Bakker Bugle Blog » Will

SOPA/PIPA blackout today

Will — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:42:38 +0000

We shy away from politics here at the Bugle Blog, although our editors are quite politically active. Today, we must speak out here, because too many members of the US Congress want to give control of the internet to copyright lawyers and those who stand against free speech.

This boring, little, family-friendly blog has been harassed, repeatedly, under the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998. Big copyright-holders like Viacom and FOX have issued unilateral takedown notices against our homespun videos. For example, the Bugle is forever considered suspect by YouTube due to our legally legitimate use of a snippet of TV coverage of the 2008 Olympics, simply because the IOC issued an indiscriminate legal action against tens of thousands of ordinary people.

We have also had our content — photos and text — stolen by businesses that made money from our work. (Yes, we have a hard time believing it, too.) Illegitimate use of copyrighted material is a problem for some people who earn their daily bread by creating things that are easily duplicated. Those people make some wonderful things, and we should do what we can to protect their hard work.

But there are two bills in the US Congress (SOPA and PIPA, in the House and Senate respectively) that are, as The Oatmeal puts it, “like dealing with a lion that escaped from the zoo by blasting some kittens with a flamethrower.” These bills take the most abused aspects of the DMCA and enlarge them a thousand-fold. The impact of these bills are astonishingly broad. For more information, we recommend:

A great summary of the issues from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Another summary, in video form, from Fight for the Future.
A more academic account from Marvin Ammori
A much less academic take, in animated form, from The Oatmeal.

So today we join the Strike against SOPA. We will resume our usual tripe tomorrow.

Wrapping up the holiday season

Will — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:32:04 +0000

First, we need to finish the previous post and give you the link to our movie of Kleeschen.

In the US, chocolate eggs were for springtime, specifically Easter. In Europe, eggs are for nearly every holiday, including Christmas. Furthermore, the most super-cool eggs of all, Kinder Surprises, cannot be brought to the United States! We made this video to give Americans an idea of what you’re missing.

Finally, yesterday was the last day of the Christmas Market in Luxembourg-Ville. We offer you this retrospective of Luxembourg’s 2011 Marché de Noël. Let’s begin with the market at night, when the decorations really shine.

The central attraction is the heated tent in the front of the stage.

And what does one drink under the tent? Glühwein! (It’s warm red wine.)

And of course, there are a variety of fried goods to go with it.

There’s plenty to see (and to shop for).

Something for everyone!

After years behind scaffolding, the Cercle finally got to dress up for the season.

There’s even a place for inflated Santa.

Anita and I like to meet for lunch at the Christmas Market. Bad for the waistline, but good for holiday spirit!

It’s a great place to shop for gifts.

Apparently, we’re supposed to have a sexy holiday this year. Mrs Claus has dinner for you!

There’s entertainment for the children, day or night.

What says Christmas more than egg rolls and calamari?

With warm wine — workday or not!

Anita’s favorite Christmas Market dessert: chi-chis from Jean Le Gaufre.

Some more decorations…

Oh, there was a bit of “the reason for the season” too.

And, to wrap it up, another video.

Happy New Year everybody! (P.S. It’s called the celebration of Saint Sylvestre here.)

Léiwe Kleeschen, gudde Kleeschen

Will — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:13:09 +0000

Kind Saint Nicolas, Good Saint Nicolas,
brings us all kinds of good things… — Traditional Luxembourgish Carol

Schéi Kleeserchersdag! Happy Saint Nicholas Day! Or, as the partially-Dutch Bakker household says, “Happy Sinterklaas Day!”

Your best source of information on the holiday of December 6th is David Sedaris‘s “Six to Eight Black Men,” especially in audio form.

After listening to that story dozens of times over the past several years, Anita was determined to welcome Saint Nicolas (Kleeschen in Luxembourgish) to Luxembourg. He was scheduled to arrive by train on Sunday the 4th — presumably to allow enough time to find all of the naughty Luxembourgish children and give them their due.

At first, Anita regretted going out in the rain. There wasn’t a whole lot of holiday spirit on the wet streets.

But then Saint Nick turned out of the parking lot and she got a nice photo of his ride.

Long live Kleeschen!

The city government made sure to provide a nice backdrop for the official photos.

“Schwaarze Péiter” according to the Luxembourgish Wikipedia, “Housécker” according to the local newspaper, the dark side of December 6th is otherwise known as “Black Peter.” He wasn’t easy to capture on film. As the wikipedia says, “Foreign tourists, particularly Americans, often experience culture shock upon encountering the character (to dress in blackface is a gross taboo in America).” (The shock must have made Anita’s hands shake.) It seems that this part of the tradition didn’t make it to Wisconsin. (Thanks to Corry for the link!)

Saint Nicolas is a far less controversial figure. If I had to describe him to an American without photos, I’d call him a more dignified and less jolly version of Santa Claus. It wouldn’t be far from the actual story to say that he’s Santa before the marketers got hold of him.

The tourist train was bedecked for its saint-pulling duties.

St Nick had two visits in this part of the city: the Christmas Market, and the Children’s Hospital.

Housécker was just a few steps behind. (Somehow, writing his name in Luxembourgish makes it seem more acceptable to me.)

The name is troubling enough. But the real scandal is what Housécker had come to Luxembourg to do. Once again, I implore you to listen to David Sedaris’s masterpiece.

To see the truth, we must ENHANCE!

That’s a child’s leg, ladies and gentlemen. The naughty children of Luxembourg will be taken by Saint Nicolas and Housécker to Spain — where property values are depressed, government debt holds back the economy, and a right-wing government just came to power. The horror!

As the two walking contradictions gave out treats (and possibly added to their haversack of naughty children), local helpers adjusted the heat on their surrey.

There are more photos from the local newspaper, the Wort. As far as we know, the Bugle is your only source for 2011 Kleeschen VIDEO!

Errr… it seems that YouTube might wind up in Housécker’s sack before long. You’ll have to check back later to see that exclusive video.

Something for the kids

Will — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:30:15 +0000

One thing that holds true across the Western world as we know it: Christmas is devoted to the children. And here in Luxembourg, there’s no Thanksgiving to hold up the beginning of the festivities. Shortly after All Saints’ Day (Nov 1st), the holiday decorations went up. All the leaves are down, and the sky is gray — so why not get started?

The first trimmings I noticed were in a Luxembourg shopping mall, just outside the city. The sights began on the way down the escalator from the car park, and the theme was clear from the outset.

The Enchanted Circus included about a dozen scenes of mechanical animals and performers, mostly in the central courtyard of the mall.

Hopefully this video will help you appreciate the magic of the holidays in suburban Luxembourg.

After a trip around the circus, one is in the proper frame of mind to visit the hypermarket, Europe’s equivalent of Wal-Mart and Target.

Yes, there are some unusual options to dress up your home — including your bathroom (or “toilet” as we say here). Don’t you want to see Santa doing his business, as you do yours?

At about the same time, the good folks of Trier started building their Christmas Market. We’ve been going to Trier’s Christmas Market for years. Somehow, we missed the fact that Trier has a Mulled Wine Queen!

Just beyond the market, we found a delightful storefront of LEGO goodness!

We can’t wait to visit Luxembourg‘s Christmas Market, so keep watch for some more holiday spirit from the Bugle!

Begging your patience

Will — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:35:37 +0000

We beg your patience once again. It has been a busy month at the BBB&B.

Incidentally, we have a new policy regarding maximum occupancy at the BBB&B. Without prior arrangements, we can accommodate two (2) adult guests at one time. Children under a parent’s care do not count against this limit. Any pet over 30 kg — whether horse, dog, cat or honey badger — counts as two (2) adult guests.

In the near future, the Bugle will celebrate Halloween, visit an ancient spa in the southeast of Luxembourg, and taste test the baked goods of many lands and most prominently the Low Countries.

In the meantime, we’ll offer a special bonus for past BBB&B guests who can identify the location of each of the photos below!

Not so prompt these days

Will — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:35:42 +0000

Rest assured, friends. We will have a blog again — soon.

In the meantime, some photos, without descriptions, for your pleasure.
Click to enlarge!

Schueberfouer does not mean “Sheep Fair”

Will — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:00:04 +0000

So “fouer” pretty clearly means “fair” in Luxembourgish. I was under the impression that “Schueber” was related to the word “sheep” for a while, because the opening ceremonies feature sheep. Please don’t tell my Luxembourgish instructor that I was so far off the mark — sheep is “Schof” in Luxembourgish.

After two years of regular attendance of the fair, I was ready to see the opening ceremony for myself.

Nine minutes before the scheduled start, the entrance to the fair was quiet, but it didn’t take long for a surprisingly large crowd to assemble. They filled the space around the entrance to the fair, except for a small area, cordoned off.

Many people recognized one another and began animated conversations, which is typical of the Schueberfouer.

There was a growing anxiety in the crowd as the cameramen and journalists pressed forward.

A group of politicians began assembling inside the cordon, joking among themselves and scanning the crowd. Some time passed, and a woman offered a shot of some golden scissors to the press. They did not seem especially impressed.

The crowd pressed in further. Quite a few people stopped by and shortly moved on, but more surprising were the number that stayed — given that most of them really couldn’t see anything beyond the backs of the cameramen.

Just a minute or two after five o’clock, a tall man in a resplendent jacket moved through the crowd to the center of things. He was Paul Helminger, Mayor of Luxembourg-Ville. He bantered with the multitude, smiled a lot, and posed for lots of photos. He cut the ribbon into about a dozen pieces, handing out the slices to his fellow luminaries.

Once the scissors were sheathed, the media descended and the interviews began. But where were the sheep?

I moved outside the crowd, scanning for ungulates. About half the crowd moved to the nearby beer stand.

The other half seemed to have turned 180 degrees, facing down the midway. Still no sheep in evidence, but this was a clue!

Now that the politicians were dispersed, perhaps the crowd turned to the sheep for amusement. Driven by my goal — to see some of the famous Schueberfouer sheep — I surveyed the possible routes to head off the parade.

On a path parallel to the midway, I weaved through the oncoming pack of thrill-seekers. Screams from the fair’s machines echoed off the restaurant’s glass walls as I scanned for a way to cut back in front of the procession.

I deliberately overshot my target and headed back down the midway. There were a few people milling around, but nothing like what I expected — a wave of Luxembourgers driven ahead of a herd of sheep.

I rounded a small bend to find my wool-bearing quarry.

I was not impressed. Neither were the band members who appeared to have lost interest in the proceedings.

Seriously, friends — I could have walked off with those five sheep.

Oh, there was still a crowd walking along the midway, about 50 feet behind the sheep. Politicians gave peripatetic interviews, and random fair-goers seemed content to walk along with them.

Sometimes, events in Luxembourg exceed my expectations. This one remains a mystery to me, not quite living up to the glowing descriptions I read in the local papers.

Nevertheless, the fair itself needs no hype. Do you like to be flipped upside down and flung around at a purported 5 G’s? As you like.

Would you like a dose of the best of American culture while you are tossed hither and thither? First, answer me this: Do you think those posters are product placement, or is the Fun Fair paying licensing fees to the UFC?

Who cares, when you can stop by the Kir Royal stand anytime, day or night?

My favorite Schueberfouer pastime is finding a seat in a beer garden that faces the fun and games, and then having a procession of tasty little glasses of beer brought to me.

Assumption Weekend

Will — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:37:39 +0000

This Monday was the Feast of Assumption and we used our time to challenge assumptions about Luxembourg…

Nope. Can’t do it.

The Bugle Style Guide expressly forbids earnest and cheesy opening statements like that one. Let’s start over. To the right, a preview of the most exciting part of last weekend. But first…

A three-day-weekend means three mornings of sleeping in. We planned our time accordingly, although we passed up the opportunity to visit the Cat Club.

Friday evening: The Grand Duke’s Palace. We don’t have pictures from this guided tour, because photos aren’t allowed. (Will is still smarting from getting caught by security while taking sneaky-shots in the Ville’s Museum.) We’ll leave the guile up to other photographers. Remember the finish for the Prologue of the Tour of Luxembourg? That’s the palace in the center. The Grand Ducal family will stand out on the balcony for special events.

It was a good tour and a lovely palace. Lots of German ancestors on the walls, and several charming contemporary portraits of the Grand Duke Henri’s family. Old furniture, fine tapestries, you get the idea. Our tour guide was informative and good humored. Plus, the proceeds go to charity!

Nota bene: The window for visiting the Palace is open for about six weeks each year, and you have until August 30th if you’d like to see it this year.

Saturday: Crappy weather, went to the Farmer’s Market, watched Wonder Boys. Briefly considered going to Picadilly, but we resisted the temptation to sample what is, effectively, a European wine cooler. (Teresa says, “It’s classy because it’s European!”)

Sunday: Crappy weather, watched The Princess Bride, ordered Chinese for dinner. Mission accomplished!

Monday: Lovely weather! Anita hustled us out to a hike around the Müllerthal (Little Switzerland) that we’d been planning for weeks. It was a short drive that led us to the little town with the address Müllerthal, Müllerthal, Luxembourg (Région Müllerthal).

The Müllerthal Trail is probably the most popular hiking destination in Luxembourg. It is certainly the most widely recommended by tourism guides in English!

Our crack staff of Bugle Guides know the core sights of the area pretty well, because we take just about every visitor to see the beautiful Luxembourgish woods. The geology makes for stunning rock formations and delightfully rough trails.

We followed the official Müllerthal Trail Two, for the most part. Sometimes, the trail runs along the top of some ridges, and sometimes through the valley. It’s a great way to see the sights from diverse points of view.

In the midst of all the standard-issue beauty, we saw the biggest slug EVAR.

For the first half of the hike, we made our way to the Schiessentümpel, the most popular waterfall in Luxembourg. We walked the ridge above the waterfall and then dropped down to the valley of the Black Ernz.

Most of the visitors drive to a parking lot less than a kilometer away, and walk along the road. We approached the bridge along the rock-faced cliffs on the other side of the river.

It is an irresistible subject for photography.

Most of the photos in this post were taken by our visitor, Teresa. She experimented with Will’s “big” camera, and she’s quite talented. Her best shots aren’t of the descriptive, “postcard” variety that we feature here. So we may need to do an online exhibition of her work later this year.

There were more people hiking and walking and driving around the Schiessentümpel than we’ve ever seen before. That’s no surprise, given that it was August and a three-day weekend in most parts of the region. Will said “Moien” to just about everyone, and very few responded in Luxembourgish. Again, no surprise.

The second part of the hike took us away from the crowds and onto a path that was new for everyone. We were delighted to discover that the well-tended trail weaved through the rock formations, with natural courtyards and delicate tunnels among the trees. Some of the formations have names (like “Eulenburg” below) and are associated with centuries-old legends and ghost stories.

We turned around before we reached Consdorf, bushwhacking and looking for another trail, before we settled for a logging road.

It didn’t take long before we were back at the Heringer Millen, a tourist center with a café and lots of useful information. In many tourist areas, there’s a compass-orientation installation — usually pointing the directions to well-known cities. Here, a novel version points to nearby sites of interest. (The project’s website seems broken. Here’s a link to a German-language, Flash-heavy webpage, if you’re desperate.) This cool, er… “thing” would be a good place to start a hike! (N 49.789553, E 6.305889)

Look at that sky! We hadn’t seen a day like this for weeks…

Naturally, Anita and Teresa absorbed the rest of the sun from our apartment’s balcony. Will went to see Captain America 3D, courtesy MyMosaik.lu — but that’s another story.

Prompt Post: Gala Tour de France

Will — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:42:42 +0000

The Gala Tour de France whipped through Luxembourg-Ville last night, and we were there!

The race — fifty laps around the Gare neighborhood — included some of the greatest cyclists in the world: the Schleck brothers (accounting for two-thirds of the Tour de France podium); Thomas Voeckler, French hero of the 2011 maillot jaune; and many more.

There were balloons!

Groups of children rode around the course as part of the introduction of the featured cyclists. Here’s Fränk:

And there’s Andy:

Anita found the Schleck Brothers Fan Club tent and got herself a memento. Now she’s ready for next year’s Tours of Luxembourg and France!

As soon as the race got underway, Fränk went on a mini-breakaway — but it’s hard to get a lot of distance on a 1.7 km course!

There they go again:

Around again:

It was a nice opportunity to fiddle with my camera’s settings.

Here’s the podium stage:

To be honest, we were too tired to wait for the presentation of the winner (which turned out to be Fränk). Did we mention that there were balloons?

You can see Anita’s pride in the Luxembourgish brewing and alcohol-distribution sector. She gave away four beers in order to get her hands on this bit of promotional material. She was too shy to address people in English, and she asked me to explain what she was doing. So I stopped people and told them to have a free beer, in broken French, while Anita held out a plastic cup with a big smile on her face. We can’t imagine that we looked very trustworthy, but some people accepted the beer anyway.

Did we mention there were balloons?

Lazy link of the day: Photos at RTL.lu

Hopefully, we’ll get to show you the video of the Schlecks being Nice Guys during the kids’ race. But the directors are in a power struggle over The Bugle’s Debt Ceiling, so it may take a while.

Note from the Chairman of the Board: This post represents a new angle on Bugle news. For almost a year, our greatest value and singular focus was high-quality content. While we will maintain a high standard for our postings, The Bugle now has a new drive to excellence, in the key area of timeliness. You can look forward to postings that give you, dear reader, the latest in Bakker-related news, without excessive filters and protracted minutia. For example, the events recounted here transpired just 24 hours ago! In select cases, The Bugle will publish a comprehensive follow-up with the wide-ranging research and brilliant presentation that you’ve come to expect.

Also, contrary to Will’s irresponsible rumor-mongering, The Bugle will continue to honor its commitments for the foreseeable future.

Tour de Luxembourg: Part 2 of 2

Will — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:22:19 +0000

The Tour de France is reaching its climax, so naturally the Bugle turns its attentions to the Tour of Luxembourg of early June 2011. (Plus, yesterday’s rest day gave me some extra time to catch up.) Part One took you to the opening time-trial in Luxembourg-Ville (the Prologue), and from the beginning of Stage 1 in the west of the country to the end in the south-east. Part Two will tell the story visually, so check your computer’s volume and click along!

We propose two videos to review our experience of those two days. You may want to watch each video in HD by clicking on the YouTube button and then the full screen button (four arrows pointing outward).

The photosets have detailed descriptions: Part One, Part Two.

After our comprehensive coverage of the first three days (Prologue, Stage One and Stage Two), we had our own rest day for Stage Three. (It was far up in the north, a beautiful area, but we were feeling quite lazy that morning.) It sounds like this stage was a lot like the previous ones: a Leopard TREK rider in yellow and the rest of the team with an iron grip on the peloton.

The final day of racing finished in Luxembourg-Ville, practically on our doorstep. Take a look:

And the requisite photoset is ready for your perusal, too.

Voilà!

National Day!

Will — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:22:46 +0000

It’s National Day in Luxembourg! (We posted three times about National Day 2009 — one, two, three — and once in 2010.)

Perhaps this is a good time to note that, for the first time since the 18th Century, the rules of succession for the throne of Luxembourg have changed.

Other than that, we suspect that this National Day will be much like the previous two. The champagne (excuse me, crémant) bottle in the bin at the bus stop is a sign that the Eve of National Day transpired as expected.

Almost every business is closed, in observance of the holiday. A local bank honored the Grand Ducal family in its revolving door.

Fun Fact: By coincidence, today is also a holiday in most of Germany! The rest of Europe had to carry on by itself…

Tour de Luxembourg: Part 1 of 2

Will — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:11:35 +0000

This time last year, just after the 2010 Tour of Luxembourg, Luxembourgish pro cyclists Frank and Andy Schleck were offered leading roles on a new Luxembourgish pro team. Six months later, in January 2011, the world learned that Team Leopard-Trek would have its eye on the Tour de France, from July 2nd to July 24th. With proven talents like Fabian Cancellara, Jens Voigt, and Stuart O’Grady riding with the Schleck brothers, the new team caused a stir in pro cycling.

The team’s ambitions extended to all the major European races. The hype grew as the cycling season began this spring. Cycling commentators dubbed them the number one team on paper.

The Tour of Luxembourg was important to the team from the beginning of the season. It is, after all, Leopard-Trek’s home turf, and the timing and difficulty of the staged race makes it a good tune-up for the Tour de France.

In May, during Stage Three of the Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy), Leopard-Trek rider Wouter Weylandt died after crashing on a descent. The team withdrew from the race the next day, after the entire peloton honored Weylandt by turning Stage Four into a memorial procession. Over the next weeks, the Tour of Luxembourg gained significance as the team dedicated itself to the memory of their friend and teammate.

The prologue was Thursday, June 2nd, on a very short course through the streets of Luxembourg-Ville. Fabian Cancellara, who had several top-three finishes in the spring, finished first and earned the yellow jersey of the race leader for Team Leopard-Trek. That evening he said, “I wanted to get a personal win and a win for the team, but I especially wanted to add to our happiness after our loss a few weeks ago. This win is for Wouter. It is also a win for Luxembourg.”

We were there. I even rode in a chase vehicle for one of the time-trialists, thanks to the generosity of The Expatresse and another local friend.

That’s the build-up. The story continues in the descriptions of our photos from the Prologue, Stage 1 and Stage 2. You’ll find them in the following Flickr sets of photos:

In Part Two: More photos, including the exciting finish under the Gëlle Fra in Luxembourg-Ville, and videos too!

We

Will — Mon, 09 May 2011 13:49:56 +0000

Anita’s work frequently takes her to Zwolle, a city of about 120,000 in the western half of the Netherlands. Will tags along, as often as he can.

We like Zwolle, a lot.

The Bugle accepted no promotional considerations from the tourist board or anything. Will just thinks that a public declaration of our fondness for Zwolle is appropriate at this time.

Zwolle is an old place, inhabited well before the Ancient Romans came. It was granted city status in the 8th Century. It was a prosperous trading town and joined the Hanseatic League in 1407. Here’s one way to consider its historical role: Amsterdam was established in the 13th Century and thrived, in part, due to trade with the more prominent Zwolle.

The oldest part of Zwolle is bounded by a star-shaped moat, crowded with boats of all sizes. The moat connects to the typical Dutch canals surrounding the city, making the whole place feel like the ideal Dutch town.

The area inside the moat is crowded with pedestrian-only retail areas and historical sites. Lots of little shops to catch your eye, some outstanding restaurants, frequent markets, and lots of possibilities for people-watching.

There’s an impressive number of long-standing buildings, with great stories attached to each one. We recommend “Footprints from a Distant Past” available in English from the VVV (which means Tourist Information bureau) attached to the Grote Kerk (which means Big Church, so you can’t miss it).

Zwolle’s apparently commonplace residential areas and suburbs are something special for us, too. The bicycle-road network is standard Dutch, with complex intersections that privilege bikes over cars (and over walkers). If you just tool around the outer parts of the city, you’ll see teenagers holding hands while they bike to school, families traveling in an amazing variety of work-bikes, and a host of little details that make Zwolle distinctive.

And if you’re tired of people, it’s a short trip into the countryside. You’ll feel safe on the bike trails — and the orientation system means you’ll have to work to get lost.

Since we show our love through photos, we put a photoset on Flickr with descriptions and stuff.

By the way, if you’re in the mood for springtime photos from the Netherlands, consider revisiting our post on the Keukenhof from last year!

Big Weekend in Luxembourg, Part 1

Will — Wed, 04 May 2011 19:03:40 +0000

We stumbled into a weekend full of events here in Luxembourg. We missed plenty of them, like the duck race, concerts, and anything after our bedtime (about 9 pm). The ones we did attend did not disappoint.

Saturday morning, we made our usual trip to the market in Place Guillaume (known locally as Knuedler). It’s getting more crowded every week, and we’re as lazy as ever about driving to it. (We could easily cycle there, but with our purchases, and I’m a bit groggy, and well, you know.) That means that we had to park in the more distant garage — about five more minutes walk — but we also walked along the Corniche, with its spectacular view.

Earlier in the week, Anita noticed that the Cercle would have its grand re-opening on Saturday. We’d heard a lot about how beautiful the building was, inside and out. But for our time in Luxembourg, it’s looked, at best, like this:

So we had to go. There was a line of rather mature visitors waiting for it to open. We were easily the youngest of the first 50 visitors. Kids these days — they just don’t know what’s good!

The Cercle Municipal was built in the first decade of the 20th Century as the city’s administration building; it was intended to be a grand piece of public architecture. Now, it’s a conference center. And a splendid conference center it is — if your taste runs to regal ballrooms. This is a side chamber named Salon Bleu:

The Salle des Dames (Ladies’ Room) is below. A pseudo-translation of the promotional webpage: The Ladies’ Room guarantees a more intimate atmosphere and complete tranquility during your reception or meeting. Elegant and charming, this room can accommodate up to 20 people.

Every inch of the place was finished with luxurious details. Anita really liked these square floral arrangements:

Hard to imagine attending a professional conference here, but it would be suitable for an intimate royal wedding reception. There is no lack of suitable candidates right now!

Back out in the sunny Place d’Armes, we noticed a heightened level of tourist activity. Their technology is progressing — this group had the earbud broadcast system, which was once seldom seen outside big attractions.

…and apparently, there was to be a dance party in the near future. Probably after our bedtime.

It wasn’t five minutes before we noticed a disturbance at the end of the street. A protest march was leaving the Gëlle Fra, decked out in hunter’s orange.

Anita physically restrained my curiosity and we went back to the Market instead.

It’s time for summer plantings, so we bought as many flowers as we could carry. I was distracted by the roar of the protest nearby. Just my luck, the orange-garbed marchers had assembled in Place Clairefontaine, on our way back to the parking garage!

I deduced that they were hunters. One of the signs said, “No hunting = no biodiversity.” Aside from that, I was at a loss. The speech was in Luxembourgish, and I’m not able to comprehend full sentences yet.

I found their website, but no news reports in English or French. Nevertheless, we could appreciate their snazzy safety vests and hats.

I must say that I found it unseemly that they wore orange on Queen’s Day, despite showing no outward appreciation for things Dutch.

One last photo from the city center — the tourist train has a new paint job. (It may even be a new tourist train. The Bugle PSI (Photographed Scene Investigation) Unit has a huge backlog, so we’ll have to wait for the verdict.)

No Saturday passes without a few chores around the house. This one was a bit unusual. Will put his Boy Scout training to good use to devise a way of keeping our current houseguest safe. Naturally, the guest herself helped with the project.

This IKEA hack keeps Daryl from chasing ducks in our “backyard”, i.e. the park — without cutting off our beloved spring breezes.

That’s it for this update, and we’re barely past noon! Don’t worry, it won’t take two weeks for me to post Part Two. I swear!

Correction: My lovely spouse informs me that the ever-reliable ARA City Radio did report on the hunters’ protest, and that she, in fact, did send me a link on Monday. She also wants our readers to know that I never read her emails. The upshot is that the hunters claim to be “victims of a witchhunt” and wish to preserve their right to access private landowners’ property.

Boring food, just as I hoped

Will — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:02:12 +0000

When the Bugle staff consider blog topics regarding food, they typically look for exotic or superior products and experiences that might be rare on other continents.

Today, it’s time to recognize the countless products that emulate American favorites. The much-beloved hamburger is a great place to start. We’ll leave the much-disputed history of the hamburger to other information dispensaries. Instead, Will agreed to buy, cook and eat a microwaveable hamburger produced in the British Isles.

Rustlers is the name, and the microwave is its range. From plastic packaging to hot and tasty in seconds, it claims.

Hey, look at that! Complaints are directed to Finglas, not far from our old home in Dublin. Turns out, the Kepak Group is an Irish success story. But there’s no need for journalistic disclosure: I learned this after the taste-tasting, and I never ran into an employee of Kepak around town. (There’s a good chance that I ate a Kepak product at some point, though.)

Back to the burger. I have nothing against convenience food. It usually meets my low expectations. And it’s usually convenient.

On a cold and foggy day in Luxembourg, any warm food would do. What did I hope for? Something like a McDonald’s Hamburger, without having to venture outside my cozy apartment. This looks big enough for dinner. And despite being sold in a Belgian supermarket, it says, “Quarter Pounder” rather than “113.4 Grammer.” So I’m clearly the target market.

I was pleasantly surprised by the packaging of the cheese, which reminded me of the American-style individual wrappings.

Fake grill lines? Check. Disturbing evidence of mass production? Check. Zap it!

Well, the conveyor-belt marks are gone. Color unchanged. Light grease. Good aroma.

At this point, I confronted the most difficult choice a convenience-food-reviewer faces: sauce or no sauce? On one hand, the packaging screamed, “NEW SAUCE!” On the other hand, sauces designed for the British and European markets can be, let’s say, odd. To an American palate, at least.

“Damn the consequences,” I thought. “I’m going for cultural immersion!”

The finished product:

Cut in half, the expert’s method to evaluate taste and mouth-feel.

In the suggested microwave time, it cooked to just the right temperature.

Taste? It was everything I expected.

Pleasant enough.
Slightly soggy bun, and too much bun. No surprise there.
“Meaty” flavor, reminiscent of actual meat.
Inoffensive cheese, nicely complementing the somewhat dry burger

The sauce made the whole burger taste a lot like a McDonald’s hamburger. It’s like Kepak took the ketchup, mustard, and sad little pickles from that burger, pureed them in massive quantities, and packaged them in the ubiquitous little plastic tubes that are infuriatingly difficult to open.

Overall, I’d say that my Rustlers burger Achieved Expectations. A modest merit award for you, little guy!

The next day, I enjoyed a more traditional hamburger at the Marine House. One-hundred percent Grade A beef of American origin. No soy additives, real garnish and condiments. Not really in the same league at all.

But I had to leave the house and talk to people in order to get it.

I speak French with a German accent, apparently

Will — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:19:16 +0000

I had to travel to Morocco to get a straight answer. French adults don’t acknowledge my accent, bless their hearts. French children just say that I talk funny.

Morocco’s unofficial second language is French. (Arabic is the first language, and the Berber family of languages are second, officially.)

Anita says that it is like Florida for France, with all the French retirees in campervans for long vacations, and in the resorts for slightly shorter trips. That certainly appeared to be true in Agadir, a city rebuilt for the purpose of foreign tourism.

My first diagnosis was from a supervisor at one of the resort’s restaurants; she simply assumed I was German.

The next evening, a bartender started counting the ice cubes in my pastis in German. He was beaming with pride that he’d switched to my native language on his own. I chuckled, and that must have given me away.

“You’re German, yes?” he asked in English. When I said that I was American, he erupted with joy. “All my time working here, you’re the first American!”

He was a little unclear on the details (“Chicago is close to Boston, yes?”) but his next words were invaluable. “You speak French like a German you know.”

I’m not sure what to make of this. It’s good to know but I’m racked with curiosity. Is it my pronunciation? The rhythm of my sentences? Can I blame Luxembourg? Or my American Midwest French teachers?

The last full day of our time in Agadir, I stopped to chat with the security guard on the boardwalk. He said, “Too cold for the beach?” and I replied that it was much warmer than I was accustomed to.

“You are German? Germans never mind the cold,” he laughed. I couldn’t help but correct him, especially when he didn’t recognize the name of Chicago. (That was a first for me.) Then I went back to my chaise next to Anita at the pool. I closed my eyes and couldn’t help contemplating how I pronounced the ten words I’d spoken before his guess.

On the day of our departure, Anita introduced me to a Parisian couple that she’d befriended the day before. I attempted to verify my Germanic accent and maybe get a few details.

I can’t say that I was surprised when I received a Gallic shrug in response. A pair of shrugs, actually, and just as William Gibson described them: “that complexly French way that seemed to require a slightly different skeletal structure.”

Three full days in Morocco, each day a similar diagnosis of my French pronunciation. Good to know, but I’m feeling a bit self-conscious now that I’m home.

Grand Duke Jean’s 90th Birthday!

Will — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 20:01:21 +0000

Happy Birthday to His Royal Highness Grand Duke Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d’Aviano of Luxembourg!

Ninety years ago today, Jean was born to the reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Charlotte and her spouse, Prince Félix de Bourbon de Parme. On that day, a tree was planted to commemorate his birth. It’s still growing, in one of my favorite little parks in Luxembourg City. Although the park is near the well-traveled tourist routes and the major shopping district, it feels secluded. (It’s also close to the Best Retirement Home in the World.) What’s more, the park also opens onto a breathtaking view of the Alzette Valley. The photo of the tree is not my own. I do have a photo of the tree, taken on the day that I discovered it with Anita’s mom, Cindy. But as you can imagine, keeping my collection organized is a constant struggle and it would take as long to find it as it took to write this post. The photo of the view over the Alzette is mine, photographed earlier this week.

Back to Jean’s story: He was the presumptive heir to the throne of Luxembourg when Germany invaded Luxembourg in May 1940. The Grand Ducal family escaped the day before the invasion, to Paris. As the war continued, they lived in the UK, Canada and the USA.

In November of 1942, at 21 years old, Jean volunteered for the Irish Guards, an infantry regiment in the British Army. One week after D-Day (1944), he landed in Normandy. In September of that year, he arrived at the border of Luxembourg with the American troops who would liberate his country. (That’s Jean with his father, Prince Félix, at the liberation of Luxembourg City.)

Grand Duchess Charlotte abdicated twenty years later, beginning Grand Duke Jean’s reign. (Abdications are ordinary and proper in modern Luxembourg, unlike some contemporary monarchies.) Jean’s 35 year reign saw Luxembourg become the country it is today: leading the way in European integration, shifting its economic focus from steel to banking, and forging an identity beyond the domination of its neighbors.

In October 2000, Jean abdicated in favor of his son, the currently reigning Grand Duke Henri.

Fun facts about Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Duke of Nassau, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Count of Sayn, Königstein, Katzenelnbogen and Diez, Burgrave of Hammerstein, Lord of Mahlberg, Wiesbaden, Idstein, Merenberg, Limburg and Eppstein:

He’ll celebrate his birthday at the Philharmonie in Luxembourg City, listening to a specially commissioned piece of orchestral music, as well as symphonies by Beethoven and Mozart. Most of the Grand Ducal family is expected to attend.
This year, Jean will be depicted on Luxembourg’s Euro coinage for the first time.
Jean remained a member of the Irish Guards, frequently participating in British Army ceremonies. In 1984, he was made Colonel of the Regiment, the ceremonial head of the Irish Guards.

Most popular posts of 2010

Will — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 13:36:49 +0000

It’s the time of the year for lazy posts based on data from website analysis. Yay! Here are our ten most popular posts from 2010, according to Google. Enjoy the old content…

Will’s attempt to keep up with the mountain bikers of Luxembourg.
A brief description of a violent storm named Xynthia, from March.
Anita’s plea to vindicate her troubles with the local entrances and exits.
Lovely photos of the Keukenhof springtime bulbs display, by Anita. (It’s especially nice to see flowers this time of year, too!)

The first Flat Stanley of 2010. The final results of our second visitor are coming soon!
The best shopping day of 2010, from late October. Wine! Wood! Highly organized shopping bags!
Will’s broadcast debut, from the Tour de France.
The Bugle’s recommendation for a podcast about European History.
Sharon’s guest post on her stay at the BBB&B
Anita’s adventure in Baden-Baden, with more meteorological content.

Finally, from the Bugle Department of Analytic Curiosities: The Bakker Bugle Blog had the most traffic of the year on December 4th, when hundreds of people from the UK googled “milky bar kid” (and variations thereof) — and landed on Anita’s lovingly written post from 2008. Hello, you crazy white-chocolate-craving tommies!

The Best of… lots of things

Will — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 20:05:24 +0000

The staff would like to call your attention to exciting features of the Bugle Blog that you may have missed. We also propose some remarkable news items for your perlustration.

First, the Bakker Bugle Blog has a new service. Our email reminder service will ensure that you never miss a new post! Visit the About This Blog link — also in the tabs above — and you’ll see a section entitled “Subscribe via email”. Submit your email address, follow the link that you receive in a confirmation email, and voilà: you’re a member of the Bugle élite! You’re always welcome to ask for tech support.

By the way, the cool kids prefer to keep track of their favorite websites using RSS feeds, rather than email subscriptions. The staff prefer to use Google Reader to keep track of their feeds. Google has a video to get you started, as well as a more traditional webpage. You can find a variety of Bugle-specific RSS feeds at the bottom of the right column of any blog post.

And, if you’re truly elite, you’ll find us on Twitter — although we’re not really making the most of that one.

We’re sure that you’ll want to subscribe to the RSS feed for our Tumblr. We’ve started using an “On this date” excuse to write mini-posts about all kinds of things: Great Leaders from History, art, fascinating aspects of Luxembourgish nobility, local customs and even disasters.

Then, there’s the category of awesome. Enjoy.

Finally, we need to catch up with recent news from Luxembourg, provided as usual by the extraordinary people at ARA City Radio (with just a few unauthorized additions by the Bugle staff). The headlines are our own.

Feline immigrants may be unwelcome in Germany: A pressure group has formed in Trier in a bid to stop the police shooting panthers dead. Environmental activists say the policy of shoot to kill isn’t justified because any immigrant panthers have clearly made an effort to integrate in the Palatinate, given that no locals have actually been mauled in the last year. The order to get the panther, dead or alive, was given to Trier police on Wednesday. Local hunters have also been encouraged to shoot first and ask questions later, should they find the beast in the forest.; German police have been out hunting the panther [in late October]. They sent a team of officers out to the village of Holzerath after a walker spotted what he thought was the ferocious carnivore in the woods. The police were able to able to find it too, and managed to shoot it, with one of mobile phones. The pictures revealed that it was nothing more than a domestic cat, which had gone feral, out hunting for mice.
The ongoing doctors’ strike: [The last week of October brought] the start of the national doctors’ strike. Patients can expect cancellations and delays as doctors start their work-to-rule over proposed reforms to the health system. They are angry that Health Minister Mars di Bartolomeo wants to create what they call a “national health service”. The doctors union, the AMMD, say this will reduce patient choice. Mr di Bartolomeo wants patients to always visit their GP in the first instance for referral if necessary, instead of the popular local habit of self-diagnosing and heading straight to a costly specialist. The union says it believes the bulk of its 1700 members will join the work to rule. The work-to-rule is indefinite – the union says it will go on until Mr di Bartolomeo backs down.; [...later...] The Doctors union, the AMMD, has sent a letter to its members outlining how they must conduct themselves in the forthcoming industrial action. Starting this Friday, all Luxembourg’s doctors and dentists will only be working a maximum 35 hour week, in a work-to-rule protest against proposed reforms to the health service. Specialists will only be opening their consulting rooms for 20 hours. Non-emergency operations will be cancelled. Doctors will only provide emergency cover, and the AMMD has told them to be wary of patients trying to use emergency services for non-emergency problems.; [...and the latest...] The Doctors Union, the AMMD, has refused to comment on talks its held with LSAP ministers. The meeting was the first between health minister Mars di Bartolomeo and AMMD representatives since doctors started a work to rule in protest at changes to the health system. Earlier this week the AMMD said it would only meet for talks if an independent arbiter was appointed. The AMMD will review whether to continue the work-to-rule next Tuesday.
Wacky terbacky: Lux still anti: Health minister Mars di Bartolomeo says cannabis will remain illegal here. There has been pressure recently to legalise the drug for medicinal purposes. But the minister says that medicinal cannabis use is against the law in in every country. Legalizing its use here would mean Luxembourg breaking international treaties it had signed. The minister added that all medicines used in the EU need to pass stringent safety tests, and none of these have been carried out on cannabis.
Creationist films also unwelcome: LSAP councillors in Luxembourg City have demanded to know why a Limpertsberg cultural centre is showing a film supporting the idea of Creationism. The film, called “Creation” is being shown at the Tramschapp Cultural Centre today. Ben Fayot, one of the LSAP councillors, has called on Mayor Paul Helminger to reveal who is behind the screening of the film. Mr Fayot points to the advice from the council of Europe, warning governments against supporting creationist views.
Still dealing with the last war: Hundreds of homes in Trier are being evacuated following the discovery of a giant bomb. The 250 kilogramme device was unearthed yesterday by builders working on the goods yard near the main station. The bomb was dropped by the British in the Second World War. Every home within 500 meters of the bomb will be evacuated today and this evening a bomb disposal unit will try to defuse it. The main station will be closed while the work is carried out.
Gender and nationality: Luxembourg has made good progress towards improving gender equality over the last year. According to a survey for the World Economic Forum, the Grand Duchy has climbed from 63rd place to 26th in a survey of 134 nations. Scandinavian nations, as usual, topped the table. According to the survey, discrimination against women in Luxembourg exists almost exclusively in the workplace.; [Editor's Note: Ireland ranked 6th and the United States ranked 19th -- up from 31st last year and the first time in the top twenty. That's some rapid improvement!]
Fast & furious: Cross-Border Drift: Belgian police broke up illegal street-racing on the N81 at Messancy on Friday night. Hot-rodders have been gathering every second Friday in the month to hold races on the public roads. As many as 300 people normally show up to watch cars racing between two roundabouts. This time the police were on hand to stop any racing. They handed out several speeding tickets in the process.
Facebook in Luxembourg: Nearly half the population here have registered themselves on Facebook. The social networking site is most popular with people aged between 25 and 29. The site is more popular in Luxembourg than it is in neighbouring countries, although over 40% of people in France and Belgium use. It is much less popular in Germany, where only 18% of the population interested in online networking.
LuxLait [the new destination nonpareil for BBB&B visitors]: Luxlait world opened its doors at the week-end at the company’s new dairy in Roodt. The striking gold visitor centre gives an insight into the world of dairy products in 45 interactive exhibits. The history of milk production since the 19th century is covered. Luxlait says the exhibition isn’t just for kids, and that it was developed by the same company who did visitor centres for Mercedes Benz, Airbus and the European Space Agency.
On the roads of Luxembourg: Volkswagen is the most popular brand of car in Luxembourg this year so far. Figures for car sales in the year to date show that 3300 more new cars were registered as during the same period in 2009. The total number of new vehicles registered is just under 37000, and VW have a 12% share of the market. They’re followed by Renault with a 10% share, then Audi, BMW and Peugeot making up the rest of the top 5. At the specialist end of the market, there are an extra 23 Ferraris, 22 Aston Martins, 19 Maseratis, 10 Bentleys, 4 Rolls Royces, a Lamborghini and a Bugatti on the Grand Duchy’s roads since the start of the year.
The Bold and the Luxembourgish: RTL and the Luxembourg Film Fund are getting together to fill a gaping hole in the country’s cultural heritage. They plan to make the first ever Soap Opera in Luxembourgish about local people. The show will be required to run for a minimum of 12 episodes, and it’s expected to be more of a light hearted series in the mould of the hit French programme Camera Café. The budget is expected to be over a million euros. At the moment the sponsors are reviewing pitches for the series.
Sightseeing 2009: 2009 was not a good year for the local tourist industry. A Statec survey published yesterday that tourist numbers fell by 8% in comparison with 2008. Hotels suffered the largest drop in bookings as companies continued to scale back travel in the face of the recession. In terms of leisure tourists, Luxembourg remains a popular destination for visitors from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.; The lone bright spot in the 2009 Luxembourgish tourism scene was the establishment of the Bakker Bugle Bed and Breakfast. Without its guests and the knock-on effects on Luxembourg’s reputation and glamour, some experts estimate that numbers would have fallen by as much as 15%.
Stop harassing us, America!: Police are asking people who’ve been victims of a telephone hoax to get in touch. The hoaxers are telling people they’ve won a lottery in the United States. They then ask them to hand over their credit card numbers as well as the security code on the back. The police here have now set up a hotline for people who have handed over their details. But they’re asking people who’ve received one of the hoax calls, but ignored it, not to get in touch so the hotline does not become too stretched.
Okay, maybe we deserve it, America.: Two Cargolux managers have been charged in the United States with trying to manuipulate jet fuel prices. Cargolux boss Ulrich Ogiermann and another senior colleague have been charged by a jury in Miami. Cargolux is one of the air freight businesses fined over 100 million dollars last year for colluding to fix prices. The new charges stem from this investigation.
The world’s best magician is Luxembourgish: Local Magician David Goldrake has won a prestigious award. The Golden Mandrake has in the past been awarded to such famous conjurers as David Copperfield and Siegfried and Roy. The winning magician is selected by the French Illusionists Academy every year after they’ve performed in the four day Paris festival of magic. Only the world’s leading magicians are invited to perform. David Goldrake himself said he was thrilled to be honoured with the award and thanked all his fans for their support.
Civil surveillance: arguments versus action: The Society of Criminologists has come down against the use of surveillance cameras. In a new report they say that cameras don’t really help prevent crime. They collected data on the number of crimes committed before cameras were installed and compared the number committed afterwards. The results are broadly similar. The report is published as the legislation allowing the use of surveillance cameras in public places comes up for renewal next week.; [...and a few days later...] Interior Minister Jean-Marie Halsdorf has extended the permit for CCTV in the city centre. He told parliament he had taken the decision after consulting with the chief of police, the attorney general and the city crime prevention committee. Last week the national association of criminologists published a report saying the cameras had had no impact on crime levels in the area. The minister yesterday accused the association of unhelpfully confusing the debate.
Boxing Day for workers?: The OGBL Union says it is angry that some shops are hoping to open their doors on the 26th December. This falls on a Sunday this year. There are rumours that the 5 major supermarket chains here are all planning to open in a bid to maximise their Christmas takings. The Union says Christmas Day and Boxing Day are as important to shop workers as they are to anyone else. Last night the retail association said none of their members would be open on Boxing Day unless there was agreement with staff and unions.
Painting the town red: A man has been charged in connection with a range of offenses on Friday night. He first came to the attention of the police when he stopped his car on the A13 motorway and got into a fight with a prostitute he’d hired. He fled in his car when the police arrived to help the woman. He then tried to ram a police car which set off in pursuit. When he was finally stopped he tried to attack the police with his fists. He finally taken to the police station to sober up, where it transpired that he had caused two other accidents earlier the same evening.
Little Luxembourg stops Giant Google, for now: Google has had to suspend its programme of putting the Grand Duchy on Streetview. The local data commission withdrew permission to film after Google refused to allow individuals to petition the commission to have photographs of their property removed. Google has agreed to allow citizens to block publication of pictures of their property in Germany. But it is refusing to extend the rule to citizens here. According to Google, Germany is a special exception and it won’t be making any more. The data protection commission, the CNPD, has published a form on its website which you can use to suppress and Google Streetview pictures you don’t like.
Christmas spending, by nation: Families here will fork out €1200 euros each on average celebrating Christmas here. Just under €800 of this will be on presents, with the rest being spent mainly on food and drink. The figures come from a survey of Christmas spending in 19 different European countries by accountants Deloitte. It will come as no surprise that Christmas spending in Luxembourg is higher than all the other countries surveyed, and is twice the average. But there were some surprises in the survey. People in Ireland are the second heaviest spenders at Christmas despite the difficult economic situation there. And 22% of French people buy presents using the points on the supermarket loyalty cards.

Luxembourg has awesome colors in autumn

Will — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:27:00 +0000

Luxembourg’s forests gave us a great show of colorful foliage this fall.

More words later. Pictures now!

Click on the photo to see the large-ish image. (Sorry for the gallery. I’m not a fan of this interface, but I’ve yet to find a stable alternative that’s worth installing.)