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| 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.
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!
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| Wonderful fall colors and a watchtower rising above the castle walls |
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| 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!
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| Canal House leading to La Petite France |
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| One of the main canals ringing the center of Strasbourg's, Grande Île |
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| Of course they have a Cathedral...complete with a Glockenspiel! |
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| They even have a funky modern train station! |
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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!
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| ...and this was only half of the Mezza for two! |
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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.
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| The snow swept streets of Culles les Roches in the early morning |
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| 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!
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| They even have a website...totally safe for work :) |
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| "Hmmm..." |
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