more colours of autumn

This is a convertible Smart car! I think its very cute. If you are wondering how it qualifies under the title of 'colours of autumn', grey is becoming an increasingly common sky colour. Other colours are much prettier, such as the orange pumpkins and purple cabbages, and there are still lots of flowers in the markets, including one of my favourites - hydrangeas.

I have been braving those cold morning walks to work with Phil, with the help of my woollen leggings and goose down jacket. Even Phil has been shopping for a pair of leggings since the temperature has been down to zero. How could it get colder than this?

its only autumn

It has been years since we experienced a true autumn and the colours are, well, colourful! There is a large mix here of deciduous and evergreen trees, so in addition to the various shades of green, we now have red, gold, bronze and aubergine.

The only problem is the temperature guage which claimed that it was 3.7 degrees when Phil walked to school this morning. I baulked at the idea of going outside in THAT, so Phil had to walk on his own. Maybe I will be braver tomorrow.

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).