Bakker Bugle Blog

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.

Going native — for the moment

Anita — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:02:17 +0000

When we moved to Dublin, just over four years ago, I had many coats. Unfortunately, all of them were far more appropriate to the temperatures and seasons of Chicagoland. I found myself in Ireland either dry, but cold, or wet, but warm. I could never hit the sweet spot of warm and dry.

Not long after we moved, we spend a weekend with close friends in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. For those that may have forgotten, Galway is even more wet that Dublin. During our visit, our hosts extolled the virtues of their jackets – the L.L. Bean Weather Channel 3-1 coat. This coat was created for the Weather Channel folks when they were out in the field. It seemed ideal for travel in Ireland (and in Europe). My mom was visiting Dublin not long after that, so I had her order one for me.

Some of you may remember the green jacket that makes me easy to find in a crowd. (As opposed to Will’s silly black outerwear, which he uses to slip away, unnoticed, into crowds of style-conscious European tourists.) Often, I would wear just the fleece layer, taking advantage of the versatile three-in-one nature of the jacket. On the right, you can see me sporting the green on a pleasant late-spring day in the Netherlands.

Many stops in Ireland, particularly in the West, required both layers.

In Lisbon, with little threat of rain, I could tuck away the hood.

I turned out to be wrong about Lisbon, and out came the hood.

It was a great day when I found gloves that matched!

I love my green coat. There is no other way to say it. After four years of hard wearing, however, it is starting to show its age a bit. I had thought to replace it last year, but the only coat L.L. Bean offered at the time was not as good. When I discovered that my beloved coat was discontinued, my theory was that the price of the jacket was keeping people out of the market, so they introduced a cheaper, but not as nice coat. But that would not do for me at all.

Luxembourg’s climate is more dry than Ireland’s, so I found myself wearing just the fleece layer more and more often. About a month ago, I realized I was really wearing out the fleece lining. While I wait patiently for L.L. Bean to realize the error of their ways and bring back my beloved coat, the important thing is to wear out all parts of the coat, evenly. So I needed to find a fleece to wear. A sacrificial fleece, you might say.

Enter Jack Wolfskin. We have come to realize that Jack Wolfskin is L.L. Bean, Lands End and The North Face all rolled into one, for Europe. It is dominant like Crayola crayons. Everyone wears Jack Wolfskin.

Will did an unscientific survey of his photos from the Gala Tour de France and he says, “Of visible logos on plain sportswear, about three-quarters were either the words ‘Jack Wolfskin’ or their distinctive wolf-paw.” So there you go.

Take a randomly-chosen person wearing sports outerwear in Luxembourg (or Germany or Belgium for that matter). Like the one on the right, for example.

Enhance!

It’s Jack Wolfskin — at least half the time.

Intrigued by the ubiquity of the brand, we stopped one of the several Jack Wolfskin shops in Luxembourg. I found a lovely fleece in a burgundy color — on sale! Now I feel a little uneasy without my green, but I certainly feel more local.

By mid-July, I had given up on L.L. Bean. I had moved on to other brands, including The North Face and Jack Wolfskin, resigning myself to purchasing one of their coats this fall. Not a bad fate, but frustrating — like trying a new email application. Nothing works like the old coat. The good coat!

Imagine my delight and joy when, researching this very blog post, I discovered a miracle — L.L. Bean has reintroduced my jacket! My only concern is that the “fleece” lining seems to be shiny, but I think I can learn to live with that. My beloved green is no longer an option, so I’ll have to choose among Periwinkle, Colonial Red or Coastal Blue.

As you, dear reader, will inevitably be seeing many, many photos of the jacket, I ask for your input. What color do you think would be best for the next four years of photos?

Prompt Post: Echternach Balloon Festival

Anita — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:23:54 +0000

Hot air balloons are a familiar sight in Luxembourg. As Will showed you yesterday, four balloons were “inflated” for the Gala, although none of the four lifted off the tarmac. But after seeing the balloons Thursday night, my excitement for the Echternach balloon festival was renewed. I went to bed Friday night with big plans: I would go to the 7:00 a.m. Saturday launch!

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!

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!

Ajax, Part Three: The Aftermath

Dave — Mon, 30 May 2011 06:22:12 +0000

In this, the final episode of my Amsterdam adventure, I make a lot of Amsterdammer friends in the midst of a city delirious with the home team’s success.

After the crowd at our new favorite pub dispersed, we made our way to Dam Square. We had about an hour to kill before Katherine and Anita arrived. Of course, we set out in search of Ajax shirts for Will and me. We walked to a Foot Locker and asked if they had Ajax shirts. The store employee at the front, basically a bouncer, shook his head and pointed to Aktie Sport down the street. He clearly did not want drunk Ajax fans in his store.

In Aktie Sports, I saw the blue “change” jersey, but not the red and white shirts that the team had worn during the game and that eighty percent of the fans were wearing that day. We asked the helpful staff whether they had the home shirts. The young men said that Adidas had not yet released the home shirts for the following season, and that the prior season’s shirts were no longer on sale.

We both decided that a blue shirt bought in Amsterdam would be better than a red and white one bought over the internet. While trying on shirts for size, I thought that the large shirt was too big for me. I asked the two guys helping us if they had any mediums left.

They looked at each other for a moment. The smaller guy sighed, and then took off the Ajax shirt he was wearing. He handed it to me.

He looked so dejected. Laurie suspected that he was told that he could keep the shirt if he was still wearing it at the end of the day. The poor Amsterdammer was good-natured about the whole situation, and we appreciated his help.

After Aktie, we wandered around the outskirts of the red light district for the next half hour. At one street corner, a man yelled “Kampions” every time a new person came into his view. Further along, we saw a man in an Ajax shirt leaving a prostitute’s room, probably after celebrating the victory. We stopped for a moment in Will’s preferred red-light district watering hole — can you spot the Ajax scarf?

Back on the street, a middle-aged man said something directly to me, in Dutch. I responded, “In English?”

He said, “No, Dutch.” He paused for a moment, and then said, “Go to Museumplein if you want to party.” Will guessed that we were being led astray, but I had another thought. I suddenly realized why there was a stage in Museumplein, when Anita, Katherine and I visited the Van Gogh museum. That was the location for the rally for the new Lands Kampions, immediately after the game! We got official confirmation a little later — “huldiging” means award ceremony.

After we met up with Anita and Katherine, we toured the red-light district where half the fun was watching Ajax fans celebrate.

We walked to Rembrandtplein to get a drink and some food. We passed a bar where the patrons were singing Queen’s “We are the Champions” in Dutch.

Inside a calmer bar further down the square, we were able to watch the rally on the television — as well as an endless loop of game re-caps. You can recreate the experience in your own cube by watching Ajax TV in your browser: Championship Game Re-cap episode and Celebration episode.

When I made a trip to the bathroom in our quiet bar, I met a new friend. We discussed our love for Ajax. He was wearing the shirt from 2004 when Ajax won their last Eredivisie title.

He asked where I was from, and when I said Chicago, he said, “Hey hey hey, Al Capone!” and did a little dance. He insisted that I call the game football, not soccer. He predicted that the US will win the World Cup in ten years, although he was less impressed with Jozy Altidore than I am.

After dinner we headed back towards the hotel. Amsterdam felt a bit like a war zone. [Editor: Looks like a war on munchies.]

Riot police drove up and down the streets in armored vehicles.

After crossing the Leidseplein, we saw that the walls from earlier in the day were now being used as a barrier to separate the Museumplein from the Leidseplein.

We walked through a small door in the barrier to get to our hotel.

On the other side of the barrier, we counted at least seven riot vehicles and thirty police, prepared for a riot.

The riot had not materialized, and it appeared that they were all having a snack at the food truck.

While the police patrols made it feel a bit like an occupied territory, I did not think that the crowds were out of control. I never feared for my safety.

After crossing the canal, we had a drink with a good view of the riot barrier and we watched the police for a while. When the police finally moved the barrier and started to drive away, we decided to head back to the hotel.

It had been a long day and we had just seen the Dutch Superbowl. Being with the Lands Kampions that Sunday was a football experience that this American will never forget.

Ajax, Part Two: Lands Kampions!

Dave — Mon, 23 May 2011 09:04:05 +0000

In Part One, I told you how our group of American tourists saw the lead-up to the big game between Ajax and Twente. Will and I approached a packed and overflowing pub to see the last minutes of the game and enjoy the local fans.

We still hadn’t determined the score of the game when Ajax scored a goal. The pub erupted. Everyone was high-fiving, tussling hair, hugging and jumping up and down. Will figured out that Ajax is leading 3-1. Based on the time the game started, we knew that it was nearing the end.

A couple of guys ran out of the bar, and created an opening inside. I shoved my wallet in my front pocket, and took my passport in my hands. I looked down at it. Will asked if I wanted him to hold my passport. I turned it over and ducked inside.

Once inside, I was surrounded by monstrously tall Dutch people, either standing on chairs or jumping up and down. The only person shorter than me was the sixteen year old boy in front of me. The energy was infectious. Soon, I was jumping up and down with the crowd. A couple more people left the pub, so I waved for Will to come inside.

By now, the crowd knew that Ajax was going to win and they were singing loud and proud. My Dutch is limited to words that look and sound English, and “Dank U Wel,” which means, “Thank you very much.” To my untrained ear, the song sounded like they were singing dhank yoo veld, dhank yoo veld. Listen for yourself, but check your volume first, because the clips are loud and distorted.

Ajax Kampions (MP3)

Later in the day, Will learned that they were singing “Kampions!” — that is, “champions” in English.

In another chant, one guy called out, “ah la la LAN ya ya dah,” and the crowd responded, “ah la la LAN ya ya dan.”

According to the combined Dutch-language knowledge of Will and me, this chant means that Ajax is the best. Here’s more video, from just as Ajax scored to pull ahead by two goals:

When I had first entered the pub, I had seen the bartenders singing and jumping with the fans. I thought that based on their involvement in the game, the noise in the pub, and my lack of Dutch, ordering a beer would be difficult. However, the crowd was so engrossed in the game that no one was waiting for beer. I caught the eye of the one bartender who had stayed at his post, picked up an Amstel coaster off the bar, and made the two sign with my fingers. It was like a beer commercial.

I handed the man two five-euro bills. He looked at them, confused, and handed one back. What a steal! He even tried to give me change!

As the game clock ticked on, the crowd got noisier and noisier. The clock passed ninety, then penalty time ended, and finally, the referee blew the whistle for full time. Ajax had won!

It felt like I was in the middle of a mosh pit. Bodies compressed in the middle of the pub, bobbing up and down, singing. The closest experience I’ve had to this was being in the student section when Notre Dame scored a touchdown. I stayed in the crowd, soaking it in, before heading for the exit. On my way out, someone tussled my hair.

As we waited for Mike and Laurie, who were sneaking away for some food, we saw a riot vehicle with a water cannon drive down our street.

Outside and soaking in the excitement, Will told me, “I have a rule. When I watch a game with rabid fans of a team, that team becomes my team for that league.” I told him that I have the same rule.

This guy lit a road flare.

A bus honked “dah dah da da da,” and the crowd yelled, “Ajax!”

Will and I grabbed a bite of lamb kebab at the shop next door to the pub and Laurie and Mike grabbed a beer before heading down to Dam Square (De Dam to our fellow Ajax fans) to meet up with Katherine and Anita. From inside the tram, we heard and saw the crowds banging on the side of the tram. The tram crept along very slowly.

I was looking for some people turning over cars and setting fires. Thankfully, I didn’t see any of that. But Amsterdam had other adventures in store for me. To be continued…

Ajax in Amsterdam, Part One

Dave — Thu, 19 May 2011 21:47:29 +0000

Editor’s Note: Today we welcome a new contributor to the Bakker Bugle Blog: Dave! We’ll let his work speak for itself, for now.

Sunday morning started quietly enough, with breakfast at a pancake house by the canal near our hotel. On our way to The Pancake Corner (this one, not the other one), we noticed a work crew setting up a temporary wall on the avenue outside our hotel. Will’s best guess was the wall was a temporary board for posting political messages prior to an election. We made a note to return to the wall and discover its purpose, at the end of our day.

After breakfast, the group broke up, with plans to meet at the Heineken Experience at one o’clock. Anita, Katherine and I went to the Van Gogh Museum on the Museumplein. On the square, we saw crews working on a large concert hall.

Once again, our curiosity was piqued. After bandying about a few ideas, we decided that they were cleaning up from a concert — most likely Elton John and Bryan Adams.

While we wandered on the Museumplein, I saw the first couple groups of people wearing red and white football shirts — or jerseys as we would call them in the states. Ninety minutes later, after perusing the works of Van Gogh, I noticed even more groups of red and white jerseys walking through the Museumplein. At that point, it occured to me that Ajax, the Amsterdam team, must have a game today. I asked Anita to text Will and to ask him when the Ajax game would start.

Now, I’ve been a follower of European football since my first trip to Europe, during the 2002 World Cup. I watch the major international tournaments, the Premier League, and the Champions League. Therefore, I know of Ajax, the major football club in Amsterdam and the Netherlands.

One of the mysteries of the day, for me, came from the fact that football clubs compete in multiple competitions in any given season. Each club has a domestic league to which it belongs, and its ranking is usually governed by a points system. As there are no playoffs, these titles can be won before all the games are played. It would be similar to the Colts locking up a playoff birth with a few weeks left in the season — but without a playoff. If this happens, all the remaining games are meaningless, at least for the fortunate team — and they are played only for pride.

Clubs also play in a domestic cup, which is usually open to all the professional teams in the country. The domestic cup format is similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, where one loss eliminates you from competition.

Not knowing the stakes of the game on Sunday, I started to wonder what type of match is going on today. “Is the game a sleeper, like when the Colts rest Manning because there is nothing to play for? Is it a local derby, where local rivals face off for bragging rights? Or is it something bigger, with a trophy on the line?” I pondered the possibilities.

We met up with Will, Mike and Laurie outside the Heineken Experience. On his walk from the hotel, Will had chatted up some Ajax fans and had determined that the game was against FC Twente, a strong club from the east of Holland. He had also determined that the game was at “half three”, a Dutch way of saying 2:30 — which isn’t always translated accurately to English.

At the tasting bar inside the Heineken Experience, the bartenders held a little trivia contest for free beer. One of them asked, “There’s a big football match today, who’s going to win?”. I yelled “Ajax!” while Will yelled “Twente!”

Will got the beer, as the bartender was from the east. She also told us that a trophy was on the line today, but we didn’t learn which trophy. She mentioned that Twente had won another trophy a few weeks back. I assumed that Twente had locked up the domestic league, the Eredivise, and that today’s game was for the the domestic cup. In my experience with English Football, the domestic cup is the second tier trophy to the the league title. However, this was clearly a big game. Will and I immediately made plans to try to catch a bit of the game in a pub.

We left the Heineken Experience, crossed the canal, and then Katherine said, “I don’t think you can see the game.” She pointed to this:

Anita and Katherine wanted to get some food, and there was no chance of that wherever the match was on. So they went off while the rest of us went to the pub.

On the way over, I told Will, “Sorry, but I do not have your back.” I knew Will was sympathetic with Twente — after all, he got a free beer! But I wanted to be clear that I would not support his preference in hostile territory.

As we walked up looking for a place to stand, we saw that the place only had one television in the corner of the bar. We found a spot outside, where we could catch about ten percent of the screen, which was fine with me. I was there for the experience, not the game.

At that point, it looked like a great chance to see European football fans in their home territory. Little did I know what was in store for us as the game wrapped up. To be continued…

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.

Europe >= America, episode 1: Coke Zero

Anita — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:45:01 +0000

Anyone that spends thirty minutes with me will learn that I love soda, specifically products made by the Coca-Cola company.

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!