Belgium Waffles, Belgium Chocolate and (maybe) Belgium Beer

Drum roll….. it’s the long awaited updated blog post! I can hardly believe that I have been in Luxembourg for 2 weeks already! In the last day or so I have just started to feel comfortable that I actually know where I am going…. And what I mean by that is when I get on a bus I am not accidently going to end up in France or Belgium (which is actually quiet easy to do).

I have been settling into my classes, I some how created a pretty decent schedule with two classes a day (all of our classes are 2 hours so that we only have to meet 2 days a week) and with the exception of class on Friday I have a morning and afternoon class each day which is a very nice. The biggest culture shock that I have had thus far has been professors. Most of my professors are European and thus teach completely differently and have different expectations and customs than US professors. (For example in Europe it is considered highly rude to eat or drink in class thus most of my professors don’t even let us drink water during their class. Considering I typically drink a water bottle a class this has been a huge adjustment.) Most of my professors however have really great credentials (My music professor is on the board of directors to the Luxembourg Philharmonic and was apparently an amazing singer when he was younger, my political science professor was a Luxembourg ambassador to the USSR and my business professor is an executive for BNP Paribus – I think don’t quote me on that one).

All of my classes are taught in English, are pretty interesting and everyone is really nice -- my Political Science professor even invited his entire class to his house in two weeks to have dinner with his wife and his friend who was the British ambassador. 

During the week I have been at school pretty much from early morning to 7 or 8 pm. I have fully embraced being European and have tried to eat as much of the large meal (aka dinner at lunchtime rather than saving part of it to diner, I don’t know if I could eat leftovers for 4 months!) I have starting buying cheese and ham and a small baguette during the day and having it for dinner. Basically I am in no stretch of the imagination starving, the food is pretty good and I have fully embraced the “no carb left behind diet!”

Last weekend my friends and I decided that it would be smart to start off at a city that is close to Luxembourg and relatively small so that we could test the waters with traveling on trains, hostels etc. We took a 1:19 train from Differdange to Luxembourg City (about a 40 minute train ride). We then caught a 2:20 train to Brussels Belgium, Kat and I had an Amazing Race moment on the train as our ticket didn’t specify which Brussels station to get off at and we didn’t want to miss our connecting train! We managed to catch our connecting train to Brugge, which departed at 5:44.

We arrived in Brugge around 8 pm when we got there we decided to walk to the main square in order to see the city. Brugge is an adorable city and particularly during the 13^th, 14^th and 15^th centuries was extremely powerful, influential and wealthy because of its ports and as a center of trade. And with power and wealth comes amazing buildings, monuments and support for the arts! However the canals that liked Brugges port to the ocean silted over during the mid 15^th century and the city subsequently “fell asleep” as the city was no longer the center for trade and the town essentially didn’t change until the 20^th century when tourists realized that it was a largely preserved medieval city with relative few later influences. The city is also known as the Venice of the North because of the canals throughout the city and the charming bridges and roads that cross them!

Thanks to a recommendation made by a local that we sat next to on the train we knew where the best fries were and stopped and had some on the way to the hostel … absolutely delicious. The hostel was about 5 minutes from the main square (also known as the market square) and still within the main area of the town center (the hotel across the streets rooms were 300 euros a night just to give you an idea of how amazing our location was!) After dropping off our stuff (we had a private room) we went exploring the city, which is absolutely amazing. After sampling the Cherry Beer which Brugge is known for but kind of tastes like a snow cone, having a sip of Kat’s dark beer that I didn’t particularly care for it and having a delicious local beer we headed up to bed around 1 am so we could get a good nights sleep and go exploring the next day.

Outside our hostel in Brugge, Charlie Rockets

 We left around 10 am (we decided as we were tired from our week and Brugge is a very manageable day city to sleep in and not kill ourselves from exhaustion the first weekend). We wandered the city looking for a good little place to have breakfast along the way two of my friends decided that it was time to try some chocolate (can you tell we are traveling without parents french fries, cherry beer and chocolates). We ended up at a cute little mom and pop café and had delicious Belgium Waffles. I honestly have no idea how they could be that amazing.

Belgium Waffles... enough said

After we finished we went back to the market square, which is the center of the city (and has been for over 700 years). The square is a giant open cobble stone square which clearly displaces the wealth and influences that the city had at one point. Two sides have dozens of charming buildings, the third side is the Provincial Court which was constructed in the 19^th century in the neo-gothic style. It actually looks like 3 separate buildings. The building was originally built in the classical style (center portion) which was at the time considered modern and ugly. When a fire destroyed mostly the left side of the building in 1875 it was rebuilt in the neo-gothic aesthetic in order to better fit into the city. The right side or post office is in red brick was originally a separate building and was connected at some point.  In the center of the square is the statue of Jon Breydel and Pieter de Connick who were the heroes of a 1302 uprising against the operating French, today the flags of the European Union encircle it. 

market square, Brugge Belgium statue of Jon Breydel and Pieter de Connick in the center

Provincial Court

Kat and me in front of the Provincial Court

Buildings in the Market Square

The Final side of the square is the Belfry or bell tower. The bell tower was originally built in 1240 and was then added to in the 15^th century. The ~300 foot tower has a narrow winding staircase which was absolutely terrifying to climb (the tower is 300 feet but has only about 335 steps to give you and idea of how steep they were). However the near death experience was worth it as the panoramic view of the city was worth it and the view of the city was amazing. The view impressed on me just how cute and charming the city is with adorable winding pathways, canals and streets. 

Belfry or Bell Tower

Kat and me in front of the Belfry.

View of Market Square from the top of the Belfry

After the equally terrifying experience of coming back down we decided to meander through the city and eventually made in the Church of Our Lady, which is the 2^nd tallest brick structure in the world  and was built during the 13^th century. The most exciting aspect of this church is that it houses Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child one of the few Michelangelo’s outside of Italy. I can’t even explain how amazing it is. The detail and precision in the stone make it seem like it is weightless and moving. I am glad that I took Art History in high school because it allows me to appreciate and understand the artwork. 

Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child, Church of Our Lady Brugge Belgium

Our ticket to the Belfry also included an admission to another portion of the church, which includes the tombs of, Charles the Bold and Mary of Burghandy who were influential figures in this region and who even stayed at our chateau at some point during their lives. 

Tomb of Charles the Bold, Church of Our Lady Brugge Belgium

After exploring the church we went outside where we stumbled across an adorable sugar shop where we saw a demonstration of making incredibly detailed sugar candies and was amazing to watch and also sample. And by far the best spontaneous thing we did all day. 

Hard candy - notice the intricate details.

The remainder of the afternoon we wandered around the streets and canals, which was like steeping back in time. Caroline, Kat and I decided that for dinner we wanted to try the mussels (which sorry Grandpa) were the best that I have ever had in my life – by far (fries, cherry beer, chocolates, Belgium waffles and mussels I doubt if Jillian would approve). 

Left to right: Megan, Me, Kat, Amanda, Annie wandering through the canals in Brugge

Annie and me on one of the many bridges in Brugge.

The entire group, Brugge Belgium

Me on a bridge over a canal during sunset.

typical canal in Brugge.

Mussels! Delicious dinner in Brugge.

We got up early Sunday morning and took the 9:58 train back to Brussels for the day which was completely different from Brugge as it was a large, busy and in many ways a more modern city. Brussels was also unique as it was a little bit of a funky town with a very distinct style and attitude. 

View of Brussels Belgium (The Grand Place in the Distance). The Statue is of Prince Albert Queen Victoria's husband.

Arrived in Brussels!

Modern office building with a 18th century building reflected in it.

As we only had a couple hours we had to decide where we wanted to go, we went to the Grand Place, which is the enormous, extravagant gilded Baroque Style square! It was incredible – the detail was absolute amazing. We bought sandwiches and had a picnic in the square, which was a perfect way to take in the beauty and detail. Also today was one of the first days where there were crystal blue skies and the sun was really warm! 

Kat and me in the Grand Place, Brussles

The Grand Place, Brussels Belgium

After lunch we went to Mannequin Piss, which is a small bronze statue which legend says commemorates a young boy who put out a fire in an important building by peeing on it. However I am not really sure what all the hype is about. However thanks to Kat’s sister we had a recommendation to the best waffle stand (directly to the left of Mannequin Piss). The waffles were absolute amazing I’m sorry I can’t describe it any better than that. 

Mannequin Piss, its hard to tell by the fountain is "peeing" ... I was very underwhelmed.

More waffles.

We finally went to the Brussels Cathedral which is by far the best and my favorite thus far (including Switzerland). I loved it because the windows seemed exceptionally big and the stain glass was incredibly realistic and also was lighter colors and therefore less dark and gloomy.

Beautiful windows in cathedral.

With waffle filled stomachs and very tired feet we took a 3:30 train back home (amazing how in only 14 days a foreign country is now considered home). I arrived home around 8 pm which was the perfect end to an amazing weekend.

Plans for this weekend are not yet finalized … and don’t want to jinx them as they are AMAZING. The following weekend which is the start of my 9 days in Venice, Rome, Pesaro, Arezzo, Pisa, Lucca, Torre del Lago (were Puccini lived) Busseto, Milan, and the Teatro Alla Scala (the world famous Opera house to seen an actual opera) were finalized and all booked yesterday!!!!!!

I am considering going to Spain and Portugal for my next week off (which is late February) opinions and suggestions would be greatly appreciated (other contenders are UK, Ireland, Scotland or Greece). Available to skype most days from 9 pm to 12 pm (3 pm to 6 pm EST) best if you send me an email earlier that day to confirm.

Love you all,

Katie

Let the Adventure Begin

Friday January 7, 2011 & Saturday January 8, 2011

The first three days at MUDEC are designed to help us adjust and acclimate to Luxembourg and the culture. Friday morning we were at school, we had another couple meetings and continued to complete paperwork to officially register with the Luxembourg government. After lunch we split into three groups and went on tours of Luxembourg City.

My group first went to Luxembourg City. the city is divided into two parts by an extremely deep gorge (~100 meters) which is known as the Alzette. We went to the side that has the majority of the old buildings. We started at the national cathedral, Cathédrale Notre-Dame Luxembourg. 

Cathédrale Notre-Dame (1613)

This is a plaque that was hanging in the rear of the church. It translates to " In remembrance of the horrible years of occupation and the will of the Luxembourg people."

plaque inside cathedral

Next we went to the Government District and the Clairefontaine Square where we saw the Palace of the Grand Duke, the parliament buildings, and residence of the Grand Duke. An interesting thing with Luxembourg is that there is not the same threat/protection from terrorists attacks around national landmarks & federal buildings. For example I was within 5 feet of the front door of the national palace and could of touched the front door of the prime ministers house if I had wanted to. It was really cool and kind of weird to realize that I was that close to them! 

Government District: White buildings on left government, building with the brown tower is the Prime Minister's Personal Residence and the dark brown building in the background is the Cathedral. 

Palace of the Grand Duke

 Next we left Luxembourg City and traveled a couple miles outside to the American and German Military Cemeteries from World War II. The majority of soldiers in both cemeteries were killed in the Winter of 1944 & 1945 during the Battle of the Bulge. It is also where General Patton is buried. 5,076 Americans are buried here, there is also two monuments commemorating the 371 soldiers who were killed in the region and who's bodies were never recovered. 

Wall commemorating the 371 Americans who's bodies were never recovered.

The American Cemetery (my panorama was accidentally blurry this is about a 3rd of the cemetery.

The Grave of General Patton

 We then traveled less than a mile to the German Military Cemetery which is less than a mile away. It could not have been more different. The American cemetery is impeccably maintained (a man was even working on the grounds in the pouring rain while we were there!) The German one however was down an unpaved road (which was very muddy!) Also the American Cemetery is significantly bigger than the German one as the land was donated to the US by the Luxembourg government while the Germans had to buy the land -- and thus it is much smaller. Over 10,000 Germans are buried here (most are under the age of 18 as the Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive attack and thus basically any man left was used in it. Because of the small size, each grave contains four bodies, while in the rear of the cemetery there is a mass grave of over 4,000 soldiers. Because it was raining really hard and there was some snow still on the ground it was really foggy -- it was really creepy being here.

German cemetery, 4 bodies per grave

Mass grave of 4,000 German soldiers.

I really enjoyed going to the cemeteries as it helps to establish the size and magnitude of WWII and the scars that still remain in the region 70 years later. It is something that was never taught or communicated while in school.

We then returned to Luxembourg City, this time to the Old Town. First we visited the Ruins of the original fortification of the city which was built in 963 (the first recorded year of Luxembourg history). I of course found the ruins and the entire area around completely fascinating. The Old Town is comprised of really old buildings... many surviving from as early as the 11th century although the majority are from the 16th - 19th centuries. As it was getting late and dark we walked through this area quickly although I can not wait to return and explore even more! There were all kinds of stores and cafes tucked into these tiny winding pathways. 

On the ruins of the original fortress built in 963. (not sure what the building directly behind me is I'll ask someone at school on Monday).

The ruins. Note the flooding of the river.

The coolest part of town, 12th century building... adorable... pictures can't really capture I'll try a video next time.

 The  phrase below was adopted by the people of the Luxembourg people during German occupation when the Germans attempted to convince the people of Luxembourg to join them. It roughly translates "We Want to Remain Who We Are". It has subsequently become the national motto and remains popular as the country struggles to maintain its national identity with the advent of the EU and globalization.

The "national motto of Luxembourg" adopted during German occupation.

We had a little while to wander around the Old Town and a group and I went to a cafe to have coffee which was really, really good! 

It was great to go to Luxembourg City (even though it was raining) because it gave a nice sampling of the amazing country and go me excited to explore it more in the future. I also learned a lot about Luxembourg and Luxembourg City. Luxembourg was one of the original 6 members of the European Union and an important part of successfully implementing it. Therefore it is the location of a lot of European Union offices. Additionally 100,000 people live in Luxembourg city and an additional 130,000 commute daily from Germany, France and Belgium (which is just bind boggling when you consider it!)

Outside my window this morning... it wasn't raining which was really exciting! Take at 8:30 am (note that the sun has not yet completely risen).

Outside my window... not raining!!!!

 Today we left early from school and traveled to the northern part of the country. We visited the middle school/high school (which with its recent renovations puts Montgomery High School to shame.) Miami has had a relationship with this school for nearly 20 years (in particular the school of education). We had lunch in the cafeteria which was of course delicious are Europeans capable of making bad food? We then split into our 3 groups again, one group went to where the Battle of the Bulge was fought, another went to a  castle  and my group got to go to a dairy farm! I wasn't originally thrilled but I decided that over the next four months I am going to see plenty of museums and castles but I probably won't choose to go to a dairy form. It is the only dairy producer in Luxembourg (Lux-Lait or Lux Milk). The new factory and observation was just opened in the last year... it was pretty interesting. 

We then left to go Wine Tasting... yes, my school which 4 weeks ago sent out a letter for my 21st birthday which expressed the dangers of alcohol organized wine tasting. Which was of course a lot of fun. It took us a while to get there because of all the flooding and most of the western part of the country is severely flooded.  When I first arrived on Tuesday there was 6 inches of snow on the ground and it has subsequently poured ever day since then. While on our way to the school the river banks were incredible. We finally got to the Moselle region which is right along the German border. Grandpa you probably would have really enjoyed the tour of the wine cellar and explanation of how wine is made. I particularly enjoyed the tour as it was led by a little tipsy 70 year old Luxembourg man who looks a lot like the character from UP! 

wine cellar of the largest winery in Luxembourg. (this is only one room of the wine cellar, apparently they lost a 3 year old boy once on a tour it took them over an hour to find him in the maze of the cellar.

 We then returned to Luxembourg... where I have been writing this blog post while my host mom has been watching Criminal Minds in German which is just bizarre and is starting to give me a headache so I think I am going to go to bed. Tomorrow is our free day, I know we are having "dinner" aka lunch with a couple other families who live on our street and have host kids.  Starting school on Monday, which is going to be weird as so far it kind of feels like I am on vacation. 

Love you all, 

Katie

"Organizing Yourself to be Disorganized"

The dean of Miami started today (1/6) by saying that one of the most rewarding and valuable experiences of MUDEC is learning to personally adapt in challenging and difficult circumstances. This however is only gained by being in a situation that is challenging or that you didn't anticipate. 

Frankly right now that is a little terrifying... as I am still trying to find my way home and I am not yet ready to fully embrace the sensation of being lost (also given the fact that the sun is really only out for 9 hours a day right now it is difficult to go exploring... I don't want to cross into France accidentally in the dark!)

The next three days are known as integration we will be having meetings on various topics, going on excursions and opportunities to explore the local communities. 

We were at school all morning (I'll talk about the castle probably in greater detail in another post but basically I stood in a stair well that a battle broke out in 400 years ago as someone attempted to conquer the castle.... ummm can you say cool?) We had lunch around 12:00 pm lunch was actually very good... it was a  huge piece of chicken. It is going to take some time to adjust to eating the largest meal of the day at noon.

After lunch we split into small groups and went on a scavenger hunt to find things in Differange. It was pouring rain and really only one other girl and I seemed to be into it. I am actually shocking myself with the amount of
French that is coming back and that I understand.

Granted unlike most European countries today Luxembourgers (especially in Differdange) are typically not obnoxious to Americans. Since WWII there have been extremely positive relationship between the US and Lux. Also (similar to Switzerland) which is on the border of francophone and Germanic countries there is such a mix of the two languages then throw in Luxembourgish and its just a big mess! Most people speak more than enough of all 3, but its common for things to get lost in translation or not to understand one another completely. Therefore it makes them more willing to try to help you, since they frequently do that with one another. Also unlike Switzerland Luxembourg is an extremely diverse society, which I think also helps with us being foreigners… unlike Switzerland where everyone has descended from someone from like a 1,000 years ago. As long as you ask politely in French and make the effort people or more than willing to help you.

After then had to go to the town hall to register with immigration (we still have not completely registered yet/ received our official visas) which given my last name took forever. Then several friends and I walked around the town exploring which was quiet adventuresome given the fact that it was pouring. We then had a small dinner and went out for a little while.

I therefore have survived the first day without  getting entirely lost.

The Day that Never Ended

I have started to loose track of time…. combination of jet lag, switching time zones and a very long day. I’ll start you guys off at the beginning.

Tuesday January 4 I woke up around 8 am ETS, finished packing (and by packing I mean pushing and shoving as much stuff as I could into my bags). I will say that I am a great packer (in terms of weight, Dad will attest that I have obviously over packed, per usual). Regardless its obviously not all going to fit into my bag on the way home when I add in what I am going to accumulate over the next four months… but that is a problem that I am going to cross way in the future. I then showered, got dressed and ate breakfast. And then set up the DVR for the spring which was surprisingly more difficult than I anticipated.

We departed for the airport around 1:30, and even made a stop at bagel barn so I would have something to eat on the plane for dinner. We then went to Panera to have a farewell/happy birthday meal. We then continued on to the Philadelphia Airport and arrived around 3:50. The airport was surprisingly empty and calm and I got through security in record time I was at my gate by 4:20, however it wasn’t until I was walking to my gate that I remembered that I left my bagel in the car!

They started boarding the plane around 5:40, after I nearly decapitated the man behind me with my backpack then the gentleman sitting in the aisle seat of my row put my bag in the overhead compartment for me (which was really nice). The plane departed a little late because you of course taxi forever! Since I was bagel-less I enjoyed a wonderful airplane dinner of pasta, salad and roll. It was airplane food… not much more to say on that.

Wednesday January 5 I tried to sleep on the plane, but it wasn’t very restful and if at most an hour and a half total. I did somehow manage to sleep through them passing out “breakfast” which is oaky considering I’m not sure what it was, I am sure it tasted horrible and it might of killed me! We arrived in Brussels Belgium at 8:05 (Lux time, not sure what its official name is). Interesting fun fact because we are so far north and without day light savings it was still dark out at 8 am (I mean dark!).  When we arrived at Brussels the international terminal and immigration were all extremely busy as there were a lot of morning flights. I was extremely lucky as my bag was one of the first ones (of any flight) out and I was one of the first people on the bus. We left the Brussels airport at 10:30 drove for 2 and a half hours into Luxembourg.  The drive was beautiful, as we got closer to Luxembourg the were increasing more rolling hills it reminds me of out by peddlers village (mom you know that area that I love). There is about half a foot of snow on the ground here (they had an equally unusually snowy December). There were crystal blue skies it was a beautiful winter day.

After my host mom picked me (and all my bags up) and the other girl Brandy who is also living with us we went back to her house. We had a very European lunch homemade bread and cheese 4 of the cheeses were delicious 1 of them was really gross (and I’m not a picky eater… just have to be careful not to pick that one again). Gabby (my host mom) then took us on a tour of Differdange / Obercorn so that we could learn the buses… and find our way to school in the morning.

Gabby lives in Obercorn which I haven’t exactly figured out what it is yet I think its technically apart of Differdange (perhaps a suburb ? I’ll let you guys know).  However a bus stop is literally outside her front door…. And it is 5-minute bus ride to school.  I take the red “Diff” bus (look at me 12 hours into it and I am already learning European public transportation.) 

We then went for a walk around the city / town. I haven yet got a total feel for how big it is / how many people live here. It is the 3^rd largest city in Luxembourg but it is quaint. Pictures and better descriptions to follow. We then went to a café and had coffee and tea (I think Gabby was trying to get some caffeine into our systems) but we also learned how to order in Luxembourgis. We then returned home and then had a quiet evening getting settled in as we are going to be extremely busy over the next couple of days. 

 Can't wait to share more... 

Love you all, 

Katie

Moien

Moien or Hello in Luxembourgish!

On Tuesday January 4, 2011 (Happy Birthday Mom) I will be leaving for my semester abroad in Luxembourg. During my four months in Europe I will be living in Differdange, which is in the southwestern region of Luxembourg which borders France and Belgium. While I will be taking classes during the week I will be traveling during the weekends around Europe. I will be using this blog to share my adventures and travels with my friends and family!

Caitlin and her clever incorporation of Gaelic into her study abroad blog has inspired me to include Luxembourgish (yes, it is an official language) into mine! The title in English is: Travel. Adventure. Memories. 

I have been looking forward to studying abroad at Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) since applying to college and have been planning and preparing for this semester since August 2009. I can't believe that I will be leaving in 50 hours, and considering the amount of packing that I have accomplished this far is negligible I better get going! I hope it all fits... eeek. Can't wait to update you from Luxembourg!!!!

Love you all,
Katie