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.…