Luxembourg's Christmas Market v 2.0

Jeni and I weren't able to get too far afield this winter, so we ended up spending much more time at our local Weihnachtsmarkt. You may recall from last year that we weren't overly impressed with the Luxembourg Christmas Market, but after a year of mixing and mingling with the locals we decided to have a second look. Yep…still the same. Jeni and I did, however, use the rare opportunity of a sunny afternoon to sneak over and take a ride on the Grand Duchy's ferris wheel! 

…trying to look cool.

Jeni putting on her brave face.

So the observant reader will notice that we are not in the same photos whilst riding the wheel…that's because this thing was TERRIFYING. Well not terrifying, but the gondolas would spin 360 degrees if the weight wasn't dispersed correctly! OK, let me rephrase this. It was really really scary when the wheel lurched backward toward the ramparts and Jeni and I were sent spiraling around as the wheel reached its apex approximately 15 stories above the floor of the Petrusse Valley! Scambling for stability, we needed to sit on opposite sides or else the bucket would start whirling again. Yikes.

All in all we did get some great views over the Place de Constitution...

…and a view down the Petrusse Valley. Please note the white knuckles :-0

In Luxembourg City, we observed that the Christmas Market was a sort of after-work happy hour gathering point. By far the best selling items were the various fair-foods and, of course, the Gluhwein! We were able to meet up with friends and co-workers this year. That made this year's market more amiable, and we did, indeed, look forward to our visits downtown.

Jeni's office mates...

…and some Ultimate players.

We even got our own Gluhwein Pyramide this year!!

As with most things cheery and bright, there always seems to be some dark undercurrent. This year the Nativity scene was brimming with animals mounted in a taxidermy shop! Yeesh! Nothing creates that "you were there" vibe like stuffed livestock.

This little guy got nibbled on somehow,

and this guy appears to be on guard for the next snacker.

And, yes, that is a donkey next to a disembodied cow's head.

But let's not forget the real reason for the season. Missing all of our friends and family and wishing you the very best during this Holiday Season!

Merry Christmas to All from your pals in Luxembourg!!!

Who's in the Kitchen Makin' All that Raclette?

Why that would be Christian, of course!

Yikes…who's that creepy guy lurking in background?!

Not to be outdone our Luxembourg Man-Friday, Christian, hooked us up with what may be the tastiest treat we'd had in quite some time. Jeni and I had our first taste of Raclette at the annual Bazar International here in the Ville. Each year, all of the expat communities gather and set out their traditional foods, drinks and hand crafts to be sold with profits going to various charities. The Lebanese sell falafel, the Russians sell Vodka, the Americans sell crappy junk food, the Canadiens sell maple syrup and Moose Milk…on and on this goes from Burundi to Japan! We went with Michele and Natalia, so it was a great time with truly international companions! It didn't, however, quell our desitre for melty cheese and potatoes! Rather, it only whet our appetites.

A true Swiss-Miss at the Bazar International de Luxembourg serving up our first taste of Raclette.

Natalia (Russian/Belgian) and Michele (Italian) - super cute, non?

Moose Milk is a better version of Eggnog - Milk, ice cream, spices and Canadian Whiskey!

I can hear you asking, "So what, exactly, is Raclette?"Glad you asked, dear reader. It's basically a cheese melting apparatus like this…

…with grilled potatoes and ground beef patties (if you're into that kinda thing)…

…the cheese is baked in these little trays under a hot element…

Oh this is heavenly!

…then garnished with pickles and a side salad...

…and VIOLA!

It is sooo good, and not at all healthy.

True, our palette hasn't really grown that much with the introduction of Raclette, but we are certainly willing to see how many different ways we can consume potatoes and cheese. Let's see…we can choose from omelets, fondue, stuffed Zweikartofflen, au gratin, cheesy-potato pizza, roti and now raclette! I'm pretty sure Santa is going to get one hastily written letter from two rubes in Luxembourg  asking for such a device :-(") Yumm-O! 

The Unhappiest Place in Luxembourg

For those of you that have been keeping up with this blog, Thank YOU! The real reason I write this, however, is as a public service to those planning on living abroad. This centers me and give my life purpose.

Psyche.

The line at Controle Technique 9:30am - not too bad (I thought).

The really real reason is because this is a great place to vent some steam and gripe via digital postcards. You may recall we have a car, and her name is Vicki. Why is she named Vicki? I'm not sure, but I believe it came in some sort of martini inspired vision. Anyway…to paraphrase an earlier post, this is Luxembourg, and NOTHING here is ever a one time event. This is especially true for a special little place over in Sandweiler called Controle Technique Please follow the link because I have no idea how is is that 61 people actually like them! The FaceBook comment says it all…Michael states, "Ugh! There is a super long wait in line, the people are in poor spirits and not very nice…the entire organization is bad!" Seriously, I just spent five hours waiting in line because my tires didn't have a special European Certificate…I still don't know the significance of this document, and one again poor Vicki has been rejected.

A 046 - 11:15am. "There are 30 people ahead of you." I left at 2:30pm - rejected & dejected :(

Oh yeah, the reason for all of this rejection drama is because I bought new wheels and snow tires (online - mistake #1) from an American retailer (mistake #2 - for a really good price I might add). Snow tires are mandatory here, and nowhere did I read that the wheels they must be Euro-certified with the EU seal of approve. Alas, I now must find a mechanical engineer to state in writing that these Michelin tires (French Brand by the way) are sufficient to be driven on the roads of the Old World. Yikes. So much for a great price on tires…what do you think an engineer is going to charge to size up Vicki's new winter wear.

So. Now, I have to go to these guys (or someone similar) and pay an additional €600 for Vicki's new shoes. 

In other news, Luxembourg has finally organized its first new government in 40 years. Parliament has been led by the CSV (Christian Socialists Peoples Party - sorry no English here) since the 1970's! Now the new coalition is run by the DP (Democratic Party - no English here either) with the former mayor of the Ville, Xavier Bettel, as the new Prime Minister. This in kinda big news around here. Not to name drop, but your cub-blogger has indeed met Mr Bettel. Super nice, and just like everyone here in Luxembourg, very warm and welcoming! Ok, that was a rather large name drop :) Mr Bettel is an interesting guy, you can read an interview here on BuzzFeed.

In yet more news…poor JoJo got in a dust-up at the dog park. He's fine, but he did get his ear bit because he was being too aggressive with a toy. The funny part is that the sweetest dog there, Dita, put him back in his place. The dog park is for everyone, and there is no room (Jonas) for a dominant male…especially when your one of the smaller pooches in the park. Again, he's made a full recovery, and he and Dita have made up.

Here he is just after the incident...

…then recuperating...

…and now JoJo is back to normal.

Gearing up for the Holidays!

3:30pm - Luxembourg Gare - yes we drive with our lights on most days :-/

 Now that the sun has safely tucked itself behind the gray blanket that is the Northern Sky, the remainder of the winter can be spent on more serious pursuits without worrying about overdosing on that irksome vitamin D. The Holiday Season is already in full swing, but before we tromp down and fill up on Gluhwein and Gromperekichelcher, Jeni and I decided to make a few trips and enjoy this late autumn weather. Thanksgiving is this week. Everyone here knows about it, but they still aren't quite sure if it's a religious holiday or not. As an American, the questions one fields on this topic range from the truly curious to strangely bizarre. Perhaps my favorite has been, "What will your dogs do?" Aside from missing family and the enormous feast of Tofurkey and carbohydrates, life here goes on quietly. 

I for one certainly don't miss being inundated with ads about Black Friday.

Wait...not that Black "Friday"!

Our first little excursion took us to the north of the Grand Duchy to a village named Esch sur Sûre. Now I realize that I am rather partial to our host nation's environs, but you have to admit this place is just postcard perfect!

Not to be confused with Esch sur Alzette in the south of the country, this little town of approximately 300 inhabitants is built in a bend of the river Sûre. Above the village lies a rock outcrop that is home to the aptly named Chateau d'Esch-sur-Sûre. Yes, friends, we've yet another castle to show you!!!

 The site dates back to the reign of Charlemagne or around 775 AD. Again, these guys really had an eye for security! You'd have to be stark mad to try and attack this place with swords and spears!

Wonderful fall colors and a watchtower rising above the castle walls

Can you spot the wiener-dog??

After Esch we bundled up the boys and headed to the stereotypical German city of Strasbourg, France.

Strasbourg sits on the Rhine River which defines the current the German / French border. It's a lovely town that has been switching languages and sharing cultures since the 13th century. Living in Luxembourg, I can certainly understand their lives of duality. The old town itself is built around canals that were the center of commerce  for hundreds of years, so it's no surprise it is often compared to Venice. We Luxembourgers even share a bit of history with our bi-cultural neighbors. Vauban, the guy that fortified Luxembourg City, also built this little bridge across the river to ensure King Louis XIV's commercial interests (and the taxes that went along with them) were protected.

Other noteworthy points of interest in the sleepy town of 275,000 are the old printing presses from the Gutenberg Era, the medieval leather working mills and slaughterhouses (now wonderful cafes and restaurants) of Petite France and of course the greatest boondoggle in recent European history...the European Parliament headquarters that are only used about 50 days per year!

Canal House leading to La Petite France

One of the main canals ringing the center of Strasbourg's, Grande Île

Of course they have a Cathedral...complete with a Glockenspiel!

They even have a funky modern train station!

The cuisine of Alsace is heavily influence by its Germanic neighbors. Sausages and sauerkraut fried in pork fat (Choucroute en francais) are the local specialties and this is washed down with super-sweet white wines. Needless to say, we vegetarians were not overly impressed by this. We did, however, enjoy perhaps the only positive legacy of French colonialism...Lebanese Restaurants!

...and this was only half of the Mezza for two!

After our trip to Strasbourg, I made another run to Culles les Roches to do some late autumn gardening. Tom and Oivi really do have a great place. The trip down was worth the wine and cheese I ate, but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate. We got our first snow of the season, and that put the kibosh on any gardening plans we may have had.

The snow swept streets of Culles les Roches in the early morning

No garden projects, but the wine is always nice in Burgundy :)

Since I always like to leave you with something to ponder, take a look at this next piece of...of...I really don't know what. Some things may just never translate well. Or, perhaps this was deliberate. Still scratching my head about this one. Enjoy!

They even have a website...totally safe for work :)

"Hmmm..."

Coast to Coast pt 2 (Home Again)

As much as Luxembourg has become our new home, Home is truly where your heart lies. After our holiday / celebration in Seattle we popped back to our old home town of Alexandria, VA. Once there we were treated to hospitality the likes of which would shame any five star hotel on the Continent. Jeni and I do enjoy the comforts of luxury hotels, but when you're on the road there's nothing like home-cooked meals and the company of cherished friends.

For the first leg of our stint in Alexandria we were put up at Chez Angel & Mike, a fabulous little Bed and Breakfast in the Bucknell Heights area. Unfortunately the proprietors are moving shop across town. Don't bother doing a Google Search if you vacation plans take you to the Old Dominion. It's very exclusive ;-)

Jeni with Angel & Mike in the front parlor of Chez Eux

Seriously, Mike and Angel were wonderful hosts and treated us to such delicacies as French Toast stuffed with Brie (you GOTTA try this, people!) along side Strawberries Romanov. I could go on, but suffice it to say the treats on the pillow were nearly as nice as the surprise dinner guests from New York...

'Memba this moment from last year??

Who else could it be???

Chris & Dee!!!!

...and Chris and Andy too...

...and here's Aryn "stirring the (proverbial) pot."

Here's the whole gang after dinner - notice how my buttons were about to burst!?

And of course, Mike B popped over for brunch on Saturday...yes, Angel made a BRUNCH as well!

Between gorging ourselves at Angel & Mike's and at our favorite restaurants in Old Town, Jeni and I were able to meet up with as many friends and family as time permitted before finishing up our home tour with our magnificent friends (and former neighbor's) Jim and George!

Here we are out and about with Jim & George.

Jim and George live just two doors down from our old place in a completely renovated 1940's-era town home,  so yet again we were treated to five star accommodations. Jim and George are super creative, so it's no wonder they went all out with the restoration. We must admit there's a tinge of jealousy, but now we know what can be done if we decide to fix up our old digs. It was also great to see how the old 'hood has changed is just one year! It really is mind blowing! Look...

Here's what the old neighborhood looked like just one year ago...

...and now we have this!

The progress is absolutely staggering!

By now, dear reader, you're probably thinking that I am making this all up. That this is all some sort of Bronte-esque idyll. No one can be this fortunate, right. The simple truth is that we do have the best friends, ever! We are now back (fat and happy) in our Luxembourg Home with our dopy dogs, Toby and Jonas. We continue to look forward to making new friends and further sharing our adventure with anyone willing to listen.  Thanks again to everyone for making this trip back Home so special! Here are  a few additional parting shots. Enjoy :-)

Dinner with my folks at our favorite Tex-Mex place in Alexandria - Los Tio's

Lunch with Connie - our phenomenal friend, lifestyle guru and all-around paragon.

Here we are with the "Mayor" of our old block - Mr J...

...and his lovely wife, Lula!

See?! Here's photographic proof! Stuffed French Toast, Strawberries Romanov...oh and a side of scrambled eggs. Ya know, just in case.

Angels amazing home-made Peanut Butter Acorns on the pillow each night...

....and, of course customized Mayan Cupcakes :-0

 I apologize for the the abundance photos...it was hard enough to whittle things down as is.