A much anticipated European double date

Patrick & Libby started talking about a European double date the the very night Alex & I told them that we were moving to Luxembourg.  Two of our closest friends, both in our wedding and vice versa, Patrick & Libby, we knew, were going to make it happen!  And this year in April, Euro double date 2012 began!  Team Burke and Team Martin were united once again :)

Alex and I got to show our special friends Luxembourg, Trier (Germany) and Bruges (Belgium) before they continued on to Italy.  Many thanks to Patrick & Libby for the fantastic photos they took along the way!

We visited some of the Luxembourgish vineyards...

Our favorite view from a Luxembourgish vineyard overlooking the Moselle River,
which serves as the Lux / German border

We took a little weekend trip to the Champagne region in France to visit Moet & Chandon, as well as some smaller vineyards...

Moet & Chandon in Epernay, France

Moet vines - too early for grapes!

Our trip ended in the special town of Bruges, Belgium!  Bruges is always a treat - and to think, I'd never even heard of it before last year!

Patrick, Libby, Alex and I in front of the famous clock tower

And I love this photo of the Burkes on a scenic little bridge in Bruges

The same little scenic bridge in Bruges :)

The only problem with the visit is that it was too short!  But, without a doubt, I'd say Euro double date 2012 was a huge success!  Thanks for coming, y'all!  Euro DD 2013? :)

Love from Luxembourg,

Melanie





Lindsey Lou and Butch, too!

I'd been anticipating the visit from my dear friend, Lindsey, for months.  This wouldn't be the first trip in my history with Lindsey - memories of a week-long stint in the Texas hill country flood my mind :)  We were quite the adventurers together in our Nashville days. Life has moved us both from our beloved Music City but, I was reminded of those sweet times when I got to live another travel adventure with Lindsey this past May... 

There was much hugging and jumping up and down upon Lindsey's arrival :)

Though Alex had to work for part of the week, I got to show Lindsey and Butch around our favorite places in Luxembourg.  I introduced them to macaroons at Namur, a little bakery in the city center...

Macaroons & coffee at Namur

We wondered into the Grund, drank hot chocoloate at the Chocolate House, saw the Grand Duke's palace and introduced the Roebuck's to MORE food - a Swiss cheesy delight called raclette!

Lindsey & Butch and their first raclette meal (and yes, that's sweet tea bottom right :)

We also took a trip to Trier (Germany) and Maastricht (The Netherlands), one of my favorite destinations that you probably remember from an earlier post Maastricht Magic.

A water mill in charming Maastricht

The mill above actually powers the making of fresh,
homemade bread at this little Maastricht bakery

After a few days in and around Luxembourg, Alex and I met Lindsey and Butch in Amsterdam.  The visit there was fresh and exciting since none of us had been there before!  Alex and I arrived a little early so we popped by the huge tulip festival, the Keukenhof, just before it closed for the season.  Though almost half the tulips had already seen their best days, there were still hundreds of thousands of blooms and it was gorgeous!

Keukenhof tulip festival outside of Amsterdam

We found Amsterdam, despite its tarnished reputation, lovely and a great place to spend a weekend.  We enjoyed traveling everywhere by bike and even learned a trick or two when we didn't have enough bikes to go around...



There were beautiful canals lacing the entire city so we took a canal tour...

Visited the Van Gogh museum...

Vonder Park...

And, of course, ate some delicious food...

Restaurant Bizaar in Amsterdam

Our favorite meal, by far, was at a little restaurant on a side street called Zaza's.  If you ever find yourself in Amsterdam, please go straight here for dinner...

After our AMAZING dinner at Zaza's

It was a perfect little European adventure.  Missing the Roebuck's already!

Love from Luxembourg...

Melanie

 





I'm back!

To say it has been a long time is a major understatement!  I have been without my lil laptop for over a month and wildly out of sorts because of it.  The blog was majorly neglected, I know, but the good news is...all is well and back up and running for me in cyberspace :)

So much has happened in the last three months that a major recap is in order.  Some of my best friends have come to visit us in Luxembourg...

With Libby at the flower market

Introducing Lindsey to the Grund in Luxembourg 

Alex and I have also been on some amazing trips of our own!  We went on a little 10-day Baltic adventure to St. Petersburg (Russia), Helsinki (Finland), and ended up in Tallinn (Estonia) for a wedding...

Church on the Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg

Most recently, Alex's mom (Ms. Connie) came back for her second visit and we saw some of the most beautiful parts of Germany and France together...

Strasbourg, France

Several posts will follow to highlight all of our summer excitement.  And I can legitimately call it summer now as temps this month have finally surpassed 75 degrees!

There's also more excitement to come as another friend, Mary, arrives next Friday followed by my parents the first weekend of September!  Thank you to all who have stayed in touch, come to visit us and read the blog to stay a part of our lives here in little Luxembourg!



Much love,

Melanie

 

Travel Tales from Italy: Lake Como

Lake Como is perfectly situated at the foot of the Alps and about an hour train ride north of Milan.  The scene outside of the left window as we arrived took my breath away.  It was the beginning of May and the sun was shining on the top of the snow covered mountains just beyond the lake.  No wonder Como is the choice location for George Clooney to have property among many other rich and famous.

Alex and I had three days to explore several small villages around the middle of the lake: we stayed in Varenna and Bellagio but, thanks to the ferries that run all day, were able to enjoy several other nearby towns, as well. 

Map of Lake Como

Some highlights of the Lake Como trip include our hike to the castle ruins...

At the top!



Tours of two villas on the lake: Villa Carlotta (famous for its amazing gardens) and Villa Barbianello (Alex's favorite)...

A view from Villa Carlotta's balcony

Alex at Villa Barbianello

Villa Barbianelo



And the food.  When you're in Italy, a favorite is always the food :)  Here's the view from our first dinner in Varenna...

One of my absolute favorite experiences of our trip was the Italian cooking class that Alex and I participated in on my birthday.  Moreno is a very well-known chef on the lake who offers cooking classes during the day instead of serving lunch at his restaurant.  Alex and I were picked up by Moreno, himself, and enjoyed a full day of Italian cooking and eating, of course.  We learned to cook a veal tenderloin, a special potato gratin dish, homemade pasta sauce and even fresh pasta!

Chef Moreno



Pasta-making attempt

Chef Moreno cooking class graduates :)

What a special trip it was!  Thank you, Italy, for always being a good time!

Love from Luxembourg,
Melanie

Travel Tales from Italy: Milan

Upon returning from our most recent voyage to Italy, Alex and I decided that if we could only vacation in one country from now on, it would be the boot-shaped one.  Italian food is scrumptious and plentiful, the Italian sun always seems to be shining, the landscape is beautiful and Italian people are so warm.  Its impossible not to smile when you wake up in Italy.

Alex and I were honored to be invited to an Italian friend's wedding last week in Milan.  After a few minor setbacks with a rental car, made worse by the language barrier, we made it  (better late than never) to the lovely villa nestled beneath the Alps.  The wedding, in typical Italian fashion, started a little late (thank goodness for us) so we didn't miss much.  Since the hour and a half ceremony was in Italian, we didn't understand a word of it but the bride and groom were glowing at the end of the aise.

Eight hours and eight courses (!!!) later, Alex and I had experienced our first Italian wedding. Here are a few photos of the lovely event...

The beautiful villa 

The bride and groom

And the menu!  8 courses, y'all!

After the wedding, Alex and I had a few days to explore Milan, which we decided is a bit under-rated!  Milan is the fashion capital of Europe so it is a busy, bustling city of well dressed individuals, high-end shopping and one of the most amazing cathedrals Alex and I have ever seen...

The Duomo

At the top!

The Duomo's amazing detail

After time well spent in Milan, Alex and I took a one-hour train to our next destination: Lake Como, where we'd be spending the next three days.  A post or two on our Lake Como adventures (complete with an Italian cooking class!) will follow :)

Love from Luxembourg,

Melanie

 



You can't take the south out of the girl

I sat the book down on the table with big crocodile tears welling up in my eyes.  No, the book wasn't a dramatic novel or a true story of love and loss.  It was just a cookbook.

Perhaps I'm the first girl to cry after reading a cookbook but to me it was much more.  It was a reminder of home and everything that makes me who I am.  It was a reminder of everything that I love about growing up in the South.  The book titled Southern My Way  was a birthday gift from my brother and sister-in-law (opened a few days early :)  Southern My Way  was written by a cute blonde named Gena Knox and she, like me, is a Georgia girl. 

Full of dishes that were staples on our table growing up, the book brought back a flood of fond memories.  The salmon croquettes brought back one of the few memories I have of my maternal grandmother.  The fried catfish; memories of my paternal grandmother.  And the unique recipes for butter beans, sweet corn, vidalia onions, biscuits, grits and almost everything else in the book, made me think of my own sweet southern mother who always fed us well.  Mom is the best southern cook I know.

What I also loved about this cookbook (which I already read from cover to cover) were the lovely photos and the stories that Gena included in between the recipes.  Gena tells stories of the people that provide her with fresh ingredients starting with the fruits and veggies on her parents' farm to the grass-fed beef locally produced in a nearby Georgia town.  Everything Gena uses in her kitchen is local and familiar just as it has been for her family for generations.

Maybe its the cold and dreary weather in Luxembourg right now and the question of whether sundress weather will actually arrive this year.  Or, perhaps its the thought of missing mom's birthday and being away for my own.  Maybe its the fact that I can't find grits at the store or a shop that will monogram Alex's new cufflinks to save my life.  But, I must admit that upon the arrival of the cookbook, along with my latest issue of Southern Living magazine in the mail, a little homesickness struck.

Don't get me wrong - I love life in little Luxembourg.  I love the people we've met who have become dear friends.  They will be friends that we have forever.  I love the adventure that I'm having with my husband - its truly a fairytale.  I love the adorable cobblestoned city center just below our flat and that I can get to Paris in 2 hours.  There's not much about this place that I don't love.  There's just also so much to love at home :)

Tomorrow, I will board a plan to Milan with Alex and my latest Southern Living  under my arm.  We're off to Milan to experience our first Italian (and European) wedding.  The 6-day trip will end for us in Lake Como, which is at the foot of the Alps on the Swiss / Italian border and that's where I'll be on my birthday.  I doubt the twinge of homesickness will last very long :)

I'm so blessed to have the chance to experience so much of the world outside of the Southern US but, my roots run deep there and I look forward to being back one day.  It is true what they say: you can take the girl out of the south but you can't take the south out of the girl.  So true.

Quick fix for my sundress craving

Much to my dismay, winter-like temperatures have returned to Luxembourg.  The last few days have been in the high 30's and today we sit at 36 degrees with a messy rain / snow mix.  I must admit, Facebook post pictures from sunny places like California and Texas have me a bit jealous.  My desire to slip into a sundress and sandals is intense.  But today, I'll have to redirect this craving...

I've decided to embrace the once-again-cold with a new favorite recipe - homemade spiced hot chocolate.  This quick recipe is divine and too easy not to share.  So...regardless of the temperature where you are, mix up a little of this goodness and enjoy!

Spiced Hot Chocolate
(from Allrecipes.com)

2 cups skim milk (I used soy)
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp white sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Gently heat the milk in a saucepan on the stove.  Once the milk is warm, add cocoa powder, stirring constantly.  Then add the remaining ingredients while mashing the clumps out with a spoon.  The measurements above yield 2 cups of delicious, spicy hot chocolate!  Enjoy in your favorite mug.  This is mine (post-hot chocolate :)...

And, if you want to make the "mix" ahead of time, just leave out the liquid ingredients (milk & vanilla) and add them when you're ready to make a cup (keeping in mind that the above measurements are for 2 cups).  A glass jar works great for storage...

As you can tell, its been cold - my stash is getting low!

Love from Luxembourg...Melanie