October 28, 2025 • 36 mins
A royal weekend can tell you everything about a country if you’re close enough to hear the crowd breathe. We landed in Luxembourg for the enthronement of Grand Duke Guillaume V and found the city transformed: barricades that opened, officers who guided, and a square packed with the largest crowd many locals could remember. Through a lucky chain of moments, we ended up near the RTL tents and within feet of the balcony, watching a young family laugh through cannon thunder and a nation cheer in several languages at once.
What stood out wasn’t just ceremony but tone and a concert that spanned opera, death metal, and pop with flawless technical craft despite rough weather. The Benelux presence underscored deep ties and a forward-looking message, while the day itself felt disarmingly human—fangirls, spontaneous greetings from the balcony, and the kind of public intimacy you don’t expect at state occasions.
Back home, we unpack what to bring back and why it matters. We scored paper flags with the royal monogram, tasted commemorative chocolates, and even found a cheeky “love is love” tourism keepsake that says a lot about modern Luxembourg. The standout keepsake might be a new graphic history of Luxembourg in English—smart, accurate, and accessible—perfect for anyone tracing roots or curiosity.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:04):
Welcome to Back to Luxembourg, a podcast by
American Luxembourgers about theGrand Duchy of Luxembourg and
its people.
From the Moselle to theMississippi.
I'm Matthew Foster.
SPEAKER_04 (00:13):
And I'm Rebecca Seymour.
And on this episode, we have areport from Luxembourg and the
enthronement of Grand DukeGuillaume V.
SPEAKER_00 (00:23):
Then we'll trade notes on souvenirs.
What do we always bring back toMinnesota when we've been to
Luxembourg?
And what new items did we haulback this time?
So come along with us as we goTsek of Letzabush.
Back to Luxembourg.
So Rebecca.
So we're releasing this onOctober 28, not October 15, like
(00:43):
I said we would.
SPEAKER_04 (00:45):
Yeah, that's okay.
Travel life.
It's busy.
SPEAKER_00 (00:48):
Yeah, travel, travel life.
Yeah.
So because after going toLuxembourg, that I went to
Strasbourg and then Paris.
And I'm not sure if my partnerMark got us sick or if I got us
sick, but we yeah, we spent.
But I did find out that itreally does like reduce lung
capacity really does help Markrelax.
(01:09):
Like he just when he's justslightly suffocated.
SPEAKER_05 (01:11):
Okay.
Well, that's good to know.
SPEAKER_00 (01:13):
Helps just kind of wind down a little bit.
SPEAKER_05 (01:16):
Now you know for the future.
SPEAKER_00 (01:18):
It's just like, oh, okay.
When we were in Luxembourg, soit was on Sunday.
So it was Sunday the fourth.
No, fifth.
Yep.
Yeah.
So on Sunday the fifth, we gottogether with your cousin Jenny.
Yep.
At my hotel room in LuxembourgCity, and we just kind of talked
about our experience.
So we can play that now forpeople.
(01:39):
Yep.
SPEAKER_01 (01:39):
Enjoy.
We are here at Luxembourg City.
Amazing.
Your cousin Jenny.
So say hi, Jenny.
Say hi, Jenny.
Hello, everyone.
I'm Jenny.
Who's also a Luxembourger.
Yes.
Exactly.
From Wisconsin.
SPEAKER_03 (01:54):
Yes, I'm a cheesehead.
She's a cheesehead.
Go Petco.
SPEAKER_04 (01:57):
You're in the area that where the OG Luxemburgers
all ended up.
SPEAKER_03 (02:02):
Yes.
SPEAKER_04 (02:02):
Central Wisconsin, Central, Western or Eastern
Wisconsin.
Yeah, no, yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (02:08):
Uh but the three of us were here along with several
other people from Minnesota.
So your sister, my sister, herfamily, and the Minneapolis
crew.
We all met up and so we went tothe ceremonial stuff on Friday.
The thing that I really lovedabout the stuff on Friday is
that we all ended up gettingreally good seats in all of the
different spots around town.
SPEAKER_04 (02:29):
And it's true.
And seemingly like just by luck.
You know what I mean?
There wasn't a coordination orplan or whatever.
It was like, okay, and then youended up at Placeon Duke.
SPEAKER_01 (02:38):
Yeah, right.
Just right in front of CityHall, where everybody ended up
after the Bell Meet.
I ended up in the front row.
Right.
SPEAKER_04 (02:45):
I did.
And it was a total combinationof luck, misunderstanding, right
place, right time.
There were all these barricades,right?
So you have the palace and theroads around it, but the
barricades up.
My sister texted that Jenny andher were on the other side in
(03:06):
front of the palace, waitingafter the abdication ceremony.
Then they come out, kind ofgreet the public, then there's
the balcony.
But I couldn't get there.
And I ended up walking aroundlike seven blocks.
And then I'm at a barricade andI can see the other side where
they are.
And then I somehow say to thepolice officer in my not good
French, like, there is my sisterand my family, and I'm trying to
(03:29):
get there.
I don't know what to do.
And he's like, Okay, I'll help.
And opens up the barricade.
Someone on the other side opensup the barricade and it's the
RTL news people.
And I somehow got shuffled up tothe very front of like the news
tent.
So now you're the new weathergirl.
I am, right?
I was like, what is happening?
Oh my God.
But the best part for me was Iwas standing next to like 10
(03:53):
15-year-old fangirls that werehaving the best time of their
life.
So I'm right at the very front,10, 15 feet away from the Duke,
from Guillaume, from Stephanie,from all of them.
Yeah.
Right there.
And the fangirls next to me arelike screaming.
They're like, oh yeah, yum.
And like crying.
(04:14):
And the news is right there.
And they're like laughing at it.
And then like trying tointerview.
They asked me.
And I'm like, I'm sorry, I don'tspeak Luxembourgish.
And they're like, oh, I like nothat it because they thought I
was with them.
Right.
And so then they're interviewingthem.
And then it just even got betterbecause then when they got up to
the balcony for you know thewhole family on the balcony,
(04:36):
they opened up the barricade,people rushing in.
Young fangirls and everythingrushing in.
Yeah.
But I had no choice because Iwas right in the front,
surrounded by them.
So they opened that up.
They rushed.
I'm not gonna, I'm I'm gonnarush up to the front.
So then I somehow end up in thefront under the balcony.
My favorite I showed ourLuxembourgish family over and
(04:58):
over is little Charlot coveringhis ears.
Because it was so loud.
SPEAKER_01 (05:03):
Right.
That was basically the momentthat made the international.
SPEAKER_04 (05:07):
I saw that in every I have so many great pictures
and videos of that of just himlike, it was too loud, and like
the parents laughing.
And it felt very like like avery human moment.
Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_03 (05:21):
And I want to say, speaking of all the crowds, I
want to give a shout out to theLuxembourg Police Department.
Absolutely.
The police here wereoutstanding.
They were so helpful, they wereso friendly, and they're all
seem to be incredibly goodlooking.
SPEAKER_00 (05:37):
Yes, yes, I haven't been.
SPEAKER_01 (05:40):
I just I just been scared because I have noticed
that multiple in this townbefore, where it was just sort
of like, why are the cops sohot?
SPEAKER_03 (05:48):
They're so hot.
SPEAKER_01 (05:49):
Every single one of them.
I don't think that they recruitthe police.
I think they hold auditions.
Yeah, I mean, seriously, right?
But I mean, wait pharmaceuticalgrain hot.
SPEAKER_04 (06:02):
Yes.
Yeah.
Yes.
Like I said, when I asked thatpolice officer, like, and I'm
trying, like, I am likeintimidated because it's weird
to be like, you have that momentof just like, I don't know what
I'm doing.
But also, like, this is a veryattractive person that I'm
trying to ask for help.
And it's like, yeah, that is anextra level of intimidation.
Not because you're carryingnecessarily, but I will say I
(06:29):
did have a little bit of becausewhere I was in the very front,
it was super interesting becauseright before Guillaume and
Stephanie came out for the walk,there was suddenly like five or
six men in suits walking rightby and doing the slow walk and
look at everyone's face.
Oh, sure.
And then whatever.
And I'm like, oh, security.
(06:50):
Right?
There's so much activity.
Like, this is the busiest I'veever seen Luxembourg City, like
not even close.
SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
Right, because we were in like enormous crowds,
you know, you at the the palaceand me at Platz Kond.
And then the party last night onSaturday.
SPEAKER_04 (07:07):
And that Jenny and I couldn't even get in.
No, because we were kind oftaking our time to get there,
and we got, I don't know whattime we got there.
SPEAKER_03 (07:14):
We got there at nine.
Nine.
We couldn't even get in.
SPEAKER_01 (07:16):
And we couldn't get in.
This morning I had breakfastwith a Luxembourger friend, and
yeah, and she she said that onthe news that they were
reporting that it I believe thatit was likely the single largest
gathering in the history of thecountry.
Wow.
Wow.
There was a Rolling Stonesconcert that might have been
bigger.
(07:36):
That is amazing.
But that this was the singlelargest.
SPEAKER_04 (07:39):
I think too, that speaking of big event in the
news, we had actually ourLuxembourgish cousin messaged us
saying, I think you're on thenews.
SPEAKER_03 (07:49):
And we were, he took a screenshot from our team.
SPEAKER_04 (07:53):
They were watching the news and everything and saw
the crowd.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (07:58):
No, because Elaine got a text message from her
husband back in uh Belgium.
So he was, as he was working, hewas watching the festivities
just out of curiosity, I think.
Yeah.
And and uh he sent like ascreenshot of the Reuters live
feed, and he said, I think I seea metchew.
And she ran off.
I love it.
(08:19):
So I was on the Reuters livefeed.
Because I was right in front.
So like as you know, they thatthey would they they were
walking past, you know, likeXavier Bartel, the former prime
minister, the deputy primeminister, yeah, and and Luc
Frieden, the Prime Minister, theKing of the Netherlands, the
king of the Belgians, and yeah,just you know, the whole Grand
(08:41):
Ducal family like they broughtby.
I like I didn't have a greatangle for photos in Helene,
yeah.
But it was, but like withHelene, I you know, like as uh
King Philippe of Belgium goes byand she just turned to me, she
was like, I've never been thisclose to my kid.
SPEAKER_04 (08:57):
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (08:57):
She she was like, Apparently I have to come to
Luxembourg.
SPEAKER_04 (09:00):
But I honestly thought about that, how
accessible it was, how closerelatively you were like it
really felt like, especially forme, because you know, that was
my time being so close wasFriday.
Yeah, it felt like, oh my God, Ican't believe I'm right here.
It's something we don't want toexperience anymore.
Someone is yelling your name orwhatever, and like he was
(09:22):
responding.
Like Guillaume is responding tothe fangirls.
Yes.
Or like once they got on thebalcony, you know, then we all
rushed up, and one of the girlsyelled, Maria Careza, and like
was waving.
And Maria Teresa looked down andwent, hola, like right at her.
And I was like, Oh my god,that's incredible.
But that's just like somethingyou would never experience.
SPEAKER_01 (09:42):
Right, right.
And the the one of the thingsthat I also really loved about
Friday, uh, not just seeing likeKing Willem from uh King
Philippe, their crowns at somepoint will be turned over to
their eldest daughters.
Yeah, and that both of them werewere in town and they were
stunning.
Yeah, they were gorgeous,incredible.
(10:05):
Like not every royal family fromEurope was represented, like the
Danish royal family right there,Norwegian, Swedish, etc.
Yeah, Danish.
And that that was ratherintentional.
It was meant to show Beneluxunity, yeah, and that the torch
has been passed now with Yome,and as people in Benelux, we are
united and that we are movingforward together as as one kind
(10:27):
of team.
Because the the histories of thecountries are so interlinked.
And even though that you know,Luxembourg has a lot in common
culturally with Germany, it'sits future, its economy, its
politics, everything has beenmuch more oriented toward France
and Belgium and that's theworld.
SPEAKER_04 (10:46):
Yes, but not just in Orlando that way, right?
I mean, the ro the familyitself, right?
I mean, Stephanie's Belgian, theGrand Ducal family originally
like kind of it's a connectionto the the Dutch royal family.
Yes, it is a very complicatedhistory.
SPEAKER_01 (11:01):
We will tackle that another.
Yes, we will.
The Netherlands and Luxembourgwere for a very long time, were
in what is called personalunion, which meant that they
shared a monarch, but did notshare a government.
Yes.
And however, Luxembourg wasruled as basically just a
faraway province of theNetherlands.
Sure.
(11:21):
Anyway, yeah, there was a lot ofdrama.
It's a really interesting story,but now's not the time.
SPEAKER_04 (11:25):
Now's not the time, but just to say it's very
podcast for a different time.
Yes, very interesting.
The connection, right, betweenthose three countries.
Yeah, no, it's so interlinked.
SPEAKER_01 (11:34):
Anyway, so that was yeah, so Friday was really
incredible.
So got to see all things peoplejust with their rich people's
skin.
Yes, yes, rich people's clothes.
SPEAKER_04 (11:43):
And I cannot get over, I think I said we talked
about this, where I'm like thosewomen and their heels all over
the cobblestones.
All over the cobblestones allday, all night.
I thought about that with thegala.
So obviously, we could not go tothe gala, but we're watching
the, you know, and Amelia Macronwas there, you know, it's the
(12:04):
whole thing, the walking in, butsame cobblestones, they're
wearing those same heels.
And I'm like, oh my god, that'sgotta be 18 hours for three days
in a row.
Absolutely.
I don't know how you're doingit.
No, I mean calves of steel,right?
SPEAKER_01 (12:19):
You know, and like do you train for that?
And the and the curtsies at theprincesses, yes, like this this
lunge.
Yes.
Holy crap! Like your calves,your ass must just be like euro
coins.
SPEAKER_03 (12:37):
Right, absolutely.
Like good work.
I mean, it isn't thinking aboutdo train six months before, like
little by little building thestrength.
SPEAKER_01 (12:43):
I mean, must.
I mean, it's a talk about one ofthe weirdest jobs in the world.
Like, what is your job?
Well, to look good, yeah.
Right to look engaged.
Yes.
Looked like everybody was havinga really good time.
And it looked like Guillaume wasgenuinely having a good time.
SPEAKER_03 (12:58):
We did look like he was having and I will say that
the overall vibe of the wholeday, everyone I encountered, the
crowds, the how the royals wereacting, everyone was completely
joyful and celebratory.
Absolutely.
It was such an amazingatmosphere to be in and
experience the country that waybecause it just felt completely
(13:19):
unified, completely celebratory,completely joyful.
Everyone was happy.
SPEAKER_04 (13:24):
And I will say too, I was very surprised because so
the next day, Saturday, when Itook a web taxi out of the city
to meet my Luxemburgers familyfor for lunch.
And the driver, I'm like talkingto him about the experience, and
he was like, I couldn't gobecause of, you know, I had to
work, but I'm bringing mydaughters to the concert
tonight.
He was all excited about it, andthen I'm showing him pictures,
(13:45):
and because I was so close, Ihave these really amazing
pictures.
And he was like, Oh my god, thisis incredible.
Just this, but like happy, youknow what I mean?
SPEAKER_01 (13:54):
This that it just yeah, no, because I think that
it took everybody by surpriseand like how proud they all
were.
SPEAKER_04 (14:03):
I mean, I really get that feeling, yes, and um and
human, yes, very human, veryhuman, and and like I mentioned
about the you know, the theolder boy Charles.
I mean, he's probably what fouror five covering his ears.
But it was that was funny to mewhere Guillaume's laughing, yes,
like and then trying likethere's I have a video of them
like trying to take his handsdown, be like, you know, we're
(14:24):
trying to take a picture, don't,and he's like, no, and then
they're just like whatever, fuckit, you know, and they're
laughing, but it's a very humanmoment, right?
SPEAKER_03 (14:32):
Absolutely, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (14:33):
Because looking at them is just like that, they
don't look particularlyaristocratic or like they look
like just like a happy youngfamily.
Yes.
And the time on Friday where Ireally kind of got like
goosebumps, where it was whenthe mayor of Luxembourg City,
whose name I forget, but she wasgiving her speech, and like and
she ended it where she said, youknow, like vite grandgu, you
(14:54):
know, long with the grand duvive grand duches, and long with
the grand duchess, vive deborsche, long live Luxembourg,
and vive Oivolda, and long livethe era, yeah.
And it was just like, yeah, Iget behind that.
Absolutely.
And just in and then at theconcert on Saturday about how
like the whole thing was verymultilingual, and that my god,
(15:17):
it was I think it was PhilipCrawford, who is so he's a
Luxembourger, but he's very,very famous.
Like there's these YouTubevideos of him filing this, he's
a TV reporter, and there's theseYouTube videos of him filing the
same story in six differentlanguages, uh just over and over
again.
And he speaks English, German,Luxembourgish, French, Spanish,
(15:39):
and Portuguese.
Oh wow.
And which makes him a greatchoice to MC an event and
Luxembourg.
Yes, absolutely.
And when he said things inPortuguese, because there's a
huge Portuguese speakingcommunity here, and there are
more Portuguese Luxembourgersthan there are American
Luxembourgers.
(16:01):
The fact like I heard like therewere tears coming up against me
to speaking in Portuguese.
Yeah.
And that, and even uh Guillaume,when you know, like when he's
when he spoke that he addressedthe crowd in Luxembourgish and
then in French and then inEnglish, English, yeah.
But it was very, very much aboutlike you know, and and to the
people who live here, yes, whoare not Luxembourgers, but who
(16:23):
are part of our community.
Yes.
Thank you for coming to thesummer.
SPEAKER_04 (16:26):
And you know, and I will say because we couldn't get
into the the concert because itwas just so hacked.
So when we got there, I couldn'tget in.
So then we're on the perimeter.
And that it was like he was justfinishing the speech, uh, I
think in French.
Yes.
When we're we're watching it.
And then I didn't expect that hewould give the speak in English,
the speech in English, right?
I'm like, well, it'd probably beLuxembourgish French, German,
(16:48):
whatever.
And then he's speaking inGerman, and I was just or in
English, sorry, and I'm like,this is incredible.
Like, I have not seen someonespeak this way where they're
just like, I love that this, youknow, we're all here together.
It's this unity, we're alldifferent, like doesn't matter.
Right.
You're here, yeah, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (17:08):
Because he he had said that uh in the he well, he
said it in French, but aboutlike tonight we're going to
celebrate Luxembourg throughmusic, and we're going to
celebrate the with music thatexpresses Luxembourg's identity
that is open and creative anddiverse.
SPEAKER_04 (17:26):
Which makes a lot of sense because like we were
talking about how the music wentfrom opera to death metal to
pop, like they're just all over.
But it totally did.
And I was like, well, this worksbecause it's all part of this.
SPEAKER_01 (17:40):
Right.
And it was so seamless, likefrom a technical standpoint.
I mean, as a somebody who'sspent a lot of time in theater,
and my you know, my partners intheater and stuff like that,
where it's just like I could notbelieve how tight that show was.
Right.
So, like the cops, you know,like so frankly, so good at
their jobs, et cetera, etcetera, et cetera.
Same with the technicians inLuxembourg.
(18:01):
Holy cow, if you want to do acomplicated show under cruddy
weather conditions, but I wasgonna say the must have that.
SPEAKER_04 (18:08):
I mean, the weather was like less than ideal.
And I think the wind, obviously,we're in Luxembourg, it rains a
lot, but the wind and all ofthat was not expected.
SPEAKER_01 (18:17):
So and they did a terrific job.
So kudos to the city ofLuxembourg, kudos to everyone on
the committee that must havelike organized this because it
was it was a hell of a party.
It really was.
Yeah, that was the other thingtoo, is that I did talk to at
the all English Anisterbookstore.
(18:38):
So there was a uh a brand newbook, Luxembourg's History.
It is a comic book.
Okay, uh, but it was publishedin Luxembourgish, French, and
English.
I got three copies of theEnglish because there are no
good histories.
Yes.
SPEAKER_03 (18:50):
Oh, that's fantastic.
That's amazing.
SPEAKER_01 (18:52):
Yeah, and so I got I got three copies of it.
And I was talking to her aboutthis woman at Amster Books, and
I was like, Oh thank god thatthere's this, and she was like,
Yes, but she was like, I've beensaying to my bosses every single
day for five years.
Like, you know, like people comein every day looking for a
history in English and there'sjust not one.
And she said, I'd really gladthat they published this.
And she said, but why are youbuying so many copies?
(19:13):
And I said, Well, you know,because in Minnesota and I, you
know, was kind of explaining it,and and and then I said, and
there's like eight of us here,yeah, like who came over and she
was like specifically for this,and I was like, Yeah, and she
like and she was actually reallytouched by that.
(19:34):
That's amazing.
And she was like, No, that's andshe was like, That's that's
terrific.
Yeah, your laws are kind enoughto make us part of the country,
right?
So when something is happeningin the country of this level of
importance, it felt reallyimportant for us to be here for
it to celebrate with ourLuxembourgish compatriots.
SPEAKER_04 (19:54):
Yes, and it also feels like a once-in-a-lifetime
thing.
Like I very much appreciate thatthere's the abdication
tradition, and it's not justlike they're the monarch until
they're until they're dad's oldand dead or whatever, you know.
But realistically, like it'sprobably good.
I mean, so Guillaume's oldestCharles five.
So realistically, it's gonna bea long time.
SPEAKER_01 (20:16):
Yeah, I mean, uh yeah, I mean, there's a damn
good chance that I won't behere.
I I do not take care of myself.
I know the feeling.
SPEAKER_05 (20:29):
I'm like, well, like how long have we no?
SPEAKER_04 (20:32):
It's just like if this was on my bucket list,
yeah, now's the time.
Now is the time.
Yep.
And that was a hundred percentlike the decision to be here.
It's like, well, when am I evergonna have this again?
SPEAKER_01 (20:42):
I do not regret a second, and I do not regret a
penny spent on coming here.
It was terrific.
SPEAKER_04 (20:48):
Yeah, I agree.
No, really, and really warmed myheart, you know, and made me
feel like connected in a way Ididn't realize that I was
missing.
SPEAKER_03 (20:57):
I felt the same thing.
I felt very connected toLuxembourg in a way that I
haven't felt before.
This is my fifth time here.
Yeah, I have family who liveshere, yeah, but this was another
level.
Yes, I agree.
SPEAKER_01 (21:09):
No, I agree to that.
Yeah, I was very proud to be aLuxembourg.
SPEAKER_00 (21:19):
Okay, so Rebecca, now we're back in the present.
And let's talk about souvenirs.
So perfect.
Uh, because like we didn'treally trade notes too much on
what we were buying when we werethere, even though I know that
both of us did a little bit ofshopping, not not a huge amount,
but not as much as I normallywould.
SPEAKER_04 (21:39):
I would say just had a lot more activities and
things, but yes, always have tomake time to at least get
something.
SPEAKER_00 (21:45):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (21:46):
What are your favorite?
What are your go-to's?
Like you're like, I have to getthis when I'm in Luxembourg.
SPEAKER_00 (21:50):
Well, so and that's the thing is that the things
that I normally buy, I didn'tactually buy this time because
it's like it's often cremant andmustard and kind of consumables
like that.
Like those are always fun tokind of bring back.
SPEAKER_04 (22:02):
And those are also usually my go-tos.
SPEAKER_00 (22:04):
Yeah, yeah.
And I didn't bring any of thatback this time, which which is
actually a little disappointingin retrospect.
Like it would be kind of nice tohave a bottle of cremont instead
of like the sparkling wine fromKirkland.
SPEAKER_04 (22:18):
I have I have one bottle of cremont that I brought
home this time.
So normally I'll try to get abottle or two to bring home.
That was my intention.
They had the the branded, likethe Trone Weisel branding on
Cremont.
And I saw it around, but Icouldn't find it anywhere I
looked.
And I asked someone about it,and they're like, they probably
(22:39):
all are sold out, you know,because it was very busy there.
I did pick one up in duty freeat the airport.
So and I have not decided whenI'm going to drink it.
It's like sitting on my kitchentable, like for later.
I don't know when.
SPEAKER_00 (22:54):
For sometime later, yeah, later.
I don't know.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (22:57):
Celebrate something?
I don't know.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:59):
So well, yeah.
No, that's that's good.
Yeah, it's because I did getsome tonvisel specific
merchandise.
So I got a few buttons, nice,like little one-inch buttons
that are kind of cool.
And I got a Tonvisel coloringbook.
I love that.
I love that.
Full things.
Just kind of it was justcompletely odd.
(23:20):
Like I just saw it in thebookstore and I'm like, well, I
guess I'm getting one of these.
I have no idea why, but I'mgetting one of these.
But I think my favorite thingwas actually something I didn't
buy.
That it was so when I wasstanding in like by City Hall,
so like as we discussed in thelast segment when I was at City
Hall, one of the eventorganizers came up and he was
(23:40):
giving out flags, like both theuh tri-color flag, the red,
white, and blue flag, and thenalso flags with Guillaume's
monogram.
So it's like the two G's thatare interlocked.
Yeah.
And so they those weren't forsale anywhere.
And I love to get some.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (23:57):
So that's amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (23:58):
And I yeah, and I think that your brother-in-law
was like, well, I want tinyflags too.
SPEAKER_04 (24:03):
He was.
He was very jealous.
They were very cool though.
I like I love that.
That's a great souvenir becauseit's like it just it marks the
specific occasion.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
But it's also Luxembourg and italso doesn't take up a huge
amount of space.
So you know, it's a perfect.
SPEAKER_00 (24:20):
Yeah, they were paper, so they did get a little
creased in the luggage becausethat's just how it works.
SPEAKER_04 (24:26):
I was pleasantly surprised because I bought some
chocolates that werecommemorative of the Trone
Visel, right?
And that was another where I waslike, I'm not gonna open these
until like a special occasion,but that didn't happen.
SPEAKER_05 (24:40):
I opened them like a few days after I got home.
It's Wednesday.
SPEAKER_04 (24:44):
Wednesday's a special occasion.
SPEAKER_05 (24:45):
Exactly.
It was like it was a stressfulday.
SPEAKER_04 (24:47):
A piece of chocolate sounds amazing, right?
But there they have on the topof the chocolates the monogram.
The outside of the box is likedecorated, right?
Does have the monogram on it,says it's specifically
commemorative of the tronebeastle, but I didn't expect
that the chocolate themselveswould have that.
SPEAKER_00 (25:04):
Yeah, I uh I was kind of expecting there to be
more stuff, but I think thatlike what you had run into is
that there was more merchandise,but that we had simply arrived a
little too late to buy it.
SPEAKER_04 (25:15):
Yeah.
So the person I talked to hadsaid that like so I was looking
for there.
There were these like hydroflaskwater bottles.
Yeah, yeah, that had the thesymbol on it and everything.
And I asked someone at one ofthe stores about it, and she was
like, Yeah, I think those allsold out like Monday before we
even got there.
SPEAKER_00 (25:33):
So another thing that I usually get, and I didn't
get this time, and I actuallyand I'm kind of kicking myself
about it, is honestkup.
So like the honey liqueur.
Yeah, like it's basicallyimpossible to find or even an
analog, really.
I've never really run acrossanything.
Because I really wanted to makelike Christmas cocktails with
honeychtrapp.
SPEAKER_04 (25:53):
That's amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (25:54):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (25:55):
I I don't think I've ever told you this story.
So I one time, are you familiarwith the Cure Royale, which is
creme de cassis and cremat,right?
SPEAKER_00 (26:03):
We are very good friends.
SPEAKER_04 (26:04):
Yes.
Delicious drink.
And my first time, well, nottechnically my first time, but
my first time spending time inLuxembourg.
And I met my Luxembourgishcousins and we're out to eat,
and I'm talking, like, I thinkmaybe I'd ordered that to drink.
And we were talking aboutthey're like, no, there we make
creme de cassis here, right?
And it's out of, is it BufordCastle?
(26:25):
I don't know.
It's out of there's one that'slike out of a castle that's made
it.
They make it, it's like brandedlike a castle.
SPEAKER_00 (26:31):
You know, one second.
SPEAKER_04 (26:33):
Do you have it?
Because I I went on a mission tofind it.
SPEAKER_00 (26:40):
I is that yes.
SPEAKER_04 (26:42):
I have a big bottle of this that I bought, and this
is exactly it.
So I'm not does it say whatcastle?
It is, it's Beefworth Castle.
SPEAKER_00 (26:52):
Okay.
So yeah, that's just beensitting on my shelf.
SPEAKER_04 (26:55):
That's so funny.
I went on a mission to findthis, and I went to so many
different stores, and everyonewas like, No, we don't have
that.
Like, or you have to go to thisplace for it or whatever.
And then I ended up finding it,I'm pretty sure, at I think it
was at a cactus market out byViandon.
SPEAKER_00 (27:16):
Okay.
Yeah.
Cause you can get some prettygood stuff.
Like because I always try to buylike the cremant and the mustard
and everything like that.
Basically, grocery stores arebasically souvenir shops in my
world.
I agree.
SPEAKER_04 (27:29):
I always and I almost always get chocolate.
SPEAKER_00 (27:32):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (27:33):
And the cremat.
And then I can do that at thegrocery store, and there's still
like there's great chocolate.
You know what I mean?
Right, right, right, right.
SPEAKER_00 (27:39):
Yeah.
So the casero, so that's the thethe cassis liqueur.
I have not opened that.
And so maybe we'll have to.
I would say it's good.
SPEAKER_04 (27:49):
It's very sweet.
I mean, I know creme de cassisis sweet.
SPEAKER_00 (27:52):
Yeah, the Honig Strap was also like that was
like, it really needs somethingelse.
Yep.
It's a little, it's a littletoo, it's a little too candied.
Yep.
SPEAKER_04 (28:02):
I think if you mix this with like, I mean, crema
usually is drier, not, you know,it's not a sweet.
But if you tried to mix it withanything verging on sweet, it
might be too sweet.
SPEAKER_00 (28:12):
Yeah, agreed.
And I bet this would also begood with whiskey.
Okay, now we're just okay.
Um, so that was, yeah.
So that was that.
Oh, but speaking of food, I wasalso, I did get a gift.
Have to take a look at it fromLuxembourgish friend.
And so it's honey from SchlossBierge.
(28:35):
So from the Grand Ducal Estate.
Oh, cool.
And so it's it's kind of royal,royal honey.
SPEAKER_04 (28:42):
And that is some of the chocolates that I bought
have this honey in it.
SPEAKER_00 (28:46):
Oh.
Well, look at that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So so I thought I was veryexcited about this.
Yeah.
So it's from Konsdorf.
And then more food.
But after our little journeycomparing the Luxembourgish and
Dakota kind of Kugen styles, Idid I did get this.
(29:07):
It's Quetzakout.
So it is Quetz jam.
Oh.
So that very specific plum thatis kind of hard to find in the
United States.
Yes.
But that Luxemburgers eat allthe time.
So I have some jam of that now.
So I can make us a I can make usa proper Luxembourgish plum
dessert.
SPEAKER_04 (29:26):
That's amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (29:27):
Sometime.
Yeah.
So I did bring those back.
And then and then I and I gotthat at the Luxembourg Shop,
which is like the theme storelike near the palace.
SPEAKER_04 (29:38):
Yeah, I know what you're talking about.
SPEAKER_00 (29:40):
Yeah.
So which is a really great storethat has a lot of like good
artisan products.
Because like one of the thingsthat is so frustrating about
buying souvenirs in Luxembourgis that most of them are awful.
Yes.
SPEAKER_04 (29:52):
Yes.
Yes.
There are little like the kiosk,they call them, you know, little
store, whatever, that just It'slittered with souvenirs and like
their cookie cutter, likeliterally just mass produced and
then slap on a different name orpicture.
SPEAKER_00 (30:09):
And yeah, because I've even seen like designs and
stuff on the t-shirts or magnetsor whatever, and then seeing
them again on like Adobe Stockillustrations.
Like yeah, anybody can just buyit for four bucks or whatever it
is and just reproduce it as muchas you want to.
SPEAKER_04 (30:25):
I will say I bought, and we'll see, because my sister
has it, I have to get it fromher, but it seems like decent
quality.
I bought a scarf at one of thosekiosks.
SPEAKER_00 (30:33):
Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_04 (30:33):
And it's like kind of black, white, red, and it has
the red lion on it and saysLuxembourg.
SPEAKER_00 (30:39):
Okay, that sounds promising.
SPEAKER_04 (30:41):
Okay, this seems cool.
SPEAKER_00 (30:42):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, because I noticed like ifyou go to the Luxembourg shop,
so I would definitely recommendlike if you're in Luxembourg
City and looking for really coolgift, like that is definitely
the place to go.
And so, in addition to like acouple of other items, like some
buttons and things like that,but my favorite thing that I got
this time was a uh the official,you know, like the Luxembourg X,
(31:04):
where they have well, I'll put ascan of this up on the website
so people can follow along withit.
So if you haven't seen it, thatLuxembourg has this like very
specific logo that is like an Xthat is in the national colors,
so it's you know blue and blueand red.
And so if you have that that biglike Luxembourg sign that a lot
(31:25):
of people get their photo infront of the Philharmonie,
that's the X that I'm talkingabout.
So, but what they do is thatthey have all these different
variants on it, and so one ofthem is a heart with a rainbow
on it, and it says Leftos Left,which is Luxembourgish for love
is love.
I love that.
And so, but this one's on acondom.
And so, and I just thought thatthat was just too hysterical not
(31:46):
to buy.
SPEAKER_05 (31:47):
Oh, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (31:48):
And again, sort of regretting that I didn't buy
more of them for real.
But yeah, yeah, so that was myyeah, yeah, I love that.
SPEAKER_04 (31:55):
It's just like some random but amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (31:57):
Well, no, and I just like I love any country where it
was just sort of like, yeah,it's just you know, yeah, we're
promoting tourism.
Yeah, what kind of tourism?
SPEAKER_05 (32:05):
Exactly.
What are you saying here?
Okay, the fun, the fun tourism.
Exactly.
SPEAKER_00 (32:11):
And then the I guess the final thing that I got to,
which we will not get intotoday, but because we will be
talking about nonfiction booksnext week or next episode.
But it's a book that waspublished on October 1, so just
before the thing.
And so that I have had severalconversations with people who
(32:33):
work at the Ernster bookstore,but the all-English bookstore in
Luxembourg City.
And how I'm like, do you havethis copy?
You know, like what do you havefor history books in English of
Luxembourg?
And they're like, nothing.
And the clerks and I alwayscommiserate over this because
they're because they're likeevery single day somebody comes
in here looking for this book,and it just we don't have it.
(32:55):
It's you know, all the good onesare out of print.
But on October 1, this waspublished, and so it is called
History of Luxembourg 963 to2025, published by 360 cross
media.
And but it's a it's a comicbook, actually.
It's a like graphic, graphicnovel of the entire history of
Luxembourg, and it's super cool,sort of arranged by topic.
(33:16):
So instead of that, you know, ithas like a couple of pages of
World War II and that's amazing,you know, European Union and the
various grand dukes.
So got three copies of those.
Don't know why.
SPEAKER_04 (33:30):
No, that's amazing.
No, that's amazing becausethat's a good, especially if you
were wanting to learn more, likeyou wanted a book about
Luxembourgish history.
A lot of books are historicalbooks are very dry.
Yeah.
And this is like a good entry,you know?
SPEAKER_00 (33:46):
Like, yeah, and honestly, it's like I haven't
read, even though I mean it'snot extremely long or anything
like that, but that that it isvery readable, it does not
really talk down.
So, like you kind of assume, oh,well, this would be for kids.
And I don't think that it is.
I mean, I think it would besuitable for kids too.
Sure.
But the other thing that Ireally liked about it is that in
the introduction where theyactually say our emphasis was
(34:08):
getting on things historicallyaccurate.
Like we really wanted to tellthis story accurately.
Yeah.
And then they had an like alittle apology.
They were like, Oh, but maybeall of the details on the
clothes aren't quite right forthe era.
It's just like, okay, that'sthat's that's cute.
SPEAKER_04 (34:25):
That's your big worry.
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (34:27):
I know.
It's just like, no, that buttonwouldn't have been there.
Okay, this is what right.
And so, but yeah, I haven't readthe whole thing, but it's a
really nicely done book.
And so I'm glad that theypublished it.
I'm glad that I got it.
Yeah, me too.
Yeah.
So those were did you getanything else, or is that no we
exhaust the list?
SPEAKER_04 (34:46):
I think that's it.
I'm trying to think, did I getanything else?
No, I will say that I buy theand this is very time specific,
is I've gone to the Christmasmarkets a few times.
SPEAKER_00 (34:56):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (34:57):
And specifically, there's the the Christmas market
at Place de Paris has like wineglasses with Luxembourg and then
like the date etched on them.
SPEAKER_02 (35:10):
Ooh.
SPEAKER_04 (35:11):
And so I now have, I think I have a set of six like
red wine glasses, and then Ihave four like frosted wine
glasses.
SPEAKER_00 (35:17):
Nice.
So commemorative.
SPEAKER_04 (35:19):
Yep.
That's a good way to, you know,like it's like I'll use these
and they're commemorative.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (35:24):
So yeah.
Back when I was married, that'swhat I did for the reception was
everybody, everybody got arock's glass.
SPEAKER_05 (35:30):
Oh, nice.
I like that.
SPEAKER_00 (35:31):
With our initials and dates.
SPEAKER_05 (35:32):
I like that.
SPEAKER_00 (35:33):
And then we got divorced, and all my friends
were like, can we still use therocks glass?
Because of course, yeah, duh.
SPEAKER_04 (35:40):
Like, you better.
That's what I would thinkanyway.
I'd be like, Yeah.
Right.
Next time on Back to Luxembourg,we'll talk about the history of
Luxembourg's flags.
And you'll learn why Luxembourghas two flags, the tricolor and
(36:00):
the red lion.
SPEAKER_00 (36:01):
And we'll talk about our favorite nonfiction books
about Luxembourg's history.
SPEAKER_04 (36:05):
Look for that episode on Tuesday, November
11th, 2025.
For more from Back to Luxembourgand to get in touch, visit our
website at back2.lu.
SPEAKER_00 (36:17):
And remember to subscribe through the podcast
service of your choice.
And if you like the episode,please write a review.
SPEAKER_04 (36:22):
Thanks so much for listening.
I'm Rebecca Seamers.
SPEAKER_00 (36:25):
And I'm Matthew Foster.
Until next time, Adiento, FishPeta, and of course, E.
Welcome to Back to Luxembourg, a podcast by
American Luxembourgers about theGrand Duchy of Luxembourg and
its people.
From the Moselle to theMississippi.
I'm Matthew Foster.
SPEAKER_04 (00:13):
And I'm Rebecca Seymour.
And on this episode, we have areport from Luxembourg and the
enthronement of Grand DukeGuillaume V.
SPEAKER_00 (00:23):
Then we'll trade notes on souvenirs.
What do we always bring back toMinnesota when we've been to
Luxembourg?
And what new items did we haulback this time?
So come along with us as we goTsek of Letzabush.
Back to Luxembourg.
So Rebecca.
So we're releasing this onOctober 28, not October 15, like
(00:43):
I said we would.
SPEAKER_04 (00:45):
Yeah, that's okay.
Travel life.
It's busy.
SPEAKER_00 (00:48):
Yeah, travel, travel life.
Yeah.
So because after going toLuxembourg, that I went to
Strasbourg and then Paris.
And I'm not sure if my partnerMark got us sick or if I got us
sick, but we yeah, we spent.
But I did find out that itreally does like reduce lung
capacity really does help Markrelax.
(01:09):
Like he just when he's justslightly suffocated.
SPEAKER_05 (01:11):
Okay.
Well, that's good to know.
SPEAKER_00 (01:13):
Helps just kind of wind down a little bit.
SPEAKER_05 (01:16):
Now you know for the future.
SPEAKER_00 (01:18):
It's just like, oh, okay.
When we were in Luxembourg, soit was on Sunday.
So it was Sunday the fourth.
No, fifth.
Yep.
Yeah.
So on Sunday the fifth, we gottogether with your cousin Jenny.
Yep.
At my hotel room in LuxembourgCity, and we just kind of talked
about our experience.
So we can play that now forpeople.
(01:39):
Yep.
SPEAKER_01 (01:39):
Enjoy.
We are here at Luxembourg City.
Amazing.
Your cousin Jenny.
So say hi, Jenny.
Say hi, Jenny.
Hello, everyone.
I'm Jenny.
Who's also a Luxembourger.
Yes.
Exactly.
From Wisconsin.
SPEAKER_03 (01:54):
Yes, I'm a cheesehead.
She's a cheesehead.
Go Petco.
SPEAKER_04 (01:57):
You're in the area that where the OG Luxemburgers
all ended up.
SPEAKER_03 (02:02):
Yes.
SPEAKER_04 (02:02):
Central Wisconsin, Central, Western or Eastern
Wisconsin.
Yeah, no, yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (02:08):
Uh but the three of us were here along with several
other people from Minnesota.
So your sister, my sister, herfamily, and the Minneapolis
crew.
We all met up and so we went tothe ceremonial stuff on Friday.
The thing that I really lovedabout the stuff on Friday is
that we all ended up gettingreally good seats in all of the
different spots around town.
SPEAKER_04 (02:29):
And it's true.
And seemingly like just by luck.
You know what I mean?
There wasn't a coordination orplan or whatever.
It was like, okay, and then youended up at Placeon Duke.
SPEAKER_01 (02:38):
Yeah, right.
Just right in front of CityHall, where everybody ended up
after the Bell Meet.
I ended up in the front row.
Right.
SPEAKER_04 (02:45):
I did.
And it was a total combinationof luck, misunderstanding, right
place, right time.
There were all these barricades,right?
So you have the palace and theroads around it, but the
barricades up.
My sister texted that Jenny andher were on the other side in
(03:06):
front of the palace, waitingafter the abdication ceremony.
Then they come out, kind ofgreet the public, then there's
the balcony.
But I couldn't get there.
And I ended up walking aroundlike seven blocks.
And then I'm at a barricade andI can see the other side where
they are.
And then I somehow say to thepolice officer in my not good
French, like, there is my sisterand my family, and I'm trying to
(03:29):
get there.
I don't know what to do.
And he's like, Okay, I'll help.
And opens up the barricade.
Someone on the other side opensup the barricade and it's the
RTL news people.
And I somehow got shuffled up tothe very front of like the news
tent.
So now you're the new weathergirl.
I am, right?
I was like, what is happening?
Oh my God.
But the best part for me was Iwas standing next to like 10
(03:53):
15-year-old fangirls that werehaving the best time of their
life.
So I'm right at the very front,10, 15 feet away from the Duke,
from Guillaume, from Stephanie,from all of them.
Yeah.
Right there.
And the fangirls next to me arelike screaming.
They're like, oh yeah, yum.
And like crying.
(04:14):
And the news is right there.
And they're like laughing at it.
And then like trying tointerview.
They asked me.
And I'm like, I'm sorry, I don'tspeak Luxembourgish.
And they're like, oh, I like nothat it because they thought I
was with them.
Right.
And so then they're interviewingthem.
And then it just even got betterbecause then when they got up to
the balcony for you know thewhole family on the balcony,
(04:36):
they opened up the barricade,people rushing in.
Young fangirls and everythingrushing in.
Yeah.
But I had no choice because Iwas right in the front,
surrounded by them.
So they opened that up.
They rushed.
I'm not gonna, I'm I'm gonnarush up to the front.
So then I somehow end up in thefront under the balcony.
My favorite I showed ourLuxembourgish family over and
(04:58):
over is little Charlot coveringhis ears.
Because it was so loud.
SPEAKER_01 (05:03):
Right.
That was basically the momentthat made the international.
SPEAKER_04 (05:07):
I saw that in every I have so many great pictures
and videos of that of just himlike, it was too loud, and like
the parents laughing.
And it felt very like like avery human moment.
Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_03 (05:21):
And I want to say, speaking of all the crowds, I
want to give a shout out to theLuxembourg Police Department.
Absolutely.
The police here wereoutstanding.
They were so helpful, they wereso friendly, and they're all
seem to be incredibly goodlooking.
SPEAKER_00 (05:37):
Yes, yes, I haven't been.
SPEAKER_01 (05:40):
I just I just been scared because I have noticed
that multiple in this townbefore, where it was just sort
of like, why are the cops sohot?
SPEAKER_03 (05:48):
They're so hot.
SPEAKER_01 (05:49):
Every single one of them.
I don't think that they recruitthe police.
I think they hold auditions.
Yeah, I mean, seriously, right?
But I mean, wait pharmaceuticalgrain hot.
SPEAKER_04 (06:02):
Yes.
Yeah.
Yes.
Like I said, when I asked thatpolice officer, like, and I'm
trying, like, I am likeintimidated because it's weird
to be like, you have that momentof just like, I don't know what
I'm doing.
But also, like, this is a veryattractive person that I'm
trying to ask for help.
And it's like, yeah, that is anextra level of intimidation.
Not because you're carryingnecessarily, but I will say I
(06:29):
did have a little bit of becausewhere I was in the very front,
it was super interesting becauseright before Guillaume and
Stephanie came out for the walk,there was suddenly like five or
six men in suits walking rightby and doing the slow walk and
look at everyone's face.
Oh, sure.
And then whatever.
And I'm like, oh, security.
(06:50):
Right?
There's so much activity.
Like, this is the busiest I'veever seen Luxembourg City, like
not even close.
SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
Right, because we were in like enormous crowds,
you know, you at the the palaceand me at Platz Kond.
And then the party last night onSaturday.
SPEAKER_04 (07:07):
And that Jenny and I couldn't even get in.
No, because we were kind oftaking our time to get there,
and we got, I don't know whattime we got there.
SPEAKER_03 (07:14):
We got there at nine.
Nine.
We couldn't even get in.
SPEAKER_01 (07:16):
And we couldn't get in.
This morning I had breakfastwith a Luxembourger friend, and
yeah, and she she said that onthe news that they were
reporting that it I believe thatit was likely the single largest
gathering in the history of thecountry.
Wow.
Wow.
There was a Rolling Stonesconcert that might have been
bigger.
(07:36):
That is amazing.
But that this was the singlelargest.
SPEAKER_04 (07:39):
I think too, that speaking of big event in the
news, we had actually ourLuxembourgish cousin messaged us
saying, I think you're on thenews.
SPEAKER_03 (07:49):
And we were, he took a screenshot from our team.
SPEAKER_04 (07:53):
They were watching the news and everything and saw
the crowd.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (07:58):
No, because Elaine got a text message from her
husband back in uh Belgium.
So he was, as he was working, hewas watching the festivities
just out of curiosity, I think.
Yeah.
And and uh he sent like ascreenshot of the Reuters live
feed, and he said, I think I seea metchew.
And she ran off.
I love it.
(08:19):
So I was on the Reuters livefeed.
Because I was right in front.
So like as you know, they thatthey would they they were
walking past, you know, likeXavier Bartel, the former prime
minister, the deputy primeminister, yeah, and and Luc
Frieden, the Prime Minister, theKing of the Netherlands, the
king of the Belgians, and yeah,just you know, the whole Grand
(08:41):
Ducal family like they broughtby.
I like I didn't have a greatangle for photos in Helene,
yeah.
But it was, but like withHelene, I you know, like as uh
King Philippe of Belgium goes byand she just turned to me, she
was like, I've never been thisclose to my kid.
SPEAKER_04 (08:57):
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (08:57):
She she was like, Apparently I have to come to
Luxembourg.
SPEAKER_04 (09:00):
But I honestly thought about that, how
accessible it was, how closerelatively you were like it
really felt like, especially forme, because you know, that was
my time being so close wasFriday.
Yeah, it felt like, oh my God, Ican't believe I'm right here.
It's something we don't want toexperience anymore.
Someone is yelling your name orwhatever, and like he was
(09:22):
responding.
Like Guillaume is responding tothe fangirls.
Yes.
Or like once they got on thebalcony, you know, then we all
rushed up, and one of the girlsyelled, Maria Careza, and like
was waving.
And Maria Teresa looked down andwent, hola, like right at her.
And I was like, Oh my god,that's incredible.
But that's just like somethingyou would never experience.
SPEAKER_01 (09:42):
Right, right.
And the the one of the thingsthat I also really loved about
Friday, uh, not just seeing likeKing Willem from uh King
Philippe, their crowns at somepoint will be turned over to
their eldest daughters.
Yeah, and that both of them werewere in town and they were
stunning.
Yeah, they were gorgeous,incredible.
(10:05):
Like not every royal family fromEurope was represented, like the
Danish royal family right there,Norwegian, Swedish, etc.
Yeah, Danish.
And that that was ratherintentional.
It was meant to show Beneluxunity, yeah, and that the torch
has been passed now with Yome,and as people in Benelux, we are
united and that we are movingforward together as as one kind
(10:27):
of team.
Because the the histories of thecountries are so interlinked.
And even though that you know,Luxembourg has a lot in common
culturally with Germany, it'sits future, its economy, its
politics, everything has beenmuch more oriented toward France
and Belgium and that's theworld.
SPEAKER_04 (10:46):
Yes, but not just in Orlando that way, right?
I mean, the ro the familyitself, right?
I mean, Stephanie's Belgian, theGrand Ducal family originally
like kind of it's a connectionto the the Dutch royal family.
Yes, it is a very complicatedhistory.
SPEAKER_01 (11:01):
We will tackle that another.
Yes, we will.
The Netherlands and Luxembourgwere for a very long time, were
in what is called personalunion, which meant that they
shared a monarch, but did notshare a government.
Yes.
And however, Luxembourg wasruled as basically just a
faraway province of theNetherlands.
Sure.
(11:21):
Anyway, yeah, there was a lot ofdrama.
It's a really interesting story,but now's not the time.
SPEAKER_04 (11:25):
Now's not the time, but just to say it's very
podcast for a different time.
Yes, very interesting.
The connection, right, betweenthose three countries.
Yeah, no, it's so interlinked.
SPEAKER_01 (11:34):
Anyway, so that was yeah, so Friday was really
incredible.
So got to see all things peoplejust with their rich people's
skin.
Yes, yes, rich people's clothes.
SPEAKER_04 (11:43):
And I cannot get over, I think I said we talked
about this, where I'm like thosewomen and their heels all over
the cobblestones.
All over the cobblestones allday, all night.
I thought about that with thegala.
So obviously, we could not go tothe gala, but we're watching
the, you know, and Amelia Macronwas there, you know, it's the
(12:04):
whole thing, the walking in, butsame cobblestones, they're
wearing those same heels.
And I'm like, oh my god, that'sgotta be 18 hours for three days
in a row.
Absolutely.
I don't know how you're doingit.
No, I mean calves of steel,right?
SPEAKER_01 (12:19):
You know, and like do you train for that?
And the and the curtsies at theprincesses, yes, like this this
lunge.
Yes.
Holy crap! Like your calves,your ass must just be like euro
coins.
SPEAKER_03 (12:37):
Right, absolutely.
Like good work.
I mean, it isn't thinking aboutdo train six months before, like
little by little building thestrength.
SPEAKER_01 (12:43):
I mean, must.
I mean, it's a talk about one ofthe weirdest jobs in the world.
Like, what is your job?
Well, to look good, yeah.
Right to look engaged.
Yes.
Looked like everybody was havinga really good time.
And it looked like Guillaume wasgenuinely having a good time.
SPEAKER_03 (12:58):
We did look like he was having and I will say that
the overall vibe of the wholeday, everyone I encountered, the
crowds, the how the royals wereacting, everyone was completely
joyful and celebratory.
Absolutely.
It was such an amazingatmosphere to be in and
experience the country that waybecause it just felt completely
(13:19):
unified, completely celebratory,completely joyful.
Everyone was happy.
SPEAKER_04 (13:24):
And I will say too, I was very surprised because so
the next day, Saturday, when Itook a web taxi out of the city
to meet my Luxemburgers familyfor for lunch.
And the driver, I'm like talkingto him about the experience, and
he was like, I couldn't gobecause of, you know, I had to
work, but I'm bringing mydaughters to the concert
tonight.
He was all excited about it, andthen I'm showing him pictures,
(13:45):
and because I was so close, Ihave these really amazing
pictures.
And he was like, Oh my god, thisis incredible.
Just this, but like happy, youknow what I mean?
SPEAKER_01 (13:54):
This that it just yeah, no, because I think that
it took everybody by surpriseand like how proud they all
were.
SPEAKER_04 (14:03):
I mean, I really get that feeling, yes, and um and
human, yes, very human, veryhuman, and and like I mentioned
about the you know, the theolder boy Charles.
I mean, he's probably what fouror five covering his ears.
But it was that was funny to mewhere Guillaume's laughing, yes,
like and then trying likethere's I have a video of them
like trying to take his handsdown, be like, you know, we're
(14:24):
trying to take a picture, don't,and he's like, no, and then
they're just like whatever, fuckit, you know, and they're
laughing, but it's a very humanmoment, right?
SPEAKER_03 (14:32):
Absolutely, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (14:33):
Because looking at them is just like that, they
don't look particularlyaristocratic or like they look
like just like a happy youngfamily.
Yes.
And the time on Friday where Ireally kind of got like
goosebumps, where it was whenthe mayor of Luxembourg City,
whose name I forget, but she wasgiving her speech, and like and
she ended it where she said, youknow, like vite grandgu, you
(14:54):
know, long with the grand duvive grand duches, and long with
the grand duchess, vive deborsche, long live Luxembourg,
and vive Oivolda, and long livethe era, yeah.
And it was just like, yeah, Iget behind that.
Absolutely.
And just in and then at theconcert on Saturday about how
like the whole thing was verymultilingual, and that my god,
(15:17):
it was I think it was PhilipCrawford, who is so he's a
Luxembourger, but he's very,very famous.
Like there's these YouTubevideos of him filing this, he's
a TV reporter, and there's theseYouTube videos of him filing the
same story in six differentlanguages, uh just over and over
again.
And he speaks English, German,Luxembourgish, French, Spanish,
(15:39):
and Portuguese.
Oh wow.
And which makes him a greatchoice to MC an event and
Luxembourg.
Yes, absolutely.
And when he said things inPortuguese, because there's a
huge Portuguese speakingcommunity here, and there are
more Portuguese Luxembourgersthan there are American
Luxembourgers.
(16:01):
The fact like I heard like therewere tears coming up against me
to speaking in Portuguese.
Yeah.
And that, and even uh Guillaume,when you know, like when he's
when he spoke that he addressedthe crowd in Luxembourgish and
then in French and then inEnglish, English, yeah.
But it was very, very much aboutlike you know, and and to the
people who live here, yes, whoare not Luxembourgers, but who
(16:23):
are part of our community.
Yes.
Thank you for coming to thesummer.
SPEAKER_04 (16:26):
And you know, and I will say because we couldn't get
into the the concert because itwas just so hacked.
So when we got there, I couldn'tget in.
So then we're on the perimeter.
And that it was like he was justfinishing the speech, uh, I
think in French.
Yes.
When we're we're watching it.
And then I didn't expect that hewould give the speak in English,
the speech in English, right?
I'm like, well, it'd probably beLuxembourgish French, German,
(16:48):
whatever.
And then he's speaking inGerman, and I was just or in
English, sorry, and I'm like,this is incredible.
Like, I have not seen someonespeak this way where they're
just like, I love that this, youknow, we're all here together.
It's this unity, we're alldifferent, like doesn't matter.
Right.
You're here, yeah, you know.
SPEAKER_01 (17:08):
Because he he had said that uh in the he well, he
said it in French, but aboutlike tonight we're going to
celebrate Luxembourg throughmusic, and we're going to
celebrate the with music thatexpresses Luxembourg's identity
that is open and creative anddiverse.
SPEAKER_04 (17:26):
Which makes a lot of sense because like we were
talking about how the music wentfrom opera to death metal to
pop, like they're just all over.
But it totally did.
And I was like, well, this worksbecause it's all part of this.
SPEAKER_01 (17:40):
Right.
And it was so seamless, likefrom a technical standpoint.
I mean, as a somebody who'sspent a lot of time in theater,
and my you know, my partners intheater and stuff like that,
where it's just like I could notbelieve how tight that show was.
Right.
So, like the cops, you know,like so frankly, so good at
their jobs, et cetera, etcetera, et cetera.
Same with the technicians inLuxembourg.
(18:01):
Holy cow, if you want to do acomplicated show under cruddy
weather conditions, but I wasgonna say the must have that.
SPEAKER_04 (18:08):
I mean, the weather was like less than ideal.
And I think the wind, obviously,we're in Luxembourg, it rains a
lot, but the wind and all ofthat was not expected.
SPEAKER_01 (18:17):
So and they did a terrific job.
So kudos to the city ofLuxembourg, kudos to everyone on
the committee that must havelike organized this because it
was it was a hell of a party.
It really was.
Yeah, that was the other thingtoo, is that I did talk to at
the all English Anisterbookstore.
(18:38):
So there was a uh a brand newbook, Luxembourg's History.
It is a comic book.
Okay, uh, but it was publishedin Luxembourgish, French, and
English.
I got three copies of theEnglish because there are no
good histories.
Yes.
SPEAKER_03 (18:50):
Oh, that's fantastic.
That's amazing.
SPEAKER_01 (18:52):
Yeah, and so I got I got three copies of it.
And I was talking to her aboutthis woman at Amster Books, and
I was like, Oh thank god thatthere's this, and she was like,
Yes, but she was like, I've beensaying to my bosses every single
day for five years.
Like, you know, like people comein every day looking for a
history in English and there'sjust not one.
And she said, I'd really gladthat they published this.
And she said, but why are youbuying so many copies?
(19:13):
And I said, Well, you know,because in Minnesota and I, you
know, was kind of explaining it,and and and then I said, and
there's like eight of us here,yeah, like who came over and she
was like specifically for this,and I was like, Yeah, and she
like and she was actually reallytouched by that.
(19:34):
That's amazing.
And she was like, No, that's andshe was like, That's that's
terrific.
Yeah, your laws are kind enoughto make us part of the country,
right?
So when something is happeningin the country of this level of
importance, it felt reallyimportant for us to be here for
it to celebrate with ourLuxembourgish compatriots.
SPEAKER_04 (19:54):
Yes, and it also feels like a once-in-a-lifetime
thing.
Like I very much appreciate thatthere's the abdication
tradition, and it's not justlike they're the monarch until
they're until they're dad's oldand dead or whatever, you know.
But realistically, like it'sprobably good.
I mean, so Guillaume's oldestCharles five.
So realistically, it's gonna bea long time.
SPEAKER_01 (20:16):
Yeah, I mean, uh yeah, I mean, there's a damn
good chance that I won't behere.
I I do not take care of myself.
I know the feeling.
SPEAKER_05 (20:29):
I'm like, well, like how long have we no?
SPEAKER_04 (20:32):
It's just like if this was on my bucket list,
yeah, now's the time.
Now is the time.
Yep.
And that was a hundred percentlike the decision to be here.
It's like, well, when am I evergonna have this again?
SPEAKER_01 (20:42):
I do not regret a second, and I do not regret a
penny spent on coming here.
It was terrific.
SPEAKER_04 (20:48):
Yeah, I agree.
No, really, and really warmed myheart, you know, and made me
feel like connected in a way Ididn't realize that I was
missing.
SPEAKER_03 (20:57):
I felt the same thing.
I felt very connected toLuxembourg in a way that I
haven't felt before.
This is my fifth time here.
Yeah, I have family who liveshere, yeah, but this was another
level.
Yes, I agree.
SPEAKER_01 (21:09):
No, I agree to that.
Yeah, I was very proud to be aLuxembourg.
SPEAKER_00 (21:19):
Okay, so Rebecca, now we're back in the present.
And let's talk about souvenirs.
So perfect.
Uh, because like we didn'treally trade notes too much on
what we were buying when we werethere, even though I know that
both of us did a little bit ofshopping, not not a huge amount,
but not as much as I normallywould.
SPEAKER_04 (21:39):
I would say just had a lot more activities and
things, but yes, always have tomake time to at least get
something.
SPEAKER_00 (21:45):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (21:46):
What are your favorite?
What are your go-to's?
Like you're like, I have to getthis when I'm in Luxembourg.
SPEAKER_00 (21:50):
Well, so and that's the thing is that the things
that I normally buy, I didn'tactually buy this time because
it's like it's often cremant andmustard and kind of consumables
like that.
Like those are always fun tokind of bring back.
SPEAKER_04 (22:02):
And those are also usually my go-tos.
SPEAKER_00 (22:04):
Yeah, yeah.
And I didn't bring any of thatback this time, which which is
actually a little disappointingin retrospect.
Like it would be kind of nice tohave a bottle of cremont instead
of like the sparkling wine fromKirkland.
SPEAKER_04 (22:18):
I have I have one bottle of cremont that I brought
home this time.
So normally I'll try to get abottle or two to bring home.
That was my intention.
They had the the branded, likethe Trone Weisel branding on
Cremont.
And I saw it around, but Icouldn't find it anywhere I
looked.
And I asked someone about it,and they're like, they probably
(22:39):
all are sold out, you know,because it was very busy there.
I did pick one up in duty freeat the airport.
So and I have not decided whenI'm going to drink it.
It's like sitting on my kitchentable, like for later.
I don't know when.
SPEAKER_00 (22:54):
For sometime later, yeah, later.
I don't know.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (22:57):
Celebrate something?
I don't know.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:59):
So well, yeah.
No, that's that's good.
Yeah, it's because I did getsome tonvisel specific
merchandise.
So I got a few buttons, nice,like little one-inch buttons
that are kind of cool.
And I got a Tonvisel coloringbook.
I love that.
I love that.
Full things.
Just kind of it was justcompletely odd.
(23:20):
Like I just saw it in thebookstore and I'm like, well, I
guess I'm getting one of these.
I have no idea why, but I'mgetting one of these.
But I think my favorite thingwas actually something I didn't
buy.
That it was so when I wasstanding in like by City Hall,
so like as we discussed in thelast segment when I was at City
Hall, one of the eventorganizers came up and he was
(23:40):
giving out flags, like both theuh tri-color flag, the red,
white, and blue flag, and thenalso flags with Guillaume's
monogram.
So it's like the two G's thatare interlocked.
Yeah.
And so they those weren't forsale anywhere.
And I love to get some.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (23:57):
So that's amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (23:58):
And I yeah, and I think that your brother-in-law
was like, well, I want tinyflags too.
SPEAKER_04 (24:03):
He was.
He was very jealous.
They were very cool though.
I like I love that.
That's a great souvenir becauseit's like it just it marks the
specific occasion.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
But it's also Luxembourg and italso doesn't take up a huge
amount of space.
So you know, it's a perfect.
SPEAKER_00 (24:20):
Yeah, they were paper, so they did get a little
creased in the luggage becausethat's just how it works.
SPEAKER_04 (24:26):
I was pleasantly surprised because I bought some
chocolates that werecommemorative of the Trone
Visel, right?
And that was another where I waslike, I'm not gonna open these
until like a special occasion,but that didn't happen.
SPEAKER_05 (24:40):
I opened them like a few days after I got home.
It's Wednesday.
SPEAKER_04 (24:44):
Wednesday's a special occasion.
SPEAKER_05 (24:45):
Exactly.
It was like it was a stressfulday.
SPEAKER_04 (24:47):
A piece of chocolate sounds amazing, right?
But there they have on the topof the chocolates the monogram.
The outside of the box is likedecorated, right?
Does have the monogram on it,says it's specifically
commemorative of the tronebeastle, but I didn't expect
that the chocolate themselveswould have that.
SPEAKER_00 (25:04):
Yeah, I uh I was kind of expecting there to be
more stuff, but I think thatlike what you had run into is
that there was more merchandise,but that we had simply arrived a
little too late to buy it.
SPEAKER_04 (25:15):
Yeah.
So the person I talked to hadsaid that like so I was looking
for there.
There were these like hydroflaskwater bottles.
Yeah, yeah, that had the thesymbol on it and everything.
And I asked someone at one ofthe stores about it, and she was
like, Yeah, I think those allsold out like Monday before we
even got there.
SPEAKER_00 (25:33):
So another thing that I usually get, and I didn't
get this time, and I actuallyand I'm kind of kicking myself
about it, is honestkup.
So like the honey liqueur.
Yeah, like it's basicallyimpossible to find or even an
analog, really.
I've never really run acrossanything.
Because I really wanted to makelike Christmas cocktails with
honeychtrapp.
SPEAKER_04 (25:53):
That's amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (25:54):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (25:55):
I I don't think I've ever told you this story.
So I one time, are you familiarwith the Cure Royale, which is
creme de cassis and cremat,right?
SPEAKER_00 (26:03):
We are very good friends.
SPEAKER_04 (26:04):
Yes.
Delicious drink.
And my first time, well, nottechnically my first time, but
my first time spending time inLuxembourg.
And I met my Luxembourgishcousins and we're out to eat,
and I'm talking, like, I thinkmaybe I'd ordered that to drink.
And we were talking aboutthey're like, no, there we make
creme de cassis here, right?
And it's out of, is it BufordCastle?
(26:25):
I don't know.
It's out of there's one that'slike out of a castle that's made
it.
They make it, it's like brandedlike a castle.
SPEAKER_00 (26:31):
You know, one second.
SPEAKER_04 (26:33):
Do you have it?
Because I I went on a mission tofind it.
SPEAKER_00 (26:40):
I is that yes.
SPEAKER_04 (26:42):
I have a big bottle of this that I bought, and this
is exactly it.
So I'm not does it say whatcastle?
It is, it's Beefworth Castle.
SPEAKER_00 (26:52):
Okay.
So yeah, that's just beensitting on my shelf.
SPEAKER_04 (26:55):
That's so funny.
I went on a mission to findthis, and I went to so many
different stores, and everyonewas like, No, we don't have
that.
Like, or you have to go to thisplace for it or whatever.
And then I ended up finding it,I'm pretty sure, at I think it
was at a cactus market out byViandon.
SPEAKER_00 (27:16):
Okay.
Yeah.
Cause you can get some prettygood stuff.
Like because I always try to buylike the cremant and the mustard
and everything like that.
Basically, grocery stores arebasically souvenir shops in my
world.
I agree.
SPEAKER_04 (27:29):
I always and I almost always get chocolate.
SPEAKER_00 (27:32):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (27:33):
And the cremat.
And then I can do that at thegrocery store, and there's still
like there's great chocolate.
You know what I mean?
Right, right, right, right.
SPEAKER_00 (27:39):
Yeah.
So the casero, so that's the thethe cassis liqueur.
I have not opened that.
And so maybe we'll have to.
I would say it's good.
SPEAKER_04 (27:49):
It's very sweet.
I mean, I know creme de cassisis sweet.
SPEAKER_00 (27:52):
Yeah, the Honig Strap was also like that was
like, it really needs somethingelse.
Yep.
It's a little, it's a littletoo, it's a little too candied.
Yep.
SPEAKER_04 (28:02):
I think if you mix this with like, I mean, crema
usually is drier, not, you know,it's not a sweet.
But if you tried to mix it withanything verging on sweet, it
might be too sweet.
SPEAKER_00 (28:12):
Yeah, agreed.
And I bet this would also begood with whiskey.
Okay, now we're just okay.
Um, so that was, yeah.
So that was that.
Oh, but speaking of food, I wasalso, I did get a gift.
Have to take a look at it fromLuxembourgish friend.
And so it's honey from SchlossBierge.
(28:35):
So from the Grand Ducal Estate.
Oh, cool.
And so it's it's kind of royal,royal honey.
SPEAKER_04 (28:42):
And that is some of the chocolates that I bought
have this honey in it.
SPEAKER_00 (28:46):
Oh.
Well, look at that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So so I thought I was veryexcited about this.
Yeah.
So it's from Konsdorf.
And then more food.
But after our little journeycomparing the Luxembourgish and
Dakota kind of Kugen styles, Idid I did get this.
(29:07):
It's Quetzakout.
So it is Quetz jam.
Oh.
So that very specific plum thatis kind of hard to find in the
United States.
Yes.
But that Luxemburgers eat allthe time.
So I have some jam of that now.
So I can make us a I can make usa proper Luxembourgish plum
dessert.
SPEAKER_04 (29:26):
That's amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (29:27):
Sometime.
Yeah.
So I did bring those back.
And then and then I and I gotthat at the Luxembourg Shop,
which is like the theme storelike near the palace.
SPEAKER_04 (29:38):
Yeah, I know what you're talking about.
SPEAKER_00 (29:40):
Yeah.
So which is a really great storethat has a lot of like good
artisan products.
Because like one of the thingsthat is so frustrating about
buying souvenirs in Luxembourgis that most of them are awful.
Yes.
SPEAKER_04 (29:52):
Yes.
Yes.
There are little like the kiosk,they call them, you know, little
store, whatever, that just It'slittered with souvenirs and like
their cookie cutter, likeliterally just mass produced and
then slap on a different name orpicture.
SPEAKER_00 (30:09):
And yeah, because I've even seen like designs and
stuff on the t-shirts or magnetsor whatever, and then seeing
them again on like Adobe Stockillustrations.
Like yeah, anybody can just buyit for four bucks or whatever it
is and just reproduce it as muchas you want to.
SPEAKER_04 (30:25):
I will say I bought, and we'll see, because my sister
has it, I have to get it fromher, but it seems like decent
quality.
I bought a scarf at one of thosekiosks.
SPEAKER_00 (30:33):
Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_04 (30:33):
And it's like kind of black, white, red, and it has
the red lion on it and saysLuxembourg.
SPEAKER_00 (30:39):
Okay, that sounds promising.
SPEAKER_04 (30:41):
Okay, this seems cool.
SPEAKER_00 (30:42):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, because I noticed like ifyou go to the Luxembourg shop,
so I would definitely recommendlike if you're in Luxembourg
City and looking for really coolgift, like that is definitely
the place to go.
And so, in addition to like acouple of other items, like some
buttons and things like that,but my favorite thing that I got
this time was a uh the official,you know, like the Luxembourg X,
(31:04):
where they have well, I'll put ascan of this up on the website
so people can follow along withit.
So if you haven't seen it, thatLuxembourg has this like very
specific logo that is like an Xthat is in the national colors,
so it's you know blue and blueand red.
And so if you have that that biglike Luxembourg sign that a lot
(31:25):
of people get their photo infront of the Philharmonie,
that's the X that I'm talkingabout.
So, but what they do is thatthey have all these different
variants on it, and so one ofthem is a heart with a rainbow
on it, and it says Leftos Left,which is Luxembourgish for love
is love.
I love that.
And so, but this one's on acondom.
And so, and I just thought thatthat was just too hysterical not
(31:46):
to buy.
SPEAKER_05 (31:47):
Oh, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (31:48):
And again, sort of regretting that I didn't buy
more of them for real.
But yeah, yeah, so that was myyeah, yeah, I love that.
SPEAKER_04 (31:55):
It's just like some random but amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (31:57):
Well, no, and I just like I love any country where it
was just sort of like, yeah,it's just you know, yeah, we're
promoting tourism.
Yeah, what kind of tourism?
SPEAKER_05 (32:05):
Exactly.
What are you saying here?
Okay, the fun, the fun tourism.
Exactly.
SPEAKER_00 (32:11):
And then the I guess the final thing that I got to,
which we will not get intotoday, but because we will be
talking about nonfiction booksnext week or next episode.
But it's a book that waspublished on October 1, so just
before the thing.
And so that I have had severalconversations with people who
(32:33):
work at the Ernster bookstore,but the all-English bookstore in
Luxembourg City.
And how I'm like, do you havethis copy?
You know, like what do you havefor history books in English of
Luxembourg?
And they're like, nothing.
And the clerks and I alwayscommiserate over this because
they're because they're likeevery single day somebody comes
in here looking for this book,and it just we don't have it.
(32:55):
It's you know, all the good onesare out of print.
But on October 1, this waspublished, and so it is called
History of Luxembourg 963 to2025, published by 360 cross
media.
And but it's a it's a comicbook, actually.
It's a like graphic, graphicnovel of the entire history of
Luxembourg, and it's super cool,sort of arranged by topic.
(33:16):
So instead of that, you know, ithas like a couple of pages of
World War II and that's amazing,you know, European Union and the
various grand dukes.
So got three copies of those.
Don't know why.
SPEAKER_04 (33:30):
No, that's amazing.
No, that's amazing becausethat's a good, especially if you
were wanting to learn more, likeyou wanted a book about
Luxembourgish history.
A lot of books are historicalbooks are very dry.
Yeah.
And this is like a good entry,you know?
SPEAKER_00 (33:46):
Like, yeah, and honestly, it's like I haven't
read, even though I mean it'snot extremely long or anything
like that, but that that it isvery readable, it does not
really talk down.
So, like you kind of assume, oh,well, this would be for kids.
And I don't think that it is.
I mean, I think it would besuitable for kids too.
Sure.
But the other thing that Ireally liked about it is that in
the introduction where theyactually say our emphasis was
(34:08):
getting on things historicallyaccurate.
Like we really wanted to tellthis story accurately.
Yeah.
And then they had an like alittle apology.
They were like, Oh, but maybeall of the details on the
clothes aren't quite right forthe era.
It's just like, okay, that'sthat's that's cute.
SPEAKER_04 (34:25):
That's your big worry.
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (34:27):
I know.
It's just like, no, that buttonwouldn't have been there.
Okay, this is what right.
And so, but yeah, I haven't readthe whole thing, but it's a
really nicely done book.
And so I'm glad that theypublished it.
I'm glad that I got it.
Yeah, me too.
Yeah.
So those were did you getanything else, or is that no we
exhaust the list?
SPEAKER_04 (34:46):
I think that's it.
I'm trying to think, did I getanything else?
No, I will say that I buy theand this is very time specific,
is I've gone to the Christmasmarkets a few times.
SPEAKER_00 (34:56):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_04 (34:57):
And specifically, there's the the Christmas market
at Place de Paris has like wineglasses with Luxembourg and then
like the date etched on them.
SPEAKER_02 (35:10):
Ooh.
SPEAKER_04 (35:11):
And so I now have, I think I have a set of six like
red wine glasses, and then Ihave four like frosted wine
glasses.
SPEAKER_00 (35:17):
Nice.
So commemorative.
SPEAKER_04 (35:19):
Yep.
That's a good way to, you know,like it's like I'll use these
and they're commemorative.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (35:24):
So yeah.
Back when I was married, that'swhat I did for the reception was
everybody, everybody got arock's glass.
SPEAKER_05 (35:30):
Oh, nice.
I like that.
SPEAKER_00 (35:31):
With our initials and dates.
SPEAKER_05 (35:32):
I like that.
SPEAKER_00 (35:33):
And then we got divorced, and all my friends
were like, can we still use therocks glass?
Because of course, yeah, duh.
SPEAKER_04 (35:40):
Like, you better.
That's what I would thinkanyway.
I'd be like, Yeah.
Right.
Next time on Back to Luxembourg,we'll talk about the history of
Luxembourg's flags.
And you'll learn why Luxembourghas two flags, the tricolor and
(36:00):
the red lion.
SPEAKER_00 (36:01):
And we'll talk about our favorite nonfiction books
about Luxembourg's history.
SPEAKER_04 (36:05):
Look for that episode on Tuesday, November
11th, 2025.
For more from Back to Luxembourgand to get in touch, visit our
website at back2.lu.
SPEAKER_00 (36:17):
And remember to subscribe through the podcast
service of your choice.
And if you like the episode,please write a review.
SPEAKER_04 (36:22):
Thanks so much for listening.
I'm Rebecca Seamers.
SPEAKER_00 (36:25):
And I'm Matthew Foster.
Until next time, Adiento, FishPeta, and of course, E.
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