Despite having already visited five countries in 3 weeks (6 if you count the five minutes we were in France) this leg of our Grand European tour feels distinctly less adventurous than our last. This may be for purely superficial reasons - we're used to being on the road now and the novelty of living in a campervan has worn off, while for my part I have been to all five of these countries - Belgium, Luxembourg, The Nertherlands, Germany and Denmark - before. However I think the reasons are more cultural.
Northern Europe simply is not different enough to feel as much as adventure as, say, traveling through Thailand would (though we're guessing here as neither of us have been to Asia). The towns and cities, while beautiful, new and exciting are not alien to us despite the little differences: indeed Ribe in Denmark reminded me strongly of my home town of Cirencester, except with a Viking Museum instead of a Roman one. For all the intricate canal systems, decorous Rathauses and ancient city fortifications we have seen little that we cannot relate back to our English experience, unlike the tiled houses of Portugal, the relics of Moorish Spain or the Roman ruins in Italy and France. The landscapes we have driven through haven't evoked for us a way of life all that different from our own, pretty as there are. In the south there were countless times, in France, Spain and Portugal, when the surrounding countryside and vegetation reminded me strongly of African vistas, while the lack of traffic on the roads (unlike the busy North) increased the sensation of other-worldliness and exploration.
Plus, we have to admit, we're being totally spoiled up here in North Western Europe. We don't just mean Fran and Henning's wonderful hospitality at their flat in Kiel, but in general. Campsites have been cheaper and yet better equipped: showers hot and strong, camp kitchens available for use, and toilet seats and loo paper a given. None of these was guaranteed at campsites further south, even those in Italy and France. Linguistically we've been having no problems either, for even though we speak even less Danish, Dutch and Flemish than we do Spanish and Italian (that's to say none at all) EVERYONE speaks English. We've hardly had to try at all to get by.
So, basically, while we're having a wonderful time and have been to some brilliant places we're not feeling like we're being particularly adventurous at the moment. We're hardly heading up the Inca Trail or even crossing the Carpathians. Still, we'll be in Poland soon. And after that Slovakia and Hungary; if being vegetarian in Hungary isn't an adventure I don't know what is.
Showing posts with label Luxembourg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luxembourg. Show all posts
Saturday, 30 August 2008
Sunday, 17 August 2008
The Luxembourg Lergy
Actually, we hadn't planned on visiting Luxembourg at all. Theo had been there before and wasn't too worried about going back, but suggested we might as well call in as we were in the area and as I had never set foot in the third Low Country I agreed. After all, no harm in completing the trilogy of Benelux lands, a mini European hat-trick to pop in the portfolio. A few hours wandering around Luxembourg City, one night's stay and a trip back through the Ardennes to the Netherlands ought to do it.
But my innards had other ideas. On our last night at the Grimbergen campsite near Brussels (much nicer than the name suggests, although it brings back painful memories in some respects) I was suddenly struck down by a urine infection. To spare the more squeamish I won't go into the details, but it was deeply unpleasant. Theo was alarmed and wondered if I should be taken to hospital, but by morning I'd managed a few hours sleep and although I wasn't 100% in the pink again, most of the uncomfortable symptoms of the previous night seemed to have cleared up. We set off, as planned, for Luxembourg.
The city itself has a few grand buildings and some pleasant squares, but its old ramparts and tree-filled surrounds are probably Luxembourg's most interesting features. Most of the shops were closed and the streets around the city centre were virtually traffic-free, which made us wonder if we'd got our days mixed up and it wasn't Friday at all. In fact, it was the feast of the Ascension and a public holiday, which helpfully meant all parking was free.
The Kockelscheuer campsite where we pitched up, despite having sparkling facilities, was the cheapest official place we had yet stayed on. A pair of French travellers, who invited us back to their fantastic lorry conversion for aperos, told us the comparatively high wages and low cost of living made it an excellent place for a working sojourn. They were funding their itinerant lifestyle (complete with two dogs) by working in one of the local bars.
That night, urgent and feverish bladder-emptying had me tumbling out of Sheena every two hours and in the morning my back was aching and I was passing blood. This time when Theo suggested a visit to hospital, I acquiesced.
As Theo pointed out to buoy me up, it was interesting to sample another aspect of Luxembourg culture - its health service. Generally, I would prefer to sample a country's culture by sipping a drop of its local tipple from a hospitable cafe than providing a drop of my own urine in the city hospital, but Theo had a point.
Despite the inevitable wait to be seen, the hospital had an air of calm, courteous efficiency and like most Luxembourgers, the staff were multi-lingual. I was assessed first by a nurse, then a doctor, had some blood taken for a test and was eventually told I had developed a fairly serious kidney infection and was prescribed some strong antibiotics, which I would have to take for the next three weeks.
My prescription cost an eye-watering 60 Euros, but the helpful pharmacist told me I could get most of the money back via EU health agreements and even wrote down the address of the place where I should go.
So, bearing in mind the doctor's instructions that I should return if I got worse over the next 48 hours, Theo and I returned to Camping Kockelscheuer, requested a pitch near La Sanitaire and settled down for some convalescence. At least it's meant I've finally finished A Suitable Boy. And I'm feeling a whole lot better too. But next time I have to do any water sampling in Luxembourg, I would rather it was in the spa.
But my innards had other ideas. On our last night at the Grimbergen campsite near Brussels (much nicer than the name suggests, although it brings back painful memories in some respects) I was suddenly struck down by a urine infection. To spare the more squeamish I won't go into the details, but it was deeply unpleasant. Theo was alarmed and wondered if I should be taken to hospital, but by morning I'd managed a few hours sleep and although I wasn't 100% in the pink again, most of the uncomfortable symptoms of the previous night seemed to have cleared up. We set off, as planned, for Luxembourg.
The city itself has a few grand buildings and some pleasant squares, but its old ramparts and tree-filled surrounds are probably Luxembourg's most interesting features. Most of the shops were closed and the streets around the city centre were virtually traffic-free, which made us wonder if we'd got our days mixed up and it wasn't Friday at all. In fact, it was the feast of the Ascension and a public holiday, which helpfully meant all parking was free.
The Kockelscheuer campsite where we pitched up, despite having sparkling facilities, was the cheapest official place we had yet stayed on. A pair of French travellers, who invited us back to their fantastic lorry conversion for aperos, told us the comparatively high wages and low cost of living made it an excellent place for a working sojourn. They were funding their itinerant lifestyle (complete with two dogs) by working in one of the local bars.
That night, urgent and feverish bladder-emptying had me tumbling out of Sheena every two hours and in the morning my back was aching and I was passing blood. This time when Theo suggested a visit to hospital, I acquiesced.
As Theo pointed out to buoy me up, it was interesting to sample another aspect of Luxembourg culture - its health service. Generally, I would prefer to sample a country's culture by sipping a drop of its local tipple from a hospitable cafe than providing a drop of my own urine in the city hospital, but Theo had a point.
Despite the inevitable wait to be seen, the hospital had an air of calm, courteous efficiency and like most Luxembourgers, the staff were multi-lingual. I was assessed first by a nurse, then a doctor, had some blood taken for a test and was eventually told I had developed a fairly serious kidney infection and was prescribed some strong antibiotics, which I would have to take for the next three weeks.
My prescription cost an eye-watering 60 Euros, but the helpful pharmacist told me I could get most of the money back via EU health agreements and even wrote down the address of the place where I should go.
So, bearing in mind the doctor's instructions that I should return if I got worse over the next 48 hours, Theo and I returned to Camping Kockelscheuer, requested a pitch near La Sanitaire and settled down for some convalescence. At least it's meant I've finally finished A Suitable Boy. And I'm feeling a whole lot better too. But next time I have to do any water sampling in Luxembourg, I would rather it was in the spa.
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