Livin' La Vida Luxem: SoF is Exhausting!

As our Summer of Fun continues, we have tales of travel and lore of libations! June 23nd was Luxembourg's National Day and our most recent visitors arrived just in time to see the fireworks and jubilation that mark the night before Duke's Day. Our boy, Vann (aka Jihad), and his lovely wife, Alicia, flew all the way from Seattle to be with us and continue our explorations in and around the Grand Duchy….and, of course, we just had to show them the most important landmarks here in the Ville.

Well this is important to the Millennials…look at that smile :)

After the National Day festivities, we were treated to a huge pizza luncheon. Our new Italian neighbors, Massimo and Valeria, stuffed us full of homemade pizza baked on their grill. The food was fantastic, and hopefully gave the kids a glimpse into how sweet everyone here in Luxembourg truly is. The food had hardly started digesting before we set off for the beautiful city of Nancy, France. I've already written quite a bit about Nancy, but the UNESCO World Heritage Site never ceases to amaze. It's even more stunning when the sun is out. Jihad claims to have permanent retna damage from all of the gilded ironwork and white stones!

They look so miserably cute, don't they?

Now you may notice a trend in the next series of pics...

After our day trip down to France, we took the opportunity to show the kids a bit of our other large neighbor, Germany. To be sure we popped over to Trier which is too close not to visit, and after that we drove down the Moselle River to the quaint medieval village of Bernkastle.

Bernkastle is in the heart of the German wine region - the vineyard's line the slopes behind the town.

Vann and Alicia were with us for only six days which was way too short. I feel bad that we ran them ragged trying to squeeze in as much as possible in this small window. Our European friends can't fathom how one can have only a week's vacation each year…America truly needs to step up it's holiday game. The kids were stoic, but the jet lag and all the day trips really took their toll. One small reward was the discovery of a new drink. Vann found a mixture of lager beer with a splash of Picon (a slightly alcoholic herbal aperitif) to be quite refreshing. Unfortunately they don't import Picon to the States…we'll have to see about bringing him some the next time we travel home :) At any rate I think the kids had a great time, and at the end of their week exploring the Green Heart of Europe they got to meet a real princess!

That would be Princess Paloma -The world's greatest Galgo! Christian's pooch always brings a smile to everyone's face :)

In other news, I am sure you're aware that the World Cup has been ongoing. Unfortunately the US was escorted out by our neighbors to the north, Belgium. Cup Fever is in full swing here in Luxembourg. With all of the expats, and the general proximity to many qualified teams, Luxembourg is an exceptional place to watch. The Ville even has super-sized screens in the square. Jeni and I have been down in town for a few matches. The game between Germany and Portugal was a blowout (Germany won 4-0), but the atmosphere was electric!

There must have been well over a thousand people in Place Guillaume II!

Including us!

The city really comes alive in summer. Yes all the activities can be tiring, but there's no place like Luxembourg when the weather is fine! Stay tuned we still have Amsterdam, Bruges and many more places to explore! Plus, the Blues and Jazz Rallye is just around the corner…I shall be typing as fast as I can.