Ordinary life

I wonder if you will all tire of the mundane, but I realize the ordinary is what sets us up for the extraordinary.

So everyday, I dash to find a bus for work, walk down the hill to the office, check the elevator mirror to see I’m presentable, and step off and into my desk. The morning is dedicated to Europe. We got a new lunch table at work, and have been working to socialize the office more around it. A wide mix of countries and personalities, the diversity of food is almost as varied as the people who made it. The afternoon is when the Americans are alive, and the meetings are stacked until late for them.

The workday here has been an adjustment for me. No longer leaving my house by 7AM, and rolling into work at 7:10, I’m now arriving closer to 9, and staying until 6pm.

The weather lately has been incredible. Sunshine has almost made me forget the cold rainy days.

There are anomalies to the everyday:

I took the wrong bus and then walked in the pouring rain, sans umbrella or rain coat, 20 minutes to work as it was the fastest option.

After dinner with a colleague, I excitedly got on the correct bus home late at night. Only to find out it was an express to a city 45 minutes away. I begged the bus driver in my limited French and with Google translate, and darted out at a red light to walk 20 minutes home.

I’m fine taking one bus. But the minute I need to connect on busses, my first bus becomes insanely late.

I’ve had a lot of doctor appointments. No good reason, just didn’t get around to them in the USA. I’ve seen an endocrinologist, the ophthalmologist, and the dentist. My medical history makes these appointments critical, but it is not fun or easy to try to explain my conditions and medications to non-native speakers. Luckily, every person has been incredibly kind, and I’ve had wonderful experiences. I pay for all the appointments directly at the site. Then I’m supposed to send in my bills to the central system and receive a reimbursement for a portion of it.

I’m figuring out my banking. I couldn’t find a friend’s money transfer, and I had given him the wrong IBAN (International banking number) so that was a hot mess. Luckily he kindly allowed me to work it out. My Chase credit card doesn’t work at one specific grocery chain, leaving me the awkward self-checkout person that needs assistance.

This weekend was dedicated to Luxembourg. It began with a lovely Saturday morning brunch with my colleagues. I contributed the bakery, and I am pleased to announce I bought a baguette, pain au chocolate, and praline croissant in French! We had a few homemade jams to accompany the fresh baguette and it was delightful. Armed with sustenance, my one colleague and I set off to explore. She was familiar with the area, and led the way. First we walked the charming streets, checking out a potential neighborhood for her. Next, we climbed a long flight of stairs up to the Pfaffenthal elevator. The elevator is 50% glass, and a stark contrast to the natural stone cliffs around it. We took the elevator down to the Grund area. It was delightful to walk along a creek, see the blooming flowers, and soak up the sunlight. Our adventures took us to an old water wheel of a mustard mill that was delightful to experience. We continued to the Ville Haute, or old town. Down a dank passage, we found a gorgeous paper exhibit- famous designer dresses were recreated with recycled materials like egg cartons and stamps. At the end of the tunnel, was another elevator! While not nearly as glamorous as the first, it did the needed job of taking us back up. It came up in the judicial centerplace, which was desserted on a Saturday. Our wanderings led us to a beautiful café, and we sat for a few drinks. Our table afforded us a perfect view of the patrons and the city life itself.

After the drinks and sunshine, we descended down. Winding walkways, diagonal paths through the grass, and stone hewn stairs led the way back down. From the top, you could see the old defense walls, and the moat surrounding the original city.

We walked back near where we started, and found our way to the Pfaffenthal funicular (cable car). It was only a 4 minute ride, but still was a fun experience.

Saturday night brought another colleague in to town to visit me. We ate a salad, pasta, and bread dinner at home, then walked some of the same morning route. However, I forgot one crucial turn, which resulted in us walking up the mountain instead of down as intended. The night ended with a quick drink in the gorgeous city center, full of vibrant city life.

Sunday, I went to church and she picked me up right after. We drove to Beaufort castles, about 45 minutes away. My first castle! It was spectacular, and fairly well preserved. We entered, walked into the towers and dungeons, and took the self-guided tour throughout it. It was crazy to image the people who lived and worked and suffered there. We saw the stone ruins, and the holes were giant timber beams held the ceilings up. We saw the well dug deep into the ground in the central part of the castle, and the shelves for the icons for the chapel area.

After the workout of seeing the castle, we had a lovely time sitting at a roadside cafe. I had an iced coffee (that comes with ice cream here in Europe) while she had fries, but eventually we also split an airy crepe.  

As we headed in towards the city, we stopped at the American Military cemetery. It is where General George Patton is buried. He didn't want to leave his men, and so is buried alongside them. It was moving to stand in the sea of white crosses, and we were lucky to hear Taps played in the solemn place as well. 

We headed back to Luxembourg City, and had a lovely Mediterranean dinner on a terrace before ending the day. 

When the weather is nice, the days are perfect and amazing. And when it rains... it pours.