Hello from Paris!: Study trip to LUXEMBOURG

Remember how I said that I was taking a class on the European Courts and that it included a trip to Luxembourg at the end of the semester? Well I went on the trip, saw the Courts, and it was just as fascinating as I expected!

I hopped on the train to Luxembourg City and arrived in the afternoon. I made the trip there alone, but met up with some friends from my class right when I got to the city. Then, as usual, it was time to drop off bags at the hostel.

Our hostel was tucked away in the lower part of the city by this massive bridge. I think a lot of students come here to visit the Courts because the hostel seemed very modern- as if it could host big groups like ours on a constant basis.

Oh, and Luxembourg is very hilly. Hiking up and down the hill to the hostel served as my workout routine for the week.

But look how pretty the town is! It was like a mix of old and new, with buildings that looked medieval in some parts, like a charming little village.

To the right is one of the lookouts on the bridge, but as you can see it's very old so we couldn't go up in it. To the left is the new part where the Courts are.

Me and my friends from class! On the left is Georg (from Austria, and who probably just as excited as me to learn about new cultures), and on the right is Todor (from Bulgaria, and who is a huge fan of hair metal). :)

I really liked the older parts of the city because of the small European town charm.

Luxembourg is one of the seats of the European Union, so we found a lot of official buildings dispersed throughout the city. This was a Parliament building.

We also explored some cathedrals as we walked around. I loved the vaulted ceilings.

The columns were nice too.

I was surprised by how much green space there still is in the city, even though it's a major capital of Europe. Then again, the city is actually very small, and it's a working town, meaning there are thousands of people who stay there during the week for their jobs, then go home on the weekends. So I guess that takes away from the urban feeling a bit.

One thing I learned about Luxembourg that I thought was very interesting is that over half the population is foreign. Again, a major reason why is that it's a European capital and people have to come from all over Europe to work there. However, the main languages spoken are French, German, and Luxembourgish, which is basically a mixture of French and German. I'm glad I could communicate with at least half the population.

Here's some proof that I was there!

There was a beautiful park down below the hills, too.

Bridges everywhere.

This is a hotel. Ok actually, I don't know what this is.

Arcelor! It's a major steel company and we studied a case about them versus the European Commission in class!

"Here on August 10th, 1952, the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community, the first European Community, began its work."

MONUMENTAL!!!

Really nice retirement home. I know it's random, but just look at it. It's a freaking castle!

And my new goal is to end up here. :D

Luxembourg crest.

So Georg, Todor and I did a little exploring when we first arrived, but later we met our professor and the rest of our group in the center of the city so we could all have a nice dinner.

There was another group of French students in a Masters program from another school in Paris who came too (our professor teaches at both schools).

So we ate, we drank, we spoke French the whole time (the whole trip actually, since the Court's official language is French), and we got to know a little more about each other. During part of the table conversation, some of the French students asked me where I was from, and when I said Atlanta, they immediately became interested and wanted to learn more about life there. When I told them how Atlanta is one of the major capitals of hip hop and rap music, and how famous people like Usher actually come from Atlanta, all I heard was "WOW! moi, j'adore Usher!!!! Hee iz reelly good dancer!!" Ha ha...

But the next morning was the best part because we got to tour the European Courts!

Going in the entrance. We had to go through a security check to get into the building too. I'm glad they didn't take my camera.

Before anything else, we received a copy of the case that we would be observing later on, and we were briefed on the main points of it. Nice little board room, right? Oh, and I did try out the microphones, but they didn't work.

That's my professor on the right. She actually used to work here as an assistant to the Estonian judge, so she was very familiar with the area.

Next, we observed a hearing! It was just a small session, with only three judges (if the case is unprecedented and a really big deal, there can be as many as 13 judges presiding). The session was intense, though. In fact, there was a lady sitting in the front whose job was to make sure no one observing fell asleep. She took her job seriously too- she woke up an older German lady sitting behind me and then glared at her for the rest of the hearing. And again, the German woman was behind me, meaning the glares were in my direction, too. Slightly unnerving, but I made it through.

Interpreters! You could listen to the procedings in English, French, or German from little headsets at your seat.

We toured around the building a little, too. Here's the entrance to the Grand Chamber.

Grand Chamber on the inside. Like I said before, there can be as many as 13 judges deciding one case, and if so, they do it here.

The building itself was very modern, and there was glass everywhere so you can see through several rooms at a time and have direct sunlight coming through. Maybe it's supposed to be a symbol of transparency in the Courts...

Library.

EU countries.

Mounting the stairs to the main hall.

Check out that chandelier.

Lots of sunlight.

Group photo with the professor! She had to be my favorite prof at Sciences-Po. Her classes (I took one last semester, too) were always really interesting, and they made me want to pursue EU studies in the future when I go for my Masters.

Outside the Court.

EU Member States... the building blocks of the Union itself!

That's right, I was here. :)

And so were my friends! From the left: Georg, Magda (Polish), and Joana (Brazilian).

Georg was one of the people asking me a lot of questions about Atlanta, so I made him an honorary Atlantan and taught him how to represent!

He would fit in well, I think! :D

Our visit to the Court ended after lunch, and since we all had a few hours before we had to catch the train back to Paris, we walked around the city a bit more to explore and take pictures.

I really liked this lookout tower thing- it just looks so archaic.

Beautiful day with the EU Court off in the distance.

Background: Higher Luxembourg City.

Foreground: I don't know, so don't ask.

Robert Schuman, a founding father of the EU!

As we were wandering around, Georg stopped to ask this lady for directions. Since he speaks both French and German, he can communicate with just about any Luxembourger, but the problem lies with deciding which language to start the conversation with. He tried French first, then English, then German, and that seemed to be the easiest language for this particular Luxembourger. It's not every day that you see a tri-lingual conversation.

Lower Luxembourg has some really lovely canals.

More pretty water.

Gorgeous bridges.

Cute little houses.

I was quite impressed.

We came during the perfect season too- everything was so green!

I liked the gardens, too. Since the whole town is so hilly, each garden had its own little terrace.

Magda! She does some amateur photography as a hobby and actually took some amazing pictures while we were there. You should check them out because a) she's very talented, and b) she took quite a few pictures of me! Click here to see them.

Another beautiful canal.

A park in Lower Luxembourg. Not bad, huh?

Mmm sunshine. I feel like I've really learned to appreciate the sun more this year. I think it's because of the Paris winter I lived through. Quelle horreur!

Pretty bridge from underneath.

Hiking back up to Higher Luxembourg towards the train station.

I think I can I think I can I think I can...

Before getting on the train, we all bought some Luxembourg beer to toast to a successful trip. And yes, that Toblerone chocolate was for me. I shared though, like a good girl.