First trip alone-2004/11/05-06 Luxemburg

After two-month stay in Holland, Jo decided to give herself a chance to travel alone. Coincidentally, at the time my keypal from Germany invited me to join his performance in rock-and-roll in Trier, a small German city that is very close to the border between Germany and Luxembourg. Therefore, while everyone is drowning in studies, I set off from Leiden to Luxembourg City in the morning of November 5th, beginning my first experience of traveling alone and moreover, an extremely fruitful and unforgettable journey.

I still remember the exciting feeling when I got on the train. I have to transfer trains in Rotterdam and then in Brussels (Belgium). It would take me about five hours to reach Luxembourg City. The first interesting thing I realized was the various “language” uses along the way. When we were still in the Netherlands, I still heard the more or less “familiar” Dutch. However, when we were getting to Belgium, I suddenly heard “Guten morgen!”(good morning in German) from the lady who sells drinks and snacks on the train. After transferring in Brussels, I was “shocked” by the ticket inspector(查票員) with the warm “Bonjour!”(“Good day” in French). At that moment, unfortunately the only word came to my mind was “Dank u wel!”(“Thank you” in Dutch). Perceiving my confusion and “disability” in switching languages, the inspector “kindly” started to speak English to me. However, afterwards I was still in panic and felt that I lost the ability of speaking for quite a while. I gained the similar feeling later on when I was in Luxembourg, perceiving the juxtaposition of French and German in every brand or sign. I did not intend to be exaggerating, but indeed I feel amazed that they can switch from one language to another in a short time and most of the time handle them well. Although I gradually realized that it is necessary for them to do so, especially in small countries such as Holland, Denmark, Belgium, or Luxembourg, people need to speak several languages in order to keep contact with the world. Moreover, the environment allows them to learn and practice these languages beside their mother tongues. I suppose that the uses of language not only reveal their multi-lingual environment but also show their awareness in getting direct contact with the world instead of limiting themselves in their own countries.

Jumping off the train in Luxembourg, I felt a certain kind of strangeness in a world full of French and German but English. Standing among the crowd in a modern city full of shops without understanding the language, I suddenly had the awareness of my loneliness. Nonetheless, loneliness vanished when the spectacular view surprisingly appeared itself under a busy highway. In the upper part, it is the main road in the city and cars and motors run everywhere; by contrast, the downward part is a natural spectacular view which is called “Pétrusse” I suppose. Among the simple yet cute houses, the brook wiggles through the whole serenity with the tall conifer trees, decorated by the fallen leaves of different colors (yellow, red, orange, even dark purple ) all along the riverbank. Walking down the long stairs and enter the wonderland, the feeling is so unreal! There are only a few people scattering around the huge space, enjoying the serenity among the woods. I raise my eyes to catch the old bridges hang across the woods with ancient dignity. The whole space is so peaceful, presenting itself under the bustling city center. Feeling carefree, I still need to find my hostel before the sky gets darker.

After dinner, my newly-known roommate Michelle and I went out for an evening walk. The magnificent castles stand firmly at night with the embellishments of twinkling lights. The wonder at night makes me regret of the lack of vocabularies for describing. I felt like I live in a castle with a certain kind of romantic mood, indulging myself in the mysterious yet impressive view. Sometimes, “silence” might be the best description and reaction to this wonder.

The next morning, I woke up early and decided to go for a walk in “Wenzel Walk,” which is famous for its tour named “A thousand year in hundred minutes,” and then head for a history and art museum. Unexpectedly, I bumped into a French gentleman who lived in the same hostel as I did and we started to chat. Nicolas, from Marseille, is going to work in the Centre Européen. I thought it is a big and important job, yet he merely said, “work is work, there is more for us in life.” His principle (work 8 hours and sleep 8 hours and “enjoy” life 8 hours a day) makes me reflect on the “workaholic” attitude I used to have. Involving in the European atmosphere, I often reflected the different attitudes towards life that I experienced here and there. Nothing is absolutely good or bad, but I think what I am gradually learning now is to seize the moment and enjoy NOW.

We talked a lot! We talked about cooking(he’s good at it), sailing(his hobby which makes him understand the uncertainty and lack of autonomy in the sea), the enjoyment of “getting lost”(we are both people who easily get lost but he enjoys getting lost and I am learning how to enjoy my lost..), etc etc. Meanwhile we walked around a large part of Luxembourg City, enjoying the marvelous castles and walls in daylight, passing by the traditional market, observing the peculiar style of houses in Luxembourg. At last, when standing in the high spot having a bird view of the city, he asked me to explore more in the future. Though staying in such a beautiful and peaceful place will be a great thing, he told me that I should see more, which convinced my struggling mind of staying in the same place. He sent me to the station and said that this is to bring the lonely travelers good luck and meet other companions in the next step of his/her journey. (Amazingly it did bring my great luck!) We never know if we can meet each other again or not, yet a morning’s talk is enough to leave an impression of a lifetime.

(continued..)


Recorded/Nov. 12th. 2004