Pass the Grand Duchy on the left-hand side

Barring the Vatican, Luxembourg is the tiniest country I've visited so far. My wife and I arrived there after roughly two and a half hours of driving having started our route on Avenue de Franklin Roosevelt leading out of Gent in Belgium and eventually snaking along the E411 leading to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Much like the invitations motorists find when entering Switzerland, Monaco or other small European countries, Luxembourg greets new arrivals with billboards advertising tax shelter opportunities and anonymous banking. Beyond the billboards we found ourselves in the nation's capital city, also called Luxembourg, or as we say in our kinda talk Luxembourg.

Getting there was half the fun as I recall which was good because Elaine and I didn't spend more than an afternoon in the country. We got out of the car and explored the main park before wandering around in the shops downtown. Luxembourg and especially Luxembourg City is a moneyed part of the planet. We were without child at the time but even still Elaine was quick to find a children's clothing store and pick out pricey garments for the baby that we might possibly someday maybe have. As it turned out the store was part of a European chain called Natalys. Clothes are available for purchase on the internet, but we've yet to place an order. I talked her into foregoing the expense and instead use the money to take in a late lunch.

Our waiter, who commuted from France everyday in order to report to work, spoke with us about the benefits of living in one country and working in the other. His English was far superior to most Frenchmen of his ilk and he was most friendly. He would constantly confuse the English verbs earn and win though, so listening to his story was at times like listening to someone read a Mad Lib. My wife hung on his every word, but I think it was his shoulder length greasy hair and Gallic nose that she liked most. So impressed was she with our server that he brought her out of her English-only cocoon. When he asked us if we wanted anything else, she said confidently, "de l'eau s'il vous plait."

I don't know if she really wanted water so much as she wanted a youthful swarthy guy to do her bidding.