Today was a sad morning of our river cruise. We were at the last port and it was time to disembark. This was what we awoke to.
But after breakfast the mist had cleared and we were ready to face a new day and a day in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. This cute display met us as we got off the ship and waited for our taxi to take us to our hotel.
When got to the hotel we were very impressed, we were booked at LE ROYAL LUXEMBOURG
A 5 star hotel in a city that is very much a 5 star city.
The best way to describe Luxembourg is say it is a city of many levels and plateaus. 2 gorges cut through the city with 230 ft drops to rivers below. The city has vast parkland areas (1/3 of the city) and was a wonderful city to walk around in. Think of a train set how it has all the layers.
This is part of the map we were given by the hotel and shows the amount of parks there are. Oh and as I said the park on the left side of the map and the one along the bottom are separated by a 200 ft drop.
As we were walking around we came across a familiar name.
You can see the tower of City Skyliner a rotating platform that gives you really spectacular views of the city. We enjoyed the ride and marveled at the sights.
With bridges 100's of years old and newer bridges connecting the top areas over the gorges you get a real feeling for the depth of history this city has.
This is the tiered gardens leading down to the lower park level.
Gëlle Fra (Luxembourgish for 'Golden Lady'), is a war memorial dedicated to the thousands of Luxembourgers who volunteered for service with the Allied Powers.
This is Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg, and is the only cathedral in Luxembourg.
The cornerstone was laid in 1613.
After exploring the top we ventured down into the park and it was a beautiful park with lots of walking paths and it was real easy to forget you were in the middle of a busy European financial hub.
As we came up out of the parks and headed back to our hotel we came across the Three Towers.
The square central tower dates from the time of the second fortification ring around the 12th century while two circular flanking towers were added in the 14th century.
From here we headed back to our hotel for a much needed meal.
I will close with these words of advice, If you are at a French restaurant and they have grilled cheese on the menu, remember you are in a French Restaurant, it will be verrrrrry cheesy.