Merry Christmas!

The consular team!

The Luxembourg Christmas Market skating rink.

Who needs mistletoe?

And then this happened

You know I love consular work. I talk about it all the time.

But in a small embassy like Luxembourg, sometimes you get to cross over to other "duties as assigned." And thatʻs how I met Nancy Pelosi.

This past weekend I was given the opportunity to be the "control" for Speaker Pelosiʻs visit to Luxembourg for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, and the many events that honored U.S. veterans. She led a CODEL (COngressional DELegation) of members and staffers that numbered about 50. My team and I arranged bilateral meetings with the Grand Duke, the parliament, and the prime minister. We coordinated dinners and lunches and transportation. And when the time came we accompanied the sixteen members of Congress to pay tribute at Bastogne Barracks and the Luxembourg American Cemetery, and we trekked with them through the Ardennes forest for a memorial service to those who fought and died to liberate Belgium and Luxembourg.

It was a lot of long hours and late nights, but in the end the visit was successful and memorable.

At the airport as the CODEL was leaving.

Christmas Markets in Germany

R is back in Luxembourg (hurray!) and we decided to explore the nearby Christmas markets this past weekend. By "nearby" I mean in Germany - and actually kind of far away. On Saturday we went to Traben-Trarbach, a 90 minute drive across the German border, to see the Christmas market that is tucked away in six separate wine cellars:

A view from the road as we drew nearer our destination.

Yes, there were plenty of people crammed into very tight spaces, drinking mulled wine and making merry.

I can only assume that these are wine casks. :)

The next day, Sunday, we threw caution to the winds and ventured 2.5 hours into Germany to the beautiful village of Rudesheim. This town is known for its "Christmas of Nations" Christmas market, and boasts Europeʻs biggest Nativity scene with life-size figures:

Complete with babbling brook!

Merry Christmas from me and the old elf.

I also bought a huge stollen cake to share with my colleagues at work, and many, many marshmallow confections that were divinely delicious. Tis the season!

Bastogne

Weʻre prepping for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge at the embassy. There are a lot of commemoration events coming up both in Luxembourg and in Belgium. The U.S. is very well regarding here and the Luxembourg people still express gratitude and appreciation for Americaʻs role in liberating them from German occupation during World War II.

I traveled to Belgium twice this week - once to meet my consular colleagues at the embassy in Brussels, and once to visit various commemoration sites. By far the most haunting site was the Ardennes forest where the Battle of the Bulge was fought. A fog was present throughout the day - it never dissipated - and that added to the somber, melancholy feeling that I couldnʻt shake.

A foxhole in the foreground.

Veterans Day

The embassy hosts a ceremony thanking veterans at the Luxembourg American Cemetery every year. Although I did not have an official role to play, I attended the event to pay my respects. Over 5000 US war dead are buried in the cemetery, including General Patton.

Ambassador Randy Evans, giving remarks.

The Marine Corps Ball

R isnʻt here, but I decided to go to the Marine Corps Ball any way. The marines at the embassy are a good bunch, and I really love their spirit.

Although I did buy a ball gown, I opted to wear a shalwar kameez that I brought with me from Pakistan. Itʻs beautiful and super comfortable. And Iʻll be able to wear the gown next year when I go with R!

Consular outreach

I really love consular work. It provides the opportunity to serve U.S. citizens abroad every day, and to feel the impact of that service. Itʻs interesting, fulfilling, and gratifying. This week, we were contacted by the family of a 103-year-old U.S. citizen who wanted to renew her passport, but because of her frail condition couldnʻt travel to the embassy. So the ambassador and I traveled to her.

She generously gave her permission to share the photo.

Vianden

A friend visited from the States and we went up to Vianden for the walnut festival. While it had rained for a few days prior, and the rain returned the day after, the day of the festival dawned sunny and perfect. We got there just as the festivities were beginning and toured the castle before wending our way into the town to taste the sausage and walnut schnapps.

The origins of Vianden castle are from the 10th century.

I loved the beauty of this curved line....

Attending functions

Part of my work at the embassy involves events after business hours. This week, I attended the opening of a new headquarters building for Deloitte, a company with many U.S. employees. The Luxembourg prime minister was there, so it was kind of a big deal and was covered by the press. Imagine my surprise when this photo appeared in an online German-language Luxembourg newspaper (Luxemburger Wort):

Honestly, I just went in the clothes I had worn to work that day. Who knew no one dresses in pink at these things?

The Schueberfouer!

Every year for three weeks, Luxembourg hosts the oldest fun fair in all of Europe - the Schueberfouer. John the Blind started the event some six hundred years ago, and it's been celebrated each year (give or take the odd cancellation or two because of war or something similar). R and I headed over to see what all the hullabaloo was about, and of course we had a great time.

Rainy days are meant for museums

Last weekend was projected to be stormy and rainy, and it did not disappoint. R and I spent Saturday and Sunday doing what people do when it rains: we went to a mall and to a museum.

The malls in Luxembourg are large and nice, offering exceptional food court choices (I might have indulged in a waffle with caramel and bananas on a recent trip), and a variety of clothing stores. The most striking difference between malls here and malls in the US is that "anchor" stores here are grocery stores. Auchan, Cactus, and Cora are the equivalent of Safeway, Smithʻs, and Harris Teeter in the U.S., and in the way of consumables, they offer nearly everything a girl could want. And a lot of what a girl wants (chocolate, croissants, baguettes) that a girl should limit her consumption of.

Weʻve been to Auchan - a large mall near European Union buildings that has a supermarket by the same name; Belle Etoile (Beautiful Star) - where the Cactus supermarket boasts an amazing wine selection (French wine! Ten bucks!); City Concorde - where the Cora supermarket offers all manner of delectable fruits and where we had a nice Italian dinner; and our newest mall experience, Cloche dʻOr (Golden Bell) - where I searched in vain for a dress to wear to my daughterʻs upcoming wedding, but was able to enjoy the aforementioned waffle (which pretty much guarantees I wonʻt fit into anything I want to wear anyway), so all is good.

Yes, there is no shortage of shopping in my newly-adopted country.

On Sunday we dodged the raindrops and walked about a mile to the Musée National dʻHistoire et dʻArt Luxembourg (The Luxembourg National Museum of History and Art). It was a perfect day to spend admiring the artifacts of Luxembourgʻs rich past. The logical place to start a visit is the fourth floor underground, which houses the oldest items, and then work your way up, floor by floor. Thatʻs what we did, finishing our first visit on the ground floor - promising ourselves that we would return another day to see the rest. The museum is free, but also offers traveling exhibits at a small charge. Like most, we find ourselves tiring after a couple of hours of walking through museums, and often return multiple times to places to see the entire collection. This is what weʻll do for the MNHA.

Meanwhile, a few shots of our inaugural visit (mainly of items from the Roman era):

Toga clips!

I do so love mosaic tile.

Clervaux and The Family of Man

R and I had a great weekend exploring parts near and far. First, we went on a tour of the Grand Ducal Palace; no photos allowed, so we took a few pictures of the nearby acrobat statues:

Whimsy!

We stopped for a croissant and coffee, then we were off to Clervaux, a little village a little over an hour away.

The Clervaux castle.

A view from the road.

The church - we didnʻt get to spend much time inside; a wedding party was gathering....

Another view of the castle. The entrance to the right is for "The Family of Man" exhibit.

We had read about the Family of Man photographic exhibit before heading out for the day, and I was keen to see it. The exhibit is the work of a Luxembourgish citizen working for New Yorkʻs Museum of Modern Art back in the 1950s - he wanted to gather photos from all parts of the world depicting the human experience. It was a traveling exhibit for years, but its final home is in the Clervaux castle, kind of homage to the man who put it all together - Edward Steichen. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and canʻt recommend it enough.

The photos were large and small.

...they depicted all types of varied cultures - this grouping represents religious practices.

There were quotes peppered throughout the exhibit.

This baby is darling.

It was really moving.

On Sunday, we explored more of Luxembourg City, walking about seven miles in the process. I took dozens of photos (to be shared later!). I donʻt think Iʻll ever tire of the beauty and diversity that this country offers.