This past weekend was yet another amazing traveling experience to Belgium and The Netherlands. I’m still so thankful that I get to have the opportunity to travel all over Europe to see all these incredible things, and I plan on taking full advantage of it!
First stop, Brussels! We got into Brussels early Friday morning and spent most of the day wandering around and exploring. We saw Grand Place which is considered to be the most beautiful square in Europe, and I’m not arguing. I’ve never seen such intricate and ornate buildings in my life. We also saw Mannenkin Pis, the famous statue of the little boy peeing into a fountain. The hype around this tiny three foot statue astounds me. The Belgians LOVE this little guy. He was everywhere we went. I just don’t get it. We were told that the locals like to dress him up and sure enough, when we saw him he was decked out in Dracula gear. We spent the rest of the day wandering semi-aimlessly. The cool thing about Brussels is that there’s all this incredible artwork that’s embedded right into the city. Instead of going to museums to see art you end up bumping into statues, piazzas, and murals everywhere you go. And the best part: the entire city smells like waffles. I know. One of the first things we did was to get some waffles and oh my lord, it was mind blowing. The waffles are indescribably delicious. They’re so packed with sugar it’s enough to make your teeth rot in one sitting but it is so worth the cavity. I got mine with strawberries and whipped cream. I may never be able to have another waffle ever again. I also may never be able to eat American chocolate ever again. Brussels has chocolate shops about every four feet, each one just as mesmerizing as the last. I don’t know what it is, but the Belgians have it figured out when it comes to chocolate. I got a hot chocolate that was made by pouring hot milk over and actual chuck of chocolate that melted into a small cup of heaven. In the afternoon we recharged in our apartment that we rented out for the night and later that evening headed out for a night of bar hopping. A friend from PC who studied in Belgium last year told me all about the Brussels night life, so we headed to a bar called Delirium that’s famous for having hundreds of different kinds of beer. Along with the chocolate and waffles, Belgians are crazy about they’re beer. There are enough different kinds to last one person a lifetime. After I “liberated” a glass from Delirium (it was dying to be set free) we went across the street to Floris Bar where we got an enormous mojito for the four of us. I had to carry it with two hands. This is where the bar hopping ended, and along with most of my memories from that night. Luckily I’ve got some great pictures of Grand Place at night to remind me of how beautiful it was!
The next day we took a train to Bruge which is a small little town near Brussels. Picturesque doesn’t even really begin to cover it. Bruge looks like it dropped right out of a story book. The small windy streets are lined with adorable brick houses. It was very quiet and un-touristy and it was great to spend a relaxing afternoon wandering the streets and enjoying the atmosphere. We stopped into a church that contains a vile of Christ’s blood, which was pretty awesome to see. We also went into the chocolate museum which was mildly interesting, but completely worth the incredible free sample of chocolate we got at the end. If you’re ever in Belgium, stop in Bruges! It’s a neat little town.
From Bruges we took a train to Amsterdam, and we were all so tired from our journeys that we crashed in the apartment for the night. The next day we got an early start and went to the Anne Frank house. It was incredibly moving. Anne becomes a very tangible, lovable, real girl as you walk through the museum are afforded a heart gripping glance at an incredible struggle through the eyes of a very brave young woman. I can’t say enough about how moved I was. That experience will probably stay with me forever. After Anne Frank we wandered the streets and marveled at some of the hundreds of canals that run through Amsterdam. Holland is known for its flowers, specifically it’s tulips, so we stopped at the floating flower shops on one of the canals. The entire street smelled like flowers. It was so cool! Now, I’m sure you’ve all heard about Amsterdam and its very liberal and free thinking way of life. I’m stopping here to warn you: I have been extremely truthful in all of my blog posts and I will continue to be as such. Forgive my vagueness while I describe what may or may not have happened next in Amsterdam. I’m keeping it this way so that those of you who wish to preserve me as an innocent girl in your mind can do so, and those of you who wish to use your imagination can do just that. I’m sure you know that Amsterdam is known for being very tolerant in its views on marijuana. They sell pot in “coffee shops” where they have actual menus for weed. Insanity! We stopped into one to see what it was all about. The only thing I can say about what happened next, is that we went to the Van Gogh museum and it was out. of. this. world. It really was mind blowing being able to see his original paintings in person. You could SEE the brushstrokes on the paintings, and most of them looked like they were still wet! Seeing original paintings is an experience that is completely unparalleled. It’s unlike any sort of beauty I’ve ever seen in art before. And they’re made all the more incredible when learning about the unique, bizarre, genius that was Van Gogh’s mind. The man was off his rocker. But I’m beginning to believe that the people whose minds don’t seem to be of this world are those who leave permanent marks for us to marvel over, contemplate, and enjoy. Another unforgettable experience. Sadly, after Van Gogh I had to head back home from Amsterdam. I had a test on Monday that couldn’t be rescheduled so unfortunately my time was cut short. My friends stayed an extra day and told me all about the red light district and a famous tulip garden, both of which sounded …. well … intriguing is the only word I can find to describe both prostitutes and tulips. But worth seeing!
All in all, it was another fantastic weekend traveling abroad. On Thursday my friend Emily who’s in Barcelona is coming to see me! And then on Sunday I leave for my big Euro-trip! Paris, Prague, Rome, Florence, Milan, and Budapest. It’s almost tiring just to type it. I’ll definitely blog about this in more detail before I leave, but I think I’ve kept you long enough for one post.
I’ve created a new Flickr account because the old one ran out of space. If you want to see older pictures, you can click the links on any of my older posts. For now,take a look at Brussels, Bruge, and Amsterdam! I’ve tried to add some more descriptive captions for some of the places that I glossed over in this post, so be on the lookout.
Until next time friends, cheers!
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