Luxembourg

Luxembourg? Yeah, we didn’t see it coming either...

We hopped the train in Champagne bound for Luxembourg. We knew almost nothing before arriving. This trip still hasn't allowed for the benefit of advanced notice or research. I’m pretty sure I would’ve pointed to the wrong place on the map, and honestly couldn’t have told you a single bit of trivia about this tiny country.

To say Lux has never been on my radar in any way would be an understatement — yet two days later, I’m thinking how this place would be perfect for most people to move to.

Our quick couple of days here didn’t exactly make me an expert, but suffice to say: we were blown away. If we hadn’t already found (and booked) a ridiculously low-priced flight out of Amsterdam, there’s little doubt we would’ve stayed far longer… likely to get out of town and hike/backpack the surrounding wilderness!

This tiny country is tucked between France, Belgium, and Germany, which unfortunately makes it landlocked… meaning it’s an unlikely future home for us. But for those of you looking for future homes — I wouldn’t let that knock it off your list.

One of the best parts of Luxembourg? Free public transportation.
No doubt this is great for locals (though I doubt they need it — Luxembourg also happens to have the highest average wages in the world), but it also makes for a very simple and stress-free visit/tour! It also happens to be one of the safest, most international (it’s a multilingual hub of business/commerce), and apparently one of the best places to raise a family.

The capital city (also Luxembourg) is unlike any place we’ve ever been.
The imposing landscape is a series of incredible gorges, with rocky, craggy cliffs edging a deep valley that cuts directly through the center of the city. Instead of avoiding this difficult topography, the historic structures (very impressive castles and fortifications) are all built directly on/in it — while the new, completely modern city sits in stark contrast just above the walls.

Castles perched on cliffs, glassy modern towers above ancient stone walls — it felt like someone dropped a modern city directly onto a medieval stronghold.

It was like walking through illustrations of a fairy tale city or a Disney set that somehow made it into our timeline. No doubt if Tolkien and Zaha Hadid ever collaborated on a city, Luxembourg would be the likely result.

We set out to see as much as we could in a short amount of time and (you guessed it) used the taco shop as our mid-day target. Of course, with Luxembourg being such an international city… the taqueria was nothing short of legit. The space itself was like a modern storefront hiding a secret little spot built into the side of a stone wall.

The owner had to point out that there was more than the 3-4 tables near the entry - and navigating the cavelike stairs led to additional stories hiding in plain sight. The owner and her husband had been raising her family in Luxembourg for years, but was raised in Sonora — and the food alone had us wishing we could stay for days.

Authenticity dripped off the plates like the handmade salsas dripped from the tacos. Slow-cooked meat that no doubt took days to prepare disappeared in seconds and left us wanting more. We ordered takeaway for later.

The streets of Lux were also delightfully empty and uncrowded compared to what we’ve come to expect from other European cities (and we didn’t mind the change). We spent the rest of our time wandering those streets, hopping on and off buses, and seeing as much of this incredible place as we could.

We hope to visit again next time we’re in Europe — and the imagery of this place will most certainly not leave us anytime soon. Luxembourg was a stark reminder that sometimes the best stops aren’t the ones you plan — they’re often the ones you stumble into, that catch you off guard, and linger in your memories (and tastebuds) long after you’ve moved on.