Bonjour, Collegiettes!
Well, it has been a busy week here in Brussels, but I have so many great things to fill you in on! The flight to Brussels did not get my trip off to a good start. In case you did not know, the weather in Brussels is pretty awful and we had to battle storms while landing. Collegiettes, this was one of the scariest moments of my life. There was so much turbulence, I was praying that the airplane scene from Lost was not in our future! Of course, we made it in safely, but it took hours for my head and stomach to recover.
Upon arrival, I met my four roommates; Elise, Beth, Alex and Brooke, and we moved into our house! It’s a cute little two-story house with a basement, five beds and a courtyard. Perfect for when we actually get some nice weather! After settling in, we set out to explore the city and found some surprising differences between America and Belgium.
The first surprising difference was ordering water at restaurants. Yes, collegiettes, no one in Belgium will just fill your water glass immediately when you sit down. Also, it’s expensive. Our group sat down for dinner and ordered bottle after bottle of water (they only serve bottled water, not tap) and our jaws dropped when we looked at the bill and found that our tasteless, seemingly cheap beverage choice actually cost us six euros per bottle!
Aside from the expensive water, dinner was delicious! I’m telling you, collegiettes, Belgians know how to eat! Everywhere you go, you can find a frites (fries) or waffle stand! First, lets talk about the frites. I’m not talking about puny, shriveled up fries from McDonald’s. Here, they are very thick and are served with some sort of spiced mayonnaise. At first, it seemed like a sin to eat fries without ketchup, but I quickly got over that after I had the sauce.
Then of course, there are Belgian waffles! Honestly, I can never look at an Eggo Waffle the same way! There are street vendors in small yellow vans parked all over the city making these fresh, hot little pieces of heaven. Seriously, if you ever have the chance to try one, you will not be disappointed. You can order the waffle plain and it comes with a delicious glaze that you can smell a block away. If you really want to indulge, you can get the waffle dipped in chocolate or topped with ice cream and fresh fruit!
Yes, these tasty little treats are good for your soul, bad for your arteries.
Aside from sampling the food, we also spent a lot of time visiting all of the touristy hotspots, most notably, Grand Place. Built in the 15th century, Grand Place is a massive square surrounded by intricate medieval buildings and is gorgeous– nothing like Medieval Times. Down the street, we saw the Manneken Pis, a statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain. An odd symbol of Belgium, there are several different stories to describe how the little peeing boy came to be, adding to the bizarre nature of the statue.
 Aside from the obvious tourist attractions, the group also went to visit the European Parliament; after all, Belgium is the capital of the European Union! Later that day we also got to visit a local brewery and see just how Belgium earns its reputation for great beer!
So far it has been a great trip, collegiettes! Next week I will be starting my Internship at Together Magazine, a lifestyle magazine in Brussels, and I’m very excited to share that experience with you! I hope you all are enjoying following through my adventures and are excited for next week’s post: more Brussels adventures, starting my internship, and a trip to Ghent!
Until next time,
Lauren