What I did on a Saturday in Luxembourg City

Luxemburg (or Luxembourg) City is a very small cosmopolitan city. It is a trilingual city, locals speak French, German and Luxemburgisch. I guess it should be quadringual if you throw in English into the equation which most people speak anyway.



The country has a reputation of being a tax haven which is the reason why it is rich in the first place.







Now, many people who come to visit the Grand Duchy find themselves wondering where to go, what to see and what to do here other than shopping. Shopping in Luxembourg is definitely better than PC Hooftstraat in Amsterdam, and that is if you are into signature labels. But other than that, in order to enjoy this city, you really need to know where to go.



The easiest resource in order to get to know the city would be Luxemburg Tourism’s website and of course some intensive googling, which is the reason why I blog my travels in detail; experience by experience and bit by bit. It is my way of giving back to the travel world for all the great advice I received online.



Nevertheless, I was planning to do some art viewing but realised I was too lazy to stare at other people’s works so I stuck to my fall back plan—go slow, walk around, do nothing, just be free. I need this wandering aimlessly to de-stress and recharge myself. It helps empty my mind when I do not have a plan and when I do not think of serious stuff, like work.



Well I did went to the Grund as planned but other than this, I just went with the flow. Here’s what I did.









First thing that I did was to check in to my hotel, Le Place d’Armes Hotel on Place d’Armes. I have a very strategic home base to explore the city. Place d’Armes is the heart of Luxembourg City.



Then I chilled out at Cafe de Paris located just beside the hotel with a glass of port and did my favourite pastime, people watching. The city and women are quite fashionable, just my kind of style--classy, with taste. Of course expensive, but not show off.









Checked out the Grand Ducal Palace along the way of course.









When I am wandering around aimlessly, I love to look at delicatessen and bakery shops. Sometimes I buy something, sometimes not, but it gives me warmth to see the lovely delights on the window display. It was Three Kings when I was there and this deli-patisserie shop and restaurant called Kaempff-Kohlercomes highly recommended. Amust visit if you are a foodie.







Place Guillaume is a big square you will not miss.









Another square you will not miss, Place de Clairefontaine. The Notre Dame Cathedral is located just beside this square.







I was curious of the cathedral of course so I went inside to take a peek. Majority of Luxemburgers are Roman Catholics including the royal family.



Then I went to visit the Grund. I wanted to book my dinner reservation at Mosconi and have pre-dinner drinks at Scott’s Pub. It turned out that Mosconi was closed so I just walked around the little commune and consoled myself at Scott’s with a glass of sparkling wine. Dinner will have to be somewhere else.









Then I went back to the city centre and passed by Place de Clairefontaine again. The squares here in Luxemburg city are very bright and sparkling at night.









My wandering led me to the shopping lanes and surprisingly there were still shops open. What happened? Naturally I shopped. I am an accidental shopper; I only shop when the opportunity is in front of me. I bought stuff at Vicomte A and Massimo Duti, two of the very few shops that were open late.







I was debating with myself if I should just eat at my hotel’s restaurant, La Cristallerie or look somewhere else, when I saw La Lorraine on Place d’Armes. The restaurant looks inviting from the outside and there were many people dining already which is positive. In addition, the French menu didn’t sound shabby at all. This will do.







Delicious pumpkin soup.







Escargot! Garlic buttered snails. They are so delectable. I can do another serving really.







My main: Salmon with sea snails, cooked egg and vegetables. This was nice except for the vegetables--dry and overcooked.



No desserts for the evening but a little cup of espresso. Service at La Lorraine is top comparable to real fine dining restaurants.







Place d’Armes at night. A quick stroll on the square after dinner.









Then it is time to call it a night, and go back to my hotel. I will be pampering myself with a nice hot bath.

Reel Rock Tour

Don't miss this.The Aussie opening was in Brisbane last night, so many climbers, so much fun.Climbers, I'll make it simple for you, here's what to do:A: click on the poster below for dates in your neighbourhood.B: Get a ticket and get inside.



Or maybe get a ticket at the door.Catch up with the cream of Brizzies climbing crew.



Get yourself some Pizza.



Keep eating Damien, almost show time.

Thanks Brad and TimGet your look happening.

Get in line.

Get inside.

And be amazed. Easy.

jj

The alpine uniform AKA "the action suit"

Photo courtesy ofDave Searle. Ally Swinton high on the Colton/Mac

I get asked all the time, "what do you wear?"



Easy answer generally for all my alpine climbing. Likely little different from Ally's or Dave's (any Dave) outfit. Two layers on the bottom, 3 layers on top. Add and subtract as required.



Here is my list for a typical alpine ice climb in late fall conditions through much of the winter.



Boots:

singles or more likely doubles

2 pair of liner socks or simple mid weight if the approach is short and my feet tough



Bottoms:

long under wear base layer (maybe two pair depending on weight)

uninsulated soft shell pants or salopettes

OR/and insulated soft shells, ltw insulated hard shells or water proof shells as needed



Top:

base layer (generally a lwt hoody but may be two base layers stacked on each other if it is really cold)

mid layer (soft shell or Atom Lt or a simple wind shell, all choices temp dependant)

OR/and shell jacketor belay jacket (again size and volume is temp dependant)



Head:

all the various hoods

"Buff" style headband

Helmet



Gloves:

as required by temps and expected moisture on route.



Hardware, harness, 35L or *smaller* pack, tools,crampons and various other bits as required by planned time on route.



I could take any one of a dozen photos from Colin's or Jon'sblog or mine and little will change. Nothing really going to change much if you climb fast and in control. . Layers change as the temps, your energyand your speed go up or down.



Until you end up loooking like this!



Yes that is actually 7 layers I've got on trying to keep warm in a Loo bivy mid winter on the Midi. Move fast, dress light to stay dry and hopefully just warm enough. And if everything goesright.....pass every ass you come across and avoid the bivy all together ;)













It is always a horse race. Jon makessome good observations and suggestions here:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=3533

Hard shell pants are still very popular in the Alps in winter...because it can be really cold there up higheven compared to the Canadian Rockies. You can get high and stay high so easily in the Alps.

Down works in dry climates. In my experience down doesn't work if you have to climb hard in it or you have a moist climate. Much of any one's suggestions for clothing will depend on where they actually do climb and when.

It was pointed out to me recently that the Atom Lt makes a good belay jacket for a earlyfall ascent on the Grand Wall @ Squamish."But it is too warm for anything else". Several of ususe the Atom Lt as our primarymid layer climbing inwinter. Use an Atom Lt as a belay jacket there and you might just die. Different environments and different uses. In our case a down verison of the same garment wouldn't work at all, as the down would eventually get wet from perspiration.

What works for me may not work for you. Pay attention to the details, make your own decisions, trustno one.

I often wonder why I keep repeating this stuff past wanting to put a cool picture to good use. I just took a few minutes to reread a part of Twight's "Extreme Alpinism: Climbing Light, Fast, and High"



Mark covers it all better and in moredepth than I ever do here. The specific gear selections might be out dated ten years on but the ideas behind the gear are not. Try Chapter 7 pages 82/103 If you are reading this blog and don't have your owncopy of " Extreme Alpinism: Climbing Light, Fast, and High" and use it as a reference your beta is seriously fooked up.



http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Alpinism-Climbing-Light-Fast/dp/0898866545

Christmas at the Golden Gate

Well, I wasn't sure where I would be for Christmas... as luck would have it, I found myself in San Francisco on Christmas Eve. I spent the evening at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. I love the Golden Gate Bridge, and it was one of the things I was wanting to photograph again on this trip. Much to my surprise, when I arrived at the area overlooking the bridge I could see a few stars in the sky! I was certain that the city lights would be too bright to be able to see any stars, but thankfully I was wrong. I managed to make an image of the bridge with the constellation Orion visible in the sky above. It was the perfect Christmas gift.



Even though I was "alone" on Christmas, I felt like you were all with me. I received many emails from my friends, followers and supporters wishing me a Merry Christmas. Thanks to you all who took the time to send me a message. Your wishes were much appreciated and made me feel like I was home. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas as well!

Grandpa Vic and Some Grandkids

A couple years ago, my uncle Bill Phend, sent a few photos he had scanned. Finally found where I'd put them on my hard drive. . . this is the only one that had Grandpa with us kids. Taken in August of 1949 at the home of my Aunt Phyllis in Columbia City. Looks like Grandpa and Kathy are the only ones enjoying themselves! That's me in front, cousin Tom, brother Doug (behind me), cousins Mike and Kathy, and Grandpa trying to keep us all in one spot.

Of Cycling and Cheeseburgers

Before I started cycling I was a vegetarian/ pescetarian for many years. It began by accident: I was on a research trip in Moscow in 1999 and got food poisoning after eating a meat dish at a restaurant. It was pretty bad, though to be fair I can't even be sure it was due to the meat. Could have been the salad or an unwashed fork, who knows. Still, for a whileafterwardI felt sick whenever I looked at or smelled meat, so I stopped eating it. Eventually the effect wore off, but the vegetarian habit remained. I did not crave meat products, and I felt healthier not eating them. Attempts to coax me back into carnivorism were unsuccessful. I could watch others eat meat and even cook meat for guests without being tempted in the least. I was pretty sure this was a permanent lifestyle change.



It was a couple of years ago that for the first time I found myself "tasting" little morsels of the Co-Habitant's food (invariably meat dishes)when we ate together. I did not want any, mind you, I just felt like a little taste. I also began to notice that these cravings coincided with bike rides. Interesting. No doubt what I was really craving was salt and protein - not necessarily meat. So I ate more salt and protein as I struggled with this unfamiliar new attraction to meatballs and burgers and barbecued ribs. And steak. And paper thin slices ofprosciutto. And spicy chicken wings. And hot dogs... One day, after an especially strenuous bike ride we went out to dinner and I just couldn't take it anymore. The smell of meat that had once made me respond with disgust, then indifference, now filled me with longing. I ordered lamb instead of my usual falafel. I still remember how those fragrant, lightly charred bits looked upon my plate. And so ended over a decade of vegetarianism.



I am bewildered by my current love affair with meat. Content for so long to live off lentils, walnuts, vegetable omelets and occasional salmon, I now fantasise about full Irish breakfast, black pudding included. The more I cycle, the worse it gets. The Co-Habitant thinks it's hilarious, but I am rather ashamed. I think vegetarianism is ultimately the healthier diet, and I feel sorry for the little animals. The tasty little animals.... See?! This is terrible. I know there are many vegetarian and even vegan cyclists out there. And they are probably very disappointed to be reading this. But I have to tell it like it is. After riding my bike, I dream of cheeseburgers.

Snowshoeing Reservation River

It seems the flurry of snow storms that we were getting throughout December have stopped. The temps have dropped a little bit but are still quite tolerable. In fact, its perfect weather for snowshoeing! Over the past couple of days I've been snowshoeing along Reservation River, which runs nearly parallel to the western boundary of the Grand Portage Reservation. Its not a very big river valley, but is nonetheless very beautiful and is a great place to spend some time exploring.




One of the neat things about this area is that its littered with game trails on both sides of the river. One can scarcely walk more than 100 feet without a deer or rabbit trail crossing your path. The chickadees and woodpeckers also seem to love the Reservation River valley. I made a path that follows the eastern bank of the river for a while, then drops down into the valley and goes out onto the river itself. The trail then follows right on top of the river for a ways before climbing back up the hill onto the ridge on the eastern bank and looping back around to the first part of the trail. Its great fun and one of my favorite places to snowshoe!

Back in Florida with Friends and Family

It is so odd to go from weather where we had the heater on, to wearing shorts the next day...but that's what happens when you travel hundreds of miles in one day. We have landed back in Florida and it's good to be back. Last year I was a bit sad when we came back because I knew it meant travel would not be happening. This year I couldn't get back fast enough!



We were were tickled pink that we made it back in time to see Zoe. On top of that goodness, Auburn was in Orlando so we got to see her too. Even though I was exhausted from the trip, I still soaked up the sunshine of the two girls that I adore so much.

Emotional Landscapes

Two days after struggling through a hill training ride last week, I found myself on the bike again - doing what ended up being a 52 mile ride counting my trip there and back. 50 miles seems to be the magic number at the moment: shorter than that and I am left feeling regretful; longer than that and I become more aware of the difference between myself and the stronger riders I am with. Interestingly, I have not gone on a proper ride on my own for over a month: I've met so many cyclists to ride with lately, that I am always with someone. Among the benefits of this is discovering local roads that I've never ridden before - and noticing what an enormous role landscape plays in how subjectively easy or difficult a ride feels.

Riding with theRide Studio Cafewomen last week, we did a loop that on the map appeared near-identical to a route I usually do alone, only along the back roads. The landscape, bathed in the ethereal late-December light, was so stunning that I did not notice the miles or the hills. Where were we? These hardly looked like the tired suburbs I had become so familiar with. Here moss-covered trees grew out of green bogs under cerulean skies. Sleepy farms peaked out coyly from the mist. The remains of frost on dried grass turned meadows into expanses of delicate lace. The sun shone through black, leafless branches, casting high-contrast shadows upon the road. We rode under canopies of fragrant pine trees, which then opened up to reveal enchanted vistas. Climbing one particular hill, I felt such a surge of emotion from the surrounding beauty, that I could not help but go faster. The desire to reach the top and see what more awaited there, made the bike feel weightless.

Roadcycling for me is not about suffering. It is about this emotional connection. Somehow the feel of being on the bike, the sensation of speed, and even the pain in my legs become associated with the reward of seeing an affecting landscape. Once it forms, the association is difficult to break, and it makes cycling addictive - apparently not just for me. Some of my riding partners are experienced racers and randonneurs, and when I listen to them describe rides I notice that they rarely speak of difficulty or pain. Words such as "epic" and "sufferfest" are simply not in their vocabulary. It's not because they don't feel pain and exhaustion, but because they do not consider these sensations to be the point. It's about fulfillment through a visceral connection with one's surroundings. The rest is not important.

Can you tell me why?

Why aren't we skiing?




Over the years I've spread my kind of love over a few climbing forums. Enough so that I've been booted off at least one. Not that I give a chit because I don't It is simply entertainmentfor me.



Threeof the funniest exchanges I've had (to me anyway) have been with in retrospect, obviously very young climbers. No matter how good technically they might be or thought they were during the exchanges I was laughing at them and poking fun at their expense. Yes, I know I can be aprick. No need to restate the obvious in a comment.



In no particular order:



"Me Mum bought this fine jacket for me..best insulated jacket ever made"...of course he'd never used or owned any other jacket at the time. BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPP! Last I checked he is still a little pissy about the exchange. They simply don't know what they don't know



"Climb can't safely be done without several screws and half a dozen pickets" BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBEP! My answer? "Most anyone could solo that one in decent conditions. And I have never ever placed a picket. Mind you it doesn't mean I haven't wanted to just never had one :)"Original climber sacked up and soloed the same moderate climb a few seasons later. Same thing most of us had been doing for decades now with minimal gear.



"I've skied for years" a most recently famous alpinist tells us in a focus group on new gear. BBBBBBBEEEEEEPPPP! Mind you the "kid" is just 21, no formal education past high school and his experience skiing in the last 15 years (he started at 5) is hard to relate to an uncaring audience of 50+ year old engineers who have been skiing them selves since they were 5 or younger and designing or working in the ski industry since they were 18 years old. Hard not to roll your eyes when I hear I've been skiing my whole life....when the speaker is 17 years old and the topic technical in nature.



"youth is wasted on the young" J.B. Shaw had it right.. :)



Not that I am a rocket scientist myself or know much about anything in particular. My BS meter has gotten better over the years how ever. "Nice ski, but ya the mount point is FUBARED dude."

"Someone might ought to look at that more closely." That stainless and plastic interface? Take body weight? Maybe. Hammer on it? Not likely. Trim the weight by making it smaller? OK. But make it so small it now breaks in the same application? Makes no sense to me.









So, why aren't we skiing?



I've done Rainer by a dozen routes in all seasons, many, many timesand until recently only taken skis on the mountain a couple of times.



Now I have to ask why are you NOT taking skis? You can guess at my age. But in any race I am not going to be in the front of the pack. On the right day if you break down the age groups into 5 year splits I can generally hold my own with what ever amateur shows up. As serious athlete will generally, and easilybury me. I'm lazy and WEAK...there I admit it :)



So if I am doing moderate climbs and skis like Rainier and I am able to catch you and eventually passing you on my light weight gear you might want to rethink your own gear choices. When I can bury you on the up and then drop you on the down in light weight gear it is either time to bury your head in shame or pull out the check book, 'cuz you obviously SUCK!



If you climb and read a winter climbing blog and don't ski? YOU really, really SUCK!



All the spare excuses have been used and you have been found sadly, wanting. If it is a fitness issue, change your diet and get a dog to run with. They are likely the only one that will have you anyway.



I have one myself :) His name is Marley and helikes torun, really likes to go on bike rides and anything related toskiing, plus the occasional cinnamon roll or pistachio.









Marley


No one is really as good as they might think they are or as smart. We generally judge each other much harder than we judge ourselves. Never hurts to brush a little sand off your you friends ass instead of grinding it in. You never know when you might need the same favor.



But I am still going to chuckle under my breath when I skin past you or ski by. Simply because I know I'm the one having more fun...and I'm just the oldprick willing to admit it ;) PS...Marley would be laughing as well he's just a much nicier guy when he sees a human...sucking @ the fun!