Get your Gromperekichelcher on at the Scheuberfouer

The Schueberfouer is celebrating its 673rd incarnation this year, and love it or hate it, the annual fun-fair always brings in the crowds. Yes, that's correct...Luxembourg's annual festival has been a fixture here in the Ville since 1340! From talking to the locals, the Schueberfouer is much more than a carnival with rides and, of course, food & drink. It is part of their cultural heritage. It's fun to see people walking the concourse and stopping every 10 yards to chat with old friends. However, for the good people living in the Limpertsberg neighborhood adjoining the festival site, the fun-fair can be a bit of a nuisance with parking at a premium and of course the rivers of beer and urine running down the gutters! You just have to look beyond the carnies and lop-sided 'games of chance' to see a more gentile tradition that originated as an opportunity for neighbors to meet and merchants to sell their wares. 

The festival runs for three weeks at the end of August through the beginning of September. Apparently over 2 million people visit the Scheuberfouer each year...that's about four times the entire population of the Grand Duchy! There are beer gardens and restaurants galore, and to my surprise there was even a burlesque review in drag on the main concourse! The fair runs all day long with the real revelry starting well after dark. Every night I can hear the bands and the partying from my window until all hours of the early morning. Down in Rollingergrund its more white noise to me...I can only imagine what it sounds like up on the plateau!

The Scheuberfouer from above - via the uber-sized Ferris Wheel

The Scheuberfouer is fueled with a myriad of traditional foods including grilled sausages (of all types), fried fish, pommes frites and the one and only GROMPEREKICHELCHER! (Say it slowly - gromp-er-ah-kish-ell-shur.)

Thank goodness they only roll these goodies out on special occasions. Gromperekichelcher are deep fried potato pancakes loaded with herbs, eggs and Lord knows what else. Unique to Luxembourg, the technique - as far as I can see - is to prepare a batter of the potato-ie-yumminess then pan-fry this mixture into square 'gallettes'. From there they are deep-fried to order...I'm seeing a pattern, and the tasty benefits of double frying potatoes!  Wash it down with a local brew, and you're ready for anything the Scheuberfouer has to throw at you!

Here's the Gromperewerks!

Say no more:)

The view from the Ferris wheel was quite nice, but the modern buildings really block the view of the old town. It was a great way to see the city though.

See - you can just make out the spire of the Cathedral behind that hideous block of concrete.