A group of men who were abused by members of the Catholic church in the US revisit their trauma in Netflix documentary Procession. Photo: Netflix

A group of men who were abused by members of the Catholic church in the US revisit their trauma in Netflix documentary Procession. Photo: Netflix

A surreally relevant political sitcom series, a football documentary and a book of poems are part of the Delano team’s recommendations at the end of a heatwave of a month. On the menu is Schueberfouer food and a rediscovery of the Gudde Wëllen's summer terrace.

Current reads

Jennifer Huang’s book of poems, , struck a chord with me this month. She gracefully explores topics like homeland, identity,  belonging and the body; her command of languages makes old wounds and even colours tangible. Easy to read in one sitting, but better to digest slowly… NG 

Digital highlights

The Economist’s special reports are worth the price of a subscription alone. They offer a well researched, well reported perspective on a significant international issue or trend. This year I was fascinated by the publication’s take on (which it declared “broken”), (increasingly overstretched) and (a major growth opportunity in Luxembourg and globally). I also enjoyed older reports on,, and snapshots of, and. AG

Listen to this

I recently started listening to, the 1980s cult BBC political sitcom. When I first watched it on TV in the 2000s, it had already held up remarkably well. Listening now, despite its advanced age, it has held up extraordinarily well. The show follows a fictional cabinet minister’s behind-the-scenes battles with ‘unelected civil servants’, interspersed with frequent political, diplomatic and media crises. It’s a satire, although some of the storylines are reportedly lifted from true stories. The dialogue hits the mark. Yes Minister and its follow-on are widely seen as the forerunners to and. and of Yes Minister were adapted as radio plays, which are currently available on BBC Sounds. Enjoy the doublespeak. AG

Series 1  and  series 2  of Yes Minister were adapted as radio plays, which are currently available on BBC Sounds. Photo: BBC

Series 1 and series 2 of Yes Minister were adapted as radio plays, which are currently available on BBC Sounds. Photo: BBC

Thanks to the Rotondes’ Congés annulés music lineup, I had the chance to discover Grace Cummings this month. What an iconic, unexpected voice, and such raw talent. Her music is structured yet embraces the wild and bold, and she and her three bandmates had several incredible jam session and really got the crowd going. Here’s a sample of her music. NG 

Essential viewing

A group of men who were abused by members of the Catholic church in the US revisit their trauma in Netflix documentary . Together with a drama therapist, they create fictionalised scenes of the hurt inflicted on them as a method to process the past. The film is a harrowing testimony of church sex abuse and rages against the impunity of the perpetrators who go unpunished while their victims carry a lifelong burden. CS

Amazon’s fly-on-the-wall football documentary series All or Nothing returns with a peek behind the curtain of Arsenal, one of the most successful British clubs, fallen down in recent years and looking to reclaim former glory. The series covers a turbulent season in which Arsenal fights back from their worst start in over six decades to reclaim a spot in the Europa league falling just short of qualifying for the Champions league. The series does a good job of humanising the players, which most fans see as overpaid and pampered stars, and provides more than a few excerpts of manager Mikel Arteta’s croaky voice shouting at half time. TG

Following a long waiting period that seemed like forever, the first episode of House of Dragon--the much anticipated prequel to the Game of Thrones--was released on 21 August. The new series is available on HBO and HBO Max and a new episode--out of the 10 episodes expected in the first season--will be released each week. If you are a Thronie, then you already know you’re in for a sweet ride in the coming weeks. The season finale will air Sunday 23 October. AO

Gusty premieres on 9 September, but anticipation has been building up since the trailer was released. The show hosted and co-produced by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton features several celebrities from Mariska Hargitay to Meghan Thee Stallion and Kim Kardarshian. The show is inspired by the Clintons’ acclaimed New York Times bestselling book The Book of Gutsy Women.  It will start streaming on  Apple TV+ for subscribers from the release date. AO 

For foodies

Gluten-free Schuebi: It’s not easy to find gluten-free at the carb-heavy Schueberfouer, but a recent visit with a coeliac friend from the UK did help us to at least separate the wheat from the chaff (so to speak). If you are allergic to gluten but you still want to dine at the fairground, we recommend these two sit-down diners:

Creperie Breton: At the heart of the fair, this creperie’s buckwheat crepes do not contain gluten and their Breton cidre is also gluten-free, making a nice substitute for gluten-heavy beers. Do make sure you tell the serving staff if you are gluten intolerant, however.

Schwarzwald-Christel: This German beer hall-themed diner has a few gluten-free options such as the pork knuckle, the meat platter and the rotisserie chicken. Served with chips and sauerkraut, there’s no gluten in sight (as long as you can avoid the beer and drink a glass of wine instead!). JS

Random observations

There’s no excuse for not discovering the Gudde Wëllen earlier--but this journalist only stumbled upon this fabulous view-soaked pop-up last weekend and is now in love. Perched above the Grund with a sprawling terrace and varied drink selection, where have I been all summer? This is the bar that the Grund has been crying out for for years. Open when the weather’s good (i.e all the time). JS