Posts
We've been moved into our beautiful flat for almost one week. We're adjusting to country life quite well! 
The surrounding forest makes our daily walks with Maddie a joy and she is in dog heaven, off the leash, running like the wind, sniffing every exotic smell the forest yields. She is always on the hunt for the perfect piece of wood to carry around. The bigger or heavier the better!
We saw the vet last week and Maddie received a clean bill of health! Her legs look great and that whole ordeal is behind us! She had to get a few more vaccinations that Europe requires, begin taking de-worming pills and will have to have flea and tick treatments while we're here. All of this is new to her but she's handling it quite well! We are so thankful for the vet and the excellent medicine she received. Removing those dew claws ended up being a much more traumatic experience than we had counted on so we are all just super happy it's now in our rear view mirror! She is one tired pup at the end of the day!
It's about a half hour to forty minute drive into Luxembourg city from where we live and we've made that drive many times this week as we've had a lot of meetings with people as we seek to get up to speed on the work we'll be doing while here. While it's a pretty easy drive we have also realized that during the day parking is one big headache in the city center so we are grateful that there is bus service from our village into town. It takes about 45 minutes but it's a great option when we don't want the car. We have discovered a wonderful American-esque grocery store (meaning lots of product to choose from but with European quality) along the route we travel so when we have the car, a stop there will likely become a regular habit!
For the first time ever while living in Europe it makes sense for us to have a car. Thankfully someone from church has been able to lend us a car as we get settled in and during this time it has become obvious that we would not be able to function very well without a vehicle. So we bought a car! Another man from the church buys and sells cars so he was able to get this car at a dealer's auction in Germany. He says that in 6 months, when we return to the US he'll likely be able to sell it for us for a profit! So it made good sense for us to do this. It looks really great!
Maddie will travel in style in the back and it will be fantastic to have a car when as we travel around this summer. Also, there are so many wonderful day trips from where we are and we won't have the stress of using someone else's car etc. The short distances we can travel to be in wonderful places is kind of a thrill for us. it has always been a dream to live more centrally located in Europe and well, it doesn't get more central than this! We are excited and happy that getting a car worked out so well for us.
We are getting used to not having ice! The washer and dryer are also much smaller so it just takes a bit longer to get through all the laundry. But I am so grateful to have laundry right here in our flat. Speaking of our flat...the story of this space is beautiful. The couple that owns the main home that is above our place built this garden level apartment for his father so he could spend his final years with them. After he passed, the daughter and son-in-law lived here while they built their home next door! Now they keep it as a retreat for clergy and missionaries so that when they need a place of rest they can provide it. They have graciously offered us this space for the 4 months that we are here and already we feel like part of the family. Their hospitality and gracious welcome is a bit overwhelming at times but so deeply appreciated. We feel like we've known them for ages and we are very excited to continue to graft them into our lives. We look forward to enjoying the outdoor patio as the weather warms up and talking more and more with them about their lives.
We have been quite lucky since arriving that winter seems to be waning. It's chilly in the morning with temperatures in the 30's and 40'sF (0-4C) and there is often a layer of frost in the morning. But it quickly burns off and the sun has been shining consistently since we arrived. People say this is atypical but I'm grateful. It warms to 50's and even low 60'sF (10-15C) during the day and we've been able to walk Maddie with only a fleece for a jacket. The weather at our home in the desert has been horrible with high winds, cold temperatures, and tons of rain so I think we are actually better off with what we have. At least it's sunny! The sunny days have yielded beautiful sunsets and we are consistently dazzled by how gorgeous the landscape is.
We look forward to having a chance to wander through the city a bit and get a feel for the lay of the land. There are endless hiking paths to explore.
We are living in the area known as "Little Switzerland" and there are so many things that we are eager to explore. We have yet to visit the Villeroy and Boch outlet but that's at the top of my to do list!
The surrounding forest makes our daily walks with Maddie a joy and she is in dog heaven, off the leash, running like the wind, sniffing every exotic smell the forest yields. She is always on the hunt for the perfect piece of wood to carry around. The bigger or heavier the better!
We saw the vet last week and Maddie received a clean bill of health! Her legs look great and that whole ordeal is behind us! She had to get a few more vaccinations that Europe requires, begin taking de-worming pills and will have to have flea and tick treatments while we're here. All of this is new to her but she's handling it quite well! We are so thankful for the vet and the excellent medicine she received. Removing those dew claws ended up being a much more traumatic experience than we had counted on so we are all just super happy it's now in our rear view mirror! She is one tired pup at the end of the day!
For the first time ever while living in Europe it makes sense for us to have a car. Thankfully someone from church has been able to lend us a car as we get settled in and during this time it has become obvious that we would not be able to function very well without a vehicle. So we bought a car! Another man from the church buys and sells cars so he was able to get this car at a dealer's auction in Germany. He says that in 6 months, when we return to the US he'll likely be able to sell it for us for a profit! So it made good sense for us to do this. It looks really great!
Maddie will travel in style in the back and it will be fantastic to have a car when as we travel around this summer. Also, there are so many wonderful day trips from where we are and we won't have the stress of using someone else's car etc. The short distances we can travel to be in wonderful places is kind of a thrill for us. it has always been a dream to live more centrally located in Europe and well, it doesn't get more central than this! We are excited and happy that getting a car worked out so well for us.
I am reminded once again that everything is smaller in Europe! Our fridge is small, our freezer tiny!
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| The view from our back patio on a frosty February morning |
Fortunately, the days are stretching out and the sun doesn't set until about 6.30pm. Mornings are still quite dark with the sunrise not happening until 7.30am. I will be happy when we switch to summer time (what Daylight Savings Time is called in Europe) which isn't until the last weekend in March. I do look forward to enjoying the long, lovely European spring and summer days.
Luxembourg is mostly forest, farms and wide open spaces. The city is really interesting as there are lots of hills, a deep gorge that cuts through the center and high plateaus that have been developed as well.
As for work...yes, there's that little detail! I am preaching Sunday so it's been good to find the discipline to study and write again. We have meetings scheduled with various leaders and are learning about the administrative tasks that we will need to cover while the associate pastor takes his state provided parental leave. The main thing right now is learning names, spending time with folks and getting a feel for how things function on Sundays. It's a joy to be back in an International church.
Life is good for us! Luxembourg is quite a bit like Sweden so thus far it's been pretty easy to navigate. We don't really have a feel at all for the Luxembourgish culture and hope to gain a bit more insight to that. As for language, most everyone speaks English so that's great for us! All around us we hear Luxembourgish (yes, that's a real language!), French and German. I'm pretty much non-functional in all of the above so working on a few phrases.
We continue to enjoy each new experience we have and look forward to all of the new things that we will surely encounter over the next several months. 