Fête de la Mirabelle (August 27 & 28)

Adding to the list of delicious things to discover in this part of the world is the colorful assortment of fruit available this time of year. Take the plum, for instance. Red and black plums are nothing new to me, but when I shop here, these old standards are part of a rainbow of selection of more colors and varieties of plum than I ever even knew existed: like yellow plums, the green Reine Claude, smoky purple quetsch and, of course, the golden mirabelle.

Mirabelles are the tiniest plums I’ve ever seen, about the size of a shooter marble. They taste plummy, but not as tart; they’re a much more mellow, sort of sugary sweet. You’ll find them in countless ways; cooked into tartes and tartelettes, preserved in syrup, made into confiture, and perhaps most popularly, turned into eau de vie, the fiery, alcoholic after-dinner digestif created to burn a hole through the large dinner you’ve just eaten.

This weekend in Metz, you’ll have a chance to find mirabelles in all of these forms and more, at the 61st annual Fête de la Mirabelle.

The 671st Schueberfouer (A Bit of History)

You’ve seen the posters up all over town; you’ve read articles in the news and on blogs in recent weeks, the program schedule has been released and finally: the Schueberfouer is here. It officially opens tomorrow (Aug. 18) at 5pm, though restaurants open at noon and rides are available from 2pm onward. This is the Luxembourg version of the summer state fairs you’ll find in the United States, but without the farm animals and without the deep fried pickles, Coca-Cola, Snickers and Twinkies. (Yes, world…Americans really have deep-fried everything.)

The Schueberfouer is a big deal. It attracts more than two million people annually, has been the subject of documentaries and a number of books, and is one of Luxembourg’s oldest traditions.

But like most things in Luxembourg, there’s more to the Schueberfour than meets the eye.

Congé Annuel

The congé annuel is a beautiful thing. As long as you’re not me, trying to take my father on a pastry hunt.

Last summer, my parents visited Luxembourg for the first time. Nick and I whisked them off on a grand tour of the country and the greater region, but, I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that my dad’s favorite part of the trip was scoping out window after window of colorful, mouth-watering pastries and crusty loaves of bread at the boulangeries and pâtisseries that adorn so many street corners in this part of the world.

(Honestly though, who can blame him?)

Seeing this, I knew there was one window that I had to take him past: Jean-Claude Arens, a pâtisserie and chocolaterie near our apartment that has a window display that knocks my socks off every time I walk past. With a puffed chest, I led my dad around the corner to show him what would surely become his very favorite window of treats in town and… the shades were drawn, the lights were off, and a sign on the window read: Congé Annuel.

Luxembourgish Delights (and a new place to find them)

I never, ever, ever leave Luxembourg for a visit back to the U.S. without several tubes of Moutarde de Luxembourg in my suitcase. Really! In fact, my brother, who recently received a tube in Afghanistan (where he is temporarily contracting), thinks I carry it around with me everywhere I go. He has a point: I probably should.

First of all, it is absolutely delicious. Second, at a cost of about 1€ per tube, it’s cheap. And third, since it comes in a toothpaste-like tube, it’s easy to pack…which is also a good thing in case I get hungry while I’m on the road!

But lest you think that I’m a lover of moutarde alone, I’ll also have you know that I have been stopped at least three times by tourists scouring the wine section of Alima, and I always point them toward my favorites of Luxembourg’s predominant grape varieties. And, no guest ever leaves our apartment without a small bottle of Luxembourg wine or eau de vie as a souvenir to take home.

If you live in the Grand Duchy, you already know that there are more delicious foods and beverages produced in Luxembourg than you’ll ever have time to taste, and that each region of the country comes with its own specialties.

But, did you know there’s a map to help you find all of those tasty treats??

User's Guide: Getting a Haircut

"Cousin Itt" (circled).

There comes a time when living in a new place that the thing you’ve been avoiding finally becomes inevitable. A time when you finally have to confront the fact that you’ll soon be confused with “Cousin Itt” if you don’t take action soon. And a time when it becomes painfully obvious to everyone that your natural hair color is not actually the lovely shade of sun-soaked golden brown that you hope people will think is natural.

Ladies: you know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about making a hair appointment.

Sunday Funday: Women’s World Cup & Wine (July 17)

It’s never really too early to start thinking about the weekend, is it? 

(I didn’t think so.)

I just hope you’ve recovered your voice from cheering (or jeering) during the exciting Germany v. Japan and Brazil v. USA women’s football matches over last weekend, because you’ve got more cheering/jeering to do this week.

But, if football isn’t your thing, maybe you’re in the mood for a wine festival this weekend?  

Or, maybe you're interested in both? I am, too. So, read on...

Wine Tasting in Provence…by Public Bus

I try to make it a rule to never turn down the chance to go to Provence. And a little over a month ago, I had the opportunity to spend exactly one day there.

Nick was headed to a work site near Provence on business, and then on to the Loire Valley area before heading back to Luxembourg. He would be gone for a few days, and, once he realized that he’d be in a car by himself for 20+ hours, decided that it might be a good idea to invite his charming, intellectually stimulating and always entertaining wife to join him for the ride. Oh, okay, fine: he really just wanted a co-pilot along to help keep him awake and to plug addresses into the GPS.

Figuring that four days in France would more than make up for the week of French classes I’d be skipping, I went along for the ride…with an ulterior motive, naturally. Hey, someone in this household has to build our French wine collection while Nick works, right?