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.

Trier, Germany

We headed out to Trier, Germany last Saturday - a mere 35 minute drive from Luxembourg City. We had heard there are interesting Roman ruins there, and a bit of shopping to be had. We spent an enjoyable several hours wandering around - in and out of ruins, in and out of shops, having lunch - and the trip was well worth it.

A statue in the square.

I loved this sculpture, which depicts the working trades.

Porta Nigra - so cool! It dates from Roman times, approximately 170 AD.

Another shot of Porta Nigra.

Liebfrauenkirche. The part on the left is from about 1016, the Gothic part on the right is from later

Detail near the door to the Gothic part of the cathedral.

Another detail to the left of the door.

The interior. The reds were incredibly vibrant.

The ceiling.

The baroque west choir ceiling in the older part of the cathedral.

A different church altogether - St. Gangolf.

Inside St. Gangolf.