Birthdays

Not only is today my lovely little monkey Molly's birthday but it's also my blogs 4th birthday! I haven't exactly been the best at keeping up with it but I'm trying to be more consistent.

My mum baked yummy little dog treats for Molly and then we went on a long walk in the woods as opposed to our usual, boring cycle path walk. Molly was so excited to be going in the car and bounded out of the house just to get to it. As soon as she saw we weren't anywhere near the vets she jumped out of the car with glee and galloped off onto the path. She also got a few extra treats for being such a good girl and not barking at any dogs, humans, leaves falling from the trees, etc...

I can't believe out beautiful baby is already 10 years old, time goes by so fast. But she still looks and acts like a puppy, full of energy and excitement. And she loves her walks despite being stubborn at times. 

Christmas Countdown | Part 9: Place de la Constitution Christmas Market

This will probably be my final Christmas market blogpost as they all close on the 24th December and I will be away for a week. You can read the other two here and here.

I wanted to get some more close ups of the Place de la Constitution or Gelle Fra Christmas market because we only went past briefly last time. My sister and I were doing some last minute shopping and decided to pay the market a visit and get some lunch. We spotted a pretzel stand and I couldn't resist getting one. I went for a cheese and tomato pretzel and also bought a salted one for my boyfriend who was meeting us after work. We wandered around for a while, looking at all the stands and taking photos of the pretty lights. It was quite nice being there during the day as it's obviously less busy than during the evenings. The stands are a bit different to the ones in town, selling things like Yankee candles (ridiculously overpriced though), chocolate spoons and Christmas tree baubles. We went past a stand that was selling round biscuits that are clumped together with melted chocolate drizzled on top. They had a large variety of flavours and I ended up going for a champagne one for my mum and a white chocolate and nougat one for us to share. Just before we left, we went to the 'Luxembourg Pyramid' and I bought another mug (shaped like the 'pyramid'). I couldn't resist! 

Christmas Countdown | Part 7: Place de Paris Christmas Market

As I have already mentioned, there are quite a few different Christmas markets here in Luxembourg. I have already done a blogpost on the main one which I will link here.

This market is quite a bit smaller than the one in the center of town, but that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't as good. It's situated on the Place de Paris, close to Luxembourg city train station. There a few different huts but they are generally the same as in the main market. Food, drinks, sweets and other bits and bobs. The thing I like most about this market is the fact that not only is a lot less crowded than the one in town but you also have a great view of the street which is lined with decorated trees. The effect is beautiful and I am in awe of it every year. It is by far my favourite part of the country around Christmas time. 

We decided to have a quick treat while we were there. I chose to have chocolate covered grapes (yum!) and Stefane had churros with nutella again. He asked for a small portion and was happily surprised by the size of the churros. They made them fresh while we were waiting and it was worth it. I had a sneaky bite (or two), all in the name of science of course.

If you want to experience a Christmas market but hate the crowds, then this one is definitely worth visiting despite it's size. 

Christmas Countdown | Part 3: Luxembourg City Christmas Market

Every year in November, Luxembourg's traditional Christmas markets start to open one by one. And every year there seem to be more markets opening and they all seem to be expanding. I'm not complaining, I love Christmas markets (despite it making parking in the city incredibly difficult). 

The streets are lined with stunning lights, the streetlamps are decorated with Christmas wreaths and most of the shops are beautifully decorated. Christmas music is being played, either in form of live band or prerecorded cds, and everyone seems merry. Pushing through crowds of what seem to be statuesque people can become tiresome and annoying after some time, but short visits always tend to be fun.

The markets consist of an abundance of wooden huts that sell everything from sugary treats to cheap toys, santa hats, candles and decorations and of course food and drinks. They do hot chocolates and mulled wine among other things and in terms of food they sell sausages, burgers, potato cakes, noodles, pasta and the ever popular churros (which are delicious!).

We always visit the market in town which is usually found on the Place d'Armes square, positioned around the grand stand. However over the years it has expanded to the Place de la Constitution (Gelle Fra) which has more huts, a big ferris wheel and a double carousel, and this year they have even added an ice rink on the Place Guillaume II (Knuedler).

Every year the markets sell novelty Christmas mugs and I have been collecting them religiously. Most years they are shaped like shoes (with the odd snowman thrown into the mix) and are decorated with little images of the markets. Some people may find them tacky but I love them.

I'll be visiting some of the other markets but I thought I would share the biggest and most popular one first.

Hope you enjoy this little insight of Luxembourg in December!