Magical foggy mornings in Luxembourg

If you know me and you’ve been following my work as a photographer in Luxembourg for a while, you know I can appreciate a good foggy morning.

It all started when I was still a child, in my grandparents’ village, back in Romania. We were a big family, so when we all came together for whatever reason, we couldn’t really fit all in their otherwise big house, which was enough for them and their sons, but not for them and their seven sons’ families. So, some of us used to spend the night with some other relatives in the village. On one of those occasions, I woke up one morning in the house of some cousin of my grandparents, felt really hungry, so I figured I should head to our main house to grab something to eat.

I went out on the countryside road and I found myself surrounded by mist, during what I later found out it was called the golden hour. It was 5 am, I was all alone on the road. It was summer, but since the village was on the hills, it was quite chilly. I stopped at a fountain on the side of the road and washed my face with freezing cold water. Some cows in a courtyard were looking at me, surprised to see someone outside at that hour maybe. With my face still wet, I looked ahead down the road and saw the sun rising peacefully, a rooster crowing somewhere nearby.

I never felt so alive in my life.

I was a city boy, so all this was such an inspiring experience for me. I lived most of my life in crowded cities, with tall buildings all around, where you don’t see the sunrise or the sunset unless you really want it and by miracle you have the time for it. So, I never forgot that one morning when I felt like a god watching down on his world. Or, if you want, like an alien who just discovered a new, wonderful planet, and tries to understand it.

I moved to Luxembourg at 31 years old (I can’t believe that was 9 years ago!) and I rediscovered that feeling as a photographer, while exploring the castles and the countryside with my camera. I relived that morning hundreds of times already, but I still want more.

A large part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is hilly, and everywhere you look, there’s a charming village waiting to be discovered, so recreating that beautiful morning over and over again was quite rewarding.

Even Luxembourg city, the capital, being built on different levels and with so much vegetation, offers a lot of splendid views during its foggy mornings in the summer and autumn.

Of course, some of the best foggy mornings you can find and photograph are around large bodies of water, as you need plenty of humidity for fog to be formed. Luxembourg city has the Alzette river flowing through the center, but it’s rather small, so it doesn’t always provide enough humidity.

When we think of Moselle river on the other hand, now that’s a lot of water, and the chances of getting the perfect fog are increasing dramatically around it.

Most of the foggy mornings you will see in pictures are taken during autumn. The reason is simple, it’s much easier for a photographer to wake up at 7 and catch the autumn sunrise, than to wake up at 4 to catch the summer sunrise. Yes, the sun rises a bit later in both cases, but waking up, dressing up, making that coffee and driving to a nice location takes some time as well. Plus, the low humidity during summer may not be the best bet for a good foggy morning. I still did it a few times, woke up at 3.30-4.00 am, as hard as it was, and I was quite happy with the results. 

Another great area to photograph a good foggy morning is around the Upper Sure lake. Combine the magical hills with plenty of forest land and you find yourself in heaven.

I’ve also witnessed some fantastic foggy mornings around the castles of Luxembourg, especially built deep inside the forest. I should mention here:

• Vianden castle, rising above the forest in the Luxembourgish Ardennes. As the Our river is passing through the town very close to the castle, I can always count on a good foggy morning in that location. I only need a good photo spot, and Vianden offers plenty of them.

• Bourscheid, the largest castle in Luxembourg and my favourite. It’s surrounded by forest and very close to the river Sure, so it’s very generous with its foggy mornings. Add a bit of sun and the landscape turns magical.

• Brandenbourg, less known than the other castles, especially because it’s only a ruin now, is built deep inside the forest, but not very close to any river, so it rarely gets surrounded by the fog. However, when that happens, it becomes a true feast for the eyes.

Coming back to the city of Luxembourg, which I’ve explored in any possible way, from underground to its many levels and even from above, I was always amazed by the plentitude of viewing points you can find, especially on foggy days. Even after so many years of photographing Luxembourg, I still find new spots to explore.

The safest bet to experience a magical misty morning in Luxembourg city is the old town, with its iconic buildings, some of which are over 1000 years old, with the valley of Grund and its small and cozy Alzette river, with its dozen cobbled streets and their lonely wanderers. 

It almost doesn’t matter what viewing point you choose, as long as you’re somewhere on the upper side of the city (Ville Haute) and you can see far and wide, splendor is guaranteed! Being a photographer in Luxembourg can be rewarding!

I remember one particular morning very well, when I got to Plateau de Rham very early, but the fog was just too dense to photograph anything. I could barely see where I was walking, yet I could clearly distinguish the powerful light coming from where the sun should have been. Foggy and sunny? That’s worth the wait!

So I just wandered around for about an hour and a half, hoping for the best. Right when I was about to give up and call it a day without any success, the fog started lifting and I realized I was on to something. The fog formed a winding shape just below the buildings in the upper old town, just like a brush from a skilled painter would look like. I started clicking and I remember I managed to fill up my whole memory card, with the same images over and over, as I simply couldn’t stop celebrating the beauty in front of me.

However, Luxembourg can be amazingly beautiful from any angle you would look at it, in any quarter you would find yourself, if the time is right. 

I’ve seen amazing golden mist while wandering across the hills of the Grand Duchy, searching for new landscapes.

I’ve seen beautiful mornings while exploring the city through less visited quarters.

And I’ve seen them in totally random places in the countryside, while driving to various clients.

You can probably realize, by now, why I’m in love with this magical land and how grateful I am that I can work as a photographer in such a photogenic country like Luxembourg.

I’ll keep hunting for my magical foggy mornings in Luxembourg. Until the next time, stay in touch and don’t forget to wake up early and enjoy life to the fullest!