Manneken Pis

For those of you who don't already know, one of Brussels' most famous landmarks is the Manneken Pis - a statue of a little boy peeing. It's on almost all the post cards, and they sell little Manneken Pis souvenirs in the gift shops, from bottle openers to miniature versions of the statue. I'm really not sure what it says about a country when one of your biggest symbols is a peeing boy. However, I do think it's funny, albeit a little weird. Of course I had to go and see for myself, so last week I went in search of this little boy. It's right next to the main tourist part of town, but it still took me a little while to find it. Once I did though, there was quite a crowd gathered around it. Also, they apparently put clothes on him periodically. Has anyone else seen something funny like this abroad?

Happy Valentine's Day

Today happens to be Valentine's Day, a day that there are definitely mixed feeling about. I've heard it called everything from "commercialized" to "single awareness day." However, whatever the day's faults, I have a hard time not liking a day that encourages you to celebrate love, whether its love for your family, friends, or a significant other. Even though I'm more than 4,000 miles away from everyone I love, they're definitely all on my mind, especially David. This is our 5th Valentine's Day together, so I thought I'd post just a few pics from our relationship. Happy Valentine's Day everyone <3

Antwerp

Okay, so I'm wayyyy behind on posting this haha, but hopefully I'll be able to catch up on posts soon!

Last Saturday I decided to take the train to Antwerp for the day since it's one of the biggest cities in Belgium after Brussels. Despite the bad weather, I LOVED the city. I thought it was clean and beautiful, with lots of friendly people who, luckily for me, spoke English. I also had my first experience with CouchSurfers. Have you heard of it?? You meet up with random people in different cities and sometimes spend the night on their couch rather than pay for a hotel. I ended up meeting a guy for dinner/drinks before I went back to Brussels that night. It was so fun to hear about Antwerp from one of its locals! I really liked the city, and hopefully get to go back sometime soon!

Visit to la Cinquantenaire

Last Sunday I decided to spend the day exploring the area around where I live. After less than a mile of walking, I discovered this beautiful area! There's a huge park which will be great once it's warmer, plus the beautiful Arc du Cinquanterie and several museums. I can't wait to go back and look around some more!!

Help!

Ok everyone! Right now I'm trying to decide where in Europe I want to go while I'm here, and how I should get there. Whether you've spent time abroad (and I know lots of you have!) or not, I need some advice!

Here's the situation! I'll be here for a total of 13 weeks. For the most part, I can only travel on the weekends since I'm taking classes/working. I also need to travel as cheaply as possible, but still be safe! Finally, the only languages I speak are English and French, so I need to be able to at lest get by. So, questions:

1. Where should I go??? And what should I do there?? Although I have a few ideas, I'd love to know the places you've been that you'd love to go back to, or any places you're dying to visit for the first time!
2. What's the best way to get there? Train, plane, bus? I've looked into prices, but it's hard to figure out what way is the best/cheapest. Also, would you recommend some sort of Eurorail pass?
3. Where should I stay? I'm looking at staying at hostels since that seems to be the cheapest, so if you have recommendations on any I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks guys!

Weird things about Belgium

It's so strange how it's the little things at surprise you the most while you're abroad. Here are just a few of the unusual things I've encountered while I've been here (I have a feeling this will be an ongoing list):

1. They don't refrigerate milk in the supermarket. Weird, I know. Almost all the milk is sold in cardboard cartons on the shelves and doesn't expire until July. And yes, there's a taste difference from all those preservatives that must be in there.
2. They also don't refrigerate eggs, as seen in the picture above.
3. You have to "rent" shopping carts (which are all locked up) by depositing a coin in a machine, which apparently you get back one you return it. I guess there's some sort of shopping cart thievery problem here.
4. The doors on the subway don't open automatically. The first time I tried to get off I ended up standing there looking like an idiot waiting for it to open before I eventually followed someone out a different door. The second time around I realized you have to push a button.
5. It is acceptable for men to wear tacky, oversized sweaters. And leather pants.

What about you? What were some of the strange things you found in other countries?

La Grand Place et Les Palais

Parc de Bruxelles


Palais Royale


La Grand Place


Belgian waffle



Yesterday I figured out how to use the metro and saw some of the best parts of the city. I found the building where I'll be taking classes, and from there it was only a short walk to le parc du Bruxelles (Brussels Park). On one side of the park is the Belgian Parliament building (palais nationale) and on the other side is the royal palace, although apparently the royal family no longer uses it. I also got to walk down to Le Grand Place, the center of the city and the most touristy part. This was definitely more what I had in mind when I went into the city - lots of Belgian waffle stands (which were amazing), chocolate shops (also amazing), street performers, and little shops full of cheap souvenirs. I'm definitely excited to go back and look around even more!