Hello, collegiettes!
I hope everyone is enjoying the semester, I sure am! Except for the weather, of course. I know my friends in Missouri were enjoying unseasonably warm weather last week, 60 degrees! Europe has been hit with incredibly cold weather this past week, though I’m happy to report that Brussels seems to be mild compared to the rest of Europe! Over the weekend we had about an inch of snowfall, and since then the temperature has been in the low 20s. However, it could be worse. I could be in Eastern Europe, where the snow and temperatures have sparked a crisis.
This week has been particularly stressful, collegiettes! Who would have thought that planning trips across Europe could make me so tense? I mean, really, trying to plan trips to specific cities, on a certain weekend, at a certain time, at a good time of year (in terms of weather) and booking the perfect hostel is hard work. And, whoever said that you could travel around Europe for a bargain, I’d like to see. My bank account would beg to differ.
So these past two weeks I have been staying around Brussels in anticipation for my many adventures to come, starting with Paris next weekend! But to keep myself out of a boredom slump, I got a group together and went on a day-trip to Bruges, Belgium!Â
On saturday, we did get a bit of a late start and did not get on a train to Bruges until about 2 p.m., and we ended up missing the opportunity to visit some of the local museums and cathedrals. Whoops! It turns out, we were not really missing out on much anyway. Bruges is not exactly known for being a particularly exciting destination; it’s mostly good for walking around and admiring the beautiful city and canals. And that’s exactly what we did!
Known as the “the Venice of the North”, Bruges is a truly beautiful city. When we arrived, we immediately set out in search of the Market Square. There, in the heart of the town, we would be able to find plenty of shops and restaurants. On our way, we just happened to pass by the Wall of Beer! Tucked away from the main road is an alley lined with over 1,100 different beers displayed in glass cases. As you walk through the alley, small signs are displayed above the cases that say things like, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy,” and so on. There are tables with large umbrellas made of pompoms and at the end of the alley is a bar where guests can drink the local beer in goblets than range from a standard pint to “The Boss” that demands at least two people share the drink.
After that, we went to the Church of Our Lady. Unfortunately, we did not get to spend a lot of time in the cathedral because it was closing, but like any good tourist, I managed to get some good pictures! By that time, all of the museums and shops had closed and so we warmed up at a few pubs and enjoyed our night in Bruges!
Aside from my travels, my internship has been amazing! Last week, my boss asked my colleague and I to go to a Holiday Expo– “holiday” as in vacation. So we took the Metro to this enormous expo center and inside we found hundreds of booths for travel agencies, hotels, cruise ships and anything vacation related. We were on a mission to introduce ourselves to marketing directors at the booths and spark their interest in advertising with Together Magazine. We managed to generate some interest and get a few business cards, but the real treat was speaking with representatives from hotels and resorts that were interested in having me stay at the hotel for free and write a review! I was in heaven! Aside from that, I have written a few more articles, and I am expecting to see my byline quite a bit in the upcoming issue!
Last week, I was editing a book for an author that our publisher is friends with, and this week I was asked to write the final chapter for his book! And here, I was just expecting to write a few articles for the magazine, but now I’m writing and editing for the magazine and I get to put my skills to the test with a book! I’m thrilled with my internship and I’m having the time of my life here is Brussels. I hope that you have enjoyed following me thus far, and you are getting as excited as I am about my trip to Paris next weekend!
Until next time,
Lauren