Vianden For A Day

If I learned anything from our previous adventures and moves, it is that I can't let my trepidations get in the way of getting comfortable in our new home. I have to take chances, try to get around more on my own, and not hesitate to try new things. Some things we have found out lately:

Filet American. Its not a steak. No. If you order filet american at a restaurant they may serve you a very large block of ground beef mixed with seasonings. Raw.

Getting around on public transportation is NOWHERE as near complicated as it seems. You pick a target, hop on the bus/tram/train, and just go! Its free in Luxembourg, and not expensive anywhere else.

We had been hearing a lot about this beautiful town called Vianden from our friends here, but at first it seemed like something we had to put off. Our car isn't here yet, our belongings aren't here yet, and sometimes we still feel a little underwater. However, things have changed sao much since the days Phil and I used to wander around Germany, Austria and Italy. Now there's an app for everything. Its almost impossible to get lost and its exceedingly easy to travel around safely.

I picked a few trains heading north on Saturday from my mobiliteit app and with the weather looking mild we set out for Gare Central, the main train station in the city. It turns out you can take pretty much any train heading to Ettelbruck, and when you reach Ettelbruck Gare you can just follow the crowd to the bus stop and pick up the 181 or 180 right into Vianden. It was really too easy. I made everyone grab sandwiches and snacks in case we got stranded, but that turned out to be entirely unneccesary.

Rolling into Vianden, I walked about ten steps before the breathtaking Chateau de Vianden came into sight about this picturesque little town. We enjoyed strolling into the center past a bookstore, some sausage and pizza shops, and even a cute doorway decorated with a cheerful "Moien!" made by chrochet and hung from a piece of wood. Turning left, we stepped down to the promenade along the riverway and watched the ducks. Then as the restaurants came into sight, we began to think about our stomachs.

We hastily agreed to save the sandwiches for later, and decided upon a large restaurant perched right next to the water, called Cafe du Pont and scored a great table at the open windows where we could people watch and the boys could especially ogle all the cars passing over the stone bridge in front of us.

Cafe du Pont is perfect for anyone, as it offered breakfast until the afternoon, sandwiches, burgers, a dozen different ways of serving schnitzel, pasta dishes... We enjoyed a few chilled Dekierch pilsners and a hefty lunch since we had all skipped breakfast.

Determined to work off the meal, I found the walk up to the castle was invigorating. Along the way you could admire the town center with its fountain and sculptures, stop again if you get thirsty (hey no judgment from me), peer into shops and admire the houses and storefronts. It really reminded me of our adventures in Germany!

Reaching the castle, we paid a small fee, and entered the first "circuit" on the outskirts of the giant structure. The circuit, or tour route, brought us down below the current restored structure so you could see the remains of what was built here as far back as the 11th century, and then envision how the castle was expanded and developed into the structure that stands today. I definitely recommend you not miss the first part. 

The second and third circuits took you throughout the main castle, through giant chambers, outer courtyards, and various galleries that contained restored furniture and relics. Although it was a Saturday during the high season for tourism, the spaces were not crowded and it was a really enjoyable tour that you could take at your own pace.

Xavier was totally over this drama.

Leaving the castle, we took a right at the bend before Mont du Chateau and followed a short steep wooded trail back down to the main road. Only .5km and nicely shaded it was marked in several spots by some interesting stone friezes of what must have been religious scenes. The trail went right under the Nope Lift (my term) which is a steep chairlift you can ride for about 5eur that takes you up close to the castle to a hilltop cafe that supposedly has a spectacular view. I'll take their word for it, as heights are really not my favorite thing.

I was really glad we took the wooded route down, though, because we arrived at a different end of the promenade and got to walk back to the busy area by following the water again and admiring our surroundings.

It will be really nice to go back and explore more of the hikes, shops, and try out the other restaurants, and with the short trip its a great idea to keep handy when you're looking for something for just a day. For us, the first visit to Vianden ended with some pretty amazing ice cream sundaes for the boys, and some refreshment for the adults outside the Brasserie des Arts. 

You can find information about where we visited at:

www.castle-vianden.lu

www.cafedupont.lu 

A Day Exploring the Alzette Valley in Luxembourg

 I woke up today with a feeling of renewed promise. Its been barely two weeks since we moved out of our home in Northern Virginia and started the complicated journey to what will be our residence for the next few years. Yet, we've been told our home could be move-in ready as soon as later this week. I'm looking forward to the stage where we can completely empty our suitcases and stow them in the basement. I'm looking forward to buying houseplants. I'm looking forward to setting up a cozy place we can call home. And it turns out that may not take very long.

It was also very rejuvenating to enjoy a weekend around town with my boys. I've probably mentioned how convenient the public transit system is here, but it has made getting around our new digs so easy. Saturday was another day of gorgeous 70 degree weather, so we hopped on the Bus 3 and rode it into the city. Getting off at the Fondation Pescatore stop, we had only a minute walk to the Panoramic Elevator of the Pfaffenthal (and yes, I did have to look up the proper spelling.) This smooth glass elevator travels up and down 71 meters between the city and the Alzette Valley, which features historic churches, classic Luxembourg architecture, and plenty of places to stroll and explore. 

. 

The elevator is free to ride, and despite it being mid-day on a Saturday, it was not crowded at all. You can even stand on a section of the elevator that has a glass floor and look down. But why would you, when instead you can enjoy the incredible views around you? This is one thing I should mention that I truly appreciate about Luxembourg so far: its a VERY accessible city for teens and kids as it is very unlikely you will encounter long waits for sites, buses, or even tables at the restaurant. Short walks and short waits ensures much less teen grumbles, speaking from experience.

When we reached the bottom of the elevator, the streets and neighborhoods in the valley

were pleasant and fun to explore. We took our time and eventually followed our appetites to the Bar Brauerei, a Bavarian and Luxembourgish themed brewery and restaurant located in what appeared to be a spirited nightclub/pub location. Sitting outside under giant sunshades, we enjoyed their own pilsner (really refreshing!) and had a hearty lunch. The Bar Brauerei offers traditional Bavarian dishes and also local Luxembourg dishes, and the staff were delightful so I definitely recommend this for families visiting the valley. The boys went with good old beef burgers (18-20eur) but Phil and I tried the local dishes instead. 

After the late lunch we turned up Clausen, and walked to the entrance of the Bock Casemates. At that hour of the afternoon there was a small line, and after waiting five minutes we were informed that the tours were all sold out for the day. Fortunately, as we waited, Phil went online and purchased four tickets for us for the last entrance of the day! Lucky us, but there was some grumbling around us as some families with small children were visibly annoyed. As the tunnels and caverns are small, and the staircases are tiny in some places, they

limit the amount of guests every 45 minute period. It does make exploring the tunnels more pleasant to have fewer people in there with you. And certainly safer. I recommend buying your tickets over breakfast that day, or perhaps while sitting down at lunch so you aren't disappointed! 

Since we had a few hours until our admission time, we walked just a few steps away to enter and admire the beautiful art and structure of the Eglise Saint-Michel and then requested seats at the unconventional Cafe Froid, located up the Rue de la Boucherie. Close to the National Museum of History and Art, the cafe is an eclectic collection of worn library chairs, benches, throw blankets and stools. Our order of iced tea, bier, espresso and my new favorite aperol spritz, were brought out on an antique tin tray and squeezed onto

our table already occupied by a plant potted in a teapot and several antique reference volumes.

Finally getting into the Bock Casemates, the boys immediately went into explorer mode,

and we could barely keep up. The tunnels were fascinating, and thanks to the cool breezes that day, it was more than enjoyable to roam through the tunnels, check out every vault, and marvel over the few cannons they've strategically placed to remind you that this was, in fact, at one time a formidable defensive structure! 

An UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Bock Casemates are in fact just a part of what once was over 23km of underground passages and galleries that have served many many purposes since the beginning of their construction. At the very least, the views on both sides of the Bock are pretty incredible. I would wear comfortable walking shoes, aand prepare to duck at times if you're any taller than me! The admission is not free, but only 8eur for adults and 4eur for kids 4-12.

The whole day turned out to be more relaxing than I expected, and from the whole experience I have learned a few handy things:

1. Don't rush from Point A to Point B. The city is very walkable, and you will have plenty of time to stop and look around. Take a detour down an interesting roadway. Poke your head in a chapel and appreciate the architecture. And for gods sake, stop by a cafe and learn to love slowing down.

2. Take advantage of good weather any chance you can! The region can get stuck in some rainy spells, and I've heard last summer they experienced extremely hot temperatures. 

Tickets for the Casemates are available at luxembourg-city.com. 

A New Chapter Begins: Luxembourg!

 Years and years ago I began this blog to share my adventures as a young mother, my shopping tips, cool places I discovered, and then eventually our time in Thailand. There was also knitting, of course. Unfortunately, I just wasn't the talented writer I thought I would be. Or perhaps I was trying to be like all the other bloggers I followed and admired. Without the camera skills, ring lighting, and understanding of image crafting, I fell waaaaaay short of what I thought a blog should be. 

However, when you get so close to fifty years of age, your perspective changes a lot from the days where you had to feed, nurture, please and appease, and usually try to meet others' expectations. In short, I worry much less about what others think, and more about what others need. My sense of self is centered far more around what I can contribute to make the world a better place and how I can be my happiest self. The second part sounds a bit selfish, but when you take into account that my children are old enough to take care of a lot of things themselves, it does make sense. Now that they're teens, they follow my lead, but don't neccessarily need to be led. And I'm really enjoying that.

We miss you Don & Michelle!

So that brings us to the present: We've moved to Europe. Only one week ago. As I type, I'm sitting in the bright airy kitchen of an unoccupied embassy residence in the suburbs of Luxembourg City. Its close to noon, and the bright white and tiled rooms are still cool from the night air. The boys are in their (temporary) rooms; Nate working on his Gundam model kit, carefully brought in our luggage from VA, and Philip watching YouTube on his phone. The house is furnished nicely, the fridge filled with basics from a grocery store just a fifteen minute walk away, and the beds made with linens from the welcome kit supplied by the embassy for us to use until our shipment of belongings arrive. Yet, we're not settled. Our actual assigned home will be ready for us in about a week, so its not time to totally unpack and make ourselves at home. Yet.

Its a great opportunity for us to acclimate, though. There are so many changes to learn and adapt to. Like navigating the public transportation system until our car arrives. Settling into new and quite complicated trash schedules. Or even just learning how to visit the grocery store without being total fools. There are hundreds of new habits I've learned, and things I've noticed in just a short week. Such as how the bus will not stop at the next bus stop unless there's someone waiting there OR you ring the bell before the stop. (I had a brief moment of internal panic as we zipped by our stop, until I remembered that pretty much EVERYTHING in this city is within walking distance anyway.) I've already become used to measuring ingredients and fruit in kilos instead of pounds (yay!), and have found the polite way to enter an establishment by saying a polite "bonjour" and then apologetically letting them know I don't speak French. Its worked so far. Note to self: Learn some basic French.

I could get used to this!

If any of this sounds intimidating, I have to tell you its absolutely not. Luxembourg has been probably the easiest country to move to or visit. Its beautiful here, the people we encounter are all welcoming and kind so far, the bus and tram and free and easy to use, the sidewalks are clean and walkable, the food is not only familiar but delicious, and we also had the GREATEST crew of people to help us get here and ease the entire process. We had a wonderful social sponsor (probably the best I've ever known), work sponsor (also the best!) and all the advice and wisdom from the two people we have moved here to replace. 

Replace is a terrible word for it though, as they are truly irreplacable. As we said goodbye to them yesterday a bit of sadness crept in because although we had only known them in person for a few days it was apparent we would have really enjoyed being at this assignment with them if they could have stayed. But that's the nature of the job: move somewhere new, meet the most incredible people, move on again and hope you cross paths with them again someday.

As for today, we are probably going to walk through a nearby park and stop by the newest shopping mall. We've been discussing maybe taking a bus trip out of the city to go explore some pretty town or take a scenic hike. I have tons of paperwork to go sign, and some ideas to jot down about the newsletter I'm going to be working on. There's an art museum and park we keep passing on the tram that has caught my attention, and I'm still trying to replenish a work wardrobe that is seven years and two sizes out of date!

And of course, there will be knitting.

My handsome guys

This Blocking Controversy

 

Its crazy but the knitting community has gone through serious infighting over the last few years, sometimes over very serious matters such as racism and inclusivity. I don't feel that any of these matters have been resolved or improved at all, but I could be wrong. This week the issue has been one of less gravity, but still important to me because its has been an issue in my knitting skills for a long time.

Blocking.

For the non-knitters, blocking is the process in which you lay out and shape your finished garment, ensuring the colorwork or fabric texture is shown to its greatest advantage. A few days ago a well-known knitting pattern designer tweeted a short rant: Your project is not finished til it's blocked properly. Don't show your unblocked lace and say you're packing it up as a gift. 

The knitters in Twitter did not recieve this "knitsplaining" very well, and I admit it annoyed me as well. Not only did I not follow this woman (thank you hashtags) but have long been irritated by the handful of designers that take to Twitter to rant about their customers. Her vagebook-style message thrown blindly in the twitterverse landed on hundreds of knitters who do not deserve her criticism. To be fair, she did apologize, but not without the usual wishy washy poor-me messages about how cruel people were to her. 

From the start of my knitting journey up to just a few years ago, blocking was mystifying and frustrating to me. Google searches gave me numerous different answers on how to block my sweaters and lace. Attempts at each one of them gave me varying results. And I really wasn't interested in buying wires, mats and pins to add to my collection of supplies that I truck around the world. I resorted to pinning my sweaters, on top of a towel, on my husband's side of the mattress while he was away on business trips!

Later I discovered the top of my hope chest provided almost enough room and firmness to pin and shape one item at a time, and I've stuck with that method since. If I exemplify the majority of knitters, it means that figuring out how to soak and block is a confusing and difficult process in learning this craft. Criticism IS NOT appreciated, even if you have it all figured out.

For the record, I soak my finished item in a steel bowl filled with tepid water for at least 20 hours. Removing it carefully, I roll the item into a big beach towel to remove moisture, then take a fresh towel to cover my blocking pad (see above). Then, I carefully shape my knit on top of that and pin it at the desired shape, leaving it there until its dry. 

And I don't care what R says about when to show your creation- Its done when you think its done!

Three Little Things for Thursday

 It's a dreary rainy day here in Virginia, but I'm glad I get to snuggle up with some of my favorite things. I'm a big fan of my mother's quilts, worsted weight yarn projects, and I'm back on a green tea kick lately. 

Today I just thought it would be nice to dedicate a post to just three little things. Any little thing, as I'm not in the mood to think up a category. 

• On The Needles I'm starting up a pretty colorful neckwarmer/cowl called Moonwake, designed by Andrea Mowry, to use up some mini skeins I recieved in a subscription box. It was crazy of me to think I needed a monthly delivery of rando yarn, and it only took me a few shipments to realize this wasn't for me. So yesterday I laid out all the yarn I've held onto on the floor and sorted it by weight, and I plan on knitting up as much of it as I can over the next four months. 

I'm thinking mitts with scandinavian designs, some cowls and intricate winter hats...I also pulled out my one WIP that has been hibernating for a few months, the Reina de Picas top by Valentina Bogdanova. It's always been a wish of mine to attempt one of her lacy beautiful sweaters, and after I finished the trickiest part-the lace yoke-I just stalled.

• On My Mind The boys just finished another semester of school and its just a relief to see them do well. Even Nate, who tested the art of procrastination this term!! did really well. Philip had his courses readjusted for next year so he can take French and stay on track to study Mechanical Engineering someday. And last night we attended the military recruitment event at his school and learned allllllll about the application and selection process for the military academies. He shook hands, asked questions, and recieved some pretty awesome information about how to achieve his goals. I'm proud of these kids. 

• On The Horizon Its time to start thinking about our summer plans, summer camps, travel plans, and getting home somehow to visit family. My deep winter retreat with Mom in Freeport -NETA SPA- was cancelled this year and that stinks because I dearly value and need that time with Mom. Its a long weekend where I get her alllllll to myself, and we dine and drink and talk talk talk. And I usually come home to find the boys were up to shenanigans, enjoying a bit of time away from me. I'm just looking forward to getting back "home" and hanging out with Mom this summer. And the rest of our family is cool too. 

I'm also discovering all the interesting things we can do on weekends or long weekends from our future home in Luxembourg. This week I got a map (it helps me, I know I'm ancient) and a journal to start writing down destinations and activities that the kids would like. We were worried that they would get sick of castles and wineries, so I'm finding out about all these incredible fun outdoor adventures we may have. Ever since our time in Bangkok, I also really like finding places to shop, explore and eat that maybe aren't quite as popular as other places. So far, I found a little town that's not even marked on the map that is in a valley of waterfalls! You can hike all around them, and chill out in the town that is away from most of the tourist spots. I can't wait!

Working Through Sleeve Island Amid Friend Drama

 

I've been thinking a lot lately about the kinds of friends we meet in our lifetime. We move so often that we are constantly finding new friends, developing different kinds of relationships, and sometime unfortunately leaving behind people that don't remain true friends at all.

Sometimes you don't see the red flags until its too late. And sometimes you see them almost immediately. This last year was the former- we made friends that we thought we would love forever, but learned too late that we were replaceable. Last week I saw the proof: a photo posted on social media of four smiling women, on a girls' trip, and I was not there. It stung, and for a day I couldn't remember what it felt like to feel joy.

The greatest coping mechanism I have in my toolbox came out to play the next day: gratitude. It was hard to tune out my feelings of hurt and rejection, but I embraced the good things I had all around me. I chatted with my family. I bought a disgustingly large amount of girl scout cookies. I baked something that smelled incredible for my kids' dinner. I snuggled our big smelly dog. I watched game shows and shouted at the TV with my husband. I made plans to decorate for the next holiday. All the things that brought me joy, I savored and walked away from the things and people that did not.

So I suppose this post is my attempt to close the book or turn the page on this sad chapter and start anew. I've been thinking quite a bit upon all that's happened and I've come up with two lessons learned:

1. Its ok to walk away from the people who have hurt you and not look back.

2. People who speak badly of others are telling you more about who they truly are.

ok maybe 3

3. I'm a really bad liar.

 

WIP Wednesday

Its always bittersweet when the boys go back to school. I love the peace and quiet and uninterrupted time I get to take care of chores, errands and calls. I hate the worries it raises about the boys going off for the day. The older they are, the worries become stronger: are they getting along with their classmates? Are they respectful of their teachers? Are they safe on the bus? Are they happy?

Yesterday we were shopping in Target and my oldest suddenly became very anxious to leave. He had christmas gift cards to spend, and had decided to use them all on a great set of headphones. However, before we finished shopping he wanted nothing more than to leave. Quickly.

It turns out he spotted a student that he seriously disliked, and explained to me later that the boy's friend had pushed one of his friends almost down a flight of stairs at school. And I could see he was mad. It was the first time I had heard ANY details or hint of high school strife and fights. It made me realize how much in the dark you can really be when raising kids, no matter how close you are to them. And we are really close.

 In the mornings after the boys get on the bus or on their bikes to go to school these things run through my mind.

Its relaxing to return to these projects as well, and although it slows me down I've been switching between the Whitmoor Sweater and my Seaglass Tee. Both are mindless knitting, but have been beautiful to watch as they grow so they are very rewarding!

My dearest hope was to have these ready to wear at NETA SPA in Freeport this February, but with Omicron spreading so much, I may only get to model them at home or at my parents' farm for some very uninterested cows. 

moo