Paris Day Trip Part 2: Luxembourg

So, despite my current infatuation with Bruges, I'm still researching other options for our day trip from Paris. Next option? Luxembourg. It's easy to do - about a 2 hour train - and how cool is it to say you've been to Luxembourg??

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Reasons Luxembourg is cool:

• The country has the highest national GDP per capita - you won't find many beggars in Luxembourg City, I'd wager.
• It's the world's only remaining grand duchy - meaning the constitutional monarchy is headed by a Grand Duke, not a king.
• Luxembourgish is a national language - don't you love that name? It's like it's a little bit Luxembourg - ish...with some other stuff thrown in. Which, knowing the Romance languages, may not be too far off.

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Things to see in Luxembourg City:

• The old town and the fort are UNESCO World Heritage sites dating back to the Roman Empire.

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• The Grand Duchal residence - wouldn't you want to see where the Luxembourgish 1% lives? Check out the royal family:



Definitely some hotties here

• Bike Riding through the Valley of Seven Castles. Maybe horseback riding would be more appropriate...
• Vianden Castle, because, well....look:

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• On the opposite architectural spectrum is the I.M. Pei designed Museum of Modern Art.

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* For more detailed info click here, here or here.

All in all, I think it looks great. Not sure it beats out Bruges for day trip romance and appeal, but definitely on the list for "sometime." Thoughts?

Foggy Tops

Ok, if I'm going to deal with days of cold, dreary, foggy weather...

From here via Pinterest

I want to do so here.

Vienna, Austria: Let's go.

 We could dance the Viennese waltz across parquet floors at the Schonburnner royal palace...


Schonbrunner Palace

Gaze at the  glorious plays of color in Gustav Klimt's works at the Leopold Museum...


Gustav Klimt, Leopold Museum

And view the modern whimsy of the Hundertwasserhaus...

Hundertwasserhaus, from here via Pinterst

Sounds better than work, right?