Another worktrip to Brussels in the beginning of October, where we had an option to go early and spend the weekend as well. So, ticked another country - Luxembourg, and also visited the absolutely gorgeous Bruges in Belgium. The weather was still very much spring-like and it was oh so very enjoyable.
Took an early Flixbus from brussels to Lux on a Saturday morning after a great cup of coffee and a croissant from Paul's.
Luxembourg (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) is a small Benelux country (and I really mean small, as it covers an area of 2,586.4 km2 and has a bit over 600 000 in total population). The capital - Luxembourg city has around 114 000. French, German and Luxembourgish are all official languages, so I never really knew if it is better to say thank you, danke or merci.
We did the free walking tour, and as always, it was informational and enjoyable.
Palace of the Grand Dukes. Luxembourg has the world’s only Grand Duchy (a state ruled by a grand duke or duchess).
View from the "most beautiful balcony in Europe".
The medieval ramparts down there are on various levels of the old part of the city.
It's about 23km of casemates tunnels and bunkers, some of them are closed but most are open for exploring.
The ancient quarters of the city are also included on the world heritage list of UNESCO since 1994.
The city is divided into high and low parts, so expect many hills and stairs and ramps, (from the there is also an elevator up from near the Casamates block!)
Notre-Dame Cathedral of Luxembourg
I adore these kind of narrow streets and there are plenty in Lux.
Finally met Catherine again, it was such a great reunion as last we saw in Croatia in 2013 at a summer law school, but have stayed in contact with a group of friends. PS: we really need that proper reunion! She has the most adorable pup Puna. In general what I really liked about Luxembourg, how dog-friendly everyone is. Dogs in shopping-centres, little boutiques, cafes and restaurants is the most regular thing. Waitresses bring water for the pup without asking and on the street every third person has a dog.
This park was one of my favorite places in Lux.
The European Quarter aka The Kirchberg Plateau, home to several seats of the European Union. The European Court of Justice, the European Investment Bank and the European Court of Auditors are situated there.
Gëlle Fra - The Monument of Remembrance, a war memorial dedicated to the thousands of Luxembourgers who volunteered for service in the armed forces during both World Wars and the Korean War.
Headed back to Brussels in the evening by Blabla car. Got the most clueless driver who thought he was a really good liar when explaining why he was 40 minutes late. Apparently he drives a lot, but when in a little town on the border of Belgium he ran low on gas and could not fond a gas station, our suggestion to maybe search on the GPS in the car came as a huge surprise and "such a great idea"" to him. Go figure. He picked up another girl on the way, who was even more pissed than us, as she had to wait even longer because of the "gas station adventures" on the way. At least he dropped us right to A's sisters place.. then again we didn't really ask, just told him point blank to but the address on the gps.
The next morning started like this, seasonal treats from Starbucks and croissants, obviously croissants, when in Belgium.
Then, took a train to Bruges, Belgium.
The previous evening we also watched the 2008 Colin Farrell movie “In Bruges”, a black comedy about two Irish hitmen in hiding in Bruges, what was probably one of the most wtf movies I have seen in a while. The movie was what it was, but, it showcased Bruges in a great way.
Bruges (Brügge) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. The population is around 118 000.
Grote Markt is the largest of Bruges’ two central squares. With all the colourful buildings with character and the medieval Belfry bell tower towering over them, horse carriages waiting on the corner of the square.. it is quite a sight. There was a concert on the square and some kind of a Scottish parade going on and it was all very lively.
The belfry dates back to around 1240, when Bruges was quite prosperous thanks to the Flemish cloth industry. The impressive 83 metres high tower has unluckily fallen victim to fire three times in 1280, 1493 and 1741, the wooden spire was destroyed in all of the fires, after the last one, it has not been replaced.
These waffles... no words needed.
Bruges is often called the Venice of the North. You can see why. The canals and bridges of Bruges are absolutely picturesque from every angle. A tour on the canals is not expensive (around 8 EUR) considering the city itself is not the cheapest.
A short walk from old the town centre you can find some windmills, and even climb on top of one of them, I think. It did not say it was not allowed at least and there was a ladder. A series of windmills are scattered through parkland next to the city walls. Originally there were 25 windmills all the way around the city but there are only four left now.
The Skyscraper - 5 tons of plastic waste pulled out of the Pacific Ocean and turned into a 4 story tall whale for the 2018 Bruges Triennial. It's a powerful reminder of the 150,000,000 tons of plastic waste still swimming in our waters. Scientists estimate there are 8 million tons added every year. A whale, breaching from the water is the first "skyscraper of the sea", as the largest mammal in the water, it's portraying the scope and scale of the problem.
On Sunday evening the work trip officially started, so, we moved into our hotel in Brussels, watched Saturday Night Live and Strictly Come Dancing, laughed, snacked and did some spa procedures, aka a proper girls night.
Also, inaugurated Haldi's new apartment on a Monday night with a 'few glasses' of wine.
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