This weekend I had a very unique opportunity to check out the small country of Luxembourg, directly south of Belgium, from a local's perspective. A friend I met at school here is originally from there, so he very generously took me to his parent's house for the weekend. It was another eye-opening cultural experience (as if I haven't had enough of those!) because his parents speak 3 languages (Luxembourgish, French, German), but not English. My friend helped us communicate, but it was nevertheless a challenge! It was especially cool on Saturday night, because his parents had a number of guests over for a dinner party. Some of the younger people in attendance spoke some English, so that was nice, but it was kind of like being an animal at the zoo, because many of them had never met an American, so they were intrigued and had many questions about American culture, government, etc. It was very humbling to be so accepted by a family who had never met me, don't speak my language, and still welcomed me into their home.
We spent some time walking around classic small Luxembourgish towns, most of which have about as many bars and restaurants as people (due to many tourists in the summer). The highlight was probably the American military cemetary (similar to the one which I saw in Normandy), which has the resting place of Gen. George Patton, one of the most famous generals in American military history. Luxembourg was very much affected by WWII, as evidenced by the thousands of American men buried there. As with Normandy, it is rather hard to put into words what you feel while you walk around such a place, but it is undoubtedly impressive to see.
We also checked out a castle and drove around the rural part of the country, which is stunningly beautiful. There are many rivers and huge swaths of forest. The country is so small that you can drive across the entire thing in an hour. You can cross bridges and go into Germany and France which is pretty cool, too. Overall it was sweet to be able to explore a country that most people have never heard of, and to see it from a local's perspective and go to some places that tourists would never see. Also, I apparently have some Luxembourgish heritage, so it was cool to think that somewhere down the line my ancestors were from there!
Stay tuned for more updates, as I leave for Italy this Thursday until Nov. 9!!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Normandy
This weekend we went as a group to the northern French province of Normandy, staying in a small town called Bayeux just a few miles off the coast. On the way there we stopped at Mont Saint-Michel, known as the "Wonder of the West," which is a rocky island that has a small village and a beautiful cathedral built on it. Dating back hundreds of years, it is incredible because the terrain is pretty treacherous, and it is definitely not the most feasible place to construct a village. The craziest thing about it is that when the tides are low it is connected by a sandy strip of coast to the mainland, but when the tides are high it is an island. It is fairly touristy, but a gorgeous little town with astounding views of the Atlantic.
On Saturday, we spent the entire day touring sites that are famous for their connection to the D-Day Invasion of June 1944. For those who don't know, D-Day was the largest amphibious military mission in the history of modern warfare, in which American, British and Canadian troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to fight the Germans so that the Allies could begin to liberate Western Europe from the grips of Nazism. It is the battle famously depicted in the film Saving Private Ryan. Although the Allies were eventually successful, thousands of soldiers lost their lives on D-Day, June 6, and the following weeks in the Normandy area. We toured Omaha Beach, the strip of beach which claimed the most casualties in the fighting, and it is eerie to walk around there. To this day there are humongous craters in the ground from American bombs, and still intact are German fortifications and lodgings. While interesting to see, it is not the most comforting feeling to walk across land on which thousands of people have perished.
In the afternoon, we toured the American military cemetary in Normandy, which is easily one of the most powerful places I have ever stepped foot. There are 10 plots of graves, marked by a single cross or star of David, and the lines of graves seem to go on forever. Nearly 4,000 American soldiers are buried there. In addition, there is a wall in memory of those who went Missing in Action, with the names of nearly 2,000 additional Americans etched into it. Although it was a rather depressing and somber moment, it really put into perspective how many people have put their lives on the line in the name of the U.S., and it was pretty emotional to walk through the cemetary. It's really hard to put into words the emotions you get while touring the Normandy beaches, but its an experience I think all Americans should try to do in their lifetime.
On Sunday we left to return to Brussels, but on the way we stopped in the beautiful small French town of Amiens, home to one of the most gorgeous cathedrals I've ever seen. Dating from the Middle Ages, it is considered one of the top five most beautiful churches in France and is famous for having the head of John the Baptist, originally brought back from Constantinople and kept behind a piece of glass and fully visible to visitors. As gross as it is, it's actually pretty cool!
This was my first visit to France and an eye-opening one at that, as I got to see areas that have a very powerful significance on American and European history. Although it was not exactly the most uplifting place to tour, it was one I will treasure, and it really made me think about how much destruction and damage was caused by WWII and how many people, myself included, never really think about that. Pictures are shortly to follow on the Shutterfly website, so look for those soon!
On Saturday, we spent the entire day touring sites that are famous for their connection to the D-Day Invasion of June 1944. For those who don't know, D-Day was the largest amphibious military mission in the history of modern warfare, in which American, British and Canadian troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to fight the Germans so that the Allies could begin to liberate Western Europe from the grips of Nazism. It is the battle famously depicted in the film Saving Private Ryan. Although the Allies were eventually successful, thousands of soldiers lost their lives on D-Day, June 6, and the following weeks in the Normandy area. We toured Omaha Beach, the strip of beach which claimed the most casualties in the fighting, and it is eerie to walk around there. To this day there are humongous craters in the ground from American bombs, and still intact are German fortifications and lodgings. While interesting to see, it is not the most comforting feeling to walk across land on which thousands of people have perished.
In the afternoon, we toured the American military cemetary in Normandy, which is easily one of the most powerful places I have ever stepped foot. There are 10 plots of graves, marked by a single cross or star of David, and the lines of graves seem to go on forever. Nearly 4,000 American soldiers are buried there. In addition, there is a wall in memory of those who went Missing in Action, with the names of nearly 2,000 additional Americans etched into it. Although it was a rather depressing and somber moment, it really put into perspective how many people have put their lives on the line in the name of the U.S., and it was pretty emotional to walk through the cemetary. It's really hard to put into words the emotions you get while touring the Normandy beaches, but its an experience I think all Americans should try to do in their lifetime.
On Sunday we left to return to Brussels, but on the way we stopped in the beautiful small French town of Amiens, home to one of the most gorgeous cathedrals I've ever seen. Dating from the Middle Ages, it is considered one of the top five most beautiful churches in France and is famous for having the head of John the Baptist, originally brought back from Constantinople and kept behind a piece of glass and fully visible to visitors. As gross as it is, it's actually pretty cool!
This was my first visit to France and an eye-opening one at that, as I got to see areas that have a very powerful significance on American and European history. Although it was not exactly the most uplifting place to tour, it was one I will treasure, and it really made me think about how much destruction and damage was caused by WWII and how many people, myself included, never really think about that. Pictures are shortly to follow on the Shutterfly website, so look for those soon!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Luxembourg
Today we went on a group excursion to the small neighboring country of Luxembourg. It was originally a province of Belgium, but is now a Grand Duchy and a sovereign country that is part of the UN and NATO. In addition, it is home to the European Investment Bank, an institution of the European Union that we toured in the morning. We sat in on an informational session about the bank's activities, which essentially involve cheaply buying money of the capital markets and then loaning that money to member states of the EU (and small amounts to countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean as well) in order to build infrastructure, finance small businesses, and promote economic development. Interestingly, it is entirely financially self-sufficient, due to the fact that all 27 EU member states back it, and does not run on any EU-taxpayer money. It was cool to tour the building, but hearing presentations from EU representatives who obviously promote the good work of the EU is starting to get rather repetitive.
Afterwards we went on a walking tour of Luxembourg City, which has a little over 100,000 inhabitants and was originally an important fortress beginning in the 10th century. The city is dotted with many medieval buildings, castles and churches, many of which are still intact. And randomly, the president of Ireland happened to be in Luxembourg today, meeting with Luxembourg government officials. As part of his trip, he was given a walking tour of the city, which just so happened to be at the same time as our walking tour. And due to the fact that Luxembourg is pretty lax on security, we were able to stand on the sidewalk as the Irish and Luxembourgish presidents strolled down the street, talking about who knows what while being trailed by a posse of 30 officials and police officers. We were able to see these leaders from five feet away and snap photos, which was totally unexpected and awesome!
In the afternoon we travelled to a castle in southern Belgium, located in the Ardennes, which during this time of the year is filled with trees whose leaves are changing color, providing a beautiful backdrop to the castle. The castle was built in the 16th century and is still in great condition. In fact, descendants of the original owners still live in the upper floors! It is one of the few castles that remains intact in the area, despite the fact that 400 years ago there were dozens lining the countryside.
After enjoying a traditional Belgian dinner in a small tavern near Dinant, also in Wallonia in Southern Belgium, we travelled back to Brussels. All in all an enjoyable but tiring day. I can't complain too much when I see the EU Investment Bank, the presidents of 2 countries, and a castle within 6 hours.
Afterwards we went on a walking tour of Luxembourg City, which has a little over 100,000 inhabitants and was originally an important fortress beginning in the 10th century. The city is dotted with many medieval buildings, castles and churches, many of which are still intact. And randomly, the president of Ireland happened to be in Luxembourg today, meeting with Luxembourg government officials. As part of his trip, he was given a walking tour of the city, which just so happened to be at the same time as our walking tour. And due to the fact that Luxembourg is pretty lax on security, we were able to stand on the sidewalk as the Irish and Luxembourgish presidents strolled down the street, talking about who knows what while being trailed by a posse of 30 officials and police officers. We were able to see these leaders from five feet away and snap photos, which was totally unexpected and awesome!
In the afternoon we travelled to a castle in southern Belgium, located in the Ardennes, which during this time of the year is filled with trees whose leaves are changing color, providing a beautiful backdrop to the castle. The castle was built in the 16th century and is still in great condition. In fact, descendants of the original owners still live in the upper floors! It is one of the few castles that remains intact in the area, despite the fact that 400 years ago there were dozens lining the countryside.
After enjoying a traditional Belgian dinner in a small tavern near Dinant, also in Wallonia in Southern Belgium, we travelled back to Brussels. All in all an enjoyable but tiring day. I can't complain too much when I see the EU Investment Bank, the presidents of 2 countries, and a castle within 6 hours.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Cologne and Bonn
This past weekend I went on a little Saul adventure, taking the train to Germany partly because I had never been there, and partly because I thought I deserved a little break after a stressful week of midterm exams. I spent Friday night and Saturday in Cologne, situated right along the Rhine River, with many cathedrals and medieval architecture. The most impressive building in Cologne, and undoubtedly the most beautiful church I have ever seen, is the "Dom," a humongous cathedral located right next to the central train station. Not only is it extremely large, but the inside is gorgeous, and you can climb the belfry (only 533 steps!) and get one of the most amazing views you can imagine of the surrounding city, with the Rhine as a backdrop.
Most of my touring involved me walking around aimlessly, with no idea where I was going, snapping photos of things that looked interesting to me. I popped into several churches, all of which were beautiful, and also strolled along the Rhine for quite awhile. Due to a rainy spell, I decided to check out a museum, so I went to the German Sports and Olympic Games Museum, which has some really cool sports artifacts and some interesting tidbits on Olympic history. The 1936 Games, held in Berlin, were a pretty major event (in which Jesse Owens so famously dominated in track and field, much to the dismay of the German government) and they have some cool stuff from that era.
My hostel in Cologne was just a 10 minute walk over the railroad bridge, which crosses the Rhine, heading away from the Dom. I shared a room with a Japanese student from Kyoto, on a month-long tour of Europe as his first trip outside of Japan, and we seriously talked for 3 hours. He was extremely nice, and it was a perfect example of some of the cool people you can always meet when staying in hostels.
Saturday evening I took the short train ride to Bonn, where I stayed in a hostel literally located in a nature reserve that is a half hour bus ride from the city center. It was a really peaceful location, and just the type of place I needed to spend the night to recharge and relax. On Sunday I explored Bonn, which on a Sunday morning is quite calm and charming. The only people on the street were churchgoers, children, and people perusing through the humongous market they set up in one of the main squares. Once again, I got to go inside several churches, which are scattered all over, including the largest in the central square where my dad was baptized. In addition, Bonn has one of the most gorgeous parks I've ever seen, with what is essentially a soccer field-size green area facing a huge palatial building.
The coolest thing I did on my whole trip, however, was visiting the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven in Bonn. Not only can you tour the house in which he was born, but they also have incredible displays of instruments he owned and musical scores he wrote, which appealed to my piano-playing side! It is crazy to think that such an important musician was born in such a modest dwelling on a side street in a small town like Bonn. And it is amazing how much of his original manuscripts, writings, and compositions they still have in great condition!
Overall the weekend was extremely relaxing, and it was fun to be able to go out on my own and be a little adventuresome. It may seem goofy, but it was really nice to just get away from everyone and everything in Brussels and just have a weekend to myself. Luckily most people in Germany speak English, or at least enough to communicate. It was cool to see a country I hadn't seen before, and simply taking the train through the German countryside was breathtaking. It's definitely an area I would like to explore more! Oh and I probably gained 10 pounds from eating the amazing and rich food in Germany. What a place.
If you'd like to check out some of the pictures I took, my internet is being really slow about it, but I am in the process of posting them to my Shutterfly website. If you haven't checked it out, please do!! The address is:
http://saulinbrussels.shutterfly.com/
Most of my touring involved me walking around aimlessly, with no idea where I was going, snapping photos of things that looked interesting to me. I popped into several churches, all of which were beautiful, and also strolled along the Rhine for quite awhile. Due to a rainy spell, I decided to check out a museum, so I went to the German Sports and Olympic Games Museum, which has some really cool sports artifacts and some interesting tidbits on Olympic history. The 1936 Games, held in Berlin, were a pretty major event (in which Jesse Owens so famously dominated in track and field, much to the dismay of the German government) and they have some cool stuff from that era.
My hostel in Cologne was just a 10 minute walk over the railroad bridge, which crosses the Rhine, heading away from the Dom. I shared a room with a Japanese student from Kyoto, on a month-long tour of Europe as his first trip outside of Japan, and we seriously talked for 3 hours. He was extremely nice, and it was a perfect example of some of the cool people you can always meet when staying in hostels.
Saturday evening I took the short train ride to Bonn, where I stayed in a hostel literally located in a nature reserve that is a half hour bus ride from the city center. It was a really peaceful location, and just the type of place I needed to spend the night to recharge and relax. On Sunday I explored Bonn, which on a Sunday morning is quite calm and charming. The only people on the street were churchgoers, children, and people perusing through the humongous market they set up in one of the main squares. Once again, I got to go inside several churches, which are scattered all over, including the largest in the central square where my dad was baptized. In addition, Bonn has one of the most gorgeous parks I've ever seen, with what is essentially a soccer field-size green area facing a huge palatial building.
The coolest thing I did on my whole trip, however, was visiting the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven in Bonn. Not only can you tour the house in which he was born, but they also have incredible displays of instruments he owned and musical scores he wrote, which appealed to my piano-playing side! It is crazy to think that such an important musician was born in such a modest dwelling on a side street in a small town like Bonn. And it is amazing how much of his original manuscripts, writings, and compositions they still have in great condition!
Overall the weekend was extremely relaxing, and it was fun to be able to go out on my own and be a little adventuresome. It may seem goofy, but it was really nice to just get away from everyone and everything in Brussels and just have a weekend to myself. Luckily most people in Germany speak English, or at least enough to communicate. It was cool to see a country I hadn't seen before, and simply taking the train through the German countryside was breathtaking. It's definitely an area I would like to explore more! Oh and I probably gained 10 pounds from eating the amazing and rich food in Germany. What a place.
If you'd like to check out some of the pictures I took, my internet is being really slow about it, but I am in the process of posting them to my Shutterfly website. If you haven't checked it out, please do!! The address is:
http://saulinbrussels.shutterfly.com/
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