Sweet, but gullible
Granny believed Gramps when he
Claimed to be sterile
Luxembourg Day 2: History and Culture (but First, Slides!) January 14, 2017
We began our second full day in Luxembourg City with a walk through Municipal Park on our way to find somewhere to have breakfast. However, the morning meal fell a few notches on the priority list when we stumbled across a giant playground pirate ship–and just days after Talk Like a Pirate Day (yes, the trip was in September, and I’m just now writing it up in January–don’t judge me!). It was a beautiful day, and the playground was empty. Clearly, the universe was telling us that it was time to play!
Breakfast can wait!
My father quickly went about climbing the tower on the ship because, as he said, “Someone’s gotta do it!” Well, of course.
Dad is on top of things.
My turn!
ARRRRRRR!
About to descend the twisty slide!
As we continued to let our inner children frolic (videos here and here), several passers-by (all of them adults, mind you) came and joined the fun on the ship. Eventually, we gave in to hunger and continued on in search of breakfast…or maybe by that time, brunch. Whatever you want to call it, we ate it at Boulangerie Paul. Take it from a rhubarb enthusiast–their rhubarb tart is delicious.
Next, we explored the Bock Casemates, a series of defense tunnels that were dug out over a period of about 100 years during the 1600s and 1700s. They were seriously cool to see.
Here, the ground reminded me of brains. (Bock Casemates)
Is this thing loaded?
Bock Casemates
Here, the ground made me feel like I was in The Empire Strikes Back. (Bock Casemates)
A view from the Bock Casemates
Tower at the Bock Casemates
Vineyard under the Bock Casemates
Panoramic view
I ^ Luxembourg
After a lunch of pizza and beer at Il Punto, we headed to the National Museum of History and Art. Ironically, we managed to get far more lost there than we did while wandering through underground tunnels earlier in the day. We saw some cool stuff, though, including an Edward Steichen exhibit. Plus, the mirrored ceiling in the museum’s elevator made for one of the coolest selfie opportunities ever.
Looking up!
We passed most of the rest of the day wandering about, eating gelato, drinking wine, and taking lots more pictures.
Danger! Umbrellas and wine?
Gargoyle
Reflections in vases outside the Judiciary City Courthouses
Reflections in vases outside the Judiciary City Courthouses
Reflections in vases outside the Judiciary City Courthouses
Reflections in vases outside the Judiciary City Courthouses
Here, the ground reminded me of fingerprints.
Evening falls on Luxembourg City.
Luxembourg Day 1: Getting in Touch With My Inner Stevie January 8, 2017
We awoke the next morning to discover that our hotel room had quite a nice view, which we had not realized when we’d arrived the previous evening under cover of darkness.
Good morning, Luxembourg!
After breakfast, our first order of business was to head to the Bierger-Center, where my brother Chris was to file his paperwork as his next step in reclaiming Luxembourg citizenship. My parents, Michelle, and I acted as his entourage for what was only about a 15-minute task.
One step closer to citizenship!
I had two main goals for my trip to Luxembourg. One was to visit the Modes Nita hat shop, which we did next, and I added to my collection of hats from my travels. My second goal requires a bit of back story…
It all began about a year and a half ago when I happened to noticed that, according the to calendar on the website of the the Luxembourg-American Cultural Society, August 12 was Stevie Nicks Day. The reason for this was unclear to me. It wasn’t her birthday, and a Google search yielded no obvious connection between the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Luxembourg. Determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, my mother e-mailed the LACS to inquire about the day and the Stevie-Luxembourg connection. She never got a response, and within the next week or so, Stevie Nicks Day mysteriously disappeared from the LACS calendar.
Nevertheless, I decided that Stevie Nicks Day was a good idea and was best celebrated by listening to her music, wearing lace and fringe, and twirling–lots of twirling–basically getting in touch with one’s own inner Stevie.
Celebrating Stevie Nicks Day 2015
At some point before the trip, Chris told me I really needed to bring the vest I wore in the picture above and twirl in the Luxembourg City square to celebrate a (somewhat belated) Stevie Nicks Day 2016. I decided he was right, and I’m happy to say that I accomplished my goal that morning. We spent the rest of the day exploring the city, which included taking a walking tour and taking lots and lots of pictures.
This sign was an easy-to-remember navigation point.
The Golden Lady (with bird)
Emo butcher is actually a vegetarian.
Red Lion (from the Luxembourg coat of arms)
Panorama of Luxembourg City
Pretty ivy
My mom with an elephant on parade
No hand-holding!
Municipal Park
Ireland to Luxembourg (and a Stop in Between) January 6, 2017
On the morning of the seventh day of our trip, Ian and Friday got up unfathomably early so they could get to the airport with ample time to catch their flight home. Michelle and I were continuing on our trip to meet my family in Luxembourg and had a later flight. So, we groggily bid our husbands goodbye and slept for a few more hours.
Pylons in Dublin kind of look like small people wearing bowler hats.
We Ubered to the airport, got there plenty early for our flight, and decided to spend some time souvenir shopping. I think just being in the airport elicited premature end-of-vacation panic in me, and I had to continually remind myself that I still had a few days of vacation remaining, lest I buy all the things before leaving Dublin.
Once we were en route to Amsterdam, it began to dawn on me that the connection to our flight to Luxembourg City was pretty tight. Living in Chicago, I guess I’m a bit spoiled by having direct flights available for most of my travels So, when I booked the tickets, I didn’t stop to think that making a connecting flight in 40 minutes, while not impossible, was not terribly realistic. Still, our flight out of Dublin left on time, and I tried not to fret. We even landed in Amsterdam on schedule, so I was still hopeful we’d make it as we taxied for what seemed like a really long time…ah, but that was just my anxiety, right? It probably just seemed like a long time.
The plane parked at a gate, and we were finally about to be let off when an announcement informed us that there were problems with the jetway. People were working on it, and it shouldn’t be long. Deep breaths.
Eventually, we got off of the plane and rushed toward our gate, still hoping we could make our connection. We followed the signs that pointed us toward the right terminal but gave no indication of the distance to our gate (which I believe, although don’t quote me on this, was about 17 miles). Our hearts and stomachs sank a bit when we saw the line at passport control (so much for easy movement between EU countries), but our flight was still listed as boarding by the time we made it through. So we ran. We ran until we couldn’t run anymore, then speed walked for a bit, and ran again. I had seen people running through airports before, and whenever I did, I felt glad not to be them. I hate being late for things. But alas, I was now one of those people–running awkwardly, dragging luggage behind me, sweating, and gasping for breath.
Insult was added to injury when we reached our terminal only to encounter a broken people-mover, which could have shaved precious seconds from our journey if it had been operational. Still not about to give up, we ran some more. Breathless, we arrived at our gate to discover that our plane had not yet departed, but its doors had been closed, and we weren’t going to be allowed to board. Disappointed, we walked (at a more leisurely place) to the rescheduling counters and were rebooked on the next flight (roughly five ours later). With some time to kill, we decided the best way to cope with our missed flight and at the same time celebrate the fact that we did still have a few days of vacation remaining was to visit an airport bar.
Coping with a missed connection
This bench/sculpture looks comfortable, but it actually was not at all.
We killed some more time by wandering around the airport and browsing in shops until hunger prompted us to see out some dinner. It became quite apparent that we were still discombobulated by the wrench that had been thrown in our schedule when we both accidentally bought non-alcoholic beer (when meaning to buy real beer)–at airport prices even!
Damn it! Oh well, at least there was pie.
Thankfully,things were relatively uneventful after that. We made our flight without any problems. As luck would have it, we arrived at the lobby of our hotel in Luxembourg city at the same time my mom and brother had decided to visit the lobby vending machine (which has beer and wine!). Instead, we all decided to visit the hotel bar once Michelle and I were checked in. There we enjoyed some beer–this time, the real stuff–and toasted our impending Luxembourg adventures.
That’s more like it!
IRL IRL Day 6: 30,000+ Steps in Dublin December 13, 2016
We began our final full day in Ireland with breakfast at Herbstreet in Dublin. My waffles with fresh berries and clotted cream were delicious, despite the fact that I strongly feel that clotted is one of the least appetizing words in the English language and really has no place on a menu.
I dig the Dublin doors.
After breakfast, we went to Trinity College, where we saw the Book of Kells, which was pretty amazing and a tough act to follow. But I could have sworn I heard a choir of angels singing as I entered the Long Room and beheld more old books than I could likely read in a lifetime…although I do enjoy a challenge.
I would like to live here, please, thx.
Our self-guided walking tour of Dublin continued with stops at Christchurch Cathedral and Dublin Castle. We intended to visit the Jameson distillery, but it turned out to be closed for re-development.
Christchurch Cathedral
Dublin Castle
Bridge on the River Liffey
We had also planned to tour the Kilmainham Gaol, but we didn’t plan quite well enough–tickets for the day were sold out by the time we arrived. Since we were all ready there, we perused the museum there for a while, and that was quite interesting.
I have so many questions.
From there, we headed to the Guinness Storehouse, where we took a tour and had drinks in the Gravity Bar, which offers 360-degree views of Dublin. I’ve taken quite a few brewery tours in my day and the brewing of beer occurs regularly in my kitchen, so frankly, learning about the brewing process is not all that interesting or novel to me. That said, I really enjoyed the Guinness tour. The building itself and the exhibits are impressive, and the tour was structured so that, for the most part, you could go through at your own pace.
View through a waterfall or impressionistic painting?
Ian wished this was a real beer. I wished it was a real turtle.
Tiny Guinness is adorable!
At the conclusion of the tour, you have the option of (after brief instruction) being able to pull your own pint or to have one pulled for you in the Gravity Bar. We opted for the latter, mainly because I figured (incorrectly, as it turned out) that the bar might have options other than Guinness. Truth be told, I’m not a big fan of Guinness (*gasp*!). I don’t hate it–it’s just not my thing. I think it has something to do with the fact that when I look at it, I expect something chocolate–not something with hints or notes of chocolate but rather some serious, deep, dark chocolatey goodness–and am invariably disappointed. And frankly, the assumption that everyone who takes the tour and is not a child would want a Guinness seems a bit short-sighted, but oh well. I drank a little, and my companions finished my portion.
In my experience, it’s the other way around.
After loading up on Guinness-themed souvenirs, we sought out food at Against the Grain and then headed back to the apartment to pack up. Packing is never particularly fun, and according to my FitBit, we had racked up more than 30,000 stops that day, so a couple of beers seemed well deserved. As we drank and packed, we pondered exactly what had compelled us to buy quite so much beer. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but there was no way we were going to finish it all. Ah well, hopefully the next occupants of the apartment enjoyed it.
It’s true–the streets in Ireland are paved with potatoes!
To Be Continued… November 9, 2016
I know you’re all clamoring to know more about my trip to Ireland and Luxembourg (I know this because one person asked me about it, and so I’m rounding up). I do plan on blogging about the rest of the trip eventually, but it will have to wait because at the moment I am knee deep in NaNoWriMo and trying not to drown in post-election despair. So, perhaps in December…
If you need something to read in the meantime, I humbly recommend You Don’t Know Us… a collection from the Budlong Woods Writers, which I am privileged to be a part of. The writers among our ranks range from relative novices to accomplished award winners, but we all have at least one thing in common: we put our hearts into this book. Hope you enjoy getting to know us a bit.
Peace.
Forty-one Awesome Things I Did While I Was Forty-one October 24, 2016
- Got a piggy-back ride part of the way home from a bar on my birthday
- Got a picture of one of my cats wearing a witch hat (this had been a longstanding dream of mine)
Toil and Trouble
- Achieved a NaNoWriMo three-peat
- Sipped and painted
- Attended the Grilled Cheese Meltdown (yum!)
- Made kitty plates
- Saw the Van Gogh exhibit at the Art Institute
- Attended the Cider Summit
Cider: delicious and beautiful!
- Colored Ruth Bader Ginsberg on a unicorn
- Successfully escaped a room
- Had fun with helium
- Used a magical cupcake machine
- Read Infinite Jest (It’s somewhat debatable whether this counts as “awesome,” but it’s definitely an accomplishment, so I’m counting it)
Footnotes and all!
- Was on TV! (I’m in the background in the orange jacket)
- (Obviously) did more SUP yoga
- Took this fierce selfie
- Experimented with buttons
- Experimented with lots of new hairstyles
- Took an arm balance yoga workshop
- Met a dog named Friday while with a person named Friday
- Stayed at a goat farm in Ballyvaughn, Ireland
- Visited the Cliffs of Moher
- Brought a cutout of my alma mater’s founder along with me on my travels
Bradley alums with Flat Lydia at the Cliffs of Moher #CelebrateLydia
- Saw the Poulnabrone Dolmen
- Visted Ailwee Cave
- Visited Dunguaire Castle
- Learned about King Puck
- Saw a traditional Irish music session in and Irish Pub
- Wrote limericks while in County Limerick
- Visited Killarney National Park
- Visited the Rock of Cashel
- Went on a literary pub crawl in Dublin (and won a t-shirt by correctly answering the most quiz questions afterward)
- Saw the Book of Kells
- Took a selfie with an Irish sheep
- Toured the Guinness Storehouse
- Twirled a la Stevie Nicks in the Luxembourg City town square
- Took a walking tour of Luxembourg City
- Visited the Bock Casemates
- Sang about a buck-toothed girl in Luxembourg while in Luxembourg
- Helped bring You Don’t Know Us..., the first collection of stories and poems from one of my writing groups, to publication
- Celebrated the Cubs’ first pennant win 71 years
