The season is upon us ! The Christmas Market in Lille was up and running in full vigor by mid November. Unfortunately for the first two weeks in December, it rained heavily nearly everyday. It adversely affected the tourists and shoppers, which always worries us in terms of the smaller businesses. Yet, when the skies cleared, everyone was out again, bustling about in the city streets.

Lille has been turning more city-center streets into pedestrian traffic which has negatively impacted many businesses. Our very first friend in Lille, Flo, who was instrumental in helping us get our apartment as well as sold us a majority of our furniture, has had it rough. His furniture shop relied on vehicle traffic and its reduction has him looking to close. Over the 7 years here, we’ve gotten to know his family, his girlfriend/then fiancée/now wife and when he closes his business, he’ll move on with his life as we all do. We will miss him terribly as this plays out.

For some reason what has been routine for us getting ready for the holidays became a tough task this time. We don’t know if it’s age or it was the hard rains or me being in French class but we just struggled to get things accomplished. Ordinarily the place is cleaned, decorated and baking finished by the first weekend. However, although the apartment was cleaned, some decorations were skipped and the baking wasn’t finished until the second weekend. Even then I didn’t make the variety or number of treats I planned. And the treats I didn’t finish, won’t be worked on until after Christmas, so we decided just to call them New Year’s munchies. Thank goodness people generally don’t care how they’re dressed up, as long as they’re tasty ! We did still get to visit with everyone when we delivered it all.

Our Christmas cookie deliveries were done on the 16th, my class finished the 17th and we were off to Luxembourg on the 18th. It felt like completing a marathon by the time we left.
Fortunately we travel by train which is always relaxing. I used the 4+ hour trip from Brussels (1/2 hour from Lille) to catch up on correspondence, read the news, read a current book and of course, nap. The journey had the most lovely landscape and then forests as we got closer to Luxembourg Gare. We’d never been there and were looking forward to seeing the city.

We arrived in the late afternoon and after checking in, took a quick rest before venturing out. A check-in with the concierge for information, we traveled up the street to the nearest Christmas market. Unlike most in other cities, there were scant merchandise vendors in any of the markets we saw – it was more open food courts. Really delicious smells of sausages, smoking planks with huge slabs of salmon, potato pancakes and a great many other picks to be had. We weren’t quite ready for dinner so we continued to look around the area. It turned out to be a great decision because we fell across a Mexican restaurant, one thing we are slim on in Lille. Madame Jeanette was an absolute gem. Great margaritas, terrific food and we ate – as my dad used to say – ‘Until our wheels fell off’. Tried to bribe the owners to relocate to Lille but they just laughed. We took the leftovers back to the hotel and they were just as delicious for breakfast.

There were no hop on/off buses in the city but G found an audio tour bus that ran around the area for 50 minutes to take on day two. We leisurely walked the Main Street, stopping for a quick brunch bite at the Christmas market before boarding the bus. We listened to the city’s development through the Roman Empire, Henry VII, Hapsburg rule, Napoleon and the fact that its size had been reduced three times. Overall, what was most interesting to both of us, was the fact that Luxembourg is a founding member of the EU (has an entire building compound dedicated to its workings), OECD, UN and NATO. It has (as Wiki verified) the highest PPP-adjusted GPD per capita, highly-ranked in life expectancy, human development and human rights. What we didn’t get from the tour was a real feel for the city.

The downtown doesn’t have the historic flavor that many European cities have, with a core center or plaza’s rung with their oldest buildings. It is quite cosmopolitan, as G observed, with modern blended in thoroughly with the older architecture. The architecture reflected the history with Gothic, Romanesque, Renaissance in their churches, castles and older buildings. I am personally not fond of modern buildings but unlike other cities, I was quite charmed with the ones sprinkled throughout Luxembourg city.

I know nothing about modern architecture but these were very different from each other and yet didn’t clash like other places we’ve visited. The three notable ones for us were; the Modern Museum of Art by I.M. Pei, Chinese-American (who designed the glass pyramid of the Louvre), the Philharmonie by Christian de Portzamparc, French and the Coque National Sport and Cultural Center (a great shell like building) by Roger Taillibert, also French. The point I’m making is instead of what is usually (for me anyway) a boring cluster of great glass rectangles, the variety of shapes, sizes, materials and designs was very interesting.

All the transportation is free, which we took advantage of by hopping on their nice clean trams in any direction we needed and it was great not to have to fiddle with change or card when boarding. The two main boulevards running through town forked out from the train station at a V, with most of the restaurants and shops lining those two, along with the crossing streets in between. Not a large downtown or city, with a metro population at a little over 680,000. Largely multilingual (most residents able to speak 3 languages), which is heavily influenced by the surrounding countries of Germany, Belgium and France. It’s interesting to note that although the major language is Luxemborgish, all of the administration work is done in Luxemborgish, French and German because in the 80’s it became a law that government workers had to be able to address any citizens who approached in any of those languages.

Our last day of walking the city, we ate at another great restaurant called AI 21. It was a small Italian place, where all the customers were speaking Italian and served enough food that we had our leftovers for dinner. We also came across two other great finds; one was named simply Asia market (true to it’s name), which carried a lot of kitchen items like pottery, utensils and gadgets along with an impressive array of foodstuffs. I was thrilled to pick up a few packets of wonton skins, which I can’t get in Lille and had to refrain from filling a bag of things to take home.

The second impressive shop was a two level art shop, Bastelkeste, which had a HUGE selection of everything creative you could imagine; endless art supplies with oils, acrylics, pastels, brushes, books, small kilns and pottery supplies, plus sewing items of bobbins, threads, ribbons, patches, quiltling materials, bolts of cloth, templates, batting, knitting and crocheting items, yarns, patterns – truly it was mind boggling what all they packed in that store.

As much as I use the internet to shop for quick things to be had instantaneous, nothing really beats a brick and mortar store, where you can see, feel and examine things with people on hand who can answer your questions. We try to patronize small businesses, resorting to the internet for things we just can’t find locally. Ordering supplies online is no substitute for a good hardware store when you’ve got a real stickler of an issue. A great stationery store with a choice of quality papers and good supply of inks or pens. Or a fabulous book store where you trot home with a book to enjoy thumbing through, page by page, as opposed to your Kindle. I know it will all eventually go by the wayside, but when I find a wonderful, unique store, it’s a real treasure.

Also, as an aside – I’ve been meaning to talk about hotels. When we were in our youth, traveling meant long drives, trading the drive while the other slept, stopping at rest stops to sleep in the car or camping, if time wasn’t an issue but almost always was. Hotels were a luxury and when we did have some funds to stop for the night, they were the absolute worst, cheapest type. Get me a couple of cocktails and I could regale you with some doozies. That said, the luxury of staying in hotels; clean sheets and towels, a bed to lie down on, an in-room bathroom and shower, for us is still deeply appreciated. Now, after traveling extensively in our lives, careers and now in our retirement, having stayed in every kind from your two-cent variety to the over a thousand a night places, I like to think that it’s permissible to comment on hotels that miss the mark or soar above the rest without sounding whiney or entitled. Still, it’s clearly a first-world complaint.

Even in the best places we’ve had the Goldilocks scenario; Beds – lumpy, or cave in the middle where you crash into each other in the night, or smell of mold, or too soft leaving your back cricked the next day or too hard where you swear the floor might be a better choice. Then Pillows that are lumpy or so thin they remind you of stadium seats, or so thick that your neck needs traction the next morning or so soft that you chance suffocation. It’s true that the higher-priced ones weed out the bigger offenders but not always. Usually what separates the chains on the higher end are their design choices or bathroom amenities. Closet doors that clash with other doors – someone always gets maimed when you’re both getting ready in the morning, showy shower doors that still allow the water to leak all over the floor, trough style sinks that don’t wash down your toothpaste residue and the list goes on. The bathroom amenities include the shampoos and soaps. If you don’t carry your own, you’re subject to over flowery scents that knock you unconscious or haunt you long after use or toilet paper that is so thin you could read text through it or so coarse that it’s almost sandpaper that we’ve dubbed it WR (war rations). One clever engineer installed a shower soap bar holder that slanted (I guess to drain extra water?) so that when you put the wet bar back on the holder it slid off and damn near broke my toes. Overall, I’m still forever grateful that I’m not sleeping in my car. So, IF I’ve gotten a firm mattress, pillows that don’t try to kill me, hand soap that I don’t smell for a month after using and toilet paper that performs to expectation, I’ve pretty much won the lottery. What is this whole diatribe about?

It’s about the simple things that someone truly thought out that make me smile. In this Marriot, an engineer moved the mechanics for the shower off to the side wall, and I’ve included a photo of it. So what? you ask. WELL, when you wear glasses that you really need and you are navigating an unknown shower, you have to walk in to look – which container is the shampoo, or the shower gel (the company logos are always big but the labels are always small), then – where is a place to put your razor or washcloth, then how are the shower mechanisms set up (very different in different countries) because its never simple – on/ off, then where is the over head vs hand held switch and lastly temperature controls . ONLY THEN can you take off your glasses and clothes because the mechanisms are always under the shower head and if you don’t, when you turn on the water your glasses and clothes will be drenched. Your other choice is to be naked, in the line of fire when the cold water rushes out onto you before it warms up. I’ve even tried switching the hand held after water has warmed to the overhead but it still comes out cold. It’s petty, I know, but I really hate it. But this brilliant engineer had the simple idea to put the mechanism on the side, out of the water’s line. You could not only identify everything but you could turn it on (with glasses and fully clothed) and adjust it before getting in the water to shower. Absolutely astounding!! Absolute jackpot !!!

Finishing up, Luxembourg was a lovely trip, the train ride home uneventful and we were right on the cusp of the end-of-year holidays. The weather for the week would be in the low 30″s with the wind chill dropping it another 10 degrees but our shopping was done and snuggling on the couch in pajamas was on the menu. It was also great to see our good friend and neighbor, Audrey, back from her Japan holiday, as we were all shopping and stocking up on food.

We chose to go out for lunch on Christmas Eve and picked a favorite place. It’s warm, out of the way and always packed because the food is so good. G had their Poulet au Maroilles (stinky cheese) and I enjoyed their shrimp croquets. Walking back home in the freezing, dropping temperature, we were happy we’d chosen lunch out instead of dinner. Wrapping our Christmas surprises in separate rooms, we rejoined to adorn the base of our tree and sip tea before turning in. We’d been invited to a good, French friend’s house for Christmas dinner, but declined politely, opting for the serenity of our own place. Christmas dinner was Lobster tails, langostino’s and stone crab claws in a broth shared by potatoes, with buttered brussel sprouts and baguette bread. It was a wonderful day spent in our pajamas as we wished all our friends and family the best.

G gifted me a wonderful easel (I’d a wonderful one I’d had before leaving the states) and painting smock, which of course I ran over to the studio the next day. Can’t wait to break it in. We also got the sleeper sofa on the 27th that we’d ordered for the bedroom, as the studio will also house guests wanting a little more privacy with their own bathroom. Our first visitors of the year arrive the last week of January.

The last week of the year was much quieter than the months leading up to it. We slept in late, ate highly questionable food – snacking on our stocking treats shamelessly, showered and dressed in mid afternoon. I’d like to say we had deep conversations along with our wine, but I’d be lying. No French, no chores, no visits. I’ve heard the phrase ‘couch rot’ and that pretty much sums it up. It was delightfully decadent.

On New Year’s Eve, we plan on having lunch out at another favorite restaurant, finding them easier than dinners out on the holidays. There will probably be fireworks in the evening that we can watch from our balcony but this month’s will have been wrapped and published before that occurs.

So best wishes to you all this coming year. May it bring good health and good living for you.

And lastly, two photos G took on the streets in Luxembourg that show the great contrasts – the Virgin Mary with Jesus and a gargoyle…oh and I made him throw in a Quasimodo bell ringing statue in Lille that is a favorite. It the little things that are the coolest.