The sun shines through the roof window and it looks like it will be another warm day. The penultimate day of our so far very relaxed vacation! I don't want to imagine that we have to return the motorhome the day after tomorrow. If it wouldn't have been so expensive and almost all campers weren't fully booked, I'd like to cruise around for a few more weeks. Without Claudi presumably, because according to her she is already looking forward to returning home.
But first we go to Luxembourg. Surprisingly, this morning we drink a coffee and skip breakfast. There is nothing more distant to us than everyday routines. We get the motorhome ready again, pick up wine and sparkling wine from the winery and drive to the second pitch in Trier, where it has a supply and disposal station. It even has a McDonald's there. We spontaneously treat ourselves to a breakfast with McMuffin, cheese croissants etc. We haven't had that in years.
The trip is short and painless, we also find the free-of-charge pitch immediately. However, it is completely overcrowded and also farther away from Luxemburg than expected. After a short search on the map we find a camping site near the city, the "Kockelscheuer". With 160 spots we should surely find a place for us. Unfortunately the reception is closed as we arrive. Between noon and 2 pm it's lunch break, crap! Now we have an hour to wait here. Who had the idea to have such a long lunch break at a campsite? We are not the only waiting guests who are surprised about this.
In front of the entrance of the site there is a "waiting area" for motorhomes where we park. The area is very steep and the handbrake squeaks and creaks. Let's hope it holds. To be on the safe side, I leave the gear engaged. But somehow it doesn't look very trustworthy. If things were to go wrong, we would be on the pitch before 2 pm.
We use the waiting time and check where the next bus leaves for the city centre. The bus stop is only 200m from the campsite and apparently there is a bus every 8 minutes. Perfect! We walk around the campsite and have a look around. There are still plenty of places available, so it shouldn't be a problem that we haven't registered in advance. Otherwise there's not much to see. In the middle is a large sanitary building with showers, WC and washing basin. At the barrier at the entrance there is a small house with the reception and a small grocery store. For 9€ we buy a six-pack of water with 1.5 litre bottles. That is quite expensive! But we will find out later in the city that the price is not unusual for Luxembourg.
In front of the reception there is a small wooden bench where we wait until it is opened again. Finally it's 2:00 and we can check in. The night costs 18€ for both of us, which is probably ok for a camping site. Electricity costs extra, but we don't need it either - so far we have managed to survive with only the on-board battery. Since one has to leave the campsite at 12 o'clock the following day, we also book a late-checkout. This costs another 6€. The assigned parking space turns out to be a bit sloping. In the motorhome this creates a very strange feeling while standing. But we don't want to have to deal with the ramps now. Instead we just leave everything as it is and go directly to the city centre by bus. After all we still want to see something today!
The bus takes about a quarter of an hour. We actually have no idea what you can visit in Luxembourg city and therefore first get a map at the tourist information. The old town of Luxembourg is quite small, and apparently most of the sights are there as well. Everything is very clean and there are many noble bars and restaurants. Furthermore, there are high-priced pastry shops and cafés. Tourists are everywhere. When it comes to prices, we are astonished: 60€ for a meal are not uncommon. Of course you can pay that in Stuttgart as well, depending on the location you visit, but here it seems to be the norm. Luxembourg could also be a city in Switzerland.
The city is more or less divided into two parts: the upper town (fortress) and the station district. The border is defined by the Petruss valley, named after the stream of the same name. However, there are also residential buildings, which gives the impression that the city has several floors.
We visit the cathedral of "Our dear lady" which is very splendidly decorated, what reminds us of the southern Spanish churches that we have seen in recent years. It smells of incense everywhere. Otherwise there is not much to see and we move on to the Grand Ducal Palace. It is smaller than expected and trapped between other buildings, which is why we accidentally walk past several times. We had expected a pompous building with a large entrance, an even larger courtyard and guards. Only Google Maps and a small sign on a wall help us to find it. Apparently the duke is not in the palace right now, because there are neither guards present nor is the flag raised. But whatever. We were there and that's what counts.
Our further way leads us past the inconspicuous Capuchin theatre to the National theater. This spreads the charm of the Stuttgart Liederhalle. The only impressive building is that of the Pescatore foundation. Never heard of it. And we can't quickly find out what the building is being used for today either.
Claudi would like to visit a supermarket now. Just to see what kind of products and food you can buy here in Luxembourg. Unfortunately we are too late and most shops are already closed - even the larger shopping centre we pass. And it is only 8 p.m.! So let's go find something to eat! Pizza's our favorite, we both feel like it. Probably we have to give our shirts off our backs so we can afford it.
But what is that? The restaurant Basta Cosi! The menu sounds good and the prices are also reasonable. A pizza costs between 10 and 20€. The location is chic, but not too exclusive, so that we can stay here without feeling ashamed despite our casual clothes. What's the catch? At first sight we don't find one and take a seat at an outdoor table. We order two cocktails and two pizzas, a very good choice. The pizza has a super-thin, crispy bottom with a good topping and the cocktails are also very good. What a perfect place to end the day.
We consider whether we should go to the city again tomorrow or directly to Saarbrücken to the thermal spa. Claudi would still like to see a Luxembourg supermarket from the inside. Well, we can decide that tomorrow when we can determine if there's still enough time. We go to the bus stop and take the bus back to the campsite.
Once back there, our neighbors turn out to be campers from hell. They play football - but not on their own ground but on ours. One time the ball hits the motorhome. With evil eyes Claudi successfully banishes them from our area. Unfortunately this is of course again a negative point for the motorhome trip. But there may be a chance that the Saarland thermal spa can make up for this event tomorrow. Let's see.
The rest of the evening goes on without any special happenings, our neighbours now behave inconspicuously. Despite the sloping position we can fall asleep well and nobody falls out of bed during the night.
