Before leaving their temporary home in France, Peter and Penny decided to take advantage of their continental location by taking the two hour rain ride from Paris to Luxembourg City. Arriving around lunchtime on Friday, they found the cosmopolitan city bustling before the weekend exodus. Following the direction of the friendliest hotel receptionist they had ever met, they found their way to the car park elevator that would take them down to the Grund quarter. From there they strolled uphill, stopping often to take in the incredible views of the old city walls, towers and the meandering Alzette river, until they reached Chemin de la Corniche, known as Europe’s most beautiful balcony. From this elevated vantage point, Luxembourg City did seem to be at least one of the most picturesque cities the pair had ever visited. Not knowing much about the Duchy of Luxembourg and struggling even to decipher which language to speak to the locals (French, German or Luxembourgish?), they decided they needed some historical context. So they wandered just around the corner to the Lëtzebuerg City Museum. The evolving city models as they walked through the exhibits gave them a sense of how the city had changed and expanded over the centuries and under various powers and influences including Spanish, French, German and Dutch. They also learned about contemporary Luxembourg, such as its important banking sector, prominent role in the European Union and that today just over half of people living in Luxembourg are Luxembourgers. By the time they were done, they were glad of the flatter terrain leading them to dinner and back to their hotel for a good night’s sleep before Saturday’s trip out of the city to explore the photogenic town and castle of Vianden. Exploring the reconstructed castle sitting high atop the hill overlooking Vianden, the pair were easily transported back to medieval Luxembourg. Then, after strolling back outside the castle walls for a cup of coffee, it was time to get back to the capital for a tour of the city on foot. They learnt of the Dukes and Duchesses of the Grand Duchy, saw their modest palace in the middle of old town and heard tales of mermaids bathing in the Alzette river. All in all this small country was a delightful surprise to the pair as they sped off on the train back to Paris looking through all their holiday snaps from #27 Luxembourg.