Livin' La Vida Luxem: Catching up...

Just someone's country home in Burgundy!

Oh, where to begin. Since my last post, I've been to the Burgundy region of France to look at a garden project, play poker and drink fabulous wines. Also, Jennifer came home for ten days of "rest and relaxation"...which she would have had if we weren't running around with my awesome parents - who, by the way, were our first official guests from the States. Seriously, after visiting London and Paris, my folks (aka Rich & Judy) hoofed it all over Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium with us! Well done Mom and Dad on your tour of major European capitals!! - Yes I am including Luxembourg City as a major capital.

Rich & Judy in Luxembourg

Locally, our Grand Duchy also hosted the Games of the Small States of Europe (sort of a mini-Olympics for the tiniest of nations - e.g. Lichtenstein, San Marino, Andorra, Iceland, etc). Everyone gets a trophy and an orange! There have also been numerous music festivals, and perhaps most noteworthy is the Tour of Luxembourg bicycle race that will end with five laps through the Ville...including five passes right along our street!

Street scene in Culles les Roches

Burgundy - Bourgogne in French - is a fantastically rural region in the east of France. Capped with the city of Dijon in the north and Lyon to the south, this part of France is famous for its wines and its gastronomy. Burgundy did not fail on either account. The charm of Burgundy's rustic villages is exactly what you would imagine, and our neighbors, Tom and Oivi, just happen to own a home in the cutest of villages called Culles les Roches (yes that's correct - there are 187 +/- residents in the town). Culles les Roches is so small that we had to drive 5 km just to find a bakery...supermarkets are another story entirely. Tom and Oivi have been renovating their stone house which was built at the turn of the century, and they asked if I would like to pop down to see their garden space. Uh - yeah, duh? Words can't describe how beautiful their home and its village are, so I will just show you some of my photos. The garden plans are coming together, and I will keep you posted on events as they develop.

The sleepy little village of Culles les Roches

Tom and Oivi's place...did I mention they were kind enough to let me bring the dogs?!


What an amazing canvas! Framed with a dry-stack stone wall, and...

...a small stream. Complete with the original Bain Lavoir!

Findel Airport

After my jaunt to France, I raced home to retrieve my lovely wife at Luxembourg's airport. Needless to say I was absolutely ecstatic to see Jeni after three months apart! Jeni and I had a couple of days together, and then my parents arrived on the train from Paris. We spent the next several days exploring the region. Because Luxembourg is so centrally located, we were not only able to see the highlights of the Ville de Luxembourg, but we also traveled to Trier, Germany then up to Vianden in the north of the Grand Duchy as well as Brussels, Belgium..whew!

We made our rounds in a rental vehicle I dubbed 'The Land Whale'. Now, I reserved a mid-sized sedan (think Toyota Camry), and when we went to pick it up the car I was informed that we were to receive a Ford Galaxy. I interpreted the slight smirk from the clerk as, "oh, Monsieur, look at the upgrade we gave gave you." Looking back, I now realize that she knew what my initial reaction would be...try navigating the narrow streets of European city's in this thing! Certainly roomy...

Ladies and Gentleman - The Ford Galaxy.

My parents visit was brief but a lot of fun nonetheless, and Jeni's stay at home was far too short. The weather was perfect - note the blue skies and puffy clouds! Overall we had a great time, but we only scratched the surface of the many sites, sounds and tastes the cœur vert de l’Europe has to offer. Here's a short photo-postcard of our whirlwind tour.