I had a wonderful December in Luxembourg. From exploring Luxembourg City and watching the Luxembourg Light Nights spectacle with my roommates to visiting Christmas markets in Metz, Trier, and Brussels, it was truly an amazing month. However, I am so thankful that I was able to head back home for Christmas. I got to see family and some of my best friends, go to Target (more times than I'm proud to admit), and eat as much chips and queso as my stomach could handle.
I guess they're right -- there's no place like home for the holidays!
Samschdeg, 19 Dezember.
This weekend, Luxembourg held its first ever holiday light show. The spectacle son et lumière (doesn't everything sound ten times more dramatic in French?) was hosted in the Cité Judiciaire on Friday and Saturday night.
Equal parts circus, holiday party, and display of national pride, the light show was certainly ... well ... something!
Want to get a better sense of what it was really like? Check this out!
Sonndeg, 13 Dezember.
Just got back from a truly whirlwind trip to Brussels! I left my house at 8:00 a.m. and was back in Esch-sur-Alzette by 11:00 p.m. In between? Seven hours of sitting on a train, four hours of exploring Brussels, and two hours of a Fulbright "Cookies & Carols" event (aka the primary reason for the trip).
As you can imagine, American-sized amounts of caffeine were necessary.
I hadn't been to Brussels since my last visit in October and I was really looking forward to seeing the city decorated for Christmas. I popped in to mass at the Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula and then met up with a fellow Fulbrighter to explore the "Plaisirs d'Hiver."
Ultimately, I didn't take too many photos. It was cold and rainy and I spent most of my time trying to avoid puddles rather than taking pictures! But I hope that you enjoy these snapshots of Christmas in Brussels.
Just your average gothic cathedral!
Apparently this building is lit up year-round. How festive!
I enjoyed seeing Brussels at Christmas and was so glad to see my fellow Fulbrighters one last time before the holidays ... but BOY OH BOY was I happy to get back to Luxembourg at the end of it all. It's strange that although Luxembourg can at times feel foreign and overwhelming, it also has begun to feel a whole lot like home. After a long day of chitchatting and dodging crowds in Brussels, nothing could have felt better than walking into the quiet familiarity of the Gare de Luxembourg. Well, nothing except for crawling into bed ... which is next on the agenda!
Méindeg, 7 Dezember.
As promised yesterday, some snapshots from our afternoon at the Trierer Weihnachtsmarkt!
The entire city was decorated for the holidays, but we spent most of our time at the markets located in the Hauptmarkt (the Main Market, featured above) and the Domfreihof (Cathedral Square, depicted below). Although shops were closed and the majority of the city seemed to be enjoying a quiet afternoon in, the Christmas markets were full to bursting with people.
Of course, what's a Christmas market without food?! I snacked on gebrannte mandeln, my all-time favorite weihnachtsmärkte treat of sugar-roasted almonds, and we warmed up with hot chocolate in souvenir mugs. (Because when it comes down to it, do you REALLY want glühwein when you could be drinking hot chocolate covered in whipped cream?)
For lunch, we stopped for flammkuchen, a traditional dish from Alsace that I had only tried once before while exploring the marchés de Noël in Strasbourg during my semester abroad. Unlike Alsatian flammekueche, made with a pizza-thin crust and a (surely unhealthy) dose of crème fraîche, this was made with thick, doughy bread covered in potatoes, cheese, and little bits of ham and ... oh, what's that? Sorry, I was daydreaming about eating flammkuchen for the rest of my life.
Until next time, Trier! In the meantime, wishing you all an early Frohe Weihnachten from the oldest city in Germany.
There is exactly one month until Christmas ... or Chrëschtdag in Luxembourgish! In honor of this important milestone in the holiday season, I decided to share with you THE MOST EXCITING thing I could possibly think of.
That's right. It's time for my definitive guide to Luxembourgish Christmas Markets.
Luxembourg City.
Of course, the Christmas Market that you simply cannot miss is held in the capital of Luxembourg. Or should I say the Christmas Markets? The city of Luxembourg has several small markets spread throughout the city, but the unmissable spots are Place de la Constitution (which features a large ferris wheel and a dozen or so adorable chalets) and the Place des Armes (which includes a stage and live music).
Visit the Visit Luxembourg website to learn more. Want to learn more about how Luxembourg City celebrates the holidays? Blogger Luxessed has some beautiful photos from Christmas 2014 and this page from the Luxemburger Wort has tons of cute photos from this year's market!
This video from SantaTelevision is bound to put you in the holiday spirit!
Aubange.
The town of Aubange in the southwest of Luxembourg is holding their marché de Noël on the weekend of December 11-13. See more information on their Facebook page.
Clervaux.
I've been meaning to go to Clervaux for weeks: they have a beautiful castle, some cool museums, and a famous photography exhibition (within the aforementioned beautiful castle). And on December 13, they'll even have a special Christmas market. Neat!
Diekirch.
The city of Diekirch in northern Luxembourg holds an annual Christmas market. It is open on one weekend only so if you want to attend, mark your calendars for December 18-20. Photos from Christmas 2014 are available on the Diekirch tourism website.
Dudelange.
Dudelange, a city in the south of Luxembourg, has a rather unique Christmas market tradition! Their Marché de Noël Médiéval comprises both a traditional Christmas market and a medieval village. Unlike some of the country's other markets that open in November, this event lasts only two weeks! This year, you can visit the medieval market from December 11 to 20.
Echternach.
It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Echternach, the beautiful city in Eastern Luxembourg where you can hike, explore ancient churches and Roman ruins, and walk to Germany. In December, I'll have yet another reason to love this city: the Eechternoacher Chrëstmoart!
Echternach's Christmas market takes place on one weekend only. This year, it will run December 11-13, 2015. The Christmas market will be open on Friday night from 18:00 to 21:30, on Saturday from 11:00 to 21:00, and on Sunday from 11:00 to 20:00. In addition to the market in the town center, Echternach will also host a medieval market in front of the basilica. To learn more about the event, check out their official website: www.weihnacht.lu.
Esch-sur-Alzette.
Home, sweet home! The annual Christmas Market in "my" city of Esch-sur-Alzette is called the Escher Krëschtmoart. (Try saying THAT five times fast!). It takes place in the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, right in the center of downtown Esch. This year, the market is open every day (from noon to 8:00 pm) beginning on Friday, November 21.
Ettelbruck.
The city of Ettelbruck will be holding their fortieth annual Christmas Market on the weekend of December 11-13 in the pedestrian heart of the city. For more information, look at the event on Facebook. Heringer Millen.
The Heringer Millen -- a former granary turned tourist center -- is holding its own Christmas market on December 5 and 6. Check out the event on Facebook.
Mersch.
The city of Mersch is holding its annual Chrëschtmaart on November 28 and 29. You can RSVP on Facebook or visit the commune's official website to see photos from the Mersch Christmas Markets in 2013 and 2014.
Vianden. According to the Luxemburger Wort, the town of Vianden will hold a Christmas market on the weekend of November 28 and 29. (They have yet to confirm the dates, but as November 28 coincides perfectly with a planned hike through Vianden, I'm going to cross my fingers that these are correct.)
Wiltz.
The town of Wiltz is hosting a one-day holiday market during the evening of Friday, December 11. (See all the information on the town's official website.) The town will also host a visit from Saint Nicholas on Sunday, November 29 -- the culmination of a weekend of events in celebration of a new documentary, The American St. Nick, about the American soldiers who threw a Saint Nicholas Day celebration for the children of Wiltz in December 1944. (Click here to learn more about this heartwarming chapter on CNN or watch The American St. Nick trailer here.)
In addition to Christmas markets, many cities in Luxembourg put elaborate nativity scenes -- or creches -- on display during the holiday season. You can find a complete list here.
One of the most interesting things about this list is how much it reveals about the Luxembourgish language! As you might remember, Luxembourgish did not become a standardized language until the 1980s and even now, most native speakers are never taught "correct" Luxembourgish spelling and grammar. In France, Christmas markets are invariably marchés de Noël. In Germany, they are Weihnachtsmärkte. But in Luxembourg, the name seems to differ from town to town! Is it a Chrëstmoart (like in Echternach)? A Krëschtmoart (as in Esch)? Or a Chrëschtmaart (like in Mersch and the Heringer Millen)? Although all the names clearly share a similar origin, the fact that differences in spelling persist is weird fascinating to me!
Of course, Luxembourgers don't limit themselves to Christmas markets within their country! Stay tuned to hear more about the beautiful markets just across the border -- in cities like Metz, Trier, and Brussels. And click here to read all of my posts about Christmas in Francophone Europe.
As you could probably tell from the length of my last post, it would have been absolutely impossible to fit all of my Strasbourg adventures in one post. We just saw and did (and ate) too much! So here begins part two of the Strasbourg adventure -- this time, all about the Marchés de Noël.
As the city holds the title of "capital of Christmas," it's not surprising that they have Christmas markets down to a science. There are over 300 chalets -- little booths, selling everything from pretzels to mulled wine to tree ornaments -- spread out over eleven villages throughout the city. It's all super well-organized: there are giant maps everywhere! (Perfect for a photo op.)
The biggest of these markets is the Christkindelsmärik (an Alsacian term that translates as "Baby Jesus Market"). The history of the market goes back to 1570, when a Lutheran priest, who in an effort to eliminate the very Catholic tradition of venerating saints, was trying to get rid of the city's traditional Marché Saint-Nicolas. Instead of fully cancelling the market, city council decided instead to change its name! And so the "Baby Jesus Market" was born.
Although the Christkindelsmärik is the oldest and most famous, another of the city's Christmas markets -- at Place Kleber -- had another distinction: it's the home of the city's 30-meter Christmas tree! I've never been a fan of over-decorated Christmas trees (like the National Christmas tree in DC, which hardly looks like a tree once they've finished lighting it up), so I loved that this one retained its "tree-ness."
I loved the lights and the little illuminated village at the bottom! Although both the tree and village were truly glorious at night, they're also quite lovely during the day.
As for the Christmas markets themselves, they definitely lived up to my expectations! They were a little different than in Heidelberg: the stands were more unique and seemed to have more artisanal goods ... and there was no bratwurst!
