After a stack of Vegemite on rye bread for dinner last night, preceded throughout the day with sweet pastries and a Club sandwich for lunch - I suspect the Club was Collingwood, judging from the taste - I was pleased to have covered the five main food groups ; coffee, sugar, salt, butter, and carbohydrates. I feel Olympic. Is that even a thing.
Dont even ask why dinner was Vegemite on toast but it wasnt the cooks fault. Lets just say, never buy smoked tempeh, and if you do, bury it deeper than nuclear waste, and under no circumstances attempt to open the packet. Tim tried to remove the tempeh from his serve, and then he ate it. I thought we brought him up better than that. It was inedible. Luxembourg has a very ridged rubbish separation system for recycling, but this failed to tick the boxes on any category. Tim did wake up with no side effects, and who doesnt like Vegemite, so all is well.
and buses. Thats a great initiative and considering in Australia we tend to send a party of bureaucrats around the world on ‘study tours every time a change has to be considered, Im expecting good news any day.
Funnily, while I can travel anywhere in this region for free, its 50 cents at the station to use the bathroom. Luxembourg might have done a study tour to Italy, where the only free bathroom visit is at a cafe you buy a coffee at, that you may not want, just to go to the toilet for free. I have no limit on the coffee I drink, so its a win win for me.
Now, back to the train. The ride from Esch to Luxembourg City passes through quaint revamped railway stations where the tracks are lined with houses and village shops, facing the tracks, all painted or rendered in soft pastel tones that help the time pass quietly. The villages are split up with rolling green pastures, new green corn crops, all tied together by tight clumps of forest, still waiting for autumn to bear them naked. Or should that be bare.
locals refer to it as, is a very significant building, and until you step out into the constantly evolving construction site called the City, it feels like one of those major stations in Italy or France. It has its own tower and everything is discoloured by years of grime and soot invading the stone; very European.
The relatively new, and expanding, tram system brings a new level and efficiency to city travel, and Tim tells me the plan is to extend it to Esch. Kaching ! Up go property values. Spoken like a true banker.
At Paul, a well known patisserie chain in Europe, we shared a lemon meringue tart and half a cappuccino each - no, we didnt share one; that was the level in the cup offered to us by the girl. In Australia you might say, ‘ the tide was out ‘ on those drinks.
It was then a 15 minute walk to the museum, and as we passed Grund, set deep down in The Valley, I mentioned Id love to go there later as it has a gentle, old world feel as you walk along edge of the canals, peek inside
Portuguese Food Truck. Serving pastries and crepes filled with chicken, champignons, and something green and spicy. Cheap, filling, and delicious. I love Street Food.
the buildings, well, I do anyway, and stop for something to eat or a drink at any number of cafes and pubs. Sues deteriorating knees warned her that they would rebel if she followed this idiot on one of his ill conceived ventures, but its hard to break a habit of 42 years, so off we went. My Scandinavian life coach, SELF, told me never to let anyone else stop you from achieving your goals, and SELF doesnt like to be contradicted. His mantra is , Be Self - ish.
Sue did enjoy Grund. Elevator to the bottom of The Valley and back up, plus a bus back to the station. I feel Ive let SELF down.
Grund is like walking through a miniature reproduction village set in the 1800s, but in full scale, with satellite dishes and signal equipment on the roofs. Theres a few pics so theyll show you better than I will describe it. Same with the museum.
