What a lovely city. This is what generations of wealth can bring you.
Another scorcher with a high of 29 degrees. The only walking tour we managed to book at such short notice was the free tour that ran from 11 to 1pm. It’s free only in that you don’t prepay and there’s no set fee but you pay what you think it’s worth at the end. I’ve seen the same business model elsewhere before.
Our guide was a nice South African lady who has lived here 17 years. She imparted an enormous amount of knowledge as we walked around 3 km of the old town. Basically the country has been owned, stolen, mortgaged, pawned, annexed, invaded, and given away multiple times by multiple different countries over centuries. Now it is the world’s only Grand Duchy. The capital city has the same name as the country. It was once known as the city of roses but now it’s the city of bankers. It was the last country in the world to allow Jewish wealth stolen in the Second World War to be returned – two years ago. On the plus side, it’s the country with the lowest chance of being shot in the world.
After the tour, we had lunch and then had a walk around the Grund, which is the lower level which is quieter and more residential than the higher areas. There is an elevator you can take to get back to the top, which is free – as is all public transport in the entire country, since 2019. What a fabulous initiative. The trams look amazing too, if I had more time I’d like to explore more of the country on them.
A quick afternoon nap in our sauna like room, and then dinner back in the square, at the same place we had lunch. We had originally got a table at a posh seafood restaurant but they didn’t have English menus and Simon had flashbacks to that meal in Saint Malo last year that was basically just a plate of whelks, so we bailed on that one.
A stroll around town in the cool of the evening, arguing about whether to take the free bus (me) or a €45 taxi (him) to the airport tomorrow, then back to our hotel to bed. The man in reception tonight is the same one that greeted us yesterday, we’re old friends now.