2015 - Wow...

photo - Christophe Ena - AP

As a testament to our busy Holiday Season, my blogging has been absent for far too long. The end of 2014 saw a flurry of activity including a visit from Ol' Saint Nick, a hair-raising car ride and a trip to Paris for New Years. 

So...I last left you on the Eve of Christmas, and as is often the case we ate and drank way too much again this year. There were no less than three full-on feasts that including two Italian-multi-course-bonanzas as well as Jeni and my own Christmas buffet featuring (among other delicious side dishes) homemade four-cheese and conchiglie. Yeah, that would have been made with; 1.) Aged Cheddar, 2.) Fontina 3.) Brie and 4.) Chimay Classique (that's right... the Trappist Brothers who brew such sweet nectar also make amazing cheese)! I won't even attempt to recount the many dinners we attended with friends and colleagues. Suffice it to say I probably averaged 5000 calories a day during the last two weeks of the year. Boff. Time to get cracking on those resolutions.

The dinner table at Brie and Gianni's where we enjoyed not only two different homemade raviolis but also a bevy of sides and of course tremendous desserts!

Gianni's Mum…seriously if you can't find a friend with a house in Burgundy, you must find an Italian Mom to hang out with :)

Christmas tradition in this part of the world typically doesn't include a midnight visit from Santa Claus or Père Noël. Rather the kids in Luxembourg set their shoes out on the window sill or door step December 6 in hopes that Saint Nicholas will fill them with sweets. Often, if the kids are really good, St Nicholas will leave some presents under the dining table and some Boxenmännercher on the table as a treat to tie them over until the Christmas feast. A Boxenmann or Boxenfrau is a sweet yeasty bread in the shape of a man or woman that are quite popular here in the days leading up to Chrëschtdag.  In reality the Grand Duchy is such a heterogenous place traditions from all over mingle and intertwine. Since our boys don't wear shoes, we celebrated on Christmas morning in true American fashion. From Santa, Toby and Jonas received two new beds as well as some toys and copious amounts of treats! 

OMG! Last year we were away, so the boys got a nice Christmas Cake from their Belgian Family at the kennel. 

After the initial fervor shared by both dogs, Toby decided to reestablish his Big-Brother status and nearly scared the bejeezus out of poor JoJo. Yep…Toby's still got it when he needs it!

"Sheesh…all I wanted was a turn with the new goose!"

Fat Chance…Toby was in charge of Christmas morning.

Saint Stephen's Day is December 26th, and this year we were invited to a brunch with our dear friend Christian and his faithful companion, Paloma. Brunch in Luxembourg is a whole 'nother animal. It takes the better part of a day, and contains not one, but TWO pastry courses. I shall have to write about this in its entirety at a later date. Until then, I will leave you with this picture of Miss Paloma trying her hardest to be a good girl. It's terribly difficult when there are so many good things to try :0

The in-between time from Christmas to New Year's can be a bit slow here in Luxembourg….which isn't necessarily a bad thing. This year Jeni and I thought we'd take this quiet moment to slip over to the American Air Force Base in Kaiserslautern, Germany. There we can pick up all kinds of things from the good ol' U.S. of A. Items that aren't readily available on the economy. It's really a nice perk of Jeni's job as not all American expats have access. The tricky bit, as we found out, was actually getting there in the dead of winter. This year we weren't blessed with a white Christmas, but the snow did eventually arrive on Saturday Dec 27. Our first mistake on this little excursion was to attempt the maneuver on the following Sunday morning. If the week between the Holidays is slow, the Sunday contained within that week is absolutely inert, so when our windshield washer fluid literally froze on the way through the Saarland we knew we were in trouble. As the salt from the motorway began to cake on the windscreen, cars started overtaking us at an alarming rate. The smutch that had accumulated became so thick that we couldn't see the road. At one point my beautiful bride was scrubbing the glass with chunks of ice while we were pulled over onto the shoulder of the A1 autobahn! (No pics…absolute panic mode.) 

…so here's a photo of Toby at the beach.

We managed to get off the highway, and after some searching (thank God for GPS) we found a service station that was actually open. Here we bought some washer fluid rated to -20 ℃ and cleared the windscreen. Unfortunately the supply lines were completely clogged with ice, so with no mechanic on duty we decided to limp back to the Grand Duchy taking the back roads. Here is where I would normally write something positive about the lovely scenery or of the joy in watching the locals out on their Volkswandern. Alas, no…we simply made a three hour slog through the by-ways and farm roads of Germany's equivalent of Eastern Kentucky. 

Looking back I can honestly say that, barring the circumstances, it was a nice drive…and we got to test drive those snow tires after all. 

This was to be the cover art for our debut album…back in 2004.

This leads us up to New Year's Eve and our swift-yet-thourough visit to Paris. It's hard to believe, but it has been 10 years since we are last in the City of Lights. The train from Luxembourg to Paris is only a two hour affair. Perhaps this ease of access is why we've not made it there in the last two years. It has always been a "one of these days" kinda place. Well, now that we know that Paris is so close, I imagine we'll be going back soon!

photo - SNCF

The ride over provided an interesting insight into the French Railway system. Yes, the train is fast and efficient, but apparently they can over sell tickets…and everyone is OK with this! Jeni and I boarded the train here in Luxembourg, and to our delight we discovered that is was rather empty. Not entirely satisfied with our backward facing seats, we decided to pop over to another car and take two of the empty seats going in the 'right' direction. Just across the border we had a stop in the town of Thionville, and here's where we should have just gone back to out designated seats. The places we purloined were ticketed to another couple, so we decided to go to the café car then wait and see which seats remained after our second stop in Metz, France. Big mistake. In Metz apparently 1/2 of the city joined us for the final leg to Paris. It was insane…people jostled just to sit in between cars. To sit between cars on∙their∙luggage! The alternative was to stand in the aisle. At this point we decided to trudge back through the seven car train to out original seats. Backwards or forwards we at least had a spot to sit down! When we arrived there was an older couple occupying our places…when I asked if there was a mistake, they simply said we were probably correct and then, resigned to their fate, they joined the others in the aisle to stand for the last hour plus as we made our way to Paris. Talk about awkward situations…this poor couple thought they hit the jackpot when they found two empty seats (side by side no less), and then we booted them out to look at the backs of heads for the remainder of the journey. Needless to say, there was very little eye contact in that car that day. Two lessons were learned that day; 1.) Buy your tickets in advance and 2.) Find your seat and keep it because no matter how crappy your seat is, it's better than balancing on your Samsonite over the linkage between rail cars!

Montmartre beneath (mostly) blue skies!

At last we arrived in Paris, and boy, I forgot just how fantastic this city is! There is such a unique, almost electric feel in the air, and all the storied sites and squares are absolutely breathtaking. Jeni and I nearly walked the entire city in two days! From our hotel at the Gare du Nord to Notre Dame, then to the Bastille and the Viaduct and finally to Montmartre and the Champs-Élysées. wW covered so much of the Right Bank we should receive honorary citizenship! We did end up taking the Metro (which was open all night and FREE on New Year's Eve), but wandering through all Paris' varied neighborhoods really gives you a Sense of Place. 

The sprawling quartiers of Paris' Right Bank

Speaking of a free metro ride, we opted to rest our tired feet and utilize the public transit to go to the Arc de Triomphe to ring in the New Year. We were, however, not the only ones with this bright idea. We boarded the underground after dinner near the Bastille and as we progressed toward our destination, the train grew more and more crowded. This culminated in a absolute crush of humanity at the George V metro stop. So much, in fact, that the exits were completely blocked….from the outside! There were so many people on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées that the rest of us couldn't even get out of the terminal! Maybe it was l'Esprit de Paris or they general excitement of the coming new year, but for some reason no one panicked or started to shove their way through the crowd. We eventually turned around and made our way against the tide of people to find a train heading back up to the Concorde where we celebrated with tens of thousand of our closest friends and a bottle of Luxembourg Cremant! 

There was literally nowhere to go!

Nowhere.

Well at least we survived the Metro

In sad fact, the Parisians don't really have a spectacle at Midnight. I imagine that's because normally they are just sitting down to dinner at that hour, so they can't be bothered to make a big fuss. We were told (on good authority) that the city actually spends its entire fireworks budget for French Independence Day in June. Guess we'll have to venture back for that show! 

At the strike of midnight there were a few obligatory bursts over the Arc, the Eiffle Tower shimmered and then we all went our separate ways to wander the side streets and continue partying in the various cafés and restaurants until the early morning hours. 

What possessed these drivers to cross the Concorde at midnight on New Year's Eve is beyond comprehension!

Now that the dust has settled, we are back safe and sound in the Grand Duchy. A bit heavier but none the worse for wear. Before leaving we took one last bite at the Pomme du Parigot at a local café while waiting for the train…then is was back home to convalesce for the remainder of winter! 

Happy New Year form Luxembourg! Wishing everyone a most prosperous 2015!!!

Brian & Jeni.

PSP - Please Send Pepto!

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!

A November to Remember

Cimetière Norte Dame after All Saint's Day

As far as months go, November rarely stands out as one that invokes a lot of nostalgia. Sure there's Thanksgiving at the end of the month, but mostly it's the just a cold period after the onset of autumn and the before beginning of the Holiday Season. Here in Luxembourg, the only official holiday is All Saint's Day on the first. Thanksgiving is celebrated sporadically among expats from the US and Canada, but mostly this is a time to get everything sorted out at the office before Christmas and the ever-popular winter ski season. The good news is that Jeni and I were able to find a slew of events to keep us busy even if an ad-hoc Thanksgiving isn't in our future this year.

Just after the dust settled from our Halloween experience, Jeni and I attended the 239th Annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball. Elsewhere in the world, an invite to such an exclusive event would be hard to come by…not so much here in the Grand Duchy where there are exactly five (5) active duty marines. To fill the remaining seats in the banquet hall, our Marines send out invitations to the myriad of expats, former military members and of course those of us in the Ice Station Zebra community. The evening was a "Class A - Black Tie" affair, so of course, Jeni and I had to go for the experience. We were joined by our friends Tom and Oivi, and in yet another surreal experience, Jeni and I were the only Americans at our table that night! Yep, in a room of 200 people (mostly Americans) we found ourselves dining with an international cohort from Japan, India, German, France and Finland. It was a lot of fun, but perhaps the highlight of the evening was when the Guest of Honor, a Three-Star General, took the floor and executed a flawless version of the Electric Slide (or whatever the kids are line-dancin' to today).

Otherwise, this was a very nice evening in which we had the opportunity to get dressed up in formal wear and rub elbows with all sorts of interesting people.

Standing next to a Marine always improves you posture!

As you know, I am still participating in the local Ultimate Frisbee Club, and November has seen quite a bit of activity on this front as well. Last week was what we shall refer to as "the week of the flying disc."  There was a tournament on the weekend as well as the usual training, but the highlight (ahem) was our team's presentation at the Sports Gala for a nearby town of Differdange. 

In an effort to expose more Luxembourgers to our niche sport and increase our own team's profile, we decided to put together a short production on the sport and about our team. This was followed by an exhibition of our mighty frisbee skills. Yet again I found myself in a banquet hall full of people, buffets and loads of glass stemware. This time (and I really don't know how I find myself in these situations) I was to hurl a 175 grass piece of plastic over the heads of a few hundred athletes and their families. What could go wrong?

Yep, that was my view from the tribunes above the banquet!

Fortunately I made it through the throw-and-catch without causing any damage, but a couple of teammates weren't as lucky. An empty glass was clipped, and someone just happened to make contact with the head of an elderly gentleman. He was not injured, nor was he amused. It's a good thing the errant throw came from an attractive blond German because although she apologized profusely (auf Deutsch) it could have been much worse if I had to try and sort that mess out!

Yeah, I appear to wearing something form the Captain Kirk Collection. Weird.

November's real highlight came two weeks ago when Michele's mom visited from Bologna. Somehow we coerced her into a Pasta Workshop…the night before she was to fly back home! Yes, we were able to strong-arm Michele's mom into teaching ten of us how to make the perfect pasta from scratch. Participating in this workshop will definitely go down as one of the most memorable moments Jeni and I have had so far in Luxembourg. How often do you get the opportunity to watch an Italian Maestra create home made pasta, and then try to replicate? Almost never…that's the answer! 

Héléne and Thierry forming the dough...

…and my attempt which ended up better than any previous pasta I've made!

Sheer Genius…It must be said that I did request workshop, and I'm ever-so-glad I did :)

I have made my own pasta numerous times, but observing Ivana form the dough, work it into a pliable mixture and run it through the pasta machine was absolutely sublime. I think I stole at least a dozen techniques within the first 30 minutes of her 'demonstration.' There must be something genetic because she made it look so easy, but by the end of the evening, we were all in the swing of it. The best part, by far, was eating our results. Michele and his mama, Ivana, had already prepared an authentic Bolognese sauce, but they were gracious enough to make Jeni and I a Gorgonzola sauce which led to another discussion entirely. Apparently we broke centuries of tradition by actually topping a tagliatelle noodles with gorgonzola. Just to appease the pasta gods, we were served gnocchi along side a small portion of this "experiment." 

Tamara, Michele and Ivana…a true Dream-Team in the kitchen! 

Now that I have hopefully made you hungry, let's get ready for Thanksgiving. We don't have any real plans this year. There are sporadic dinners in the area, but nothing that makes one feel like he's at an authentic family feast. Of course, we miss our families and dear friends. Our new acquaintances have partially filled this void, but, unfortunately, this doesn't make up for the time apart from our loved one's back home. I suppose that's one of the downfalls of the Grande Aventure. That said, we miss you all, and we are wishing you the warmest Day of Thanks in 2014! Eat a bunch of food, drink a little too much and enjoy each others company. We'll be thinking of you! After you've dined, I hope you experience a scene like this while you watch the big games :)

All that's missing is an empty bottle of Lancer's and the warm glow of a 60" plasma TV.

Oh where to begin?

Apparently I use that phrase a lot in the blog, but it is often very appropriate. Bear with me as I regale you in this my latest bit of blog-arrhea. After the monumental first nine months of 2014, Jeni and I laid low and relished in the relative calm during the month of October. That's not to say we sat idle and binge watched our backlog of shows on Netflix (which we also did). In the last month we've hosted and have been guests at a bevy of informal events. There was our latest foray to Burgundy with Tom and Oivi, dinners with friends, day trips, frisbee tournaments and of course the Epic Halloween Party in Kirchberg!

Boo.

In the two years we've lived here in Luxembourg, we have

* - I know this may not be realistic...

been very fortunate to find so many wonderful people with whom to share our grand adventure. Just as the leaves began to turn and the evenings brought the crisp chill of autumn air, Tom and Oivi once again invited us down to Culles les Roches in the Burgundy Region of France. Forgive me if I am repeating myself, but one thing you must put on your bucket list is, "find a friend with a country house in Burgundy.*" Dining al fresco in the French countryside is such a wonderful experience, and the weather last month was stupendous. Our days were bright and sunny with mild temperatures, and at night a cool mist would roll in from the surrounding hills making the fireplace cozier and wrapping the quaint village in a gauzy ether. Our garden project continues, albeit a bit slower than anticipated. Contractors can be the same everywhere is appears. Undaunted, we will persevere. This is becoming a personal challenge for me, and I am using these little trips to better understand the cultures we are discovering.

…but you should try :0 Thanks as always, Tom!

Culles les Roches.

JoJo and I on an early morning stroll along the abandoned rail lines.

I won't bore you with all of our comings and goings, but suffice it to say we've been happily active on the dinner scene recently. Our next stop, however, was the bucolic Belgian region of Gaume. Less than an hour away by car, Gaume is in the French speaking section of Wallonia. While Wallonia has its many detractors (the Flemish speaking Belgians being some of the loudest), I personally find it charming and it reminds me a lot of the Piedmont regions of Virginia and North Carolina. Because it is in venerable old Europe, there are loads of historic sites and, of course, the Abbeys where they brew beer and make fabulous cheese! We shared our day trip to Gaume with Christian and Paloma. First we stopped at an ancient priory that has been converted into a restaurant and hotel. Needless to say, even in dog-friendly Belgium, three dogs was a bit too much for their dining room, so we had our aperitif in the gardens and went on our way.

The main house at Le Prieuré de Conques

The owners were very nice, but still couldn't see a table of three people with three random dogs filling their lovely dining room. Christian was a bit crestfallen, but the proprietors told us of a fun bistro a bit further down the Semois River. There we set up on the terrace and enjoyed a traditional lunch of omelets, wild mushroom toasts and wild deer (of which Jeni and I did not take a bite). Our boys sure seemed to enjoy the rare treat as Christian shared with them. I think he takes pity on our dogs because Jeni and I are vegetarians. That's OK, I think it reminded Toby and Jonas of our time at our old country house where deer hooves were like manna from heaven!

Photo by Erik Verdonck - www.belgian.beertourism.com

That takes us to Halloween. While the rest of Luxembourg prepared for All Saints Day, our friends Michele and Tamara were busy setting up a shin-dig like few others in the Grand Duchy. As you can imagine, Halloween isn't quite as big in Europe as it is in the States. We were actually caught off guard last year when a troupe of Tick-or-Treaters came ringing the bells in our apartment building! That said, this year we stocked up on candy, readied our costumes in advance and set out with the other ghosties and goblins for a soirée like no other. I was very happy to see that our other expat friends were up for making costumes and merriment! The party was a veritable UN of masquerading mischief makers. Of course the US was represented, but there were folks from Bulgaria to Brazil, Germany to Great Britain, Hungary, Italy to Iceland, and the list list goes on and on! Everyone was in full Halloween spirit, and celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm. The entire evening was a great success. 

Our gracious hosts!

We had a fantastic time, and unbeknownst to us, there was even a Best Costume Contest.  Any guesses who won??? You can see even more great costumes here… 

Well that's it for now. Thanks as always for reading. It's time to get geared up for the rain, prepare the entry for sopping wet pooches and settle in for the long gray winter. Don't worry, we'll find lot more interesting things to share. Don't forget the Winter Holidays are nearly upon us, and there's always the Buergbrennen to look forward to! 

TTFN!