Trees & Schnee

(Sorry...I can't give up Fahrenheit!)

First, some good news: the first snowfall of December for Lux Ville is forecast for this weekend. At the moment, my phone tells me that there might be a few flakes of schnee tomorrow; on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, a few more. After weeks of cold, wind and rain, these snowflakes are practically a Christmas miracle!

And second, a few words about Christmas trees.

Weekend Roundup, Dec. 9-11 (and beyond)

This is the last weekend roundup of the year – and my very last appearance on Sara Flanagan’s 9-11am block on ARA City Radio (103.3 & 105.2). Please feed my ego one last time (on the radio, anyway...) and tune in!

A few events for this weekend follow below...but we all know that the real stars of the show this time of year are the Christmas markets. So, be sure to check out my Christmas Market Roundup, a compilation of dates and links to markets throughout Luxembourg and along the French, German and Belgian borders. 

Bittersweet News

Hello there.

Well, I wish I didn’t have to write this post, but I suppose it’s better to spread the word sooner rather than later… So, here goes:

2011 Christmas Market Roundup

My dad at the Strasbourg Marché de Noël

I’m just going to come right out and admit it. I’m a Christmas market junkie. I love the wooden chalets, I love the lights, the festive tunes, the holiday bustle, the treats and of course, the glühwein (or vin chaud, depending on where you’re sipping it).

Last year, in addition to Luxembourg Ville, we enjoyed visiting the markets in Trier, Kassel, Bad Hersfeld, Strasbourg, Maastricht, Valkenburg, and (pausing for a breath) Montreux. If you’re heading to any of those for the first time, I’m happy to share thoughts or recommendations for all of them if you e-mail me at luxemblogger@gmail.com.

On tap for us this December: Köln, Brussels, small towns in Alsace and the Black Forest, Stockholm, Paris and Besançon – whew! (Something tells me that I’m going to need to borrow a pair of pants from Santa Claus himself by the time this month is over…)

If you have nearby markets to add to the list or any tips, recommendations or maybe a glühwein recipe to share, please contribute to the comments section below!

Joyeux Noël!

Weekend Roundup, Nov. 25-27

It won’t come as a surprise to you to hear that there’s lots more to eat and drink this weekend as the holiday season officially kicks off. So, loosen your belt buckle and get ready for some serious noshing!

And please tune in to ARA City Radio (103.3 and 105.2) between 9-11am tomorrow to hear me dish details on these events and more!

Weekend Roundup, Nov. 18-20

I'll be highlighting a few of these events on Friday morning between 9am and 11am on ARA City Radio (103.3 and 105.2), so please tune in! 

And as always, if there's an event you'd like me to highlight, shoot me a note at luxemblogger@gmail.com. 

Here are my picks for the weekend, and some additional event-finding resources:

How to Saber a Bottle of Crémant

Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of the very first bottle of Crémant de Luxembourg. But I’m not writing this post to tell you about that. You can read all about crémant and how it came to be such a success for the Luxembourg wine industry in my Luxemburger Wort article at this link.

Right now, I’m here to teach you the ultimate party trick. I’m going to tell you how to saber a bottle of crémant.