My last afternoon in Luxembourg, I made my final journey to the Christmas markets and had my final takeaway fondue and gromperekichelchen. I finally tried a feuerzangenbowle. It was actually pretty tasty.  There is a special mug with a little metal wire over the top. They balance a brown sugar chunk on the wire, then squirt it with rum. Then, they light it on fire, and the rum and sugar burn into caramel and melt into the wine. I think the fire part of it burns off some of the alcohol in the wine, so it’s not super alcohol-heavy. I sipped on it while eating a fondue and wandering the…

So this is my last week of classes and I haven’t done a lot of exploring. After getting back late on Saturday from Strasbourg, I slept in on Sunday and just hung out at the Christmas markets in Luxembourg. On Monday, it was pouring rain, so I thought I’d get on a train and get out of town for the day, but everywhere is at least a 3 hour train ride, not really a day trip. I probably should have stayed Saturday night in Strasbourg and gone somewhere from there on Sunday, but after being sick last week, I just didn’t plan my weekend very thoroughly. I’ve just been tired from…

Today I took the train to Strasbourg to check out the Christmas markets. Strasbourg is famous for their beautiful markets, so I am excited to check it out. Today is the only day in the 10-day forecast for Strasbourg with no rain. And it’s a Saturday. So I don’t anticipate I’ll be alone in picking today as a great day to visit.  Arriving in Strasbourg Of course my train was delayed. There was a fire alarm and some damage inside a tunnel, attributed to a ‘malicious act’, so we were forced to take a roundabout way to get to Strasbourg and my 90 minute train ride became 2 and a…

In Kirchberg, there is a mall and grocery store called Auchan. Today I visited there for lunch just to have a look around. The mall is nothing particularly special. You can find any of these brands anywhere else in the world. H&M, Zara, nothing local or noteworthy. However, the mall is decorated for Christmas and it’s a nice festive atmosphere inside, away from the dreary winter weather.  I decided to have lunch at the food court, though I was a bit surprised at what constitutes a food court here. Most of the food available was actually at nicer, sit-down style restaurants. There is a Quickly burger, and a bagel place,…

I’m back!  Feeling quite a bit better and ready to at least take a leisurely stroll through the markets. I started my day with my usual cereal and coffee, and I’m so glad to be adding coffee back to my diet. I love coffee. It’s comforting and warm and I have definitely missed it. The house I’m staying in has an individual coffee maker, which makes a 4oz. ‘cup’ of coffee at a time. However, they also only stock monster sugar cubes. So I’m even more enjoying my half cup of coffee with extra sugar. Lecker! I did some work stuff, even finished a story (bam!). And stayed home until…

You do not have to read this. I have spent the last few days being very sick and not doing anything cool or fun. You’ve been warned.  So after I picked up my flammekuchen, I decided to eat it on my way back home. I’ve been trying to maintain some amount of working (even though today is technically a holiday), so I can keep up with all of my projects. But as I’m walking back, I barely make it through two slices before my stomach says, “no, something isn’t right”. I try to force down a third slice, thinking that more bread will help after having that hot drink (hot…

The first and smallest Christmas Markets opened on Thursday. I decided to trek down to the Place d’Paris and check it out.  It’s pretty small, only about 6 or so booths, but an amazing assortment of foods. There’s a booth of cheese dishes, where you can get either fondue or raclette. There’s a fried desserts stand where they have Belgian waffles, churros, some interesting Dutch fried balls, etc. There’s a place for sausages, naturally. And a booth with gromperekichelcher and warm soups for the cold winter days.  And a booth of pasta, which seemed popular but also… strange. And of course there is a booth with handmade Christmas decorations. I,…

So I combined Tuesday and Wednesday into 1 post because it’s really just photos of me eating at cool restaurants. Not that there aren’t a ton of super cool restaurants here in Luxembourg, but because I have class in the evening, I don’t want to risk a train or bus being delayed and missing class, so I don’t go outside the city really. But, I had lovely days both Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and I am totally looking forward to Thursday. You’ll see why tomorrow! Fondue for Two I made a reservation at a Fondue restaurant, Um Haeffchen, in Bascharage and a local friend wanted to try it, too.…

Train to Ettelbréck Today was quite a long day, and I went to a ton of places, so get ready. I started out on the train this morning to visit Vianden Castle, in the far north of Luxembourg. It takes a train, a bus, and about an hour to get there. I started out finding a spot on the train and scrolling through my facebook feed on my phone… before looking up just as the train pulled out of the station and realizing what an amazing view you get from the train.  The train leaves town through a long elevated bridge and there are amazing views of the city. After…