An Overdue Conclusion

Well folks, it's time for a long overdue ending to my Leuven story. I got back to the States on June 1st, but haven't found the time to write.

I spent my last few weeks focused on successfully passing my finals. Having completed my last final three days before I was to leave, I made a last minute decision to spend my last two days in Europe in Paris. My friend Analyse from Norway accompanied me.

Paris is a quick train ride from Brussels. The trip takes only about one and a half hours on the Thalys high speed train. Analyse and I picked a budget hotel between the train station and Notre Dam. It was definitely "budget", with paint peeling off the ceiling and poor service (when I arrived I had to wait an hour for the manager to return so I could be let into my room). But it was a safe and convenient place to store our stuff and sleep.

Analyse had taken an earlier train, so we met up in front of Notre Dame.

After touring the Cathedral we wandered through the narrow streets of the Latin Quarter. I bought a small but delicious quiche from a bakery to eat as we walked past the light stone houses. We stumbled upon the stunningly beautiful Jardin du Luxembourg, one of the most popular parks in Paris. The park itself is very large. The beautiful landscaping incorporates a few large fountains, some statues and the Palais du Luxembourg, which houses the French Senate.

We walked the few blocks to the Pantheon (below), a former cathedral converted during the French Revolution to a temple to the great men and women of France. Among the most famous buried in the crypt beneath the marble floor are Victor Hugo, Jean Monnet, and Marie and Pierre Curie.


We were both pretty tired at this point, so we took an expensive coffee break on a pretty little square we found nearby. It rained a little while we were drinking our coffee, but by the time we headed back towards the hotel the weather had become more agreeable. We crossed one of the beautiful bridges along the Seine, stopping for a quick picture in front of Notre Dam. After taking a quick break at the hotel, we took the subway to Montmartre, home of the Moulin Rouge, for dinner. We didn't go to the Moulin Rouge or any of the other cabaret's because they were too expensive. We did take in the free and beautiful views of the cathedral of Sacre-coeur (below) and the city available at the top of Montmartre.


We found a place for dinner. The food was pretty bad (honestly the worst french onion soup I've ever had), but we split a bottle of wine that was quite good. Then we wandered back down the steep hill, stopping to snap some pictures of the Eiffel tower on the way, and called it an early night.


The next day was even more inense. We got up early, bought some croissants from a street vendor and then I dragged Analyse to the Rodin museum. He's one of my favorite sculptors, and though I had been before, I enjoyed returning to the museum. Then we made the obligatory visits to the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. It was a cloudy day though, so we decided not to go to the top of either. We grabbed lunch at (oh the shame!) McDonald's on the Champs-Elysées, one of ritziest streets in Paris. The tree lined avenue is home to some of the finest (or at least the most expensive) restaurants and shops in the city and streches from the Arc de Triomphe to the Tuileries, the gardens in front of the Louvre. On the Louvre end, the street is lined on either side by two parks, the Jardins des Champs-Elysées. Analyse had to shop and I had to visit the Louvre, so I headed up the street towards the Tuilieries while she spent an hour in Sephora.

I can't speak highly enough of the Louvre. It is a bit expensive, but it's worth every penny. The building itself, a former royal palace coverted to the world's largest art museum after the French revolution, is both impressive and beautiful. The collection itself, unmatched (in size if not splendour), is incredible. The Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Virgin on the Rocks, Winged Victory of Samothrace, a few statues by Canova, and a sizeable Delacroix collection would be enough to make the Louvre one of the top art museums in the world, but these are just the highlights to a well rounded collection of pre-1900's art.

Some of my pictures are below, but if you are ever in Paris, please go. They are much more beautiful in person.

Canova's Cupid and Psyche is my favorite sculpture by my favorite sculptor. The marble is cut so thin on his wings that light glows through them and the posing is miraculous. Poised forever on the verge of a kiss, Canova captures the moment of highest potential energy between the two lovers. Here's two pictures because I couldn't just pick one.



Chaudet's cupid is a bit crueler. He's kneeling down pulling off the wings of a butterfly, which according to all the books is supposed to symbolise cupid's torture of man's soul. A bit gruesome, but a beautiful sculpture all the same.


After several hours in the Louvre, Analyse and I met up near the Mona Lisa. We got our stuff from the hotel and caught our train back to Brussels. When I got back to Leuven, I just had time to drop off my things and get to my going-away-get-together at one of the first bars I went to in Leuven, Den@. Most of my friends were able to make it out for at least a drink, despite the proximity to finals. It was hard to say goodbye to all the friends I had made, but I know I'll see many of them again when they visit the States or I travel to their cities. It's nice to have friends all over Europe.

It was a good thing the evening wound down early. By the time I finished packing and cleaning, I only got to have about 40 minutes of sleep before I needed to get up to leave for the airport. There was plenty of time to sleep on the long flight back though.

Living in Leuven was a wonderful experience. I got exposed to both Belgian and European culture. I met a number of interesting and fun people from all over Europe, and I learned more about myself. I think more than anything else, that is what I value about my time there. I came to Leuven to see what life is like in another country, but what it showed me is what I am like, what I value and what is just part of my culture. I still have a lot to learn of course. So it's a good thing that there are a lot more places in the world for me to visit.