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." 

Hasta Luego

Goodbyes suck, and yesterday I had to say adios to two of my new amigos--Jesus and Diego. They have officially finished their internships at earthfaves and headed back to sunny old Spain. Although yesterday was a holiday in Germany, the day was far from cheery. The weather was bleak (as usual) and I had to bid farewell to Jesus at the Hauptbahnhof in the morning and Diego at the bus stop in the evening. I never realized how close of friends we all became in just a month's time. The office is much quieter without my favorite crazy Spaniards; they will truly be missed.

But we did not send them off without first having a proper fiesta. On Wednesday night the whole office went to dinner at Zum Stiefel and then we danced the night way to 90's music at Die Garage. We were quite a random group to be seen: three Americans, two French, an Indian, two Spaniards, a Catalan (not to be confused with the Spanish-- but let's not even go there), Daniel (one of my bosses), a Bulgarian, and a German professor (from the College of Charleston.) It was hilarious, to say the least.

with Raafi, Jesus & Ludivine at Zum Stiefel

spinach & feta strudel.

my farewell gift from the guys: "a hula hoop, because you used to be a cheerleader." 

I will miss these guys a lot, but I have a good feeling that our paths will cross again.
Who knows... maybe even later this summer :)

“Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.” -Henry David Thoreau

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next." -Gilda Radner

altstadtfest

Last weekend was the annual Altstadtfest in Saarbrücken. The main square was lined with stands selling food, drinks, and sweets from all over the world, as well as specialties from other regions of Germany. Though the weather was cold and it rained the whole weekend, I still spent the majority of it outdoors enjoying the festivities.

So my boss at earthfaves is also a DJ for this group called the Robot Scientists, and on Friday they had a gig at a lounge called Liquido. I met the rest of my coworkers there in the evening and after listening to some "spaced out disco," we all went dancing at a club called n8werk.

The next morning I met the interns at a cafe for breakfast. Afterwards, I took a nap to catch up on some lost sleep from the night before and then we met up again in the evening to enjoy some of the concerts and activities of the festival.

We ended up going back to n8werk on Saturday night for a spring break themed party. Apparently, throwing USA college spring break parties is the cool thing to do here in Saarbrücken, because this is already the second one I've been to. I find it is interesting to see their perceptions of American college students over here. I think they must have formed their ideas about us from watching American Pie movies or bad MTV shows because the decorations and entertainment at the diskothek were a bit raunchy and ridiculous.

On Sunday I went to Mettlach with Ludivine, Jesus, Diego, Mathias, and Diego (número 2). The goal was to make it to the top of the hill to see the Saarschleife, the most famous landscape of the Saar River. Unfortunately we never quite made it there, due to both a lack of prior planning and the constant rain. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the train ride, good company, and the quiet walk in nature.

I got to see how a dam works up close-- it was actually pretty neat.

Even though Saarbrücken is no Berlin, I am always surprised by how much there is to do here and throughout the Saarland. There are several festivals this summer and lots of opportunities to experience some culture at a play, film, or concert. Because it is a university town, there are several nightlife options and always something to do on the weekends. I still have a lot of sights to see before I can call myself a true Saarbrücker including the churches, museums, and castle. This Saturday I'm road tripping to Luxembourg with the other interns, but more on that later. Today I'm just relaxing and staying out of the rain on yet another day off in Germany. Have I mentioned how much I love all these holidays?

Photo Cred: Ludivine, Diego, Nachtwerk