Continuing our adventure, we hopped into the taxi at the airport that took us to a campground we found in the Lonely Planet Guide book. Checking in at the campgrounds, the receptionist showed us the facilities; toilets, showers, water, waste receptacles, etc., and a spot for setting up our three-person tent amongst all the enormous recreational vehicles. We were excited but tired, and after we got ourselves situated, we laid down for a bit.
Time to Explore
After a short nap, we both awoke refreshed and ready to hit the streets. Luxembourg is a tiny little country nestled in-between Belgium, France, and Germany. Nobody messes with them for the same reasons nobody messes with Switzerland, money. Maybe I should have started this with this; Luxembourg is a tiny, prosperous, wealthy country nestled in-between Belgium, France, and Germany. Luxembourg City is the center of Luxembourgish business life, and that’s what it’s all about. It is also gorgeous. I was going to write about the city’s layout, but Wiki did it best.
A Wiki Description
“The city center occupies a picturesque site on a salient, perched high on precipitous cliffs that drop into the narrow valleys of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers, whose confluence is in Luxembourg City. The 70 m (230 ft) deep gorges cut by the river span many bridges and viaducts, including the Adolphe Bridge, the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, and the Passerelle. Although Luxembourg City is not particularly large, its layout is complex, as the city is set on several levels, straddling hills and dropping into the two gorges.”
Virginal Busking
Our primary focus of the day was to find a place to play music on the street for tips, also known as busking. We didn’t come over with much money and figured we would make it as we traveled. The thing is, we had also never done it successfully. New Orleans was mostly a blowout for us musically as I jammed with a couple of people. It wasn’t tight, and it wasn’t a show. I picked a place I thought might be okay on the city square outside a significant public building. Initially, I began to play a bit timidly, but after a few coins dropped on the guitar case, I felt a little better. Still, the tips weren’t great.
A Bit of Guidance
Shortly, I saw a couple of other buskers doing pretty well. Then they came over to meet us. We all introduced ourselves and told them of our plans to hitchhike and play on the streets on our way to the Rainbow Gathering. They explained that there were better places than others and that I needed to give it some power!
“Watch your traffic and see where you can best get the most people passing you,” said one.
“But not where people are in a hurry,” added the other musician. “
Play us a song,” one of them said. So I played a song I had written a few months before called “Smash Your TV Set.” It’s a rollicking little ditty. They liked it so much, and they wanted me to teach it to them! Which I did. They told us about some of the better places, like down in the gorge on one of the river bridges. They also gave us another tip, a joint, which we saved for the evening.
Off to a Good Start
Descending the long cliffside stairway into one of the two deep gorges that make up this lush valley, we walked until we spotted a charming bridge over the river and thought perhaps this was the spot they spoke. I played a bit and made a few coins by playing classic rock songs and impersonating singers. The Doors were trendy, as were the Beatles and The Rolling Stones. But the ‘drops’ were still lean.
We wandered a little deeper into the valley and found another bridge. This one was close to a pub. Maybe we were out too early to cash in. Continuing to play, I made a few more coins, but we decided to call it a day. We had some excellent information and some ideas on how to proceed.
Happy with our first day at busking, we returned to the campgrounds by local bus service. Can you imagine public transportation that covers areas outside the city? Amazing!
love reading your story, ah the buskers life…… xxx