the second rome

When we travelled in and around Chile it was as if the Incas had been everywhere, leaving their impeccable wall building skills for us to wonder at centuries later. These photos were taken at Maachu Picchu in Peru and the Inca Bridge in Argentina.

Like the Incas, the Romans too attempted to conquer their world by increasing their boundaries and requiring more nations to pay tribute in the form of taxes, to fund their ever increasing expansionist desires. And also like the Incas, the Romans left their roads, bridges and walls for us to view.

Trier is a small town east of Luxembourg (in Germany) which they say was called Roma Segunda, or the second Rome. It has lots of interesting roman ruins, that have survived not only through time, but also the deluge of WW2 bombing raids. We haven't visited them all yet, but will certainly do on future visits. Below is the Porta Nigra, or black gate, which was once the entrance to the city.

We went to Trier to shop, but there are other delights as well, such as the flowers and mushrooms - which in the cases below, were both the biggest specimens we have ever seen. Dahlias the size of dinner plates and mushrooms bigger than my hand! I wonder if the Romans enjoyed these?

Esch sur Sure

Luxembourg has a lake. Although I'm not sure it counts entirely because it was created by a dam and was built to supply drinking water for the country. A hydro electricity scheme has also been added. It is a pretty lake, if not highly accesible, and we will probably return soon as autumn grips us and turns all the greens to red and gold.

Downstream of the dam wall is a very old village called Esch sur Sure, named after the Saure river (Esch of the Saure) which winds it way around a rocky outcrop forming a natural moat.

Records show that people have lived here since the 8th century, but the fortifications on top of the rock were not started until the 10th century. The chapel here was built in 1757, on the foundations of the first church constructed 1000 years earlier.

Still wearing T-shirts on a nice day!

Schubi time!

We've been 3 times already! The Schuberfouer is a very old Luxembourgish tradition, originally established as a market by John the Blind, Count of Luxembourg and the King of Bohemia in 1340. It remains an annual fair in Luxembourg that runs for about 3 weeks at the end of summer. Entry is free, and, as it is only 10 mins walk from where we live, very accessible for us!

I've read that there are over 2 million visitors every year, and by the crowds we have seen I can believe it. The traditional foods scoffed by many include spicy potato based fritters and fresh waffles piled with cream and strawberries. There are lots of things to buy, such as the gingerbread hearts below, and heaps of wild rides all centred around an enormous ferris wheel.


It is a feast for the stomach and the senses, with an overload of voices on load speakers presumably telling you to "step right up" and have a go in another language, sweet candy laden air, meat served in bread everywhere, a sea of flashing neon lights, hoardes of people to wade through, screams from plunging and spinning rides, popping guns, and endless merry-go-round music. I kind of like it! The grand finale is tonight with a huge fireworks display.

short wheel base

This is the view from our apartment on a hot August afternoon. The fact that there are almost no cars on the street can only be due to the majority of the population being on holiday. I can assure you there are plenty now!

Since we arrived I have had a fascination with les voitures (that means 'cars'). Perhaps it is all part of the culture shock after living for 3 1/2 years in places where AWD/4WD vehicles are almost essential. Or maybe it is just one of the adjustment processes that we are experiencing.

Apart from the ferraris, porsches, mustangs and jags on the streets here, there are a myriad of small cars, ranging from the swift and sporty to funky fiats to the almost ridiculous smart car. Here are a few photos from around town.

The smart car makes me giggle, and when driven at speed around a bend it looks challenging to keep four wheels on the road! I have even seen a convertible smart car - but didn't get a photo of that one. We've decided that our favourite is the fiat, but I am also paticularly fond of the mini coopers that are very popular here too.

The small cars do make alot of sense around the city where petrol is twice the price of that down-under and parking is at a premium. Last week I observed a car wedged between two others in a parallel park with approximately 6 inches clearance at the front and one inch at the back. But the real reason I suspect for the proliferation of such tiny vehicles, are the narrow city streets - yes they do drive up these!

First impressions

Finally the many months of moving are over and we have been in Luxembourg for two weeks, and in our flat for 10 days. We have waded through a mountain of paperwork and feel as if we can finally get on with the business of settling in. It almost seems surreal, living in this very old city.

First impressions are: 1. Lovely warm summer days and lots of green trees and parks to provide quiet and shade. Apparently 60% of Luxembourg is covered in forest;
2. Extraordinary prices on almost everything that make us very thankful we bought warm clothes downunder and keep us eating at home when it seems everyone else is sitting in quaint sidewalk cafes;

3. Extremely well behaved dogs that go everywhere with their owners - including a labrador in the china shop (V&B of all places), a greyhound in a shoe shop and very cute purse-size doggies!;

4. An incredible diversity of cultures and languages, such that it seems we are the only ones that speak one language fluently; most people in the city would speak a minimum of luxembourgish, french, german, and many speak english, dutch or portuguese as well, possibly italian;

5. More of what we down-underlings would class as luxury vehicles than we have ever seen in one place, to the extent that it takes a ferrari to generate minor excitement. Mercedes are as common as Toyota's. Even we drive an Audi - albeit a somewhat scratched 1997 version. More on cars in another post.

Apparently 'most' of luxembourg is on holiday for another week yet, so after that we will really see what life is like and how busy the streets are. However, we have already been to Belgium and Germany (just across the border at any rate).

a few of my favourite things

Wherever we live, there are always a few things that become my favourites. Of course such things can vary widely from place to place, ranging from food treats, to stunning views, to old buildings or special shops. Living in far north Queensland has been no exception. Here, I have three favourite things, and they are all places. First place probably goes to Lake Barrine, east of Atherton.

Lake Barrine is a picture perfect crater lake of crystal clear water hemmed in by dense rainforest. There is a quaint old tea house that serves Devonshire tea overlooking the water. Immaculate gardens flow down the hill to the water’s edge and overflow with Ulysses and Cairns Bird-wing butterflies in the wet season when the Calliandra and Claradendron are in flower. We hunt through bunches of Bromiliads looking for frogs. We walk the 5km lake circuit to see birds, and a couple of times we have taken the boat tour around the lake to view the snapping turtles, eels, water dragons, pythons and more birds.

My second favourite place is the Skybury coffee plantation west of Mareeba. From the huge café there is a spectacular view east across the tablelands. The coffee is good, and there are always lots of birds to watch, if not a wallaby or two. I could sit and look for hours here. Contemplate life. Watch storm clouds roll in, or out. I've often thought I would love a house right on this spot. In April we watched a great bower bird rearranging the bright pink bling decorating his substantial bower. That pink peg has to sit in just the right place. That red plastic ribbon must fall just so. It was quite a sight seeing his efforts to attract a mate.



My other favourite place is the Daintree Rainforest, about 1.5hrs north of Cairns. The Daintree is a luxury rainforest – the kind that you can’t even walk in because it is so thick with vines and prickly things you are better off not touching. Here the rainforest pours down mountains until it crashes into the sea and both are spectacular. They have carefully constructed boardwalks through the forest in places so that you can view it safely. At first I found this somewhat disappointing, as a keen bush trekker, but on considering some bush crashing I soon understood why the boardwalks are a good idea for both me and the bush.

On our last visit we even watched a cassowary having a bath, but I may have mentioned that before. I love all the tropical plants, the heat, the colours, the humidity, the feeling of it all. And of course the icecream place that uses unusual tropical fruits like sapote for a yummy icy cold treat.

Leaving behind favourite things is sad, but it opens the door to find new favourite things in a new place. It is the same with faces. Another voyage of discovery awaits us.