We started off by splitting up and each visiting a museum we had not seen before on our previous Parisian adventures- Kel went to Musee D’Orsay and I went to L’Orangerie, a museum that had been recommended to me by many Paris experts including my friend Bridget. The Orangerie is a small, lesser known museum near the Tuliers Gardens that permanently houses Claude Monet’s famous water lilies, some of the most famous paintings on earth. Monet’s waterlilies are a huge favorite of my grandmother’s, and I have always associated them with her. In my travels through Europe, I have realized that I really love and connect most with impressionist and postimpressionist art, and Monet’s paintings are right up my alley. I was extremely lucky because I got there right when the museum opened (Kel and I got up literally at 4:30 am to make our 6am train to Paris so we got there by 8:30 and to the museums by 9) and had time to take in the waterlilies without huge crowds! I was even able to sit in one of the rooms (8 huge works line 2 oval shaped rooms) and just stare at the incredible colors and details of one of the works for quite sometime with only one other person. It is amazing how big the paintings are, their size alone makes them masterpieces. I think Monet was a genius and his paintings are so powerful. I spent most of my time in the Orangerie just sitting in front of the waterlilies (I decided the one with the willow tree is my favorite), but I also went downstairs and saw their temporary exhibition, which housed the works of abstract modern artist Paul Klee. Although Klee’s art wasn’t really up my alley, it was an interesting exhibit. Klee was one of the German intellectuals who was fired from his academic position and exiled from the Third Reich under the Nazi regime, and I enjoyed reading about his struggle. Overall, I highly recommend the L’Orangerie (especially if you can get there when it is not crowded) and am thankful I had the chance to go back to Paris to visit.
After my visit, I had a little bit of time before Kel and I were supposed to meet back up, so I strolled through the Tuliers Gardens, up to the Place de la Concorde, and up the Champs D’Elysee. I got a coffee and a crossaint- because I was in Paris and why the heck not- and just took it all in. It is amazing what a few warm weeks will do, this was Paris in full spring bloom and it was fantastic. There were flowers and greenery everywhere, and I am so so glad I got to see the love of my life at this time of year, which I have heard is one of the best.
Kel and I met back up at 11:30 and headed over to the Marais district for some shopping and a lovely lunch date. The Marais district, which is near the George Pompidou center and used to be the Old Jewish Quarter, is an up and coming Paris district that reminds me a bit of Soho in New York, and was supposed to have great shopping. I was looking for a dress for my cousin Mike’s wedding (which I am going to literally the day after I land in the US next week) and Kel and I spent a considerable amount of time browsing the cute boutiques for the perfect outfit. Unfortuantely, I never found anything that was quite right (or within my budget) but it was a ton of fun browsing, and I picked up one more cute souvenirs for my lovely sisters at home. We had an excellent lunch at an outdoor café- a crepe for Kel, a “ceasar” salad that was definitely not a real ceasar but nonetheless delicious for me- and just chatted about all of our times together. Kelly has for sure become one of my closest friends here at MUDEC, and I am going to miss her dearly when I depart! A digression, but it is really sad for me because I am one of the only non-Miami people in my program, and when they all leave they at least know they will see each other next semester, while I will be quite isolated down in good old Virginia. I am just realizing how close I have gotten with some people- Kelly being a primary figure in this group- and I will be really sad to say goodbye next week! But anyway, after a few hours in the Marais, we took the metro to Champs D’Elysee for one last stroll and shopping attempt, and although no clothes were purchased, I did manage to find a Paris Christmas Ornament, something I have looked for on all three of my trips and had yet to find. The one I got is extraordinarily cheesy, but I love it! At this time, I would like to briefly mention three of the very strange things Kel and I witnessed on our Parisian day just so I don’t forget, and you can ask them about me later. In our travels we saw a strange model photoshoot with a model in haute couture pretending to give directions to touristy American men, a crazed looking lady selling a Brazilian t-shirt and we also think herself, and a very realistic bird caller. These sights all made this trip to Paris quite unique, and provided a great deal of comic relief!
At 4, Kel and I had to take the train back to Lux, and we arrived at our homes by 7. Both my roommates were going out that night in Lux city, and despite their best attempts to talk me into it, the two nights of partying and 4:30 am wake up had finally caught up with me, and I just had to say no. I ended up watching Marley and Me on my roommates computer (shed many tears of course) and falling asleep really early! I was glad to finally catch up on rest!
The next morning, I woke up semi-early with plans to pack, get my roommates together (I am unofficially the Mom figure of our “home”), and meet Kel at the train station by 9 to head on our overnight trip to the Belgian coast. Right when I arose, however, my roommate Ali burst into my room to give me the news that she was talking to Kel on Skype and we did not have a hotel or hostel booked for that very night. Kel was going to book it when we got home from Paris, but her planned 20 minute power nap, turned into an all night of sleep, and when she woke up at 5am, the hostel we had planned on booking was full. It took some serious googling and skype chatting, as well as quick consultation with my roommates who with their hangovers and tired selves were voting to just go back to bed, to find a place and figure it out, but we did it! We booked a hotel and met at the train station only an hour later than planned despite the hiccup.
The overnight trip turned out to be great fun, and I think my roommates were glad I convinced them to come along. I had never traveled with both of them, and it was a nice sort of final bonding activity before we will leave each other and most likely never live together again! It was also cool because my first weekend trip had been to Belgium (it seems like only a second ago but also so long ago at the same time) and it was nice to come full circle with my traveling. This time, we visited Oostend, Belgium, a coastal town on the North Sea that the mean Esch man (the guy that sells you train tickets at one of the stations in Lux, had recommended that is about 20 miles away from Bruges, the famous medieval town I had visited way back when. Oostend was about a 4 hour train ride away from Lux, so we arrived there in mid-afternoon and checked into our hotel after getting strange directions in a mix of Flemish/French outside the train station from an elderly couple. Our hotel was really nice, and only about 50 meters from the beach and the main shopping drag. We spent that afternoon browsing the Belgian stores, eating chocolate gelato, and attempting to sit on the beach but it was somewhat windy and cold. The stores closed pretty early, but we still had a lovely afternoon. We headed back to the hotel after closure, and enjoyed some cheap wine and champagne. Then we went out to a really nice dinner at a restaurant on the water. On the way, we stopped and took some gorgeous pictures of the sunset, which was fantastic. Our dinner was quite lively, and we had some really interesting talks as well as delicious food- I got a salad with seared ahi tuna and thought of my brother in law- Co Temp! Kelly is a really devout Christian, and although we have briefly talked about religion, we have never had an in-depth conversation like we did that night, and it was really interesting to hear her perspective on something so personal. After dinner, upon recommendation from our young waiter, we went out to some bars along the main drag of Oostend. It was not the craziest city I have ever been too, but it was a lot of fun and just a good night with people who have become close friends!
The next day, we slept in a little, ate a hostel breakfast, and then shopped for a few more hours. Ali, my roommate who is vehemently opposed to all things girly, actually caved under my constant peer pressure, and bought a gorgeous little black dress for MUDEC prom- I couldn't of been prouder! I bought lots of Belgian chocolate to bring home to family and friends, ate one last Belgian waffle, and also found the PERFECT dress for Mike and Caroline’s wedding at long last. It is blue and white flower pattern and just fits really well- I love! We headed back to Luxembourg in late afternoon, just as it was starting to rain. We thought about stopping in Bruges, but the fact that we had already visited, and the rainy sky, prevented us. I had an exam the next day, and I took some time on the train ride to study (but lets be honest, I really just talked and laughed with my friends 85% of the time, and studied the other 15%).
A fun last weekend, and in the end made me think- "who needs Barcelona when Belgium and Paris are so nearby?"
Love you,
Care
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