A Day-Trip to Luxembourg

Click on any image for a better view.

We collect countries. Well, we don't conquer and plunder them and then take home the booty, which is politically incorrect now. No, we just take pictures and add them to our "we've been there" list. We're never going to be eligible for the Travelers' Century Club but we're going to have a lot of fun trying.

Luxembourg is just a few hours from Brussels by train. It's a pretty ride through verdant farmland and the fabled Ardennes Forest. That's where Ron's step-father spent the terrible winter of 1943 as an PFC Army Scout enduring the last major Nazi offensive on the Western front..

At left, Regina relaxes on the train. At right, a view of the city of Luxembourg as we arrived.

When you're traveling by rail in Europe, getting there really is half the fun. The ride is smooth and the seating very comfortable.You sit back, enjoy the scenery and maybe a have a snack or a little taste of something refreshing. Then just relax till you get there. The generally excellent train service is probably the main reason we've never felt the need to have a car in Europe.

Our first stop was a visit to the Cathedral dedicated to "Our Lady, Comforter of the Afflicted" which is just off the main thoroughfare leading from the train station to the city. The veneration of the Comforter of the Afflicted dates back to an initiative by a Jesuit teacher, Father Jacques Brocquart, who organized a modest pilgrimage in 1624.  In 1639, the first “Book of Miracles” mentioned prayers answered and cures that took place in front of the miraculous statue in the Chapelle du Glacis. Invocation of the Comforter of the Afflicted became increasing popular with the people of Luxembourg.

Our Lady, Comforter of the Afflicted, was chosen in 1666 by the City of Luxembourg as “Patron Saint of the City”, and in 1678 she was proclaimed “Patron Saint of the Country” by vote of the whole population. Despite the decline of Christianity in Europe she has remained the object of fervent worship ever since. Every year, in Spring, the Octave festivities gather round her Christians from all over the country and also from Lorraine, the Belgian Ardennes and the Gaume and Eifel regions, for a two-week period (from the fourth to the sixth Sunday of Easter).

At left is the dramatic main entrance with Regina as a size reference. Below left is the altar, at center an example of the many beautifully detailed carvings and at right an example of the beautiful stained glass windows.

 Click on the altar picture, especially, for a larger view of the altar, which was hung with gold and silver tokens of appreciation from people who had been cured.

     
Luxembourg is a Grand Duchy, remaining independent when other small European states were being swallowed up mostly because neither France nor Germany could tolerate the other absorbing it, and the Belgians didn't seem to want it. And, yes, there IS a current Grand Duke, his name is Prince Henri, (learn more) and he's very popular with his subjects. He lives in his palace, with his wife and four children. His oldest son, Guillaume, now 26 years old,  is next in line for the office. Hardly the delicate royal, Guillaume is said to be a pretty good amateur violinist and was a determined football player in his youth. The father of three, he was badly injured in an automobile accident in 2000 but is now fully recovered. (Learn More)
Luxembourg is a small country, but it was considered an important strategic location in both World Wars. One of the many fascinating exhibits in the  local museum are pictures taken during the Nazi occupation, and General George Patton is buried in the American Military Cemetery in Luxembourg in accordance with his wishes. The monument above at right quotes Marshal Foch commending the bravery of the Luxembourg troops in World War I. Within the current European Union, diplomats from Luxembourg are valued for their impartiality - because the impact of many EU decisions on Luxembourg is minimal, they're more likely to be viewed by both sides as neutral.
The steeple of the cathedral The top of the World War I monument A jolly gargoyle in a wall, but we don't remember where.