Don't Judge a Book by Its Showe Store

I did not see the obvious side of Luxembourg, perhaps. I had imagined Luxembourg to be distinctly wealthy, perhaps gaudy, but in a very classy way. I imagined tight spaces, beautiful buildings, well-dressed people carrying credit cards only because all of the cash they’d have would be simply to heavy to carry. I expected to pay 20 euros for lunch. However, I managed to see the most satisfyingly unexpected side of Luxembourg to confirm that preconceived notions are the hardly any notions at all.

I saw beautiful buildings, yes, but Europe is full of old, beautiful buildings. However, an interesting aspect of the town that I could not pass was the shoe store I saw. I looked into the door and, not really wanting to buy shoes, just walked in anyway. Instead of shelves, they stacked shoeboxes on the floor. They didn’t run to the back to grab a pair for the customers there looking at shoes (for 15 euro on down), they left all the shoes in those boxes for the customers to grab themselves. Perhaps that is a European ideology. However, the shoe store did not stop there. There were clothes, everywhere clothes, and they were all of different styles. There were leather pants, furry vests, skimpy dresses, wool blazers and anything you would find in any store for any girl anywhere. Usually in high range stores, there’s hardly anything in the store, and everything matches in beautiful colors or muted woods and neutrals. However, this store was a plain jumble, and it was the same with every store on the street. I kept peeking in the doors to see if this was possible. How could Luxembourg (the richest little country besides Switzerland, right?) have these kinds of stores? In addition, I paid only 7 Euro for lunch, a beer, and two postcards.

In addition, upon our arrival to Luxembourg, we saw two men in a fist fight just across the street from the hotel. It is possible. There is more to Luxembourg. There must be more to every other country then, too. I like that idea, because it reassures me that I have to keep traveling.