My weekend started bright and early Saturday morning (at 7:30am) with laundry and apartment cleaning before I went to meet my training group for a 10am trail run. With a 3hr run scheduled for Sunday, I wouldn't normally have done this, but I had a busy week and didn't run on Thursday night. The Thursday training had actually been cancelled, so I technically didn't "skip" the workout, but with my marathon only four weeks away, I can't really afford to miss any more runs and I decided I had better make up for this one. Only three of us showed up (the coach wasn't even there), but we had a nice little 1hr run through the woods anyway.
From there, I headed to the local recycling center with all the aluminum cans and plastic containers that I had accumulated since I moved into my apartment. There are dumpsters in my building where I can recycle glass and paper, but unfortunately, I have to deliver all other recyclables to the center. I didn't realize, however, that I was also expected to sort all of my plastics according the number stamped on each package and, deciding I didn't have time to sort them all there, I tossed my bag-o-plastics back in the trunk of my car. And unless I get really motivated, I imagine that bag (and all future plastic containers) will end up in the garbage instead of the recycling center.
After a quick shower and a little more laundry, I went out to shop for a few household items, but more importantly, to look for a camera to replace the one I “left” in Barcelona. In typical fashion, I had no idea what I was looking for and, overwhelmed by all the choices, left empty-handed. I hope to do a little research to determine what it is I need/want and just might ask Mom and Dad to buy one for me (using cheap American dollars) before they head over for their visit.
After my shopping excursion, I went to Luxembourg’s annual “Duck Race.” That’s right, a Duck Race. It is basically a glorified charity raffle where, for EUR 5, you can buy a numbered rubber ducky that, along with about 9,000 other rubber duckies, “races” down the Petrusse River near the city center. The first 1,000 ducks to cross the finish line are then returned to the starting line and re-raced to determine the final winners. The top 18 places win prizes, with the first prize being a car. Unfortunately, none of the duckies on my four-ducky team were strong enough swimmers to win anything for me. I bought them at the last minute, but I know if I had the time to train them, they would have fared much better. (http://www.station.lu/edito-13710-quack-the-great-annual-duck-race-is-here-again.html)
To be completely honest, though, the Duck Race was not that exciting. I only witnessed the initial qualifying round, but it lasted all of about 3 minutes and, considering the numbers were on the bottom of the ducks (not that you would have been able to read the numbers anyway), there was no way to know which duck belonged to whom. Ultimately, I think it was just an excuse for Luxembourgers to get out of the house, eat sausages and drink beer and Cremant (Luxembourgish champagne). And, of course, to raise money for charity. However, anticlimactic as it was, the weather was beautiful (70-75ish with no clouds and no wind) and it was good to spend some time outdoors.
Pre-Duck Race:
Go Duckies...!
Pretty sure this guy was the winner:
When we were tired of sitting around at the Duck Race, a group of us walked up to the city center and enjoyed some hot chocolate on a patio across from the Grand Duke’s palace. I couldn’t stay too long, though, as I wanted to get a haircut before the salon closed at 6pm and then make a trip to IKEA before it closed at 8pm. I was successful on both counts and decided to take the scenic route home - a beautiful drive through the countryside in the evening sun.
As I was arriving home at 9pm, I received a message from a friend inviting me to see New York, I Love You at 10pm. So I unloaded my purchases, grabbed a quick bite (unfortunately more of a snack than a dinner) and took off across town toward the theater. I had no idea what to expect from the movie, but I really enjoyed it. It is comprised of a bunch of short storylines (each written and directed by different people) that are all smashed together, but that have enough overlap to tie them together. Some storylines were great, some were a bit strange, but on balance it was definitely worth seeing.
I got another early start on Sunday morning when I woke up around 7:30am (again) to buy meat to grill at a barbeque I had been invited to attend that afternoon. Pretty much everything in Luxembourg is closed on Sundays with the exception of a few grocery stores, but they all close by 1pm and I was afraid I wouldn't make it if I waited to go until after my long run.
My plan was to start running at 9am so I could finish at noon and have some time to recover before the 2pm barbeque. And the schedule was holding up pretty well as I hit the pavement shortly after 9am. I took it relatively easy, as instructed by my coach, and I actually felt pretty good (for a 3hr run). I kept a fairly consistent speed the whole time and only slowed a little in the last 10-15min. Overall, it wasn't terribly painful, though I definitely underestimated my recovery time. After soaking in the bath for a while, I thought I was going to pass out when I eventually stood up. So I shuffled slowly to the kitchen and carried some food and drink back to my bed where I could lie down, rest and re-fuel.
It was already 2pm when I finally found enough strength to get up, get dressed and collect my food (and guitar) for the barbeque, so I was a little late when I finally arrived there at 2:45pm. Our host (Nathan) is from Kansas City and he was cooking ribs, while everyone else brought a meat of their choice and took turns using the grill. It was certainly an interesting site, this grill, with its rotating selection of meat. There were ribs, steaks, sausages, kabobs, chicken breasts, turkey schnitzels, lamb, and even bacon. That's right - big, thick slices of bacon smothered in a homemade paprika (red bell pepper) sauce. Needless to say, not everyone there was American. I had taken the chicken breasts for grilled chicken sandwiches (though I wished I had the time to mix up some “jerk” marinade/sauce beforehand), but I was also able to taste the Kansas City ribs, which were damn tasty.
After we all had our fill, Nathan got out his guitar, we tuned up and, well, we basically stared at each other and admitted we didn't really know any songs. I hadn't played much in awhile, but I eventually remembered enough tunes to entertain everyone for a while. I also played Grandview and Fitzwilly's (my originals), which were well received, even if they were played (and sung) poorly.
We all finally dispersed around 7:30pm and I had every intention of going home and completing my weekend to-do list. But with the sun still shining, I instead decided to enjoy the last bit of the beautiful weekend reading in a nearby park. That is, until I got a call from another group of friends/co-workers inviting me over for dinner. I rarely turn down a free meal, especially one with good friends, so I accepted the invitation and traded in my park bench for a nice dinner on my friend's apartment terrace. We had a great time, but we didn't leave until 11pm and I still had dress shirts that needed to be dried and ironed before I could go to bed.
It was after 1am when I finally made it to bed, exhausted from all the activities of the weekend, and with a number of to-do items still left on my list. But it was still a relatively productive (and more importantly, very fun) weekend and nice to be back home for a change.
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