h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

i remember noticing on the Euro debate thread that you've recently visited Lux, which is where I'm currently living (originally from Belfast)

What did you think of the "Green Heart of Europe", as it likes to call itself?

Hi there

I really like Luxembourg. I've recently started working with an American investment company in London and our European admin is done in Lux so I've been over and back there a few times on business. I also have a friend who lives there. I've really only been around trhe city itself but I thought it was really nice. Very pretty and very historic which is cool. I did make the mistake of walking down into the Grund on rather warm afternoon and nearly having a stroke walking back up again. Not good when wearing a black suit and tie. Also, lovely restaurant named Chez Baccano's (I think!) - the best food I have had in quite a while even if you can literally smell the garlic halfway down the street.

How long have you been living there and how do you find it?

I've been here 6 months now, so I'm a mixture of tourist: "Oh! let's go visit that castle this weekend!" and resident: "Must get some milk in - the shops are closed tomorrow"


I am really fond of it. I love its smallness - that you can never get lost, that you always bump into someone you know, that it's easy to find a favourite restaurant.

I love its contrasts - big new skyscrapers and the fabulous red bridge alongside centuries old forts and castles. And there's a wide style of countryside too - the River Moselle, lots of forests and mountains.

And I love its central location. Already I or one of my family has been for:

skiing in the Italian Alps
to Disneyland Paris
a weekend in Brussels
a weekend in the Hague
and other short visits to parts of France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Plus my French language is improving, and I'm getting a less parochial view of the world.

It is very hilly though!!!

I used to live in Jersey so I can appreciate the smallness thing. Like a big town with a small town attitude. With Jersey, though, the smallness became claustrophobic. That's the difference I guess. Lux is very central so it's easy to just take off for the weekend or whatever.

Speaking of French, did you speak French already before you went there? I learned French in school and have just started private lessons to perfect my French so I can work using French. I have my second lesson in about ten minutes actually. I'm still on the 'write about an incident when you lost your temper' type of stage but the aim is that I should be able to work through French by the end of year. Have you found it hard to pick up French (again?).

I did it at school many many years ago (hint - it was called an O level in them days) but hadnt really used it much since. I found it easy to get to a fairly basic level (shopping, eating out etc) but progressing to that next stage is harder. I'm about to do an intensive 2 week course. I use mostly Englsih at work (European Commission), although there is a fair bit of spoken and written French. I try to watch some French TV (Loft Story, the equivalent of Big Brother, was one of my favourites) and I've just bought Le Petit Prince, intending to read it in "version original".

I'm pretty pleased with myself when I manage to buy a computer or mobile phone, even more when I can take it back and complain that it's not working!