Luxembourg, Take 2

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!!