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.

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!

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

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.

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.

I shopped the idea around to Will and a few friends, but no one was interested in my plan: “Let’s get up and be on the road by 6:15 to see hot air balloons!” I will admit that when my alarm went off at 5:45, even I began to question whether this was a good idea. I checked the weather – overcast, but no rain. I had no excuse to crawl back into bed. To the balloon festival for me!

Technically, this event is called the World Balloon Trophy, an event that began in 1995. The festival started on Wednesday, but the crappy weather has cancelled at least two planned flights. From my previous balloon festival experience, I knew that the air was still in the morning and around dusk, and that makes for excellent flights.

I took off to Echternach on the back roads, since traffic is meant to be a killer, what with the Germans heading off on holiday in one direction, and Belgian and Dutch the other. Last year, we paid to park in the lot close-by, but I hoped that the crowds would be light so early. “Light” doesn’t begin to describe what I found.

The festival’s park was deserted. As I walked towards the viewing areas, I began to grow concerned that the morning flight was cancelled. Not long after that, I saw some activity on the “island” in the lake.

Normally, spectators would be kept off the island during the preparation and the launch. Since there were maybe 10 of us, security was light. I started off on the island bridge, because I didn’t want to be disruptive. It didn’t take me long to get my nerve and walk around and through the various balloon teams.

This experience was… AWESOME! I was right up and around the balloons. It is surprisingly loud during the prep. The balloons are initially inflated using cold air from a generator-powered fan.


Eventually, they switched over to the flame and heated air.

But once all the balloons had their shapes, the only sound was the occasional use of the burners to keep them inflated.


One by one, the balloons were released and each floated up into the sky.

But these are professionals, vying for the World Balloon Trophy. They were excellent pilots. They went up, then dropped back down.


Some went close to the water while others dipped in the trees.


They floated left, then back right.

They hovered over the launch site, while we gaped up at them.

Everyone enjoyed the amazing view of the graceful craft against a beautiful backdrop. It is not often you see 11 hot air balloons take off at once, in a small space. I was giddy with excitement. Below is a panoramic shot, so it’s really almost 360 degrees of balloons surrounding me.

Check out the video — you can hear the burners that I mentioned above.

Eventually, they started to spread out and float off into the distance. The chase cars packed up and rolled out…. my balloon viewing was done for the day. I made the long trek back to the car. In my concern about crowds, I parked about 500 meters farther away than I needed to. Heck, I think I could have driven directly up to the launch island before anyone would have said “Boo.”

Seeing the launch confirmed my desire to take a hot air balloon ride. I believe they are relatively common to do here in Lux. So I’ll be adding that chore to Will’s agenda.

If you’d like to see more, you can wait to see our full photo set, or you can look at the official photos from Saturday morning.

Bugle Public Engagement Officer’s note: If you’d like to take a balloon ride in Luxembourg, be sure to mention it when you book with the BBB&B!

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.

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!

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…

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:

• Tour de Luxembourg, Prologue and Stage 1
• Tour de Luxembourg, Stages 1 & 2

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

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.

In the past, I was a Diet Coke gal, but then Coke Zero stole my heart.

Anyone that spends a day with me will realize that caffeine has a powerful effect on my system. In the US and Ireland, I tried to manage that by drinking caffeine-free Diet Coke as much as possible.

Then we moved to Luxembourg.

For those not as knowledgeable about the world of Coke, Diet Coke is not sold on the Continent. Instead, we get Coke Light. The formulations are different enough that while I can drink Coke Light, I do not enjoy it as much as Diet Coke — and Coke Zero blows them both out of the water. Slowly, over the last two years, I’ve been drinking less and less Coke Light “sans caféine” and more and more Coke Zero… with all the caffeine.

In a perfect world, Coke would produce a caffeine free version of Coke Zero. However, I learned during my correspondence with the Coca-Cola company that they wanted to build the Coke Zero brand before putting additional versions on the market. (Yes, I did write them. Yes, I did receive a personal response.)

Then, a miracle happened. In February, I was on a business trip in the Netherlands. I was discussing my soda habit with a colleague and I mentioned that one of my greatest desires was caffeine-free Coke Zero. I nearly fell off my chair when he replied, “Oh, they have that.”

Indeed they do. Since February 2010, France has been selling it. France was the first country in the world to get caffeine-free Coke Zero. The Netherlands got it in January 2011. When I learned all this, my heart raced — and I had to get to France!

On the first possible Saturday morning, I coaxed Will into the car and we drove to the closest chain grocery store across the border. As we walked through the store, I dared to dream. Would they have it? How much should I buy? We headed down the soda aisle and there is was, in all its black and gold glory.

I would have bought it all. Will convinced me to stop after 16 six-packs and 11 one-point-five liter bottles. The cart (and the car) were a joyous wonder of Zero.

The only aspect that took a small shine off the day was the prospect of shopping in France every three or four weeks, to resupply. But that wasn’t a big deal, with the border so close, and I was smiling all the way back to Luxembourg.

I’m happy to report that Coke Zero “sans caféine” is just as tasty as the regular. I’ve slowly titrated down from the caffeinated variety, as to not feel the effects of going cold turkey. I thought that life couldn’t get better.

I was wrong.

I was shopping at our local grocery store the very next weekend after our trip to France. Will needed some regular old Coke, with sugar and caffeine — because he is a (pudgy) rebel! As we rolled down the aisle, I could not believe what was on the shelf in front of me — Coke Zero “sans caféine” had arrived in Luxembourg!

It was a miracle! I would no longer have to drive to France to get my beverage of choice — it had come to me. Life could not be any better…

…unless I could convince them to start stocking Diet 7-up again!

But recently, we have been going to the Farmer’s Market at Place Guillaume. The market is open on Saturday mornings and we love getting some fresh produce, delicious apple juice for Will and cut flowers for me.

The prices are so reasonable, I’ve been going…. well… a little flower crazy.

Hence last week’s purchases:

This was taken five days post-purchase, so they aren’t at their very best. But aren’t they beautiful? Beautiful…. but deadly!

Our advancing ages have made both of us susceptible to the pollen from the lovely flowers. Apparently, our allergies cannot handle the continued, unrelenting exposure and even the various antihistamines we consume daily haven’t kept us from sneezing and headaches. Will was convinced for a couple days that I had a nefarious and complex plan to off him, except I was suffering as much (or more) than he.

I was forced to accept that four different kinds of cut flower at once is too much to have in our home. So this week, I had to do with only daffodils (or jonquils as they are known at the grocery store) and hyacinths.

While we are still running at a high pollen count, the level is tolerable. The joy and pleasure I get from the flowers easily offsets the small price to pay. As a Midwesterner, I’m thrilled to have spring flowers available… in March! I think we can say that Spring is just around the corner for Luxembourg.

Especially when the crocuses are popping up everywhere:

I’m going to guess that you chose option A: Anita goes to a wine tasting, not option B: Will is sick all weekend and jealous that Anita got to go to a wine tasting.

Indeed, I spent both Friday and Saturday night exploring the wonders of the Bordeaux and Aquitaine region with the Fédération des Vignerons Indépendants d’Aquitaine wine tasting. Our friends, Dick and Kristy* went to the event last year and raved about not only the awesome wine, but the reasonable prices.

I took the bus to the event after work on Friday, meeting Kristy and Dick. Since they had prior experience, they immediately informed me of the action plan. We needed to hit the great ones from last year first, before exploring. No wine was to be purchased on Friday night, as that was the tasting night. Wine would be purchased on Saturday. Since I was along for the ride, any strategy was a good one to me. So I grabbed my glass and followed along!

While I tried a lot of great wine and a few other items, I only purchased from two chateaus. (Will says it should be «chateaux» — what a snob.) I thought I would tell you a little bit each one and what I took home for the BBB&B wine cellar. Guests booking for 2011 may reserve any of the following bottles. (Supplies are limited!)

Chateau #1 is Chateau Haut-Chatain for their excellent Pomerol. Before moving to Luxembourg, I had never heard of Pomerol. It’s amazing – a simple blend of Merlot (90%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%).

[Ed. note: The name isn't from the blend, but the region. That's the way French wines are named.] [Author's note: Will, you're just sounding pompouser.]

We sampled the 2001 and the 2002. Both were terrific. Still, they were quite different. I was surprised to learn that they came from the exact same vines and have the exact same blend of grapes. Then I learned one of many of the evening’s fun facts: The summer of 2001 was much warmer than the summer of 2002, which gives the 2001 a more spicy taste (to me, at least).

Chateau #2 is Chateau de Bonhoste. This Chateau had a broader selection with three different Bordeaux that I fell in love with: the Bordeaux Rouge, the Bordeaux Superieur and the Bordeaux Superieur Cuvee Prestige. The Rouge was smooth and creamy, the Superieur a bit more spicy and the Prestige even more spicy and complex. The sellers were kind enough to speak English with me, so I learned the reasons for the differences. The Rouge is done in steel with juice and skins, but the skins don’t stay in for very long. The Superieur is also done in steel, but the skins stay with the juice much longer. The Prestige is done in oak, with the skins.

Basically, the more time with the skins, the more “spicy” the wine becomes – or at least that was what I got out of the conversation. Please feel free to tell me in the comments I got it completely wrong. Will, you may not “translate freely” from your silly Hachette guide.

With all this wine tasting, you need a snack. Does anything go better with wine than cheese? How about some duck? Not only was there a French cheese producer offering some of the most challenging and delicious cheeses, but there was also a French duck farm selling a multitude of items. While duck has never been my thing, this fell under the “when in Rome” category of life. Dick, Kristy and I split a duck sampler platter – two kinds of pate, duck sausage and the incomparable smoked duck breast. In fact, the smoked duck breast was so incredible that I purchased some for Will and me to share.

The cheese was incredible too. It was Ossau-Iraty which is far more special than I realized, as it is only one of two sheep cheeses that has been granted Appellation d’origine contrôlée status.

Personally, the goat cheese was a bit strong for me, but I loved the “vache et de brebis” – cow and sheep. I bought a chunk to bring home on Friday and more on Saturday.

Saturday night we were joined by two more friends, Pete and Kathy*, the owners of Sylvester. I enjoyed dragging Kathy to the two Chateaus that I was planning to purchase from. I needed a second opinion since my wingman Will was absent. Kathy agreed with my choices (and wasn’t nearly so supercilious). So I made the purchases. My biggest decision was how to decide between the two Pomerols. Both years were great – just different. Thankfully, I was spared the agony of a decision when the gentlemen from the Chateau suggested a split case – 3 bottles of 2001 and 3 bottles of 2002. Sold!

Since the wines from Chateau de Bonhoste were reasonably priced, I ended up with four cases: one Rouge, two Superieur and one Prestige.

Between my purchases — and Pete and Kathy’s — we needed a hand truck to get them to the car. Kristy and Dick chose to go back on Sunday and get their purchases, so we didn’t have to worry about room in the car on the way home.

This type of event is one of the many where Will and I would say “Oh, we should go….”, even mark our calendars … but then never leave the house. That’s the best part about friends: they drag you out to fun and enjoyable activities, which this was, in spades. I dare say that Will cannot wait for next year and I hope he is healthy and can join me…. although we will have to be careful to avoid over-buying!

* Names changed per the Bakker Privacy Protection Policy.

Faithful Tumblr followers might remembering seeing a post that the city was opening the tunnel for just a few hours one Sunday. I’ll be honest – it wasn’t the tunnel that I thought we were going to get to see. I thought it would be the tunnel under the Petrusse River that once connected two sets of casemates. Instead, we saw a tunnel that is under the ENTIRE old city. For those who have been lucky enough to come to (or live in) Luxembourg, we can be more specific: we walked directly under the old city plateau. So it wasn’t “ancient rocky fortress” cool but “we’re really walking right under all that” cool.

Now, if Will were writing this post, you could count on some awesome maps, some historical details and an over-arching theme. Me, I’m going to show you a map I whipped up with powerpoint and a couple stars and prattle on a bit.

[Ed. - It was awful! She sent me this PDF file that I had to re-convert, and I'm concerned about copyright violations -- please don't sue us, Ville de Luxembourg, and thank you for the map -- and the stars look flattened because powerpoint is not an appropriate tool to make illustrations.]

At the yellow star (close to the Golden Lady), we entered the tunnel. The dotted line follows our path under the city (or a close approximation). The red star is where we popped out.

I’m not positive, but I think that every third person in Luxembourg came out that day. The critics agree. See the line?

It took less time than you would think before we entered the tunnel. As this is an underground tunnel, the photos aren’t going to be so exciting. But we’ll show you what we can! (Very low light photography is very hard. We’ll just call it “artistic” okay?)

The tunnel is big and easy to move through, as long as people didn’t cluster.

But what’s that, you say? Aren’t there supposed to be exhibits to learn about water and other water-related matters? Well, yes, there are – and they are perfect to cluster around!

The tunnel is over one kilometer long, and for the most part, it was very clean and tidy. At this point, it does not surprise me that the underground tunnels in the Ville are neater than my garage.

We enjoyed looking at some of the displays, but there were so… many… people….

Mainly we enjoyed the walk. Maps hung here and there allowed us to see where we were along the way.

Towards the end, I teased Will, saying, “The only thing this tunnel needs to make it a traditional Luxembourg experience is a band and someone selling sausages and beer.” Not long after that, I heard the music and smelled the meat. Indeed, close to the end of the tunnel was a band playing next to the refreshment stand, where you could get your sausage and drinks.

Overall, it was not the most impressive Luxembourg outing we’ve had. However, I’m glad we did it because (1) it is awesome to walk underneath the area that I work in everyday and (2) we confirmed our suspicion that the only way to get locals to come out is to serve food and drink!

If you’re lucky enough to be in Luxembourg on February 13th, the Aqua Tunnel will be re-opened, by popular demand. Is there a better way to start Valentine’s Day with your loved one? Or to celebrate World Water Day a little early?

If Will is really sweet, he’ll work up a Flickr set tomorrow, and link to it in the comments. Until then, the polyglots can enjoy video, while English-only underachievers are stuck with a few snapshots from a local website.

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.

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.

]]> http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2010/11/12/the-best-of-lots-of-things/feed/ 6 http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2010/11/05/luxembourg-has-awesome-woods-in-autumn/ http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2010/11/05/luxembourg-has-awesome-woods-in-autumn/#comments Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:27:00 +0000 Will http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/?p=1679 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.)

]]> http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2010/11/05/luxembourg-has-awesome-woods-in-autumn/feed/ 3 http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2010/10/22/best-shopping-day-of-2010/ http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2010/10/22/best-shopping-day-of-2010/#comments Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:44:00 +0000 Anita http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/?p=1644 Last Saturday, totally out of the blue, Will and I had the best shopping day ever, or at least of 2010. Here’s our story:

It’s a special time of the year in Luxembourg – it is the fall wine season. Our preferred grocery store had issued a special flyer listing all the wines that would be available.

Will took his responsibilities seriously. Like a young boy with the Sears Wishbook, he sat down with the flyer, his Hachette guide and a fresh sharpie. His goal – find excellent wines at a reasonable price for us to sample.

There were several that he was excited about.

With the preparatory work complete, we headed off to the grocery. Will took the cart and started finding his wines, while I gathered our regular groceries. After a time, I rejoined Will. He has filled one paper box with six bottles of wine, our traditional way of bringing wine home. (We tend to avoid wine in plastic jugs.) He had several more bottles, so we needed a second box. Since he normally handles the wine duty, I was uncertain where to get the boxes. So we walked together to get a second box.

As we walked up to the area of the store with the wine cartons, the day turned from good to fantastic. The day became the day I will remember for a very long time. The day became…. the day I found the reusable wine shopping bag!

I had spied other shoppers for months with various reusable wine shopping bags. I had coveted, from a distance, their awesome compartments that keep wine (and olive oil) separate and safe. Oh, how I had wanted one!

It is unclear how long the bags had been available. Apparently, I had not effectively communicated my desire to my life-partner, as he was shocked and amused by my joy.

While I was gushing over my new bag, he was eyeing the wooden crates used to store and display most of the wine. He wanted a box – oh, how he wanted one of those boxes!

We continued strolling the aisles when we saw an empty wine crate, just sitting there – practically begging to become part of the Bakker storage system. Will asked the women working one of the wine tasting booths (yes, there were multiple wine tasting areas in the grocery store at 10:30 on a Saturday morning) if we could take it. She gave her blessing and off we went, with our very own crate!

And a second, smaller crate that Will grabbed at the last moment. But we needed both, since he found a bottle or two……

I think we are set for a winter of fine wine tasting. Plus, I now know where I can find the perfect Christmas gift for everyone. You too will love the reusable wine shopping bag – it’s the best thing ever!

By the way, this Sunday is Mantelsonndeg — also a remarkable shopping experience! Even if you aren’t in Luxembourg to get the full experience, you can still celebrate. The Bugle staff suggest the following family-friendly activities:

• Make an animal coat rack.
• Parents, check your closets to see if your child’s coat has a homicidal streak.
• Show the uppity Europeans how to roll really green with an up-cycled plastic coat.
• Begin a copycat coat-related crime-spree.
• Visit the Go Fug Yourself website, search for “coat” and laugh at the fashion choices of celebrities.
• Have a bit less snarky experience (but only a bit less) with Tom & Lorenzo.

]]> http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2010/10/22/best-shopping-day-of-2010/feed/ 9 http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2010/10/15/wei-seet-een-boneless-pork-patty-op-letzebuergesch/ http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2010/10/15/wei-seet-een-boneless-pork-patty-op-letzebuergesch/#comments Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:54:56 +0000 Will http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/?p=1598 How do you say “McRib” in Luxembourgish?

Last weekend, Anita spied the McRib on a McDonald’s menu in Ingeldorf, Luxembourg.

“That’s interesting,” she said, “I remember reading that the McRib isn’t widely available in the US.”

“Me too,” I said, “But maybe I’m just thinking of that Simpsons episode.” And so the situation passed into our long list of Notable Oddities Here in Europe.

Serendipity had other plans, however. She waved her hands and lo, on Monday, the Wall Street Journal published an article on American fans of the McRib who track its ephemeral appearance across the nation. (It’s a pretty good read, as these things go.)

There are blog posts and fan sites devoted to the McRib, of course. (And some of them will burn your eyeballs, of course.) And this is 2010, so there’s a social network which maintains a McRib Locator. There’s quite a bit of information available on the McRib, easily accessed via google. I’m not sure how to feel about that.

Still, once Anita sent me the article, I knew that I had to return to Ingeldorf. For you, dear readers, I would find and eat a McRib.

Ingeldorf lies in a narrow part of the valley of the Sauer river, so the main commercial road, the railroad and the pedestrian paths run close together and in parallel. It’s not hard to find the McDonalds.

Pay no attention to the nutritional information.

Will, you have a training ride today. How can you miss it to be with a sandwich?

One angle is not enough.

German is such a beautiful language.

Like Krusty says, “I don’t mind the taste.”

That’s it for the Simpsons quotes. I find it hard to believe that there’s no transcript on the internet. My google-fu has failed me.

See? It really is made of pork. Says so right on the box!

I said, No looking at the nutritional information!

My view as I ate the McRib. On the left, the hills along the valley of the Sauer (or Sûre, if you’re French). On the right, the entrance to the Playland.

I’d hoped to end this post by promoting our B&B: “Stay with us and take an excursion to the only McDonalds that reliably offers McRib sandwiches!” But those of you in the US need only wait a few weeks before you have your own geographically unlimited source of McRibs. Yet — next spring, when you have that yearning for bumpy meat patties again, you’ll have to come here!

Did I write a mediocre Friday post?
That could be the case.

Am I relying on the inherently fascinating existence of the McRib to conceal my indolence?
It certainly looks that way.

Hey, folks, sometimes you write a post with the cliches you borrow, rather than the clever ideas you might want or wish to have at a later time.

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