Season's Greetings from Luxembourg!

THE most wonderful time of the year...

Well, hello there! Just a brief Yuletide sentiment before we slide into the New Year. 2015 was certainly a year of transition, and with these changes we've all been rather busy. Thanks for following our antics as we crisscrossed Europe and the Atlantic. Jeni and I have one more journey before the year ends to visit Seattle and enjoy Christmas with our boy (man really, he's 27 y.o. somehow :D ) and his lovely wife!

I can't believe it was only one year ago when we celebrated the arrival of 2015 in Paris. Then we made our way to lovely Porto, the French Alps, America for Mom's birthday, Munich…well you remember; it's all written here. What great memories we're creating, and we want to sincerely thank all of you who came to visit this year, especially my folks who took time away form their Golden Anniversary to hang out with us down in Strasbourg, France. We look forward to seeing more you in the year ahead!

My folks look great, and Blessed be Judy for keeping up her spirit while ill on a river cruise!

This year some we experienced some losses, but we will welcome a few new faces in 2016! Sadly Jeni lost her father back in June. We also followed the lead of our dear friends and Alexandria neighbors, Jim and George, and we decided to sell our home back in the States. That was a difficult and emotional decision, but the timing seemed right as we are now free to pursue any adventures life might present in 2016. There is, however, a current baby-boom here in the Grand Duchy. We have several friends contributing, so I'll be sure to keep you posted on the new arrivals!

Jeni's contract was extended through 2016, and I found a job during this mercurial stretch meaning I have yet another year in which to regale you with tales of our time here in Luxembourg. The dogs are doing just fine, and they've adapted quite well to the drizzly North Europe climate. As have we :)

It helps with warm wine fortified with rum and a huge, burning sugar cube!

That's it for now. I must dash to grab one last Glüwein and some Gromperekichelchern before the Christmas Market ends!  Wishing you the Happiest of Holidays, The Merriest of Christmases and the most Fortunate of New Years'.

Gudde Rutsch an d'neit Joer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nk6qa_atmw

We're still here...

In a sad effort to excuse my tardiness, I will simply say we've been rather busy recently. The original title to this post was to be; "Rounding out the B's". This is because during September and October Jeni and I had the privilege of not only revisiting our beloved Burgundy, but also Barcelona and Bologna. It truly is a sorry state of affairs when I have to rummage through my old calendars to try and piece together the last few months, but this is what I shall try to do.

It all goes back to the time around my birthday in August. Just before my b-day, I was down in Culles les Roches putting the finishing touches on Tom and Oivi's garden project. There's still a bit of work to be done. I think they're quite pleased, and when Jeni and I returned most recently in mid-October, I was able to install the last of the outdoor lighting.

If stacked stone walls and beautiful landscapes aren't your thing then Burgundy may not be for you.

My birthday came and went, then I popped up to a frisbee tournament in northeastern Belgium before Jeni and I made for the picturesque seaside city of Barcelona, Spain. During this time I was able to locate a new job (yes dear reader, it chagrins me to tell you that your humble cub-blogger is no longer an international man of leisure). More on that in a moment…let me briefly tell you about Barcelona. We had no real idea what to expect except to accept what the city presented us. Barca is a gritty city cupped by mountains along the Mediterranean coast. It is, of course, home to her favorite son, Antoni Gaudi's, psychedelic treasures as well as a myriad of other gems like the Torre Agbar which our hotel room gave a commanding view of. Park Güell and La Sagrada Famillia aside, Barcelona is brimming with amazing sites that span the centuries. The food there is rather impressive as well. Jeni and I found an out of the way vegetarian restaurant that makes killer Gin and Tonics as well as an Ethiopian place that serves you meal without the requisite cutlery. I could probably go on for pages, but I digress.

The buildings of Park Güell look as if they've been frosted by a mad confectioner!

Dining al fresco in one of Barca's many beautiful plaza.

It was so nice to be in the warm sun, it was already turning gray and cloudy back in Luxumbourg.

Our view of the Torre Agbar...

…and a few interesting features that just pop up behind every corner in Barcelona!

Woohoo! 

Between our visit to Barca and our trip to Italy I began to teach (or as I like to put it 'coach') English as a freelance instructor. This proved to be more than a slight challenge as I had to prepare lessons and basically learn on the job. I had some support from my fellow instructors, but in general I was learning on the fly. Any spare time I've had recently has been used outside of the classroom trying to fill the hours inside of it! I'm happy to report that I was able to secure my work authorization, and for a small fee the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration is also pleased…if not €80 richer ;p

Now on to Italy. In the heart of the Emilia Romagna region lies Italy's 'Red City' of Bologna. This region is world famous for its cuisine, its famous hams, its flavorful balsamic vinegars and of course the home of stuffed pasta, Torteloni! Better know in the rest of the world as tortellini, the proud and distinguished residences of Bologna will educate you on the subtle differences among torteloni, tortellini and even tortellacci. To me its a matter of scale, but to the locals it's a whole system that one must be born into to fully understand. Fortunately for us, Jeni and I had an Ace up our sleeve in the form of our dear friend Michele. Michele hails from Bologna, and lucky for us his Aunt and Mother still live within 30 minute of the city center. 

Jeni taking the afternoon aperitif very seriously at our lovely accommodations in the mountains above Bologna.

In fact we stayed with his Aunt Gisela for a long weekend of food friends and fun….not to mention Nocino. I'll let you search Nocino on your own, but suffice it to say, this is one of Italy's best kept secrets!  

As are Bologna's canals...

It's the brickwork and unique architecture that give her the crimson nick-name

The lads (Thierry, Michele and moi)...

..and the lasses (Tam and Jeni) on the town in Bologna

Emilia Ronagna is truly a gourmand's paradise, and it happened that we were there the weekend that the great Houses of Modena were open to the public for tastings and tours. What a treat! I have to tell you that I would NEVER have thought to but vinegar on ice cream, but man-oh-man a 25 year old vinegar aged in Cherry casks makes a wonderful topping. Who knew!?! Food is truly a way of life in this region, and I cannot wait to get back there and stuff myself again!

Literally the Queen of England buys her vinegar here!

And of course our lovely hosts, Ivana and Gisela!

I must leave you here…for now, dear reader. Don't worry, I'll be back with more anecdotes and mishaps. I shall end with another mia culpa and try to be better about posting in the future. I'm finally getting the hang of things in my new position, so the dust should be settling soon. Stay tuned because the holiday season is right around the corner, and with it there's sure to be more to share.

And finally a parting shot of the golden vineyards of Burgundy in autumn.

Is There Ever a Bad Time for a Summer Heatwave?

The parched fields of Luxembourg where once verdant grasses grew!

Well, the simple answer is, "yes." As you know, I often gripe and grumble about the lack of sun, and the constant drizzle here in Luxembourg. In truth, I have become somewhat accustomed to this Northern Europe murk. That said, we do relish the summer when it does decide to arrive. Unfortunately this year's record-breaking heat came just as our most recent guests landed. Our dear friends, Angel and Mike, hailing from our hometown of Alexandria were looking forward to a break of the mid-Atlantic's mantra of 'Hazy-Hot-and-Humid', but, alas, they were charmed by a Luxembourg on fire…yes it's true that there are very few places air conditioned here in the Grand Duchy, and unfortunately our apartment is not one of these oases!

To keep hydrated we offer our guests lots of Aperol...

…and they were kind enough to not perspire whilst photos were being taken ;)

To escape the near 100℉ heat, we spent our first few days in search of these climate controlled refuges. Therefore Mike and Angel were treated to a trip to Luxembourg's oldest and most storied shopping mall, La Belle Etoile. There they were introduced to a local phenomenon I like to call, 'The Belle Etoile Shuffle.' To be honest they missed the excruciatingly painful Saturday morning version, but they did get a little taste of 'the shuffle' which goes something like this;

1. Grab 2-4 of you best Luxembourg friends over the age of 80
2. Walk 3-5 abreast down shopping aisles, stairwells and the main mall concourse, where-ever
3. Gently swerve left and right…no too fast, just enough so no one else can get around you
4. Don't forget your grocery carts because the Belle Etoile is also home to the quintessential Luxembourgish hyper-marché, Cactus
5. Stop abruptly for no apparent reason
6. Rinse and Repeat!

By the weekend, the weather began to abate, and we hosted a American-ish brunch complete with (you guessed it) a Bloody Mary Bar! Many of the faces familiar on this blog made it over, and we got to share another one of favorite summertime things to do here in the Grand Duchy…Day Drinking until well after dark! 

Chilling on the patio with Brie and Gianni.

This was actually at the Jazz and Blues Rallye with Michele…but you get the idea!

The center of the Old City in Ghent all lit up for the Genste Feesten.

Following our brunch we next headed up to the Flanders region go Belgium to visit the town of Ghent which also vies for the title of, 'Venice of the North'. Although beautiful and well preserved, it isn't even a contender in my opinion. It is, however, a beautiful and vibrant city that melds modern and majestic effortlessly. This was my second trip to Ghent, and in fact we've become such fans of the Flemish region that I've begun rrrrolling my rrrr's! Thanks to Mike's connections we were able to secure a fantastic hotel right in the heart of the Old Town, and kudos to him because we arrived smack-dab in the middle of Ghent Festival 2015! Yep, just us and 2 million other tourists soaking up the culture, beer and revelry for a ten day street festival that encompasses literally every quarter of the ancient capital of East Flanders.

Partying along the canals of Ghent...

where contemporary collides with classical!

I mean, really? It's a living post card...

The beaches of the Belgian coast.

After a couple of days and nights running the street parties, we decided to cool off a bit more and head further north to the Belgian coast and the seaside town of Oostende. What a nice surprise it was. Wide sandy beaches with welcome breezes that finally blew away that oppressive summer heat. A nice calm afternoon on the North Sea was what we deserved. Our visit ended back in Ghent where we said out goodbyes and bid our bests adieu for the time being. 

Just another serene canal in Flanders.

For their next visit, I promise to dial up some good old Luxembourg gloom. Until then I must apologize once again to Mike and Angel. They anticipated a nice cool week of temps in the low to mid-70's, but this, however, was not to be. To add insult to injury I began writing this morning and the outside air temp was a nice 45℉ heading to a high of 70℉. C'est la vie! I now bid you adieu with a few parting shots…

Those observant readers may just find the irony :-0

…and one last shot of these Beautiful Besties!

Meh-ünchen

As I mentioned before, Jeni and I have been able to take some long weekends, and these mini-breaks have allowed us to visit even more storied cities here in the Old World. Most recently we traveled to Munich,  the historic and political heart of Bavaria. München, as it's known in German, is well know for her beer halls, her crazy kings and of course her dubious denizens who went on to form the Third Reich in the beginning of the 20th century.

For those of you that have been keeping up with our kooky adventure for the last two-and-a-half years, thank you! You faithful readers also know that we are generally positive people, and its obvious that Jeni and I fall in love with places far too easily. Unfortunately I will have to bust this trend with our sojourn to Bavaria's capital city. Perhaps it was the cold and gray weather, maybe it was the fact that every significant edifice was undergoing renovations, or perchance it was the revelers that clogged the city streets that gave us a not so impressive view of this really fantastic city. Alas, there you have it…we just were't impressed with Munich, BUT do continue dear reader as there's bound to be some interesting tidbits!

Every edifice except, of course, the famous Glockenspiel.

The first thing we realized on the 45 minute train trip from the airport is that Germany's largest state is utterly flat. Pancake flat. I mean where are all of the Fairytale Castles Nestled in alpine mountains? If you don't believe me, just study this map…

See…dark "White Beer."

Munich's name is derived from the German word for, "Monk." It was these monks that originally settled in the area, and as we all know monks make beer. This beer culture permeates life throughout this region culminating in the annual Oktoberfest. Now, you know that I am not opposed to a nice beer from time to time, but these guys take beer-drinking to a whole new level. A small beer in Munich is 1/2 liter, and there is very little distinction among the various "varieties" of beer. A dark Weißbeer (yes, Virginia,  they do exist) tastes pretty much like the Helles which tastes exactly like the Pislner. This deserves our first, "meh." That said, the food scene in Munich is rather interesting. There are loads of vegetarian restaurants, and the Münchenern are certainly not afraid of experimenting and trying new cuisines. Munich definitely broke the bratwurst and sauerkraut stereotype. This certainly deserves our first, "woohoo!"

Veggie Burgers!

…and of course, the traditional Bavarian snack. 

Munich is also well know for her tremendous history, and for some amazing architecture. Again, unfortunately during our visit the buildings that weren't bombed flat by the allies were wrapped in construction tarps and scaffolds. To be fair Jeni and I didn't travel down to the mountains to see Crazy King Ludwig's masterpieces, but I am not exaggerating when I say every building of note was under some sort of renovation. You'd think the city elder's might have planned this a bit better. "Meh" number two.

Like the Frauenkirche Cathedral.

And the Theatine Church...

…which is really lovely inside!

This leads me to my third and final, "meh." Anyone who does not live under a rock knows that the Germans love their soccer, and Bayern Munich may be one of the hottest teams in club-league right now. The weekend of our trip to Die Roten (literally 'The Reds') lifted the Bundesliga trophy before thousands (?) of faithful supporters…all of whom started drinking beer around 10am. Needless to say, this may be one more reason we were lukewarm during our holiday in Germany's Star of the South.

Mayhaps, we are just spoiled. Probably so. At any rate, I wouldn't say we had a bad time in Muncih. In fact the people were warm and welcoming, and their restaurants exceeded expectations. In fact now that I reflect back on our trip, I would certainly say there were many interesting things we discovered while in Bavaria. Not the least of which was River Surfing on the Isar. Woohoo!