Europe 2019 - Day 12 (Part 2)

18 May 2019, Saturday

Just outside our hostel there was the Bock Cliffs (the fortified structures carved out of rock that I mentioned earlier) which has a series of underground passages stretching for 21 km. At the top are crumbling ruins of a former castle which was only discovered as late as 1963.

We only happened upon the Bock Cliffs by chance as it was just outside our hostel. Our main destination was the tourist information centre near the Place de la Constitution or Constitution Square. After getting the information we needed, we went to the Constitution Square. The  "Gëlle Fra", a monument of a golden lady which is located on this square,  was set up in 1923 to commemorate the Luxembourgers who perished in the First World War. From here we had a beautiful view over the Pétrusse Valley and the Adolphe Bridge. 

But that would have to wait because first we walked to interesting places around the Constitution Square, such as the Palais Grand-Ducal which is the official residence of the Grand Duke and royal family of Luxembourg. It dates from the 16th century. We also saw the Notre Dame Cathedral which was built in the 17th century by Jesuit priests. It has a crypt which contains graves of members of the Luxembourg royal family and which is guarded by two lion statues. There was also the Place Guillaume which is supposed to be a spacious open area that used to be the location of a Franciscan convent, but it was closed due to construction works. There is a famous statue here of William II on horseback who was the King of Holland and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. We could barely see him through all the construction equipment. 

Then we made our way to a place called Ascenseur Pfaffenthal which had a panoramic view of Luxembourg City. We rode on a city shuttle which was operated by electricity and a remote control (not joking) and could just fit about 6 people, it is meant to take you around that area only. We got down at one of the stations and took a funicular just for the fun of it, and ended up in the same place as the panoramic view point.

Then we went to Grund which is the old quarter. Going by my layers explanation, Grund would be on the lowest layer. We walked about 2 km looking for Adolphe Bridge when all the while it was right before our very eyes. There were also the Walls of the Corniche which look over the city down onto a valley. This is also the spot where the Gate of the Grund is located which was built in 1632. 

Probably the most fascinating thing for me was the Chapel of Saint-Quirin, a chapel that is carved into the rocks and dating back to 1355. It is Luxembourg’s oldest surviving church. It is close to a spring that is said to work miracles for eye diseases, situated at the bottom of the chapel. Unfortunately it is not accessible anymore so I am still wearing spectacles now. Until 1666, St Quirinus was the patron saint of the city. 

13 km later we were ready to call it a day and headed back to the hostel. Our roommates were 2 girls from Romania but I wasn’t really in the mood to chat so I had a shower and to bed. Still feeling under the weather.