I woke up very early in Charleville so I would be on time to catch the train to Luxembourg. The first leg of the trip was on a local train to Metz.
German Cyclist
In Metz, I changed trains and boarded a TGV. Another cyclist helped me load my bike and panniers on board.
He turned out to be a recently retired German. He told me that he was doing the St Michael’s Way, which is one of the ‘Pilgrim Trails’ from northern Europe into Spain. His plan was to do the whole trip in number of 20 to 30 days steps. He rides for those sorts of periods and “heads home to the wife”. After a couple of months he heads back to where he was up to and the does another 20 to 30 days. He told me that he wasn’t too sure how he will go in the middle of winter.
Arriving in Luxembourg
I arrived in Luxembourg before mid-day.
I had found a camp site of the internet which was about 6 klms from the city. When I arrived, the office was open, however the woman manning the place told me she was closing. I told her that I would come back. She said “no, you need to check in now”. I got the distinct impression that she could have been Basil Faulty’s long lost sister.
As I completed the check in process a couple arrived on bikes. She told them that she was closing, but also made them check-in there and then.
Couple turned out to be Dutch, which was hardly surprising. They were head to Metz down the Moselle that next day. They confirmed that it is really good ride.
Staying a Day in Luxembourg City
I decided to stay a full day to have a look around. I took that bus into the central part of the city. The languages being spoken were confusing. I had expected everyone to be speaking French. I was not aware that Luxembourg has its own language which is very close to German. Check out the link below.
Luxembourg City is a seriously wealthy place. Just walking around that wealth of the place, the wealth is palpable – much the same as it is in Mayfair, the Upper East Side of New York or in Toorak and South Yarra.
The ‘old’ part of the city is full of very up market shop and trendy cafés and restaurants.
Strange Language
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/languages/luxembourgish.shtml
Flickr Link
https://www.flickr.com/gp/twwilko_photos/W208a0
Garmin Link
billrider2013 