwich was in fact half of the whole one so there was quite a lot to eat. We made our way to a viewpoint overlooking the Vallée de la Pérusse from the Place de la Constitution and enjoyed both the food and the views.
A quiet stroll back past more closed shops to the Gare to catch our bus back brought the first light shower that we had suffered during our time out on foot. We had been lucky to be back at the camp site when there had been numerous really heavy bouts of rain both during the three days and nights we were here.
Tomorrow it is off back to Belgium and then France to catch our train home. The heavy rain predicted for Monday will hopefully cease by the time we arrive at our next site and let’s hope the brighter weather for France arrives as forecast. We have enjoyed our visit ti the world's only Grand-Duchy.
Regards, Roy
