Abroadco Excursion to Belgium
I spent the weekend in Belgium, discovering this little country north-east of France. My whole study abroad group woke up bright and early Friday morning to catch the train to Brussels. I was amazed that it only takes 1hr 20 mins to get from Paris to Brussels. We arrived and the first thing we did was get a Belgian waffle, of course! Like the French crepes, there are many different toppings but they are all delicious. We spent the morning walking around the city, seeing all the sights including the Grand Place, the old market square. We also saw the famous Manneken Pis fountain, which has become the unofficial symbol of Brussels. It is a little fountain on a street corner of a little boy peeing that become known all over the world. The story behind it is that the little boy ran away and when his dad found him, he had a fountain made of the position he found his son in. Manneken is an icon in Belgium and one can buy everything from lollipops to t-shirts with his image on it. The afternoon was spent at the European Union headquarters. We learned all about how it was started, how it works and the plans for the future. Because I am a history major, it was espe
cially cool for me to be able to be in a place where so many historical decisions have been made.
Saturday morning, me and two friends decided to make the most of our time in Belgium and take the train up to Brugges, a city about an hour north of Brussels. It is called the "Belgian Venice" and it certainly lives up to its name. This fairy tale town is located on a series of canals that come from the North Sea. There are beautiful bridges, cobblestone streets, and open squares lined with cafes. We spent the day browsing the markets, learning about the history of the cocoa bean in a chocolate museum, taking a boat tour of the canals and having afternoon tea in town. It was basically a perfect day spent in an adorable country.