Ville de Luxembourg

Luxembourg is both a city and a country. It's one of the smallest countries in the world (about the size of Connecticut) and it is definitely an interesting place. Nestled next to it's much larger cousins of France and Germany, you expect it to have a strong history with both, but it also has Spanish and other influences. The country also still has a royal family and the country's full name is the Grand-Duche of Luxembourg.

The town dates back to 963 when Count Sigefroi built his castle on the “Bock” cliffs overlooking the river. In 1644 the Spanish began modernizing the medieval castle remnants. During the mid-18^th century the Austrians began blasting the cliffs (casemates) into the “Bock”. With the very steep cliffs it is clear that this would have been a very defensive position that would have been to attack.

Luxembourg is surprisingly influential for such a small place. It's an economic powerhouse (you'll be surprised to find Franklin-Templeton investments has their HQ there) with a real emphasis on exotic investments. Parts of the European Commission government also make their home in this city with a distinctly Old World feel. The shopping is also world class with all the usual high end shops found in a typical quaint European shopping district.

Despite these advantages Luxembourg seems to suffer a bit from an identity crisis: it's a world class city afraid someone will forget it. In some ways Luxembourg reminds me of Atlanta in the 1980s: it has to tell everyone over and over again that it is a world-class city in case someone doesn't believe them. They do this with billboards and advertisements in numerous places.  The angst is unwarranted: it's impossible not to recognize Luxembourg as a very special place.