It was nice to have my cousin come visit for a few days. It was a nice reminder of home. We took a train north of the country to visit The Family of Man exhibition at Chàteau de Clervaux. It was great that this reknown photo exhibition finally retired here in Luxembourg. There were some great photos exhibited in this 500+ exhibition. I particularly felt sentimental of this one from Bert Hardy.



Having YS here gave us incentive for another road trip. This time for a shopping trip to Maastricht, Netherlands. The shopping at Maastricht reminded me of 34th street in Manhattan. Ahhh.. Still, I love road trips. I love exploring.

Good times with my cuz.

In the wacky world of irony it would only be fitting that I should wind up with a car nut. Considering that at age 32 I am still void of a valid drivers license and was never interested in cars (or driving) to begin with I find it quite amusing that JP is a classic car nut! He attends tours all over Europe and this time around I happen to be his co-pilot on a tour here in Luxembourg. It was my second time in his old timer and this time I felt a bit more relaxed being in the passenger seat still void of an airbag and seat belt. Accompanied by an entourage of MG classic car nuts from all over Europe we toured the country side of Luxembourg for about 4 hours. To my surprise the tour was actually quite entertaining. Given the responsibility of guiding us to safe passage through corn fields and small villages I was an "excellent" co-pilot! (although told by a biased individual)

This whole experience with cars and car enthusiasts has slightly peaked my own interest in automobiles. Namely, I have found a car for the first time that would warrant my interest in obtaining a drivers license. It was a car that even I stopped and stared while in Paris. Of course, JP spotted it like a mile away and even insisted that I snap photos. The car is perfectly adorable and a classic. It will be mine someday. But for now, here is a photo that was taken in a friend´s car during the tour. The fine details of this car are nuts... So is the poser behind the wheel!

It´s not often you find someone who is a flea market junkie like yourself. Fortunately, JP and I are on the same page when it comes to antique flea markets. WE LOVE THEM!! Yesterday we woke up at the crack of dawn to head to a market in Diekirch. We were there before all the vendors even arrived. It appears that 6:00 am is the best time to get the best items for the best prices. Case in point: 2 polaroid cameras for 5 euros. Yeah! One of my favorite first purchases was a container full of old vintage matchboxes. The woman selling this must have collected them for most of her life only to have it disappear in 2 minutes for 15 euros. If my ticket stub collection I have collected for over twenty years was ever gone I think I would feel its gap. Especially if it was gone in 2 minutes for only 15 euros. What was the point of collecting in the first place?!

Anyhoot, to my new matchboxes (just some of them):

The other night we decided to go for a drive after work to the largest lake in the country. The weather was perfect to take out JP`s old timer and take it for a spin through the winding roads and vast fields of Northern Luxembourg. It was lovely. I had never driven in a classic car before so the concept of no seat belt and no airbag required a lot getting use to. For a moment, fear gripped me similarly to when we were returning from Basel on German highways - NO SPEED LIMITS!! I remember my silent cries of panic when we hit over 150 mph. I´m not a fan of speed. I prefer granny driving and speed limits and seat belts and airbags and living past 32.

Fortunately, we arrived safely to the lake. JP immediately went in for a dip while I relaxed watching the sun calmly set over the lake. It was beautiful and a perfect relaxation for a Wednesday evening. On our way back we decided to go off the beaten path and stop by an old pub in a small farming village. "What are the chances they will ever have someone from New York in their pub?", JP commented. True. They probably never had a tourist walk through their doors. I suddenly appreciated the moment so much more. There are people that we were meant to meet and then there are people we randomly meet by our random acts.. or is nothing ever really random at all.

I hope these summer nights will take their time passing us by. There is so much more to explore on the road.

(Meant beauty)


(Random beauty)

I read somewhere that Art Basel was the Olymipcs of the International Art World. I have been to many galleries and art fairs over the years but I must concur - Art Basel takes the cake. After 6 long hours of viewing art pieces - one after the other after the other after the other and so on in a labyrinth of endless white dividers.. I came to some realizations:

1. "Oh crap, I thought I did that side of the building!"
2. "What?? there are other floors??"
3. "What other building?"

By evening, we were completely Artd Out. No more! My eyes cannot take them. My brain could not process them. My legs were screaming for rest. The fact that Brad Pitt was wondering these same floors just a few days earlier no longer mattered a bit. I was done with Art Basel. It was fun while my legs lasted.

Perhaps next time, I will bring sneakers, some power bars and $1 million bucks like someone else.

From Art Basel, with love.

Im still trying to get use to the summer nights in Europe. I think this is the closest I have been to experiencing `White Nights` although Im sure this is nothing compared to the real thing. Well, one things for sure, I like it!

Luxembourg outside at 10:06 PM:




On a side note, on an ever expanding mission for my blog I have added a new Followers feature to my blogspot (on the right). Feel free to join and follow this site publically or privately. Toodles.

On our way to Bastogne, Belgium I met a sheep named Michael. I truly believe he was a dog in his past life. He acted like a loyal pup always by your side wanting to be petted. Even when we were leaving he saw us across the field and came dashing over just to say goodbye. Is this for real I thought? Ive never met such a friendly sheep before in my life. Oh, and when his eyes met a local canine taking a stroll - I swear it was love at first sight!!!



Belgium, I love belgium beer!

Bye bye Paris. Hola Luxembourg - again!

I spent the day today window shopping and buying baby clothes for my new baby niece. Around 5 pm I was attacked - by the rice man. I found the nearest Chinese restaurant and agreed to a chinese buffet for 13 euros. Although my quick round of the buffet table surely guaranteed that this would be the worst chinese dinner I would ever have, I was desperate for rice. Needless to say, I feel bad for Luxembourgish people that think Chinese food really tastes like this. It doesnt!! It shouldn`t!!! This is wrong on every culinary level!!

2 hours later - My stomach is still making weird noises.

Paris is beautiful! The weather has been superb since I arrived. The past few days I have indulged in every cliche tourist activity possible. My legs are killing me and I have a slight sunburn on my cheecks. Nevertheless, it was fabulous spending my lazy afternoons shopping and snacking on my 20th croissant. Following the footsteps of Sartre we decided to stopped by Les Deux Magots for some tea. While enjoying my drink and participating in the endless people watching I thought about my life back home. How when I return there will be a new member in my family. The summer will almost be over and it will be a whole year since I left my last job. How I will need to finally make a career decision and commit to it full force. How life may no longer be as simple and relaxing as a lazy stroll along Champs-Elysees on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon.

Greetings from Paris! Shane has been doing a little peek-a-booing!!!