St. Paddy's Day [abroad]

Sunday marked our first St. Patrick's Day abroad. Initially, C and I forgot about the holiday; contrary to what happens in the States, only the Irish celebrate here, so we weren't subject to shamrocks and Guinness ads plastered all over the place. Things started popping up on Facebook the night before, though, so I found myself longing for my college St. Paddy's celebrations (6am car bomb at McCarthy's anyone? Taking finals drunk buzzed, anyone?) Luckily, we have an Irish friend in town and she invited us to strap on our green gear and head over to the Irish in Europe's St. Patrick's Day Parade.

The parade took place in beautiful Parc du Cinquantenaire. Not far from the European Union (usually referred to as "the commission"), Cinquantenaire perfectly blends park, monument, and formality. A large fountain sits in the foreground of three beautiful arches, topped by amazing sculpture hovering over cobble stone streets; walking trails and lawns filled with happy puppies are just a walk through the archways away. I loved this place before the parade even started! After admiring our surroundings, C and I grabbed a gaufre chaude (warm waffle) and lined up behind hundreds of clover-clad citizens & a few bag pipers. We walked around the park, but stopped midway for a bagpipe performance on the steps of a building commissioned by King Leopold. The pipers played "Amazing Grace" and I cried like any good Celtic lassie would! The parade ended with beer, Irish food, and kids running around like little leprechauns. We really enjoyed ourselves. And we saw a rainbow on the way home! Lucky us...

 

 

Ciao!

B+C