Well, don't feel lonely, even THIS Manneken-Pis is experiencing the same... On Thursday 23 June 2011 from 9 am to 4 pm this little bloke will wear a new costume: the traditional one of Luxembourg! Maybe he's planning to move on... (there are some gossips that his new groove is connected with the celebration of the Luxemburgish National Day but it's only to mislead Belgians about his real plans ;) ).
Guess which one is the Luxemburgish outfit? (the reply is at the end of the post)
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Photo source: Wikipedia - Pbrundel (1), The city of Brussels website (2), Ultra-Gross (3)
Here are some aspects to consider before you choose Luxembourg or Brussels (based on the observations of ArboGuru).
So, LUXEMBOURG is made for you if ...
* you fancy a uniquely pronounced French-German-Switzerdütch-sounding language called Luxembourgish (or at least speak French or/and German; there are many expats of more than 100 nationalities so you can use English - local lingua franca especially at work);
* you'd like living in a country where you can easily take the wrong exit on the highway and end up in a different country by chance (France, Belgium, Germany...);
* you prefer absolute calm and silence even on a Saturday night (not exactly);
* you enjoy absolute security for your family and spotlessly (not exactely) clean streets;
* you enjoy checking out the latest cabriolets, 4x4s, luxury cars and sports wagons (!);
* you want to partice some Portuguese with the locals (and Brasilian and Cape Verde expats as well - hello friends!);
* you prefer having ten times more banks than food and grocery shops (hard to believe but consummerism doesn't rule here - look, there are only few shopping centres and everything's closed on Sundays afternoons);
* you like high real estate and apartment rental prices (true but is it likeable?!; by the way note that minimal salary in Luxembourg is 1725 euros compared to 1388 euros in Belgium and 1169 euros in Great Britain - data from July 2010);
* you love having nature and green all around you (green and black - absolutely lovely tame blackbirds in the parks!);
* you love seeing your colleagues in the supermarket, gym and city centre even after leaving the office (hmm... strange but if you really want to meet someone "by chance" it will probably not happen);
How about BRUSSELS - the concurrent city? It has a truly international-multicultural environment (more cosmopolitan than in Luxembourg) and one of the largest selection of beers in the world (in Lux the small amount of breweries is recompensed by many excellent wines!). It's the capital of the country that is the record holder for lack of government. There are regions where speaking French/Flemish is to be strictly avoided, or else you are a persona non grata (caution!). Be prepared that you'll pay there the EU's highest taxes (if your spouse works in the local job market), but you will never be bored - you can occasionally watch protesters from all over the world in the EU district and you can get to know in Brussels how it is to fix an appointment with a plumber/repairman/fixer who never shows up...
Conclusion? In Luxembourg you can have your cake and eat your cake (yes!) because it's "only" 170 km from Brussels and ONLY 23 km from the closest town in Belgium - Arlon (where by the way the nearest Ikea shop is). The choice is yours!
Reply for the photo puzzle: 2.
