The Sweet Side of Europe

Paris, Bruges and  Brussels seem to form a triangle of sweet delights in Europe. Beside the fact that these cities hold a wealth of history, they are also a paradise for anyone with a sweet tooth like me: pastries, macarons, muffins, cupcakes, sweets, cakes... The lists seems to be endless and I am discovering new hidden jewels of the mastery of confisserie everytime I stumble upon a new coffee or sweets shop in one of these cities. On top of that, being from Vienna I seem to have inherited a sweets and pastries radar from growing up with Viennoiserie for kindergarten snacks and cookie baking for Christmas. It comes in handy a lot these days because I definitely think that the pastry culture is part of the experience when going on a trip in any of the Benelux countries as well as France.

On my last trip to Paris in February this year, my friend and I made a beeline for the La Durée shop in 21, Rue Bonaparte. We fell in love at first sight. The contrast between the vintage, pastel interior design and the colour explosion of the macarons was magical. That and the fact that my friend and I decided to settle down in the Jardin des Tuileries to get our first taste. Our verdict: delicious, although we recommend to stay away from any petal flavours like "fleur d'orange". They tasted decidedly like soap, yet I have to say that they made for a fun experience.

Which brings me to Bruges, where besides the big selection of pastry delights you can even get soap in the shape of an apple cake. Now that shows true devotion to the sweet bakery arts of Europe. While the soap was an exciting find, since I absolutely love quirky decoration goods, it was the cupcakes on our way to the Begejinhof and the hot apple tarte I had for tea that melted my sweets-loving heart. By then the Belgian hot chocolate I had with my slice of apple tarte was the veritable, calorie-heavy cherry on top. I guess, I have to confess now, that I only admired the cupcakes at the de Proverie Tea Room and the "Alice in Wonderland"-sweets paradise at Zucchero, but managed to pass by without trying them out. A good tipp for sweet toothed travelers: At Zucchero they had sweet making demonstrations. The place was packed during those, so you better come early, if you wish to see one.

Finally, Brussels wowed me with its abundance of choice in the department of sweet shops with a tradition. Leonidas is the name for Belgian chocolate in the Brussels capital and they really deserve their title. Their chocolate melts on your tongue, dissolving into a symphony of chocolately sweet notes. When in Brussels, you obviously can't miss Belgian waffles which are sold both in shops and coffee houses as well as by street vendors. You can find them in a multitude of varieties on practically every corner in the city center of Brussels. I also discovered a shop of La Cure Gourmande on my way to the Grand Place and while I didn't fall head over heals for their cookies, I was struck by their packaging. I just had to get myself a cookie box, which is now proudly sitting on my kitchen counter.

It reminds me of the colourful sweets and the fantasy worlds the interior of some of these shop evokes. While I miss the Belgian chocolate I luckily discovered a La Durée shop in the center of Luxembourg. It has become a pilgrimage point on most of my weekends, although I spent more time admiring the pretty shop window decorations than actually buying macarons, which is probably better for my teeth anyway. When you get the chance to visit any of these beautiful, historical cities, I recommend also keeping an eye out for the sweets. I promise you will discover a hidden, European candyland behind the beautiful facades of the pastry, coffee and sweet shops of Paris, Brussels and Bruges.

Luxembourg - New City, New Inspiration

New places are always rife with unexpected ideas and insights. Which is probably one of the reasons why I just love new experiences. I'm lucky that Luxembourg exceeded all my expectations concerning its potential for exciting stories. Coming from Vienna with its wealth of history, I wasn't really convinced that Luxembourg would have the same charisma. However, after a visit to the Musee National d'Art et d'Histoire this weekend, I'm thoroughly cured of all my doubts. Luxembourg's historical crux is just a different one. Where Austria is marked by the emperial power games of the Habsburgian monarchy, Luxembourg to this day lives a culture of multiplicity. While over the centuries it was continuously invaded by foreign cultures, more often then not caught in the geographical power struggles of the bigger European empires, it today profits from its multi-cultural and polyglot population as well as a striving financial sector. 

Since moving to a new city means making yourself at home in a different place, I find it important to find spots in my new hometown which anchor me. Little oases of serenity where you can feel all the little burdens of everyday life being carried away by the breeze... One of these spots is Am Bock in Luxembourg city for me. Situated at the edge of the city centre it boasts the ruins of Sigefried's fortress which gave Luxembourg its name. Beyond its inherent beauty as a relict of history, its location also yields an amazing, panoramic view over the city's different plateaus. 

If the view doens't succeed in lifting my spirits, then the Chocolate House in front of the Ducal Palace is only a stone throw away. There is nothing a chocolate spoon dipped into hot milk can't put right. Esepecially with the added entertainment of seeing tourists tease the palace guards. I think my favourite episode was when a hen night party tried to gain a smile by playing "Mother Duck" chase with the guard on duty, following him on his obligatory marches like a flock of obedient ducklings. The hilarity was even greater because they wore screaming pink T-shirts and feathery tiaras. Those are the moments you would normally only conceive when you are writing a humourous scene. It's great to see when they happen in real life! 

Life Taking Over in Luxembourg

Wow, I would never have imagined that I wouldn’t get around to writing another entry for this blog for nearly six months. I absolutely underestimated what it meant to move to a new city, start a new job and settle in. 

Esch-Sur-Sûre - Luxembourg

Since starting in my new position in March, this seems to be the first time that I have come up for air. I have had an amazing journey for the last few months. I tackled the challenges of suddenly working as an online marketing professional in a global company, went apartment hunting, explored Luxembourg City, my new hometown, and went on trips which took me as far as Chicago.

While I will continue to re-orientate myself towards this new stage in my life for some time, I finally feel like I have reached a stage where I can pick up my writing pen again. And I can tell you, my fingers have been itching for digital ink and paper in the last few months. Yet I was lacking the motivation to sit down and put the right phrases to the stories swirling through my mind. Instead, I filled notebooks with my plot bunnies, did research for “Chameleon”, visited friends, met new people, searched for and indulged in new experiences. It also doesn't hurt that Luxembourg has amazing landscapes and a host of castles to offer. In other words, I just let life take over and realised that I have been missing out on some things while worrying about finding a job last year.

However, now I’m back. So get ready to hear more frequently from me. In the next few entries, I will try to fill the gap between my last entry and this one by telling you about some of my experiences since moving to Luxembourg. Until then…Arwuar :)