Beard protests, motorway joggers and the “other brother” video

If you thought that 2011 was all about downsizing and doom and gloom in Luxembourg, think again! With bizarre tales of lost joggers on the motorway, pineapple thefts and lakes of wine, the last 12 months have been anything but dreary. Read on to find out more.

Wort.lu/en was only in its infancy in 2011, having launched in the Spring. But, since the website went live, it's been a non-stop news with more than a few stories raising a chuckle among readers.

One of the first on our radars was the bearded protest. Yes, you read that right. Luxembourg bus drivers put down their razors in June in protest over working conditions.

They clearly weren't ready to take it on the chin, and neither were police chasing a spate of burglaries which plagued Luxembourg this year. Any illusions that they were dealing with criminal masterminds were shattered however, when a desperate thief stole a six-pack of beer and a pineapple in Derenbach in July. At least the thief had the sense to get away. A month later, police investigating a burglary at a home in Reckenthal found their suspect hiding under the bed.

August is traditionally a quiet month for news and so, naturally, the silly stories flow freely. However, you could not help but feel sorry for Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn when he was stung by a bee while out on a bike ride. The minister had to miss an important meeting in Poland when he developed breathing problems as a result of the sting. At least he was a good sport about it, which could not be said for the individual involved in a case of Pétanque rage in the capital in the same month. For unknown reasons, one player grabbed a ball and threw it in the face of another player, who had to receive medical attention.

As the summer drew to a close and Luxembourg's residents returned to work, you might think that the news would get more serious. It did, until police picked up an English-speaking jogger on the A1 motorway heading towards Trier. The man was given a caution but his sporting efforts were not the only ones to make readers chuckle.

Luxembourg cycling brothers Andy and Frank Schleck, who came second and third respectively in this year's Tour de France, became an internet sensation when they fell victim to a hoax interview in the autumn. Dutch TV channel RTL4 sent two fake Japanese hosts to interview the pair, asking serious questions such as Where did Frank make his daughter? Was Andy watching? And how does “it hang” when they're in the saddle? After the penny dropped, the unsuspecting brothers took the joke with good grace.

And the stories kept coming. In October, wine lovers winced when a truckload of Luxembourgish vino shed its load on the German motorway, flooding the road with gallons of wine.

November saw facial hair (on men at least) come back in vogue, this time to raise awareness about men's health. Movember, as the month is known by participants, involves men growing elaborate moustaches.

And the moustache appears to have remained for some well into December when, a troupe of Santas, decked out in white beards and red, fur-trimmed suits, paraded outside of Luxembourg's Grand Ducal palace. The jape was reportedly a publicity stunt by a communications agency. But, it summed up what was, at times, a surreal and silly year.

Happy New Year from wort.lu/en