Biking in Luxembourg

Getting settled in Luxembourg has been going mostly well, but definitely more difficult than moving within the states.  There's a lot of little differences.  A good tip someone gave me was to make no assumptions!  For example, almost all apartments don't come with a washer and dryer (and most don't have hook-ups in the apartment, only in the basement).  Actually most people don't use dryers.  

And getting internet is a mysterious process that takes 2-3 weeks.  I'm crossing my fingers we'll have our internet in our new apartment on Wednesday.  I'll write more about some of our learning experiences later, after we're mostly settled and got everything to work out ;)

There's also some pleasant differences.  My favorite so far is discovering what a bike friendly city Luxembourg is.  In the US, Seattle is considered a bike friendly city with a bike tunnel and lanes on our bridges, and extensive biking trails.  

But Luxembourg takes the cake.  One of the biggest differences is that the city planned bike routes through the city with actual bike lanes.  I find it silly when cities paint bike symbols on lanes that are just wide enough for one car.  It helps to have a completely separate lane, that's not for driving or parking (with opening car doors).  I think it also alleviates frustration from drivers stuck behind cyclists. 


I also love how sometimes there are traffic lights and red painted lanes in intersections for cyclists.  The differences makes biking around the city much easier and safer.  So we've been thankful that we got our bikes in the air shipment, and have been able to bike to work almost every day.  It's good to have daily exercise :)

Oh, another fantastic biking related aspect of Luxembourg are the bike rental stations (Veloh!) all around the city.  It's a bike sharing program, where you can pick up a bike from any station and return it to any other station.  We haven't used it yet since we have our bikes.  But I see people using it quite a bit - it's a bit funny to see guys in suits biking around on them to get to work. 

There's also extensive routes planned around the country.  We tried National Cycle Route #1 last week, and according to our GPS it was 48 km.  This is the route we took - http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3925623.  The first part of the trail was my least favorite as it uphill on gravel and dirt through the forests.  But then it got much better as we biked through wheat and corn fields, cow farms, and cute little towns around Luxembourg.  It was a fun way to explore the surrounding areas of the city.  I'll post pictures to flickr soon. 

General biking info:

• Veloh! stations
• Info about biking in the city
• Bike maps - for trails around the country 

Living in Luxembourg

It's official!  We received our Luxembourg residence permits in our passports, Lux social security cards, and signed a lease to an apartment.  I still feel like I'm in limbo since we're in temporary housing and living out of our suitcases (it's been 1.5 months since we've slept in our own bed), but in one week we'll be moved in our new semi-permanent home.  We'll get the keys to our new apartment next Monday, and our sea shipment will arrive next Tuesday.  Very exciting!

Thankfully, getting settled and adjusting to Luxembourgish life has been going smoothly.  Our jobs are interesting and challenging, and we bike to work almost every day.  And it's fun discovering the little differences of living here with respects to home design/appliances, how bike friendly Lux is, grocery shopping, food, and communication.  However I do miss my family and friends, the beautiful Seattle summer, and the comfort and conveniences of living in the US. 

Here's a couple pictures from our 48 km bike ride around Luxembourg last weekend.   This is the route we took - http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3925623