A short drive from the Ville to Garnich brought us to the finish and we arrived in time to see the leaders begin the last lap of the 2011 Grand Prix Elsy Jacob.

The breakaway consisted of Judith Arndt, Marianne Vos, and Emma Johansson.

Garnich was a great host with musical accompaniment to the obligatory beer, crémant and sausages.

Anita and Hana found a quiet spot in the grass as we waited on the finish.

Marianne Vos won the final sprint among the three leaders. I have a shaky and over-exposed video, so you’re better off going to a professional account of the finish. This is Vos and Emma Johansson chatting in front of the cameras.

Anita says, “Look at how small she was in 2011!”

Here are Hana and Anita at the Grand Prix Elsy Jacobs in 2013.

In two years, the race had grown as much as Hana. It is now a three-day stage race that finished in Mamer. The weather was much worse than in 2011, but the favorite was the same: Marianne Vos, who was even more dominant in women’s cycling in 2013.

Despite the rough weather, there were plenty of fans, even four laps before the finish — and there was a tent with the obligatory beer and crémant.

Fränk Schleck appears to have taken a ride along the course, just for fun.

Although the peloton got more and more strung along the road, there was no breakaway. Could Vos win in a bunch sprint?

These ladies certainly had their pick for the winner.

Vos came around the corner in the lead and no other cyclist could catch her. She won her third Grand Prix Elsy Jacobs in a row! Again, my photos of the finish are inferior to the real sports photographers. There’s even video online!

The UCI chaperones led the top finishers to the doping control station as we headed home. Hana doesn’t have the energy that she had as a pup!

It took a long time for spring to arrive in Luxembourg, compared to the past three years. But it is here at last, bringing us stuffy heads in the morning and tons of flowers the rest of the day.

When Anita and I left for a brief visit to London last Thursday, Luxembourg was colored in greys and browns. We returned to find that our town gained a much brighter palette over the weekend.

Hey dog, get out of the way!

Much better.

As soon as the snow stopped on January 16, I walked to some of my favorite spots in Luxembourg-Ville.

The Cathedral and Pont Adolphe

The park that Anita walks through every morning on her way to work.

Still along Anita’s commute.

Anita and a great website about statues concur: this is a memorial for Amélie von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach. With a name like that, she may require her own blog post once the flowers at her feet bloom.

Still in the Municipal Park, but walking towards the Alzette Valley.

In front of the nicest retirement home in the world.

The extra-super-deluxe version of the Luxembourg-Ville tour includes this tree, which was planted in 1921 to celebrate the birth of Prince (late Grand-Duke) Jean. It’s a horse-chestnut, fellow dendrophiles!

The Alzette Valley

Looking toward the Three Acorns castle, a site along our favorite hike within the city.

The Bock. To be frank, I’m not happy with how my photos of the valley turned out — and I can’t diagnose the problem with how I shot them. There’s still so much to learn about photography.

The Red Bridge

Symbols of the Grand Ducal family and the Fondation Pescatore.

I caught a bus to the shopping mall in Kirchberg to meet friends. On the way, I snapped this photo of the Philharmonie building.

Sure, slushy roads are the same everywhere. But here in Europe, we have slushy boulevards.

Okay, okay, dirty snow really is the same everywhere.

Here’s a well-placed advert for a sunny vacation.

Luxembourg City workers have the best toys. Although it doesn’t snow here very often, they have some very fancy snow-removal equipment.

More to come! This set doesn’t even get us through the first snowfall.

Furthermore, I occasionally remember to bring a camera and take some photos to share!

The main area of Luxembourg-Ville’s Christmas Market, at night.

Even quiet streets are decorated with lights.

Town Hall (Hôtel de Ville)

On December 7, we had about two inches of snow — sticky, beautiful snow that flocked all the trees.

Anita and I met at the Christmas Market for lunch.

We had gromperekichelcher, of course!

Place Guillaume

The plaza in front of the Grand Duke’s Palace.

Looking down into the Grund, from the café of the City Museum.

One of the forested valleys leading away from the city.

Place Clairefontaine

City employees get cool tools. This is a walk-behind plow. It was followed by a walk-behind snow-brush.

Snow was still falling (and blowing) but Anita insisted on the Ferris wheel.

There were covered gondolas, but what’s the point of that?

So we braved the wind to bring to you photos like this one …and the photos that follow.

After that ride, we needed to warm up.

Time for glühwein in the 2012 commemorative mug!

Will couldn’t wait to sip his.

We liked the view in the new section of the Christmas Market.

Anita strikes a pose.

The fortress-remnant on the way home.

There were snowmen all over the city — something new for us.

I read that Chicago is setting records for its snowless December. I hope that when it falls, it will be as pretty as Luxembourg’s.

Today’s the big day, when Kleeschen (also known as Saint Nick or Sinterklaas) comes to town to leave gifts for all the good children … and when Housécker brings a bit of wrathful justice to the bad ones. If you’re looking for more words, revisit last year’s post about Kleeschen’s arrival in Luxembourg, or read The Wort’s summary of the tradition. This year is all about the holiday ambiance here in the Ville. And the first order of business was to ride the new Ferris wheel at the Christmas Market!

This was a close to Kleeschen as we got this year — he passed us on his way from the train station to another town. He sat in the jump-seat where parents usually sit with their strollers. The rest of the bus was full of his attendants. Anita saw him right away, pointed at the bus, tugged my sleeve and said, “Kleeschen! Kleeschen!” I thought she’d lost her mind, so I missed the photo opportunity.

The traditional unicorn and Greek god of the Christmas Market were there to send us up into the sky on the Ferris wheel — of course!

Lovely views. I hope we get a chance to ride when there is snow on the ground.

Not your typical perspective on the Gëlle Fra.

Jean La Gaufre is, for many, the highlight of the Schueberfouer in August, and then it returns to Luxembourg for Christmas. Yay!

“It’s good. It’s cool. It’s true. 220 calories.” Boy, those Belgians are good at marketing.

There’s a whole new area of Christmas Market to explore this year: the parking lot surrounding the Gëlle Fra. The woodchips were a nice touch, and they actually worked to make it feel less like a parking lot.

I’ve never heard of this Feuerzangenbowle stuff, but I want some! I do believe that, in this context, “flambé” means, “served while on fire.”

There is ALWAYS an Irish pub. Always.

The Train of Too Much Holiday Decoration on its short route.

I choose to interpret this Vehicle of Awesomeness as a John Deer tractor. Did you know that there is a lot of John Deere equipment in Luxembourg? Honest!

These very nice people, Marianne and Roger Gleis-Ries, sell a gob-smacking variety of things made with honey. They are also very eager to tell you about their honey products.

The new area of the Christmas Market focused on local producers and artisans. Earlier in the year, we heard about the Mayor’s plan to make the chalets more affordable and accessible for small businesses. Anita and I like the results very much.

The Place d’Armes is the traditional site of the Christmas Market, and it’s the same as we’ve always known it.

There are plenty of the usual merchants, filled to overflowing with geegaws and whatnot.

The most important feature of the Christmas Market is the Glühwein.

The central, covered area in front of the bandstand is still the place to meet. I hope that doesn’t change!

A nod to the traditional reason for the season.

These flat brown things are gromperekichelcher. I recommend The Wort’s video report on this local delicacy, if only to hear how the word is pronounced.

While walking around the Ville, you may see what appear to be multiple Kleeschens. (What is the proper plural: Kleeschenen?) Do not be fooled! These are department-store knock-offs. Here you can see that local residents know better than to pay attention to this impostor. They know that the real Kleeschen was taking a boat trip on the Moselle at that moment.

Locals know that there are multiple Jean Le Gaufre stands, and that they are all genuine. This stand sells Chi-Chis, which are closely related to churros — and they are Anita’s favorite. She always stops to get some on the way home.

A few days after our first visit to the Christmas Market, we got some real snow cover in the Ville.

I couldn’t get away from work until late in the day, so I only have a few photos to share. I’d have liked to taken pictures of all my favorite spots in Luxembourg. I’ll just have to hope for snow in January this year.

Who doesn’t feel whimsical on the first snow of the winter?

It was dusk by the time I got close to the new section of the Christmas Market.

The Petrusse valley can seem drab in the winter, but then it wears snowfall like a ball gown.

The obligatory shot of the Spuerkeess and the Pont Adolphe.

All the driveways in our neighborhood are this steep. I would be nervous every time I drove up or down.

It doesn’t look much better when it’s cleared of snow!

One last photo before it all melted overnight.

Before we could claim our place on the mountain, however, we would drive about 90 minutes to the race. That’s about how far away you stay, when you look for a hotel just a few weeks before a Tour stage. Not bad, really — but in 2013, we might opt for a camper-van. As always, we saw team vehicles going all directions along the motorway.

After about a half-hour, we turned into the valleys of the Jura Mountains and its two-lane roads. (The Juras are geologically distinct from the Alps, but for the purposes of the Tour de France, they’re the foothills of the Alps.)

It wasn’t long before we reached Saint-Hippolyte, a valley town of just under 1000 residents. It felt like a similarly-sized town in the middle-of-nowhere Illinois, although it doesn’t look like any Midwestern towns that I know! The residents smiled, but they also had wary eyes that said, “You’re not from around here.” Later, I discovered another similarity: Small towns in France consider elementary school photos to be their prime cultural treasure. Everyone was in the center of town, milling around the cafes and front doorways, and there weren’t as many out-of-town vehicles as we were accustomed to seeing in Tour towns.

We walked through town, observing that the riders would sweep through the bottom of the valley in no time. Then we climbed a short distance up the Côte de Maison Rouge, a low peak that was steep enough to be first Category 2 climb of the Stage. We found an ideal spot, just before the road turned out of sight of the town. I took about a thousand variations of the photogenic scene, in part because there wasn’t much else to do for an hour. I waited a few months to review them, and now they all look just like this one. I’m sure I saw lots of neat details at the time, but I clearly need to work on my photographic compositions.

It really wasn’t too long before the Caravan arrived. Unlike the day before, we were standing well before the midpoint of the course and they had lots of energy. Here’s a Mickey Mouse for the kiddies!

We shouted hello to our friends from the Tourist Office. This is a good time for the compulsory Tenuous Non-Cycling-Oriented Connection to Luxembourg (TNCOCL): Victor Hugo was born in this region (or département), and during his many travels in exile, frequented Larochette and Vianden in Luxembourg, where he composed several poems and many drawings. Anita had hoped that a Tourism-Promoting Vehicle would slow down to acknowledge our lovely flag, but they were being chased by a chicken!

Of course, La Poule had no time for us. She was tired from appearing in the nightmares of children who watched previous Tour stages.

I am sorry to report that I know of no cute French slang for “Rubber Duckie” — it’s just canard de bain (“Bath Duck”) as far as I can tell. I can say that there are just as many variations here as in the US.

Our Nesquik friends from Mulhouse!

Anita decided that our Luxembourgish flag was not sufficiently conspicuous. She re-invented the craft of green wood working, using nothing more than the concrete curb and her brain. That killed almost all the time between the Caravan and the actual racers.

This one is for all the kids who love trucks. And for the cyclists who hate broken glass (and tacks).

Anita’s Rule for Sporting Events: Always bring a book. Having finished her Scout merit badge in stick-sharpening and flag-draping, she relaxes with her e-reader. (Dear US Flag Code aficionados, there are not strict rules for the treatment of this type of flag.)

Here is a second of the fifteen-hundred and thirty-six photos that I have of the road uphill. Careful observers will note that the shade from the mountain no longer falls across the road. I may not be a good photographer when it comes to composition, but I know how to find natural lighting!

Last we’d heard, Jens Voigt had broken away. We wanted so badly for Jens to lead the race up our hill! (We’re big fans of Jensie, Ze German, as our Tumblr-followers know.) But Jensie always leads alone, so this pack didn’t look promising. We learned later that he’d captured the mountains points from the first two climbs with a small group, and that what we saw was a leading group of 24 cyclists.

We were at the point on the hill where the uphill grade fully exhausted the racers’ downhill speed. You can see here how they were watching each other to see who would sprint ahead to win the climb.

Jens did his work for the day, and he was just looking to stay with the leading group. (Jens is the one with the mirrored sunglasses and black-shouldered jersey. He’s towards the back, next to the motorcycle.)

In this photo, Jens eats. This was exciting to us. To be honest, it still is.

The group disappeared around the dark bend, to tackle another 7 kilometers of climb. If you live around Chicagoland, there is no hill anywhere within a two-hour drive that comes close to this climb. And it was one of the easiest of the day’s course. And that day’s course was not considered a mountain stage.

Granted, the day before had been an intense and long race. There were lots of stragglers already, which Anita and I had never seen before, so early in a stage of the Tour de France. (We’ve only been to relatively flat stages of the Tour de France.)

On a big climb, even one companion can make a big difference.

Behind the peloton (or the main group), the goal is to bridge the gap between a group of riders who have given up on the day (ahem, sprinters, cough) and the main group. If you can’t catch up to the peloton, then your overall time will suffer a lot (and your muscles will too). The guy in front is “trying to make it across” by putting in a big effort on the early part of this climb.

Riders who have flats (or just feel flat) will fall back among the support vehicles. It’s a lot of work to make your way back to any group from among these cars and vans.

The contenders for major prizes will have fellow team-members who fall back to get food and drink, saving the star’s energy by doing that chore.

Some of the drama of the Tour involved Team Sky’s use of Mark Cavendish, the world’s best sprinter, to support Bradley Wiggins. In the final analysis, it’s hard to argue with overall success. (That said, success isn’t necessarily an honorable result in pro cycling right now. How I wish that every post about men’s pro cycling didn’t wind up talking about doping. By the way, women’s pro cycling is suffering from sponsors’ exodus, despite its relatively thorough integrity.)

Speaking of cheating, here’s a great example of the “magic spanner,” a harmless way of pushing the envelope on the rules. The magic spanner refers to the mythical tool used in the following scenario: Cyclist drops to the back due to some misfortune, or simple physical exhaustion; nothing is technically wrong with the bicycle beneath him. Cyclist obtains aid within the rules of the race, in the form of energy gels, a coach’s shouting, or a renegotiated endorsement deal. To help the cyclist catch up with the next group, the mechanic pretends to fix a problem on the bicycle, while in fact pushing the cycling up the hill. This trick isn’t a big deal, because it can’t get a rider past the next vehicle or anything: it doesn’t confer a significant advantage. And, frankly, you need to be in pretty dire straits to benefit from it at all.

We were able to watch the Tour from our car, shortly after the last Tour vehicle sped past us. From there, we saw that Hard Man Johnny Hoogerland and Local Favorite Son Thibaut Pinot stayed a minute ahead of the peloton until the penultimate climb.

In a memorable scene on the last climb, Pinot’s coach yelled encouragement and pounded his fists on the team car as Pinot won the stage in — effectively — his hometown. It was a good day for the Tour, and a good day for us. Telling you about it reminds me that I need to make plans for 2013!

Today marks the thirty-first birthday of Prince Guillaume, The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg. And that comes just a few weeks after his marriage to Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy. The Bugle celebrates His Royal Highness’s birth to Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa by posting a few photos from Guillaume and Stéphanie’s wedding spectacle on October 20th.

The royal wedding of the year was sedate compared to that other royal wedding, last year. Still, it was a big deal in Luxembourg. The joke of the month was that our invitations must have been lost in the mail — until we learned that two of our friends were, in fact, invited to attend the religious marriage ceremony. (That was the most important event, with all the royal guests and live coverage by television networks all over the world.) Anita and I weren’t able to get away from work to make it to the civil ceremony by Mayor Bettel the day before. But several friends said that one could get a surprisingly close view of the extended royal family.

We chose to attend the public celebration, featuring fireworks from the Red Bridge! On the way there, we noted that the Place d’Armes was decked out for the occasion.

We chose a new spot for fireworks-watching, in one of the oldest parts of the city. We arrived a little late and had a partial view of the sky.

Anita scurried downhill to a better vantage point.

The fireworks were on-par with National Day.


The typically-deserted plaza in front of the Palace was completely full.

We arrived in the Kneudler, the main square, just in time to see Selah Sue start her set by greeting the crowd in several different languages. While her songs were mostly in French, she chatted with the crowd mostly in English.

To end the evening, we visited the same red carpet upon which many royalty had trod just hours before.

Anita took her turn on the carpet, featuring her commemorative flag!

Was this for arriving royals, or just the press? I’m beginning to think that I should have ditched work and watched the whole thing.

The Alps didn’t fit our schedules and the Pyrenees — well, they are very far away. But there are also real mountains in one of our favorite regions, Alsace-Lorraine (and parts of Franche-Comté), and those stages fell on a convenient weekend. So we found a budget hotel and booked one night, planning to watch two stages.

We were excited about the finish of Stage 7 on the top of La Planche des Belles Filles, which has an incline of 22% for the last 500 meters! Anita’s only concern was whether she could keep from yelling at all the fans that always crowd around the leaders on the top of the big climbs.

It was lovely weather when we arrived in Lorraine.

We stayed overnight just outside of Mulhouse, not more than an hour away. We were exhausted and spent what little energy we had strategizing for Stage 8.

Some related webpages:

• On the crest of Chevestraye, a memorial to those killed in August 1942 during a series of gun- and tank-battles to liberate the area.
• Chevestraye on cooler days. And on an old postcard.

You know, let’s just try to re-start on a pleasant note. How about some flowers?

I’ll be better from now on. I mean it, just watch. I don’t blame you for being skeptical. But you’ll see. I’ve got lots of great ideas and I genuinely do want to do better.

Plus, that goat is making me feel extra guilty. I don’t really care what it thinks, but it needs to stop looking at me.

To this…

And then returned home to this…

One of the many parts of my job at A Big Corporation is to get government approvals, which we call apostilles. Today I needed to drop off some documents, so around eleven o’clock I wandered out of my office. I took my routine path to one of many government buildings.

I was a bit surprised at the police presence outside my office, but I didn’t think too much about it. Further on, I found barricades and even more police. That finally triggered my memory: The Queen’s coming today!

Not knowing her schedule, I kept to my routine and walked straight to the usual offices. After dropping off the documents, I headed back to the office.

After passing through Place Clairefontaine, I encountered a wave of excited tourists heading toward the Grand Duke’s Palace. I decided I had a moment to investigate, so I deviated from my well-worn pattern and turned right instead of left. Look at all the photographers — there must be something going on!

In front of the Palace was quite a display of military bands and dignitaries.

I’m still guessing who was whom with the guys in blue versus the green.

The band started playing. Thinking of the Bugle’s readers, I switched to video recording. I believe they were playing the Grand Duke’s anthem.

The Grand Duke and Duchess moved from one beautiful rug to the other beautiful rug. It was odd to see indoor carpets in the public thoroughfare.

The Duke and Duchess seemed in high spirits and they were friendly with the crowd.

Some lucky youngster got to present flowers to the Queen. Meanwhile, some poor military man kept the schedule.

The Queen arrives!

While the Queen and the Duke walked the remainder of the red carpet, the Duchess and the Grand-duc héritier waited one fancy rug behind.

By that time, the crowd had filled the little square in front of the palace.

Three videos in one. (1) Action on the red carpet. (2) Somebody’s national anthem. (3) Getting ready to greet the people.

I think they were listening to their respective national anthems at this point. (Gotta research that one.)

I do love a band.

Patiently waiting on the monarchs.

Apparently, even Luxembourg has Secret Service guys.

The Queen’s fancy ride from the airport.

Glamour shot of Grand Duke Henri and Queen Beatrix.

Heading in, to start the official visit.

The retinue follows.

Then it was over. The photographers rushed away in a pack. Later, Will reminded me that the Queen would lay a wreath at a memorial nearby. These guys were looking from the prime spots.

I feel lucky that my random work-day errand allowed me to see the Queen of the Netherlands!

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.

]]> http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2012/01/18/sopapipa-blackout-today/feed/ 0 http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/12/31/wrapping-up-the-holiday-season/ http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/12/31/wrapping-up-the-holiday-season/#comments Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:32:04 +0000 Will http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/?p=2468 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.)

]]> http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/12/31/wrapping-up-the-holiday-season/feed/ 2 http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/12/06/leiwe-kleeschen-gudde-kleeschen/ http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/12/06/leiwe-kleeschen-gudde-kleeschen/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:13:09 +0000 Will http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/?p=2431 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.

]]> http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/12/06/leiwe-kleeschen-gudde-kleeschen/feed/ 3 http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/11/27/something-for-the-kids/ http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/11/27/something-for-the-kids/#comments Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:30:15 +0000 Will http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/?p=2396 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!

]]> http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/11/27/something-for-the-kids/feed/ 2 http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/10/21/begging-your-patience/ http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/10/21/begging-your-patience/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:35:37 +0000 Will http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/?p=2335 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!

]]> http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/10/21/begging-your-patience/feed/ 4 http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/09/21/not-so-prompt-these-days/ http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/09/21/not-so-prompt-these-days/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:35:42 +0000 Will http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/?p=2297 Rest assured, friends. We will have a blog again — soon.

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


]]> http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/09/21/not-so-prompt-these-days/feed/ 0 http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/08/22/schueberfouer-does-not-mean-sheep-fair/ http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/08/22/schueberfouer-does-not-mean-sheep-fair/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:00:04 +0000 Will http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/?p=2265 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.

]]> http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/08/22/schueberfouer-does-not-mean-sheep-fair/feed/ 6 http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/08/17/assumption-weekend/ http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/2011/08/17/assumption-weekend/#comments Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:37:39 +0000 Will http://bakkerbugle.com/blog/?p=2250 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.

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