Everyday, I am haunted by the loss of my father. He was a physician in Luxembourg-Ville for twenty years, and a physician in Oakland County Michigan also for twenty years…he loved to help people, so he was never so good at making money as a physician. He had been born in Luxembourg and survived World War II during the Nazi Occupation, and then through the American Occupation. One thing he taught me at an early age is to value the simple pleasures in life, because during difficult times, those simple pleasures are even difficult to attain. One of those simple pleasures is eating chocolate! My grandmother would take my father and his two siblings once a week, on Fridays to Namur for a treat, such as a pastry or chocolate. No one can say that going to Namur is a simple pleasure, however once World War II started, the possibility for a child to have a chocolate bar quickly disappeared. Of course children, like adults develop habits, and after having chocolate from Namur to then having to wait for a simple chocolate ration would be a very unhappy time for a child or young person, indeed! And so it was for my dad. When I was old enough to have a cognizance about the value of things, I began to understand why my father had developed the peculiar habit of taping bars of chocolate under furniture and hiding chocolate bars in all sorts of places! Somehow, the rationing during the War had burned a mark on his psyche forever, and he had a deep fear of going with chocolate! So I was always finding chocolate in odd places…
My father is gone now, and I miss him terribly…but he is with me in a sense, for he taught me to value simple things, as well as to enjoy the more elaborate things. One of those is to have a pastry with a Cafe au Lait at Namur once a week! For any tourist visiting Luxembourg, I highly recommend a stop at one of the finer pastry shops for a coffee and a pastry! When you really want to go all out, you can purchase Namur’s chocolates in different quantities…however, I doubt any quantity will last very long!
Luxembourg is also a place to go with an empty stomach! Everywhere one turns there is a spectacular restaurant! Also, it is common etiquette to dress well! In fact, I leave my better clothing there because in the US or Canada, no one dresses up so much! But with such a tremendously fantastic ambience, it only does the city justice to dress to the nines!!
Luxembourg is a must for any Military History Enthusiast! Just travel first down Boulevard D’Avranches until it turns into Patton Boulevard and follow the signs to visit the Military Cemetery in Hamm. There are two very nicely done tiled maps which explain the American Invasion, and they provide a good starting point to finding other WWII Historic`sites! I strongly recommend a stop at the Tourist Bureau for information on the different WW II sites. Luxembourg offers a card that allows one to visit various Museums and sites for only the price of the card for a certain period of time (depending on which card one purchases! – this can be purchased for one person or even a family!).
I am biased, however the charm of Luxembourg is one spot in Europe that should never be missed. In fact, Luxembourg represents the heart of Europe! I often meet people that have gone on programmed tours of Europe, where when they are lucky, they might have had one hour to see a landmark. My own experience of working with a tourist bureau and spending a leisurely amount of time where I want to spend it, seems to be the best way to travel! There are two bureaus in the City, one at the train Station and the other in the central town square. This is the best place to start your expedition of a wonderfully charming country…and please don’t forget about the chocolate!
