We are still here and Luxembourg is Nice

So class, what have we learned this weekend? How about not to believe lunatics with doomsday predictions and Luxembourg is a beautiful little country with a thing for winding roads.

SWMBO and I headed out for Luxembourg for the weekend Saturday morning bright and early. Weather was great and we took a very direct route. Less than two hours of drive time and we pulled into the center of Luxemburg City (And they are spelled differently). We really lucked out on the hotel front. SWMBO researched hotels and we wound up staying at the Parc Beau Arts. It is a little boutique hotel across from the palace and within a quick walk to all of the sights of the city. We got a great deal on a suite and the room was excellent. Very comfortable and tres chic. Possibly my favorite part though was the garage. They have an automated system where you drive your car into an elevator, press down and you end up facing a circular enclosure with a platform at the center. You drive onto the platform, empty your car and step out of the enclosure. Once out, you press another button, your car spins around to face you and then drops through the floor to be stored in a racking system below. It was all very James Bond and a fun start to the trip. Leaving the enclosure was an adventure as well, because the garage empties into a tunnel system that runs under the city and goes back to the hotel.

We spent the rest of the day wandering the city and sightseeing. Luxemburg City is a fairly small city but it has substantial elevation changes. I would recommend better walking shoes than we were wearing. By the end of the day we were beat, but it was good exercise and we saw some really interesting sights. We headed back to the hotel after sightseeing to get ready for dinner. We ate at Le Bouquet Garni, which has a Michelin Star and I can see why. We both ordered the Menu de Asperge (Asparagus tasting menu). The food was absolutely amazing but not stuffy at all. Very relaxed. I asked our waiter about the matched wine tasting menu and he steered us away from it. He said with the flavors we would be happier with a single wine and recommended a Pouilly Fume from the Loire. The wine save us 40 euro and was excellent. You have to appreciate honest waitstaff.

This morning we woke up reasonably early. Had a nice breakfast in the hotel. (Have I mentioned that croissants here are awesome?) Had more fun retrieving our car and then hit the road. Our itinerary was Chateau Beaufort followed by Castle Vianden. Both in the Little Switzerland part of Luxembourg. The route we took was incredibly scenic and in many ways reminiscent of the Swiss countryside north of Geneva. The roads really made me miss my old Cayman S. Switchback after switchback. These roads are made for sportscars and motorcycles. If you are looking for a great place in Europe to drive, this would not be a bad choice. The castles were interesting and the driving was fun. I am glad the Rapture didn't happen and ruin the good time.

So what about the beer? Well, it was a bit uninspiring. I only had a Bofferding which as it's unfortunate name may suggest, was not stellar. The beers of Luxembourg seem to trend toward their eastern neighbors in Germany rather than their Western neighbors in Belgium. The Bofferding is a pilsner style beer and seems to be the everymans beer in the area. It is not bad, a little like a Becks. After trudging up the hills of the city, it was quite refreshing, but it is not a beer that you would go out of your way to get.