Where the Heck Are We?

Upon telling people we are living in Luxembourg, the response I receive most often is, "Oh, Germany?" Followed by a very close second of, "Is that in Belgium?" Which led me to draw the conclusion that our friends and family have no idea where we are living. Not that I am one to judge. I honestly couldn't have pointed it out on a map before moving here. But in my defense, you have to be really paying attention to spot Luxembourg on a map.

So here are a few fun facts about where we will be residing for the next 6 months. Beginning with clarification of the point I brought up earlier: Luxembourg is not in Germany or Belgium. It is in fact its own tiny country located between Germany, Belgium, and France. 

When I say tiny, I mean really tiny. It is the 20th smallest country in the world. Driving from one end of the country to another would take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes (according to Google Maps). So, thats probably about the time of your morning commute in Houston. The population of Luxembourg is about 600,000 and the capital city is Luxembourg City. We are residing in Ettlebruck which is about the second largest city outside the capital. 

It is a tri-lingual country and the 3 official languages are Luxembourgish, German, and French. So when locals are speaking, not only can I not understand what they are saying, I can't even figure out what language they are speaking in. Luckily everyone we have met so far also speaks very good English. 

Luxembourg is famous for a few things, mostly financial related. It has the highest GDP per capita in the world. It is home to notably low unemployment, and notably high minimum wage. So along with all of that comes a high standard of living, and very happy inhabitants (rated one of the safest, and happiest countries in the world). You may have also heard of Luxembourg because it was a major location in the Battle of the Bulge during WWII. And Radio Luxembourg was apparently a pretty big deal back in the day.

One of the things that makes us most excited about Luxembourg is the close vicinity to other major European cities. When living in the wonderful but humongous state of Texas, we drive for hours to arrive at another major city in Texas. But here we drive a few hours in any direction and arrive at an entire new culture. The cities of Brussels, Paris, Cologne, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Zurich are all reachable in a shorter drive then the trip from Houston to Dallas. 

And it will be our happy little home for the next 6 months! Ill be updating the blog frequently with stories of our survival and exploration.