Life: Idiotropic

After our wonderful breakfast in Sedan and a lengthy tour of the castle, we started the 90 minute drive to Luxembourg City. We drove from France, into Belgium, then had hardly crossed the border into Luxembourg when we entered the city itself. The country is so small, that it isn't so far to get anywhere within it.

Luxembourg City hails itself as "Little Europe" boasting the best of everything. With less than a day to explore it, we certainly weren't able to avail ourselves of all it has to offer, but we did leave wanting more.

Getting into the main center itself would have been easy but for some construction that took us off the main road and into a maze of narrow one-way and dead-end streets in a residential district on the hill. Once we got into downtown we found our hotel and parked without any problem.
The Hotel Albert is amazing. I'd searched online for a hotel not having any recommendations from friends hoping to find something nice. Most of the hotels I found were extremely modern in their decor which, for me, is a style best suited to doctor's offices and not to a cozy hotel setting. Being a large banking city, that doctor's office feel might be exactly what Luxembourg clientele are traditionally looking for, but for a quiet, childless, mother-daughter weekend, it wasn't quite for me. Fortunately, the Hotel Albert was exactly what I was looking for. It was very elegant, beautifully decorated with fabrics and furniture from England and Italy, and had a very warm feeling. The rooms drew you in and enticed you with large comfortable chairs and lush throw blankets to sit and relax a while. Our room had fabric on the walls instead of wallpaper and large, full curtains in the same fabric. A book of Europe's Finest Hotels (by Nicola Lecca pg 184-5) on the bedstand showcased our little Hotel Albert, a tiny building with only 15 rooms that just a few years ago had been a homeless shelter. The closet included a complimentary bottle of wine, Grandirn de Bordeaux Chateau Montaguillon's Montagne Saint Emilion 2002 from Gironde, France. The large bathroom had robes, slippers, and a beautiful assortment of little toiletry samples in pretty bottles. It truly felt like a vacation.

Downstairs the sitting room was filled with large chairs and couches that enveloped you as you sat down. There was a fireplace on one wall with little windowed cabinets on either side filled with chopped wood. The vases full of flowers were large and showy. Everything was warm and full of color. Behind the couch sat a long sofa table with a tray of alcohol on one end - a very nice honor bar. I would have loved to transport that sitting room to my house. The colors and the way it was all tied together was very comfortable and homey. I must make notes for my "dream home."

Needing a little snack and wanting to see the town, we made a dinner reservation for 7:30 at the hotel restaurant and left by foot for the city center to explore it. The walk was nice and the weather cooperative. In wet weather, it would have seemed far, but we strolled with ease down the wide city streets toward the city center. As we got closer we crossed a high bridge that traversed a deep ravine that went on in either direction as far as we could see. Below were houses nestled among the thick trees on the steep banks and at the bottom was a tiny little stream, walking trails, and more trees. The park was beautiful especially with so many colors in that leaves at that time. I immediately thought of the girls and how much they'd enjoy running around down there.

In front of us as we crossed the bridge was a beautiful old building with a large green copper tower. To our left across the ravine were several other beautiful old towers. And, as we walked, the numerous beautiful old buildings just became pasee. The city is filled with them. The closer we got into town, the nicer the shops became. It was fun to peer into the windowfronts and dream, but that was about all I could do. Luxembourg must lure in people with money because nothing in those windows was even close to being reasonable priced.

Eventually we found a wonderful little bakery and coffee shop, Les Salons Namur. The desserts in the window demanded that we stop to rest a while. They looked like something from a high end city bakery, but the atmosphere inside was very relaxed like any local cafe. Women sat and visited with each other. Mothers rocked their babies. Other than the amazing desserts and decorative chocolates at the counter, we could have been anywhere. I ordered a beautiful Framboise Torte, a Cappuccino Creme, and a petit quiche. Our coffee and desserts were served first, and our "real food" served afterwards. That's my kind of prioritization! The torte was amazing and my cappuccino with swirled whipped creme was served with a shortbread cookie. The quiche was also fabulous. I could have eaten more. My long coat slipped from my chair, so one of the waitresses there stopped to show me where the coat rack was. All the places we'd been on this trip took our coats and hung them for us. It is really nice.

By the time we left Namur, it was very dark outside. We walked to the brightly lit train station at the end of the road, then started to loop back to the hotel. Walking back a different way, we passed by a bagel shop that had Sunday hours - the only eatery on the entire walk that was open on Sunday. There were a lot of people out, but the shops were just starting to close. We walked past the church that had been in the distance before and by a military memorial with a flame burning. The bells of the church sounded in the distance - a noise I won't tire of here. They are all different, but always comforting to hear.

Going back a different way got us slightly twisted around and back just a little later than we'd expected, but it also brought us into the shopping district with Louis Vuitton, Rolex, and all the big name designers. Disappointing as it was that they were closed, it was probably best for my wallet that way. Still, it was a fun area - clean, sparkling with lights and decorated windows, Santas and ornaments, and full of treasures.

Eventually we got back to our hotel with just enough time to run upstairs, freshen up, then go back down for dinner. The restaurant of Hotel Albert is not at the hotel, so they provide complimentary taxi service both there and back. Taking us there was a very friendly Portuguese taxi driver. His English was ok, but not the best, but Spanish worked well, so we talked a bit. He'd lived in Luxembourg for 14 years and was fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, German and French, with a decent knowledge of English as well. Arriving at the Lagura, we walked up the short narrow walkway into an old house that was the restaurant. The waiter took our coats and seated us in a quiet room. The decor was completely opposite from that of the Hotel, but it's modernity wasn't unsettling. The modern chic interior actually provided a warm cozy atmosphere even amidst the grey walls and black tables. White candlelight, showy white bouquets, and lush upholstered chairs livened it up. Our waiter was young and handsome. For our appertif we chose champagne pinot noir which was excellent. I had a very nice salade cesar, then for a starter: a creamy polenta with gorgonzola cheese served with a very light pesto sauce, and a rucola salad with balsalmic vinaigrette. Mom had fresh raviolis with the thinnest dough I've ever had - it was light like paper and not at all doughy. I had saltimbocca di pollo with some sort of potato side dish. Both were excellent. Then, the grand finale! The most delectable wine: Moscato d'Asti, a muscadelle that was so light and sweet, I could have had the whole bottle. It was wonderful. Our waiter then brought another bottle over with a glass so I could try a taste of another - the moscato di pantelleria - which truly did taste "just like fresh squeezed grapes." For dessert our waiter recommended the Risotto de framboise y sorbet di cocos. I like risotto, but could never had imagined this. The risotto had been cooked in blackberry juice. It was exactly the color of blackberries and had fresh raspberries mixed into it. It was served warm and topped with fresh coconut sorbet and raspberry sauce. MMMMM. I've never had the equivalent of this dessert and I absolutely will order it again when I go back. Wow!

The driver back to the hotel was very quiet. I'm sure he was just listening to mom and I chat. At the end of the drive we heard his only words that trip and they were spoken in near perfect English which took us off guard just slightly. The hotel sitting room beckoned, so we sat to relax for a few before heading to the room for the night. Upstairs, our bed had been turned down. Chocolates sat on the corner of the blankets where they'd been folded with a note: "Mrs. Stahlbaum, we would like to wish you a goodnights sleep. Tomorrow's weather forecast: Rain. Min 2C Max 9C.

The next morning before we checked out and headed back to Germany, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast in our room. I had a flavorful cappuccino and an earl grey tea. They served a basket of fresh rolls, butter in a little silver dish, fresh fruit with yogurt that tasted homemade. The raw sugar cubes mixed in white and brown filled an old silver pitcher and the jams looked delicious. Truly, everything is relative - or so these precious experiences teach me. A decent wine in one place is nothing when you're in France. Some places just do things well. Here, in Luxembourg, and in France, all the wine is good. All the pastries and chocolates are good. It is not hard to find exceptional quality. It just is.

This place is worth returning to. I would come back here with my mom, a group of friends, Tiara for a mother-daughter weekend, or my whole family. Luxembourg City really offers a lot and deserves more than one day. Next time I'll spend at least three.

Coming home to my children after 2+ days away was nice. I'd missed them. We came home and watched Cars. So, I left my kids on Friday, I was pampered. I stayed in a castle in France and an upscale hotel in Luxembourg. I sipped champagnes and dined in some fantastic restaurants where the waiters took my coat for me and treated me like royalty. I sampled cappuccinos in two countries. I took the sugar for my tea from an old silver pitcher. Then I came home, got mobbed by children, and nestled in among them to watch tractor tipping in the Cars movie while they all laughed uncontrollably. Sometimes it doesn't make much sense, but it's still good to be home.