I recall as a school girl learning about Luxembourg. It sounded like a magical fairy kingdom, wedged in between Belgium, Germany and France. The pictures I recall looked too perfect.  I never thought in a million years I would ever get to visit.

I first visited in 2007 with my then fiancé Corey, to meet his sister who lives there with her husband and three children. I have recently returned from my third visit.

Luxembourg is tiny but wealthy. It is indeed very beautiful with well thought out and designed towns, and lots of farmland. It is very easy to get around and very friendly.

Language is a funny thing, spoken widely are French, German and Luxemburgish. For some reason everyone thinks I’m German and chooses that first! English isn’t spoken as widely as I was led to believe, and being a very poor German speaker with non existent French, smiling, nodding and gesticulating is the way forward!

This time Joseph, my two year old son, and I flew into Charleroi in Belgium and then had a car journey to Mondorf les Bains in the south of Luxembourg.

I hope my pictures do it justice, the colourful houses, narrow streets, and tranquil parklands. Central to life in Mondorf is Les Thermes. Unfortunately on trip one we didn’t have time, trip two I was pregnant and trip three I had Joseph with me! Hopefully on trip four I will get to Les Thermes rather than just walk around out side it!

If you are travelling through Europe, don’t dismiss Luxembourg, it is fascinating, beautiful and easy to get around. Ok, it is not cheap, but so small that you only need a few days to appreciate it.

©All Text and photographs Kylie Hodges 2012

Twitter: @Kykaree            Kylie’s Blog ‘Not Even a Bag of Sugar’