brussels

Arriving in Brussels I quickly realized I did not remember any of my high school French. Luckily English is the unofficial third language in the city - there are so many expats that English is commonly used. My first day in Brussels I went to see the Atomium, Mini-Europe (which was closed for the season) and Laeken Park. These are all outside the city and a bit of a hike to get to, but worth it. I also picked up some frites with Andalouse sauce while walking back to the city and then got a waffle when I arrived in city center.

Tip: ask for the sauce on the side

Once I picked up my Liege waffle, I took a gander around the Grand-Place where the buildings are gilded with gold and seem fitting for royals. 

Fun fact: these buildings were commissioned by the guilds of the city
when the originals burned down. Hence why they were all built in the
late 17th century. 

I explored the Palace, the European Quarter, the buildings of the EU and ended by exploring Parc du Cinquantenaire that evening. On my way I saw this beautiful art nouveau building that houses the Museum of Musical Instruments. 

The next day I took a walking tour around the city with my friend and then we took ourselves to the chocolate factory outlet of Neuhaus. They have everything open for sampling and the items are all on sale. I tried so many flavors I nearly didn't buy anything, but I did get some assorted chocolates as a souvenir!

Manneken pis - usually he is dressed up!

They say if you rub the foot you'll return to Brussels...

Thus ended my short time in Brussels. From there I took the train to Luxembourg City which I'll write about tomorrow!

bruges

Last week I hopped a bus to Bruges! I decided to take a short trip once finals were over and while I wish I had picked somewhere a little warmer, it was nonetheless a fun adventure.

Bruges is an adorable little city with distinctive architecture, delicious food and winding canals. Once I dropped my bag off at Snuffel hostel (highly recommend!) I headed out to explore. It was really foggy which made it all the more atmospheric.

Unfortunately I didn't take the atmospheric fog into account when I climbed the belfort - I couldn't see anything from the top! On my way back down, about half way, there was another good vantage point and I got a decent photo. Before I headed to the hostel for the night I stopped and got a box of Leonidas chocolates - very delicious and so many creative flavors!

The next morning I headed to the train station and stopped by The Church of Our Lady where I paid to enter the 'museum' of sorts and see a work by Michelangelo. It's one of the few works by him that are outside Italy.

From the church I wandered slowly to the train and passed through the Begijnhof and Minnewater Park; even in the cold and fog it was beautiful. I then took the train to Brussels where I stayed for two days with family friends - I'll post that tomorrow!