Springtime in (Place de) Paris

I also secured a few beers this spring!

Spring has (sort of) arrived here in the Grand Duchy as is evidenced by my annual reception of colored eggs, and, of course the ceremonial, "Folding of the Long-Johns." I realize that I don't post as often as I used to and that this has more or less become the quarterly newsletter of the Brian and Jeni show. The simple fact is that we've really settled in here, and I've been busy teaching myself English therefore there hasn't been too much to report on our shenanigans. Now that the weather has improved and since Jeni and I recently visited Croatia, I believe I can fill a few pages with insights…at the very least some beautiful photos :D

Yes, you read right. I have spent the better part of the last 12 months teaching not only dozens of adult learners, but also myself the finer points of this dubious language. The take away from this is that I now parse everything I read, hear and often say in English…especially prepositions of place, but that's a long story for another time. It's really become quite weird. For example, here's an interesting anecdote:   On the road trip back from a recent Ultimate Frisbee tournament I found myself asking my friends Michele (ITA), Magda (CZE) and Rodolfo (BRA) what the difference was between, "I have" and "I got." The answer might astound you. Just look at how Rodo responded to my query…

As you know, Jeni has been stationed in East Umbria since forever. Her agency does, however, offer her two weeks of 'Rest & Recuperation' at the halfway point of her deployments, so this year we decided to meet in Croatia and discover the other side of the Adriatic Sea. We were not disappointed. Along the Dalmatian coast, azure waters drape the dusky shores in a mantle of turquoise while history has punctuated this timeless landscape with its ancient cities, opulent palaces and various religious sites. Certainly the Romans left there mark as is most evident in Split at Diocletian's Palace, but the Greeks also helped sculpt the coastline with a myriad of colonial outposts. Over the centuries, the Venetians, the Turks, The Hungarian Empire and more recently the Iron Curtain of the Cold War Eastern Bloc have all added to this tapestry in what has become an independent and truly unique corner of the world.

The outflow of the Pantan Mill...

..which happens to be owned by one of Jeni's colleagues in East Umbria...

…and was the back drop to two Dr Who episodes!!! Guess who's a happy Whovian???

The mill is just outside Trogir; an ancient Greek outpost near Split.

A view of Split from the Castle in Klis.

We started our sojourn in the city of Split. Fortunately the region has developed along the shores of the Adriatic, otherwise I may never have found my way from the airport to the rental car parking…let alone figure out how to get into the city! I think one could best describe the Croats as a mix of Luxembourgers and Jamaicans. Never have a I met a more laid-back group of people who just assume you know where everything is and how to get there. For the sake of humility, I will tell you that it took me over an hour to find the rental car counter at the airport, locate the car pick-up - "in the parking lot"- and navigate off of the airport campus. Now, this is a tiny airport with only five (5) gates, and it still took me an HOUR to organize a rental car! The conversation went something like this (for this next bit to work, you must read it with a Jamaican accent): Ya mon! Take this paper, mon,  to my colleague in the orange shirt over there, mon. No, not where our gigantic corporate sign is located, mon! Over there, mon, in the parking lot. Maybe he's on his break, mon. Oh, mon, he's wearing the green shirt today.  -- Sheesh.

Castle Klis...

…where the filmed scenes for Game of Thrones!!!

Inside the 'basement' of Diocletian's Palace, Split…Oh, yes, there be Dragons here!

After three days in Split we drove down the Dalmatian Coast to stay in a lovely hotel just a few miles south of Dubrovnik. Our hotel was nice and relaxing, but the 'beach' was a bit on the rocky side. We used this as our base of operations for the next five days, and from there we explored the  region and found ourselves at a medieval monastery, the ancient Greek port town of Cavtat and of course the crown jewel of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik herself…or for you Game of Thrones fans, it's better known as "King's Landing."Believe me, the good people of Dubrovnik are definitely cashing in on this similarity between their imaginary fairytale castle city and the real-world capital of Westeros!

Sunset in Cavtat.

Dubrovnik's Harbor

Lokrum Island from above.

St Maria's Monastery on Mljet Island

As I mentioned, Croatia is simply too picturesque for one blog. If you want to see more pics click here.

Now, the beaches in Croatia (whether they are rocky, pebbly, shaley or sandy) aren't very big, but fortunately there are far too many to count. As it happens, I went walking one morning in search of an alternative to the local 'rocky' beach next to our hotel, and I stumbled upon a surreal resort that links the former Yugoslavia to the difficulties of the 1990's. It turns out that the cove just on the other side of the hill facing out hotel was the where Marshal Tito and his cronies built a fabulous Soviet Style resort back in the 60's. During Croatia's fight for independence, the locals 'secured' the buildings from the old guard, and then were subsequently shelled from the Adriatic by the Yugoslavian Navy. Apparently the thinking was; "If I can't have my fabulous 1960's Soviet Style Resort, no one can!" In a show of perpetual defiance, I can only speculate that the Croats leave these bombed-out husks as a reminder of  the difficult times behind the Iron Curtain. At any rate, we enjoyed the secluded beach, the crystal clear water and the dystopian backdrop nonetheless. Any of you billionaire-types that read this blog should seriously look into a development deal here because opportunity is knockin'…

This place was rather interesting, to say the least.

Drop beats…indeed.

Well I guess that's if for now. Thanks as always for following.  Next on our to-do list is to celebrate the marriage of Tamara and Michele with our new bestie, Lárus. We're off to Iceland where, as it happens, they also filled a ton of Game of Thrones…Coincidence???

Pro. Creation.

Procreate - Verb: 1.) To beget or generate (offspring) 2.) To produce; bring into being.

While I've been napping at the blog-desk, the locals have been quite busy. In fact, I might say that our little circle of friends have become professional grade creators!  Along with this wave of new babies, there have been a raft of news that I am remiss in reporting. Going all the way back to our awkward Christmas in Seattle to this weeks terror attacks in Brussels, my silence is not a sign of stagnation. On the contrary, we've been occupied with some of life's inevitable hurdles.

Like Springtime in Luxembourg!

First, let me introduce you to our new bestie, Làrus Thor. With a name like that, of course he's 1/2 Italian. Our dear friend's Michele and Tamara are the responsible parties, and this only makes things that much better!

He really waited until the last minute. Tam was coaxing him out by any means possible…that's non-alcoholic beer btw

Mr. Man arrived on February 24th shortly after Jeni's colleague Sean wife, Karrie, gave birth to another happy, healthy baby boy. We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of our next newbie (and Luxembourg's youngest Yogi) when Joe and Laura beget (name to be determined) later this spring. It's not only our friends having babies. There are now two infants in our  small apartment building of eight units. Plus you can't hop on a city bus without wading through a myriad of prams, strollers and carriages.


Yes, births exceeded deaths in the Grand Duchy last year by 2,000 which makes the government happy, but what I find most intriguing is the tiny melting-pot I'm witnessing here in the Heart of Europe. Italians meet Icelanders, Canadians mingle with Poles, French canoodle with Portuguese, Americans cavort with Luxembourgers, and so on, and so on…any thought of abandoning The Schengen Agreement will   surely be forgotten when these kids with 2, 3 or even 4 nationalities come online.

It was worth the wait...He is a cutie, no?

During the past few months, we've also been gearing up for Jeni's latest deployment. I really can't / don't want to go into details, but suffice it to say Things went about as expected. SNAFU. She did get off, and thankfully she's no longer working at Ice Station Zebra. Now she's in a place a bit closer and not as hectic…let's call it, "East Umbria." Before she left, Jeni was thrilled with a face-to-face with Luxembourg National Hero, Tour de France Victor and all around nice guy, Andy Schleck!

So cool! I think she might have peed a bit ;)

I've found work as an English Instructor. This has been interesting and a bit of a challenge. It's nice to be productive again, and a few euros extra each month is nice. Navigating the different Ministries has also been challenging to say the least, but it's worth it. I can say that I am now a card carrying member of the Luxembourg work-force…still trying to figure out how, exactly, I'm to pay taxes :-/

And finally I'll leave you with a few photos of our boy. Vann made an unscheduled stop back In January. He stayed for a couple of weeks. It was great to see him, and I think he enjoyed his visit. It was like old times having him and Jeni under one roof, albeit far too brief. We made sure to fatten him up a bit, ply him with his favorite Luxembourg beverage of Picon-Beer and give him loads of love and attention.

Ode to the Picon-Biere…looks happy here!

Oh yeah…Toby is aging nicely. Like a fine wine. He even has his own buggy to ride around town.