The GypsyNesters

Do People Live in the Galapagos Islands?

So do they? We get asked this a lot, actually.

Truth is, we didn’t know until we got there.

Say Galapagos and what pops to mind? For us, no doubt as for many folks, it was the image of giant tortoises.

They may well be the most famous attraction of these islands, but… CONTINUE READING >>

Do people live in the Galapagos Islands? We get asked that a lot! Find out: https://www.gypsynester.com/puerto-villamil.htm

Say Galapagos and what pops to mind? For us, no doubt as for many folks, it was the image of giant tortoises.

They may well be the most famous attraction of these islands, but birds run a close second to the huge reptiles, with boobies of the blue footed, red footed and Nazca varieties being nearly as renowned.

Seeing these iconic symbols of this equatorial archipelago was definitely a bucket list-worthy highlight of our trip, but swimming in tropical waters with penguins and sea lions…

…or watching an albatross soar overhead, or standing on a fresh lava flow surrounded by thousands of marine iguanas made for equally memorable moments.

The tropical sun on the black basalt flow takes a toll on Veronica.

Some were unexpected, such as pink flamingos, or the stark, volcanic landscape of several of the islands, but perhaps our biggest surprise was discovering that the creatures immortalized by Darwin share these islands with thousands of people.

We found not only the expected curious visitors such as ourselves, but also permanent residents of this remote outpost in the Pacific.

Galapagos Penguins

Obviously a few people are needed to fill the necessary posts involved with the arrivals and departures of airplanes and ships from the mainland, but there are over twenty-five thousand permanent citizens of the Galapagos.

The history of these inhabitants began when pirates and whalers used the islands as a base for fresh water and supplies as far back as the early 1500s.

Galápagos Giant Tortoise on Isabela's Urbina Bay

By 1835, when Charles Darwin visited on the voyage of the Beagle, the population was large enough to warrant a governor, mostly supporting a prison colony. Over the next century a few more hardy settlers arrived to try their hands at fishing or farming.

Later, with the outbreak of World War II, the population swelled as the location of the islands took on strategic significance for protecting the Panama Canal.

Our first glimpse of the Galapagos Islands

After negotiating a deal with Ecuador, the United States built the Seymour Island Airfield for the Army Air Force and a naval base, providing infrastructure that made travel from the mainland much easier.

The island is now known as Baltra, but the airport is still in use today for commercial and private aircraft.

Seymour Island Airfield, Galapagos Islands

While it can handle large jets from South America (we flew in from Quito), it is not near any city.

We only saw a smattering of dwellings and open-air gift shops when we made our way from the plane to our boat at the nearby docks, so we were still under the impression that the Galapagos were virtually uninhabited.

Stalls set up with souvenirs at the airport in the Galapagos

It wasn’t until several days later, when we visited Isla Isabela, that we discovered our assumption was incorrect. After hiking to the top of Volcán Sierra Negra and peering over the rim of the active volcano…

Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabella Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

…we made our way down to the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center of Isabela. From the Center, we followed a boardwalk trail toward the seashore.

The walkway through the wetlands was yet another wildlife wonderland, passing a variety of habitats for birds, including a salt water lagoon filled with a flock of flamingos.

Flamingoes in the Galapagos

Just beyond that a group of marine iguanas had taken to the path for some sunbathing.

Marine Iguana of the Galapagos Islands

We were surprised when the trail ended in the quaint tropical village of Puerto Villamil, but after miles of hiking we were more than pleased to find this outpost of civilization.

Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands

Click here for our entire adventure in The
Galapagos

Residents of in Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands

Before any further exploration, we plopped down in an open-air cantina called La Choza and proceeded to wash down the trail dust with a chilled Cerveza Pilsner – Ecuador’s most popular brew.

Refreshed, we took in the town, which didn’t take too long because even though it is one of the larger human-inhabited places on these islands, it is only home to about a thousand people.

Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands

Hammock time in Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands

Most full time residents of the Galapagos live in the towns of Puerto Ayora on the Island of Santa Cruz, or Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on Isla de San Cristóbal.

Our boat bypassed both of those islands, so our only experience with civilization was at Puerto Villamil.

The water inspired church in Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands

Traditionally the town has been a fishing port, but in recent years it has become a favorite anchorage for private sailors, especially those headed on to the South Pacific.

Once we had strolled around the main square, and viewed the large, water-inspired church…

The water inspired church in Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands

…we gravitated toward the water, as we usually do.

The beach in Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands

The Iquana Point Bar in Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands

On the beach we found the Iguana Point Bar, a classic seaside watering hole, and grabbed a spot overlooking the ocean.

It didn’t take long to notice that we had company, some little visitors who made it clear that the establishment’s name was fitting.

The Iquana Point Bar in Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands

Unlike their green cousins, marine iguanas are all grey and have adapted to where they can swim like Mark Spitz.

This allows them to feed on aquatic plants, even under the surface.

Speaking of Spitz, their adaptations also include the ability to filter the salt out of sea water, so they periodically spit, or more precisely sneeze, out the excess salt.

10 Second Video: Look fast! This guy is clearing the salt from his head after a swim!

Click here for our entire adventure in The
Galapagos

Puerto Villamil, Galapagos Islands

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, we got a really good look at this process since our little visitors were not the least bit concerned about their close proximity to us humans.

That is a huge part of the attraction of these islands. The animals are so well protected that they have no need to fear us.

We saw this again aboard our dinghy as we were leaving Puerto Villamil behind. A sleepy sea lion had climbed up on the bow of a fishing boat for an afternoon nap without the slightest concern about the presence of people.

This wasn’t always the case; early visitors hunted some of the tortoise species to extinction, and also introduced some very intrusive nonindigenous critters such as goats and pigs.

These domesticated farm animals caused great havoc when they escaped and formed feral populations that compete with the native creatures for food and habitat.

GIANT Tortoise

Happily, over the past few decades the Ecuadorian government has implemented strict controls and programs to reverse the damage, and they are having a very positive effect on the islands’ fragile ecosystem.

So while we learned that thousands of people live here, and even more come to visit, steps are constantly being taken to limit their impact on the environment.

Blue Footed Boobie in the Galapagos

The plan is for the Galapagos to remain a unique and extraordinary place, not only for today’s residents and visitors, but for many generations to come.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Click here for our entire live-blog of our adventure in The
Galapagos

Delve deeper:
Check out the landscape of The Galapagos
Cavort with Sea Lions!
The Birds of The Galapagos – wild!
The Underwater World of The Galapagos
People live in the Galapagos?
Our tips for visiting The Galapagos Islands – including what to pack

YOUR TURN: Are The Galapagos Islands on YOUR bucket list? Have we inspired you to go?

Some Valentine’s Day Fun!

The fun folks at Bookbub put together this supercute flowchart for us to follow along!.. click to find your ultimate read, then click here to tell us where you landed!>>

Singin’ the Blues Trail in Mississippi

So, what song is stuck in your head right now?

Chances are that whatever it is, it has ancestors from Mississippi.

Travel with your GypsyNesters as we roll down the Mississippi Blues Trail as we discover the legend behind Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil at the Crossroads, stay at the most unique inn we’ve ever seen, eat tamales and BBQ, take on a Donut Tower, visit a REAL juke joint and learn how the Blues influenced… CONTINUE READING >>

So, what song is stuck in your head right now?

Chances are (no, not the Johnny Mathis song) that whatever it is, it has ancestors from Mississippi.

As the Muddy Waters song goes, the blues had a baby and they named it Rock & Roll. That kid also has cousins from The Magnolia State, with names like Country, Pop, Rap, R&B and Soul.

The delta region of Mississippi was the cradle for all of those babies.

So we figured we’d take a little trip through the heart of The Delta, down The Mississippi Blues Trail, to see what rocked that cradle.

The “Trail” is not an actual path or route, but a collection of about 120 markers, like those historical marker signs we see in most every state, that highlight significant places and people in the history of The Blues.

The first signs were placed in 2006, and when the project is finished in a few years there will be around 200 of them. Obviously we couldn’t see them all. But traveling south from Memphis along The Blues Highway, U.S. 61, we certainly found our share.

DID ROBERT JOHNSON REALLY MAKE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL?

Our first finds were near Tunica, with the official visitors center for the trail and markers for Son House and Robert Johnson.

Johnson is sometimes called “The Father of The Blues,” but the elder House was a mentor to him (does that make him the grandfather?) and perhaps the source for the legend of the crossroads.

The story goes something like this:

A young Robert Johnson was hanging around the locally renowned bluesman Son House and the elder musician told the kid he needed to do some serious practicing if he was going to be any good.

Johnson disappeared for a while, when he returned House supposedly said that he must have made a deal the devil at the crossroads to get so good so fast.

This crossroads has generally been assumed to be the intersection of Highways 61 and 49, but just before he passed away Son House indicated that it was somewhere else, adding a bit more intrigue to the story.

Ah, something else to add to our quest.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES
(and more, including the marker for Harold “Hardface” Clanton!)

IT’S ALL THERE IN BLUE & WHITE

Before we left Tunica, we figured a stop at The Blue & White Restaurant was in order.

A fixture on Highway 61 since 1924, no doubt many a bluesman fed his howlin’ wolf of hunger here, so we walked in and parked our butts at the counter.

Huge portions of typical down home food came out the kitchen window on old fashioned blue plate china, but what really caught our eye was their signature dessert… The Donut Tower.

Two hot caramelized donuts filled with ice cream and topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Don’t see how anyone could have the blues while stuffing this thing in their face.

We ordered the standard model, but our very friendly chef “Pooh Baby” informed us that there are a chocolate (both the donuts and the ice cream) and a strawberry/raspberry version as well. Too late to change our minds, we had already devoured the bulk of our tower.

Pictures of the original Blue & White added to the mystery of the crossroads when we noticed that the current route of Highway 61 is not the same as it was back then.

The cafe moved to the new 61 in 1937, which meant that we could blaze on by the junction of the “new” 61 and 49 a few miles south and head further on down the road to the old crossroad, which is a main intersection in Clarksdale.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES
(and more, including the marker for James Cotton!)

SHACKIN’ UP IN CLARKSDALE

Clarksdale is home to one of the most unique inns we’ve ever encountered, The Shack Up Inn.

This collection of sharecropper shacks on the old Hopson Plantation look like they haven’t been touched in decades, but inside each one is fixed up into a comfortable little cottage.

Guy Malvezzi was great about showing us around and telling us the story. A few years back a couple songwriters started hunkering down in a shack down here to get away from it all and write.

Their idea started catching on and soon Guy bought up a bunch of authentic sharecropper shacks, moved them here, fixed them up and started renting them out. Fast forward a few decades and one of America’s coolest accommodations is going strong.

After our night in a shack we were ready to absorb all of the Blues history we could, and Clarksdale has a ton. What better place to start than The Crossroads? A big sign marks the spot of the alleged devil deal but we had our doubts.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES
(and more, including the marker for Muddy Waters and W.C. Handy!)

WAIT. WHAT? THERE ARE TAMALES IN MISSISSIPI?

What we didn’t have any doubt about was the grub at Abe’s BBQ right there on the infamous corner.

Finding killer BBQ in these parts was no surprise, but we did learn something new when we ordered up some tamales.

Turns out the traditional Mexican dish is hugely popular in The Delta and has a long history here.

The origin is a bit of a mystery that dates back over a hundred years, either migrant farm workers, soldiers returning from the Mexican-American War, or the original natives introduced the idea of corn meal stuffed with meat. Since corn meal and pork are staples of The Delta diet, the idea stuck.

Known as either Mississippi or Delta Hot Tamales, they differ from the Mexican variety in the spices, amount of meat (more), and the coarseness of the corn meal (also more). They are so popular down here at that they were immortalized in the famous song “They’re Red Hot” by Robert Johnson in 1936.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and more, including the markers for Sam Cooke, Ike Turner and Wade Walton!)

ROCKIN’ BLUES IN CLARKSDALE

Bellies filled, we were ready to take on Clarksdale. Home to Sam Cooke, Ike Turner, The Delta Blues Museum, The Riverside Hotel, The Ground Zero Blues Club, and one of the funkiest dives anywhere, Red’s Lounge.

But of all of the attractions we took in, The Rock & Blues Museum was our favorite. The idea here is to show the progression of The Blues and how it gave birth to so much of our current music. This is accomplished by using a most amazing collection of records and memorabilia laid out as a timeline.

From some of the earliest 78s ever made, to almost every classic from any baby boomer’s teenaged 45 and LP collection, to disco and then modern pop, this place is a trip down memory lane that anyone who’s ever owned a good old vinyl record can get lost in.

Curator Theo Dasbach, who collected most of this himself, gave us an in-depth overview. But seriously, we can’t even begin to list the treasures displayed here, it would take page after page and we’d still leave something huge out.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and more, including a picture of a Diddly Bo, a concert contract rider for Muddy Waters and the marker for WROX Radio!)

PO’ MONKEY’S – A REAL JUKE JOINT

That night we were in luck, one of, if not the last rural Juke Joint still going happened to be open. About twenty miles outside of Clarksdale, literally sitting on the edge of a cotton field, Po’ Monkey’s is only open Thursday nights.

Juke joints were extremely influential in the spreading of blues music and used to be everywhere across The Delta. With the rise of recorded music, the jukebox became the entertainment of choice, and joints sprung up for nearby folks to hear the latest songs, have a few drinks, and dance the night away.

Willie Seaberry, known to one and all as Po’ Monkey, met us at the door and, since we were early enough to beat the crowd, gave us the lowdown on the joint.

Back in the early sixties, when Po’ Monkey was still a teenager, he turned his house, an old sharecropper’s shack, into a juke joint. Not much has changed since then, other than the myriad of stuffed monkeys people have stapled to the walls and ceiling and a DJ serving up tunes instead of a box.

When we asked the inevitable question, “Why do they call you Po’ Monkey?” He said they always had, since he was a kid, then grinned and added, “Look at this face!”

After chatting, we shot a few games of pool, quaffed a couple cold ones and soaked up the R&B soundtracked ambiance before heading back to our sharecropper shack.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and more!)

DID WE FIND THE ACTUAL CROSSROADS?

The next day we were ready to investigate the crossroads legend again. The plot thickened as we learned more about the deathbed proclamation from Son House.

He claimed that the real crossroads couldn’t have been at 61 & 49 because it was too far from the river, and everybody knows that the devil hangs out near the water.

We had already checked out a possibility along Highway 49 near the tiny town of Lula, but the consensus seemed to be that the deal must have gone down in Rosedale, at the meeting of Mississippi State Routes 8 and 1.

So we rambled out of Clarksdale on a lonesome little road, past the site of the cabin where Muddy Waters lived, toward Big Muddy, Old Man River.

The intersection in Rosedale isn’t marked with any fancy sign, or anything at all for that matter, but somehow this spot felt more right.

Still we weren’t overly inclined to believe any of the stories. After looking into it, the less mystical explanation seems to be that Johnson may have simply gone off to the woodshed.

Meaning he hid out somewhere while he worked on his playing. The place most often named was across the river, Helena, Arkansas.

When Johnson returned to Mississippi, Son House was so impressed he made his devil deal statement.

Johnson figured the story couldn’t hurt his reputation, so he ran with it. Makes sense, but it’s not nearly as much fun, so we’re not calling it either way…

CRAVING KING BISCUITS

But the explanation did give us a good destination for our final stop on our Blues Trail tour.

Helena has played a huge role in the history of The Blues, as a town where many of the musicians came to play, but mostly as the place where Blues found a home on the radio.

Back in 1941, on KFFA, King Biscuit Time, named for the sponsor King Biscuit Flour, began its run and has since become the radio show with the largest number of broadcasts ever. Everyday at 12:15, to coincide with worker’s lunch breaks, The Blues is still sent out across The Delta.

At first this was the only station anywhere playing live Blues, with Sonny Boy Williamson and Robert Lockwood, Jr. performing in the studio, and what was known at the time as race records, but the show’s popularity inspired other stations to follow.

These days the show is broadcast from a studio in The Delta Cultural Center, so that the public can come in and watch. We made sure to be there a few minutes early and when we arrived “Sunshine” Sonny Payne was already behind the mic getting ready, just as he has done for over sixty years.

He was more than cordial and happy to greet us and answered questions from all of the visitors. Then with the signature phrase “pass the biscuits, ’cause its King Biscuit Time!” the 16,405th show was underway.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and more, including the markers for Helena, Rosedale and Lula!)

Figuring there was no way we were going to top that as a finale to our Blues Trail tour, we considered our education complete. Our understanding, not only of the music, but of America herself had grown by leaps and bounds.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

YOUR TURN: Are you a blues fan? Did you learn anything new? Is this a roadtrip you’d consider taking?

Our First British Interview – We’re International!

Watch Ceri Wheeldon of Fab After 50 ask us those burning questions you’ve always wanted to know!.. Tell us how we did! or enlarge video>>
See more interviews

Interview by Ceri Wheeldon of Fab After 50

I love to share stories of people who inspire. I first connected with David and Veronica James about 5 years ago when they had started on their adventure after their kids leave home. As they launch their first book talking about their travels and new life, I caught up with the Gypsynesters in a video interview. They are great fun and I hope you enjoy my vdeo interview as they share their highs and lows, and Veronica shares her story from being a helicopter mum to jumping out of a plane in Australia.

These are the questions I put to the Gypsynesters about their fabulous midlife adventure.

Most people become emptynesters when the kids leave home – but you left home too. How did that come about?

What was it like having ‘no nest’ at all?

How did your kids react to you leaving home?

What was it like packing your things and selling your home?

Was it exciting or scary or both?

Did you start out with a plan? How long did take from when you decided to ‘take off’ to starting your adventure?

How many counties/states have you visited?

Best moment

Worst moment

What was the most outrageous thing you tried on your travels?

How easy was it to travel ‘light’? What was it like travelling without all the home comforts we women take for granted!

What did you miss the most?

What was it like having no home base?

Have you inspired others to do the same and travel?

What’s next?

Going Gypsy is available at your local bookstore or online at:

Also available as an audiobook from Audible.com

Tweet #GoingGypsy

How Street Performers Enhance Travel: A Look at our All-time Favorites

We LOVE street performers!

Much in the same way that the food of a region can tell a story, we often learn about the culture of destinations we have visited through the art of the busker.

Join us on a journey through the world, through the very talented “man on the street”… CONTINUE READING >>

How street performers enhance travel: A look at our all-time favorites GypsyNester.com

We LOVE street performers!

Much in the same way that the food of a region can tell a story, we often learn about the culture of destinations we have visited through the art of the busker.

We have gained insight into traditional music through instruments and songs we had never heard before, peeked into the history of visual art styles, been dazzled by feats of magic and skill, and discovered how the preparation of street food can be art in itself – all while being entertained, amused and wowed.

Here are our favorites:

The amazing Chinese zodiac sugar artist of Zhujiajiao

In the little watertown of Zhujiajiao, China, we were intrigued by a young man creating beautiful candy artwork of the symbols from the Chinese zodiac.

Using only a spoon and a slab of marble to cool the molten sugar, he made remarkable lollypops in just a few seconds. It seemed a shame to eat such fine work, but we justified it because they were too delicate to try to keep. Plus, the caramelized sugar was much too tasty to ignore. See more about Zhujiajiao water town

Turtle shell percussion: A Garifuna band in Livingston, Guatemala

When we heard about Livingston, a tiny outpost on the Guatemalan coast with an intriguing history and only accessible by boat, we just had to go. Livingston has Guatemala’s highest concentration of Garifuna, the descendants of the Carib and Arawak Indians, and West Africans who ended up along this coast after much trial and tribulation… see all about beautiful Livingston, Guatemala

The human statues on La Rambla in Barcelona

If the heart of Barcelona, Spain is the old city’s Gothic Quarter, known as Barri Gòtic in the local Catalan dialect, then the aorta must be La Rambla. The stretch of streets has become one giant open air theater and is truly one of the world’s premier venues for street performers. See more beautiful Barcelona

The dynamic palm frond artist of Savannah

In Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia, we ran into street artist extraordinaire K.C., weaving palm fronds into flowers.

Seeing he had an audience, our weaver worked wonders with the foliage, sprayed it with rose scent, and offered it to Veronica. To top of the experience, K.C. filled us in on the history of the roses he creates, while barely looking down at his fingertips as he worked. Follow us into Savannah!

Just plain fun: The incredible water goblet musician of Prague

Watch: The incredibly talented (and hysterically funny) Peter! He even performs a special serenade to Veronica!

In front of the opera house in Prague, Czech Republic, an astounding musician using water filled brandy snifters as his instrument. He played with the skill of a concert pianist… perhaps he should be inside the hall. See all of our adventures in Prague!

Learning about the Sound of Music in Salzburg

The plaza, Domplatz, in Salzburg, Austria, has become a gathering place for performers in the town where Mozart was born and The Sound of Music was filmed.

We were drawn to a mesmerizing sound from an ancient instrument known as a Cembal d’amour.

The design is much like a clavichord, except without the piano-like keys. The Cembal is played with mallets directly striking the strings. See our adventure in Salzburg

The art of octopus balls in Osaka (it’s not what you’re thinking, you dirty bird!)

No food says Osaka, Japan more than these hot octopus-stuffed balls of deliciousness. Takoyaki, which translates to fried octopus, has become the definitive snack, in a city that is known for out-of-control food.

We were captivated by the expert cooking demonstration going on beneath one of the giant cephalopod signs and stopped to observe. See more about our night in Osaka – we ruined ourselves with food!

Rocking the spoons in the hills of Arkansas

Music runs through the veins of the folks in Arkansas‘ Ozark Mountains, and the hotspot is Mountain View, where musicians come down from the hills every Saturday and jam. It’s music, pure and simple. Instruments taken from everyday life, like the washtub bass, washboards, and spoons are played to create traditional tunes. And don’t get us started on the harmonies… Follow us into a musical journey though the hills of Arkansas

Scaring the spirits out of the rainforest: Mocko Jumbies on St. Croix

Christiansted St. Croix street festival Jump Up

The highlight of the Jump Up festival on the island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands are the Mocko Jumbies, the famous
stilt walkers known for their distinctive dancing.

The meaning comes from Moko, an African god and Jumbi which is a West Indian term for spirits or ghosts, so they are “Good Gods” or “Good Spirits.”

This art form originated in Ghana, West Africa and was adopted by the people of the Caribbean.

It is said by many that Mocko Jumbies ward off the evil Jumbie spirits that roam the St. Croix rain forest by night. History aside, the Mocko Jumbies carry on the tradition of an art form that is pure joy to watch. Join us at the Jump Up festival on the island of St. Croix

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

YOUR TURN: Are you a street performer lover? Tell us about your favorites!

Early Buzz on Going Gypsy – So Exciting!

Reviews on Amazon		Reviews on GoodReads
	Going Gypsy review from Living the Dream!		Grandma’s Briefs reviewed Going Gypsy
	4 Couples Who Went to the Extreme to Save Their Marriage		Sneak peek! Hilarious excerpt from Going Gypsy on Boomer Cafe!
	Sneak peek! Excerpt where David finds himself in a sticky situation!		A fun video interview where we answer all of your burning Going Gypsy questions!
And that’s not all! Click here to stay up to date with all the Going Gypsy News!

Reviews on Amazon		Reviews on GoodReads
	Going Gypsy review from Living the Dream!		Grandma’s Briefs reviewed Going Gypsy
	4 Couples Who Went to the Extreme to Save Their Marriage		Sneak peek! Hilarious excerpt from Going Gypsy on Boomer Cafe!
	Sneak peek! Excerpt where David finds himself in a sticky situation!		A fun video interview where we answer all of your burning Going Gypsy questions!
And that’s not all! Click here to stay up to date with all the Going Gypsy News!

Discovering De- Luxembourg, Deluxe-mbourg

As Europe’s richest country, and ranked second in the entire world, it was easy for us to think that the luxe in Luxembourg would stem from the same source as deluxe, or luxury, but it doesn’t. How’s that for a teaser. 😉

Join your GypsyNesters as we simply gawk at the grandeur of Luxembourg, the American Cemetery and the most beautiful balcony in the world… CONTINUE READING >>

Thanks to Viking River Cruises for inviting us along and providing this adventure! As always, all opinions are our own. See our entire sailing here.

Luxembourg

As Europe’s richest country, and ranked second in the entire world, it was easy for us to think that the luxe in Luxembourg would stem from the same source as deluxe, or luxury, but it doesn’t.

The name comes from lucilem, the Celtic word for little, and burg, German for castle. The combination perfectly reflects this tiny crossroads nation’s long history of being set between much larger powers.

Statue of Grand Duke Guillaume II in Luxembourg — Grand Duke Guillaume II

Slightly smaller than Rhode Island, Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe, and is surrounded by France, Belgium, and Germany.

Over the centuries she has managed to navigate between her neighbors to remain the world’s last grand duchy, meaning that she is ruled by a grand duke.

Luxembourg

A church in Luxembourgh

Through the diplomacy and royal relationships of the dukes, and the strategic placement of its namesake castle, Luxembourg has not only survived, but flourished.

As we entered Luxembourg City the fortifications certainly didn’t look to be small at all, but then the name refers to the original Castle of Lucilinburhuc from back in the year 963. There have been significant upgrades since then.

In fact, over time, the city has become one big honkin’ fortress. Walking inside the walls, we got a glimpse of what life looked like centuries ago.

Space was at a premium within the ramparts, so the streets are narrow and homes crowded together.

Down one little lane we noticed an arch inside a tiny courtyard displaying crossed arrows above the doorway, and our guide explained how the sign was thought to help avoid the plague during rampant outbreaks.

Strange old man art on wall in Luxembourg — We think THIS guy would do a better job scaring the pants off of any plague!

The sores incurred from the dreaded disease looked a lot like arrow wounds and, while we doubt the ploy was effective, we certainly understand the need for grasping at straws arrows.

We’d have been all over any plague-avoidance tactics.

This walkway was built atop the ramparts on the massive cliffs of the Alzette valley in Luxembourg One thing the city had no trouble keeping away was invaders.

Much of the fortification was natural, as we saw when we walked along the Chemin de la Corniche.

This walkway was built atop the ramparts on the massive cliffs of the Alzette valley in the 17th century, adding to Luxembourg’s already impressive defenses.

We could almost hear the city’s founders exclaiming their delight when finding this spot, what a perfect place from which to drop flaming oil on our enemies’ heads!

Luxembourg

The lookout along the walkway is often called the most beautiful balcony in Europe, and the view makes it easy to see why Luxembourg was once known as the Gibraltar of the North.

Luxembourg

An assault would have been nearly impossible since the city had the luxury of practically perfect protection on three sides.

This walkway was built atop the ramparts on the massive cliffs of the Alzette valley in Luxembourg

A cool, narrow street in Luxembourg

Back in the center, of town we wandered around the main square and discovered a veritable smörgåsbord of languages.

Luxembourg’s location makes for an interesting buffet of both spoken and written words.

While most of the signs around town are lettered in French, official business is conducted in Luxembourgish, French, and German. Wandering around we overheard dozens of languages, and sitting at a sidewalk café in the main square became a linguistic feast.

Luxembourg city scene

Staff and customers alike switched between tongues without missing a beat, mixing it up in the same conversation, even the same sentences.

Playing off the term Spanglish, we dubbed these phenomena Gerfranbourgish (we also giggled over Luxemgermench and Franluxerman – that was a really fun lunch!)

The oldest pub in Luxembourg

We also happened upon what claims to be the oldest pub in Luxembourg, dating back to 1691.

We knew this because they proudly announced it in multiple languages on a sign out front.

Honestly, we appreciated the sign more for providing a peek into some translations than its informative properties, but we give big snaps for embracing the local diversity of speaking.

Lest we forget, the American Cemetery

The Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial

Just outside the city, at Hamm, we briefly returned to the United States when we visited the hallowed ground of the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial, which is officially American soil.

Luxembourg presented the land to the US in perpetuity in appreciation for helping free the country from Nazi occupation.

The Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial

In 1939, Luxembourg declared itself neutral as war broke out. Germany had other ideas, invading on May 10, 1940, then occupying the country and sending the duke and government into exile.

Two years later, the Third Reich formally annexed the duchy and declared Luxembourgers to be German citizens. At that point they began drafting thousands of men to fight in the war.

A headstone of an unknown soldier in at Luxembourg American Cemetery

Strict rules — including a ban on speaking French — were imposed. A resistance movement formed, but opposition to German rule was severely punished.

Passive resistance was most common, with refusing to speak German at the top of the list. Many Luxembourgers returned to the old Luxembourgish, and, in the process, most likely saved the language from disappearing.

U.S. forces liberated Luxembourg in September 1944, but were almost immediately engaged in the Battle of the Bulge and parts of the country fell back into German hands.

The allies ultimately prevailed, which was instrumental in ending World War II, and many of the soldiers who lost their lives in that combat are buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery.

Headstone of General George Patton at Luxembourg American Cemetery

We somberly walked the grounds where over five thousand soldiers are interred.

One of them is General George S. Patton, who survived the battle only to perish in an automobile accident a few months later.

He was originally buried alongside his troops, but in an effort to keep the surrounding graves from being trampled, he was moved to the forefront of the site.

Scott DeJardins, superintendent of Luxembourg American Cemetery

As we were leaving, we met the cemetery superintendent, Scott DeJardins, who lives at the site.

He explained to us that because of the unique position of this — and the many other United States Military Cemeteries around the world — as American territory, there is always an American caretaker.

Headstone of a Jewish solidier at Luxembourg American Cemetery

Mr. DeJardin is happily serving his fifth assignment in the last nine years, and is headed to Normandy next.

It’s a job he clearly loves, in fact he said “I’d tell my boss I’d do it for free, but I’m afraid he might take me seriously.”

A welcome bit of levity in our very solemn visit.

With our explorations of Luxembourg complete, we took to heart an old saying.

Big things do come in small packages.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Thanks to Viking River Cruises for inviting us along and providing this adventure! As always, all opinions are our own. See our entire sailing with stops in Paris, Luxembourg, Trier, Cochem, Heidelberg, Wurzburg, Rothenburg, Nuremberg, and Prague.

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