Luxembourg fun fact #1

Since I had to pull out a map when Alex asked me if I wanted to move to Luxembourg, I thought I'd give a quick crash course on this lovely little new home of mine.  Here is the first out of five fun facts that will enlighten (and entertain you) about the Grand Dutchy of Luxembourg (yes, that's our "official" name :)

1. Being a Grand Dutchy means we have a Grand Duke!  Luxembourg has had a Grand Duke since 1815 and Grand Duke Henri has been the Grand Duke since 2000.  Here's a photo of Henri, whose image is framed all over town in restaurants, shops, etc.

The Grand Duke's palace is a short 5-minute walk from our apartment and it is lovely.  It is usually armed with a guard or two and they have very big guns.  Since Luxembourg was named "the safest place in the world" (another fact that didn't make the list), I imagine the guns are just for show.  Let's hope.

Here's the palace!

I've heard that the Grand Duke doesn't actually live here all the time but my friend Sarah and I did get a sneak peak one day a few weeks ago!  Sarah and I were having delicious hot chocolate at The Chocolate House, which is directly in front of the palace.  This will give you an idea of how utterly DELIGHTFUL this place is...you pick your preferred flavor chocolate spoon, they bring you hot milk in a mug and viola!



So back to the Grand Duke spotting...As Sarah and I were sipping our hot chocolate, we noticed that there were several more guards surrounding the palace than usual.  There was also a crowd forming in front of the palace (thank goodness they weren't obstructing our view).  Moments later, the big iron doors opened and there he was!



Grand Duke Henri is in the back seat along with a few other men and he was being escorted out of the palace!  We may have another chance to see the Grand Duke in a few weeks as June 23rd is a National holiday in Luxembourg celebrating Henri's birthday!  Everyone will have the day off work and there will be a huge celebration!  I love that the Grand Duke invites the entire country to celebrate his birthday!

More on the Grand Duke's birthday celebration - but first there will be Luxembourg fun fact #2 coming very soon!

Love until next time...Melanie