Rain in Luxembourg…and then sunshine!

I woke this morning to a sound Californians are not familiar with – rain! Not only did I hear the sound of rain splashing all over but also the boom of thunder! My initial idea of hiking in the hills of Luxembourg – or even exploring some of the faraway parks – disappeared with the wet stuff falling from the sky.

Instead, I had a leisurely breakfast – even achieved Queen Bee status while playing the New York Times’ Spelling Bee game! – and walked with raincoat on and umbrella in hand to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame and the Musée national d’histoire et d’art Luxembourg.

The cathedral tickled me in an ironic way. Signs posted all over the cathedral warned visitors to be quiet, while the noise generated by renovation power tools drowned out any possible conversation.

The museum, though, captivated me. A combination natural history, archeological, and art museum, the five floors each offered new insights into life long ago and currently in Luxembourg. The final exhibit, The Rape of Europe, evoked the pain of Putin and his military campaign again Ukraine. See below for details.

While enjoying today’s lunch (a goat cheese salad and sparkling water at the museum cafe), the rain stopped and sky cleared. Next up, a nice walk around the old city.

Dinner…well, at lunch yesterday, my server said Rock Solid has the biggest selection of beers on tap…and patrons can buy tasters…so… 🙂

Rain!

Beautiful ceiling in the cathedral.

Intricate decorations all over the cathedral, including near the organ.

Gorgeous mosaic tile in the museum reminded me of the mosaics in Istanbul.

Pottery recovered during a local archeological dig,

This painting matches the view of the city I saw while walking on the Corniche yesterday!

The Rape of Europe

Maxim Kantor on Putin’s Russia (1992-2022)

Since 24 February 2022, Russian aggression and the murderous war against the Ukrainian people take us back to the darkest times in European history. Tens of thousands dead, cities partially razed, millions of Ukrainian refugees wandering across Europe. How to react, as a museum, how to show a sign of solidarity with those under attack when direct cooperation with a Ukrainian museum is currently proving impossible and our own collections contain almost no objects related to this country?

By pure coincidence, MNHA was already long before the start of hostilities in contact with Russian born artist Maxim Kantor, well known for his very critical attitude towards the Putin regime and recent developments in Russia. Kantor spontaneously agreed to show more than sixty of his works that unmask the totalitarian and aggressive character of the current Russian regime.