WeekendInFamily@Luxembourg – 8th and 9th April, 2017

The sun is out there so why not just grab some picnic stuff and spend some hours in one of the many playgrounds or parks in the Grand-Duchy? 

Lake Echternach is for sure my number one pick! Lake, playground, plenty of plane and safe space to ride a bike, farm animals… 

A bit upper in the north, in Clervaux, the center Robbesscheier offers many family activities around the farm on the theme “Spring Weeks”, from 10am to 5pm. 

On the other side, if you prefer something else indoors and you love animals, then LuxExpo has the answer for you: the International Dog Show, both on Saturday and Sunday.

Have fun and enjoy the ☀️ 

Discovering Luxembourg and surroundings – Remich

There is something nostalgic that brings my family to Remich every now and then.. probably it’s the closest we can get from our Tejo river over here, within the skirts of the Grand Duchy 😀


Somehow, the Moselle River brings me some relax and the little town of Remich evokes “family time”. There are some fun ways to spend some time in there:

1. Park the car by the “Esplanade”, the restaurant area in front of the boats, there are several signs to the parking lots. Find a table and have a drink or an ice-cream.

2. Let your little ones spend some energy at the playground by the boats. 

3. Ride a kids electric motorbike at the little circuit or train yoru skills at the mini-golf (same selling point).

4. Ride your bikes alonside the river and admire the vineyards.

5. Bring your picnic basket and some outdoor toys and have fun by the river (it’s less busy a little further past the swimming pool).

7. On a more fancy note with a touch of crémant, check the times of the boat tours 😉

8. Have a comfy Luxembourguish lunch at the Restaurant du Pressoir (29, route de Mondorf, Remich). Make sure to ask for a table with a view over the river and vineyards!! PS- the restaurant has a little playroom full of toys!

Have fun!!

Hiring a Cleaning Lady in Luxembourg

A constant question one can find in social media websites is “How can I legally hire a cleaning lady in Luxembourg?”. So here is a brief explanation that I sincerely hope will help you out! 🙂

1. Where to find a cleaning lady?
This is a hard one. Although it can ended up being easy to find someone, it is always difficult to trust our home and personal belongings to someone else’s care, right?

So, here are some tips:
– Ask your local friends, school/daycare, church…
– Ask your commune of residency or search on their website.
– Ask in local expat facebook pages/groups (“Luxembourg Parents”, “Mums, Bumps and Babies Luxembourg”, “AWCL Moms, Kids & Families” (you’d need join AWCL), “British Ladies Club of Luxembourg” (you’d need to join http://www.blc.lu).
2. How to (legally) hire a nanny ?

The CCSS (Centre Commun de la Securite Sociale) has implemented a ‘simplified procedure’ to help you hiring a cleaning lady (“femme de ménage”). The only thing you need to do is to agree on the net value with the lady, then print out the contract, sign it and send it back by mail.

Then, by the end of each month, you’ll need to pay the net value directly to the cleaning lady. On the other hand, you’ll receive an invoice from the CCSS for you to pay (to CCSS) the tax and social security regarding this specific contract.

Besides that, every 6 months they will send a receipt for you and for the nanny and they even provide the annual tax declaration (by March, each year). All information is available in their website.

Please note that all this procedure is also valid to hire a babysitter!

 

Well, I think that’s it! Please feel free to add any comments or thoughts. I’d love to learn more as well! 🙂

Skiing Fun for Families near Luxembourg

snowman-1096109_1280

Ok, first of all, if you are a real skiing addict, I must be honest: this article won’t be the right one for you! Please don’t be angry with me! 🙂

My secret tips about skiing include those smaller ski resorts where you can spend some hours (or even a few days) having some skiing fun in family. All of them offer ski lessons and the possibility to rent all equipment onsite.

 

 


 

Belgium – Baraque de Fraiture  – 120km (1h)

Where to ski: http://www.ski-baraquedefraiture.be/index_hiver.html

Good to know:

– Renting of ski equipment and ski lessons available on site (need to book in advance)

– Perfect location for a one-day ski fun

– There is a specific ski slope just for sledges!


 

Germany – Eifel – 120km (1h30)

Where to ski: http://www.eifel.info/skifahren-skigebiet.htm

Good to know:

– Perfect location for a one-day ski fun

– Renting of ski equipment and ski lessons available on site


 

 

Belgium – Mont des Brumes – 150km (1h30)

Where to ski: Mont des Brumes Ski Resort (www.montdesbrumes.be/en/index.html)

Good to know:

– Renting of ski equipment and ski lessons available on site (need to book in advance)

– Perfect location for a one-day ski fun


 

France – Ventron – 240km (2h30)

Where to Ski: Frère Joseph Ski Resort(http://www.ermitage-resort.com/)

Good to know: Ski lessons and equipment available to rent onsite

Where to Stay:

Hotel Les Buttes (http://www.hotel-les-buttes.com/en/)

Insider Tips: A charming chalet hotel (4*) – They have triple rooms where you can comfortably fit a family of 2 adults and 2 young kids; Walking distance to the ski slopes of the family friendly Ski Resort “Frère Joseph”

Hotel de l’Ermitage Frère Joseph (http://www.ermitage-vosges.com/)

Insider Tips: In front of the ski slopes; A ski pass vendor, ski school and ski equipment hire are available on site.


 

 

France – La Bresse – 240km (2h30)

Where to Ski: La Bresse Ski resort (http://labresse.labellemontagne.com/en/winter-2/ski-area/)

Good to know: ski lessons and equipment available to rent onsite

Where to Stay:

Résidence Les Grandes Feignes (http://reservations.labellemontagne.com/produit.aspx?lieu3=19&prest_id=778&lihe_id=37&table=lieu_hebergement)

Insider tips: Nice family friendly apartments right in front of the ski slopes (usually only available for week-long bookings, but it’s possible to get last minute 1 night spots); Excellent option for price/quality

Auberge du Brabant (http://auberge-du-brabant.fr/)

Insider Tips: Located just across the street from the ski pistes (La Bresse Bramant); All ski related services are available to book onsite


 

Germany – Winterberg – 360km (4h)

Where to ski: Winterberg Ski Resort (http://www.skiliftkarussell.de/aktuell.html)

Where to Stay:

Vakantiehotel Der Brabander

Insider Tips: Very family friendly with indoor playroom and outdoor playground; Right in front of the ski slopes

 

Have Fun!!

White Christmas – a very secret list of magic places

santa-claus-distributing-gifts-with-reindeer-christmas-night-642x600Are you already looking around and trying to find the best Christmas markets to visit?

Here is my latest article for Clew.lu, a very secret list of magical places to visit! Enjoy!!

http://clewmag.net/2015/11/17/white-christmas-a-very-secret-list-of-magic-places/

Rent a Christmas Tree!

Christmas_tree_with_starDid you know that you can rent a Christmas Tree in Luxembourg? Yes, it’s true! You can actually have all that magical feeling of having a real Christmas tree at home without thinking that after the holidays you’ll have to throw it away.

For years now, we have always decorated a plastic Christmas tree. It’s not the same thing, but at least we were not “killing” a tree… So, when a friend of mine told me about this family business in Steinsel, me and my husband decided we’d totally had to rent a Christmas tree. And 3 years ago we did it for the first time! And year after year, we come back again! 🙂

You just have to show up there from the first weekend of December, choose one of the beautiful trees and schedule the delivery. They will delivery it to your home and then, between the 6th and the 13th January, they will pick it up. Pretty easy, right? 🙂

Now, the information details:

Bamschoul Becker
Address: 27a, rue Paul Eyschen, L-7317 Steinsel
Tel: 337363
Opening Times: Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 12am and 2am to 6am
Website: http://www.beckered.lu/
Prices vary from €40 to €100 (include delivery and pick up)