Friday, June 27, 2008

just because i'm losing doesn't mean i've lost

luxembourg is not a town for long stays. yesterday i went to their art musuem, the casemates and um bock. i also managed to read half my book, book a eurostar ticket, play football with some local kids, watch spain beat russia and offend the irish catholic in my room.

the casemates was pretty awe inspiring- its the ruins of a castle called 'Um Bock' and its crypts. very very very old and very small. i've got some pretty cool photos, will upload them when i get back. everything here is really pretty. the art musuem was interesting, but i'm over looking at things at the moment. after the BA, V&A, NPG, NG, Van Gogh and Rikjsmuseum i think i deserve a break.

in the afternoon i was sitting in the park near the hostel when a small boy came up to me and said something in french. i blinked at him, and he repeated his request in english 'would you play football with me madamioslle?' there was no one else in the park except for this boy and his mum, who was busy with a baby of some sort. so i agreed and we kicked the ball around. that must be some sort of code in Luxembourg, because before i could explain that i have no football skills whatsoever, more kids (from about 7-15) turned up and suddenly we had teams!! we played for ages and i couldnt tell you who won or lost, only that it was fun, and they were very nice to me, and seemed pleased that i had a french name. the boy who initally came up to me was called Jorges, but his mother called him Monsueir Petite. very cute.

it doesn't get dark here until about ten pm, so once i had had dinner and read some of my book, i was a bit bored. then i discovered that the Russia vs Spain match was on. i have become a football convert, i'm terribly sorry. it started the night before last when i watched Germany beat Turkey in the German pub around the corner. it was fantastic, not only because the bartender was terribly drunk with jubilitation and therefore gave me free beer, but also because the Germans are very very friendly and happy to explain the game to me. the final match is Germany vs Spain on Sunday. Germany better win.

and then i offended the irish catholic girl in my dorm. mostly because i dropped my book on my foot and swore 'jesus fuck' but also because i refused her invite to go to church with her on sundaz. she doesn't seem to understand that i am going to be back in the uk on saturday afternoon.

yes, i'm going back to the UK. i think that i'll go up to the lake district, or to the cotswalds. i want to rent a bike and zip around little pubs and read three men in a boat again. i want to see a cricket match, and maybe a football match. i want to go to oxford. i want to find my feet in a country where i don't have a language barrier before i try europe again. the past week has been a very steep learning curve, in that i've discovered how shy i can be but also how desperate for attention and companionship i am.

i've been reading the three musketeers again. for the umpteenth time. its my favourite classic because its an adventure. its friendship. its family. its everything that i don't have nearby at the moment. its an adequate replacement, i guess. the new coldplay album is also surprisingly good. im going to get the new sigur ros album on sunday. expect more ranting then.

(sorry for typos, these keyboards are very different)

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