Pre-Christmas Post

Miss Paloma sporting her Winter Snook!

Seasons Greetings, dear reader! The Holiday Season has snuck up on us once again, and as we scramble to ship off gifts and cards to our friend and family back home there have been a few interesting things to report from the Grand Duchy. As I write, the drizzle continues unabated from the dull gray skies. Therefore I think a white Christmas will be out of the question this year. We have had a few snow events so far, and after last year's hiatus from the white stuff, Jeni and I are actually looking forward to a nice and snowy winter. Lord knows, we invested in the hardware last year, so let's see if these stupid snow tires actually work!

Of course the Christmas Markets are in full swing this time of year. Jeni and I have visions of traveling the region to find new haunts, so stay tuned to see how we fare. In fact our little market in the Ville isn't so little anymore. Still it's neither Trier nor Cologne, but the city of Luxembourg continues to step up their Christmas Market game. This year the city even installed an outdoor skating rink to entice the young and young at heart to  take a spin around the ice. I must admit that this, being our third Christmas with the Luxembourg market, I better understand the anticipation ahead of the fête as well as the yuletide fun associated with the annual fair. Its now become an almost weekly occurrence to meet friends and colleagues down at the Place d'Armes for a glass of mulled wine and some of the ever-popular Grompererkichelcher! 

Well you just knew the skating rink had to be a covered pavilion with the weather around these parts!

This year I was introduced to a new wrinkle in the warm wine racket…Vin Chaud Flambé! As if heating wine to 100℉ then adding cinnamon, cloves and spices wasn't enough to make the booze sprint like Hussein Bolt into your bloodstream, we can now add a sugar cone doused in rum into the concoction. The sugar is first lit (hence the flambé part) and the sugar is allowed to slowly melt into the mulled wine. Yeah, it just like you imagine!

1.) Pour the booze.

2.) Light those bad boyz!

C.) Swantje and Rodolfo approve…merf!! 

Meanwhile on the other side of the Duchy, folks are commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. During the winter of 1944-1945 the US Third Army, led by General George S. Patton, repelled a German counter strike through the Ardennes forest that includes parts of Belgium along the frontier of Luxembourg. Seventy years on, there are still a few folks around that remember the events of that fateful winter. Here in Luxembourg, there have been parades, ceremonies remembering the lives lost and there was even a visit from a 92 year old GI who portrayed Saint Nicholas for the children just after the liberation of the town of Wiltz in the north of the country. If you haven't already (and I shouldn't even have to write this), check out HBO's Band of Brothers to get a great take on this historical battle in the fight to free Europe. Also, click here to see a really cool before and after slide-show on the Luxembourger Wort online.

Other than that, things here have been rather mundane. We just set up our first Christmas tree since we arrived. Our first year here was incredibly  hectic and last year we travelled, so this year we made it a point to set up a bit of the ol' Holly-Jolly! Although we're still missing our friends and families spread all over the planet, we are certainly looking forward to a festive Noël here in the Grand Duchy. Big hugs from afar, and we'll keep you in our thoughts this Holiday Season!

…there'll be more presents, don't be so alarmed!