SaarLorLux

My past two Saturdays have been like this--I wake up. Walk to the Hauptbahnhof and meet Youlia. Choose a city in France that we’ve never been to before and buy two tickets there. Stop by the Bäckerei and pick up a coffee and pastry. Hop on a train and go to France. Roam around a new city without a map. Get lost. Drink coffee. Drink wine. Repeat. Buy a bottle of our favorite French shampoo and a baguette. And at the end of the day, head back to Saarbrücken. I could get used to use this.

One redeeming quality of the Saarland is its close proximity to France. It’s almost enough to make me forgive it for the streak of unlucky weather this summer. Almost. With a SaarLorLux ticket, one can use unlimited train travel in the Saarland, Luxembourg, and Lorraine territories for a day. This ticket allowed me to explore two cities in Lorraine (Metz and Nancy) during the last two Saturdays of my internship.

Metz and Nancy are lovely cities built around rivers, with gorgeous architecture and old churches. It amazes me how these two cities, which are less than two hours away, can be so drastically different from Saarbrücken.

METZ

NANCY

Youlia and I make great travel companions because we enjoy the same things. She shares my philosophy that a city is best experienced without an itinerary and from the views of different café tables.

I don’t know when I became such a Francophile, but I’m afraid that I came to Germany and fell in love with France. Perhaps my fascination with all things French began after my weekend in Paris. The culture just seems to resonate better with my personal taste and flair. I think France just does some things better—like food, wine, fashion, music, and language. Even the toilet paper is more stylish—it’s pink!  I am starting to wonder if I chose the wrong language to learn.  Then again, maybe I just find France so appealing because it is a refreshing escape and contrast from my life in Germany. It is too soon to tell if this is just a phase or a long-lasting obsession.

City of LUXury

On Saturday I took a day trip to Luxembourg with Youlia, Ludivine, Necco, and Raafi. It was a comfortable one and a half hour bus ride from Saarbrücken, and I enjoyed the scenic views of the German countryside. We arrived in Luxembourg two days after a national holiday and there was a festival in the city center. After visiting a Gothic-style cathedral, we explored in the underground labyrinth of the Casemates, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Viaduct in the background

Youlia & her beautiful new Longchamp bag

One thing about Luxembourg-- it's really expensive! Finding a student-friendly place to eat in the city center was impossible with most lunch specials costing around 16 euros! So instead we opted for street food at the festival. Afterwards, Youlia and I took a three hour coffee break in a little cafe near Willhelmsplatz. We sat and talked and people watched, taking shelter from the cold wind outside.

our little group (excuse the creepy background)

the strangest stilt walkers I've ever seen

Luxembourg is a really unusual place. The country has three official languages: French, German, and Luxembourgish (which to me sounds like a combination of the first two). I wasn't sure which language I should try to speak with the people there. As the world's second largest investment fund center, Luxembourg is home to a large amount of wealth and has one of the highest GDP ratings per capita. I imagine that the cost of living is outrageous, judging by the higher prices in stores and restaurants.

The city is small and can be seen in just one or two days. Some of the buildings are beautiful and ornate, but the majority tend to lack any real character. They all look the same with squared windows, grey rooftops, and paint in some shade of beige. However, there are lots of gardens and a couple of rivers which add to the overall charm of the old city. Though Luxembourg is a tiny country and has been influenced largely by its neighbors (France, Germany, and Belgium), it still has its own folk traditions and unique culture. And the Luxembourgers seem to be pretty happy and proud about their heritage. The national motto is "Mir wölle bleiwe wat mir sin," or "We want to remain what we are."