Yesterday we went to Bruges, or as the Flemish spell it, Brugge. By train it is less than an hour outside of Brussels, situated to the northwest near the North Sea. Up until the 17th century, the North Sea reached all the way to the shore of Bruges, making it an important port town that had more inhabitants than London or Amsterdam. But over the next couple hundred years, the water receded, and most of the trade that Bruges depended on disappeared. This means that, although the inner town has turned into a tourist attraction, the surrounding area is fairly secluded and beautiful.
In the morning we went on a walking tour of the center of the town. They have some fabulous Gothic-style buildings and quaint squares and streets. In the middle of it is a canal, the shores of which are lined with hundreds of long-necked swans. The coolest part of the inner city is a little commune built by a group of women in the 1200's that provided an area for women who were fed up with the male-dominated society of Europe to work and live. They were considered heretics by the church and basically made their own little society in this walled-in compound in the middle of Bruges. Even to this day only women are allowed to live there. It was essentially one of the first feminist movements of Europe, which I found quite interesting.
Bruges was very picturesque to walk through, but it is packed with tourists. I saw more tourists in Bruges than I've ever seen in a town of its size.
However, in the afternoon we did what has so far been my favorite thing in Belgium: a four-hour bike tour of the surrounding area. We got to pedal all along these fabulous canals that stretch for miles into the countryside, and we went through beautiful wooded areas all the way to the border of Holland. In the middle of the bike tour we got to stop and climb up a wooden windmill that still operates. The view from the top was amazing and it was cool to see how an old-fashioned windmill functions.
It was really cool to be able to get on a bike and just explore the area. It's really flat country, so the biking wasn't strenuous, and it's probably the only time all semester that I'll ride a bike, since biking in Brussels is basically asking to be hit by a car. That's another story for another day, but the fresh air and exercise did wonders for me!
After the bike tour we ate dinner at a small, local restaurant, at which I tried my new favorite Belgian dish: waterzooi. You can get it with chicken or fish, but just imagine a chicken pot pie without the outside part. It's amazing, plus it makes me feel like a local! And after the dinner we went to get drinks at this little hole-in-the-wall bar that our resident director knew about that was absolutely amazing. I tried the local brew of Bruges (they only have one brewery) and it was fantastic!
The downer is that today I will be spending my entire day doing homework. College here means much less time in the classroom...and much more time spent outside of it doing readings and preparing for class. In a way I'd rather have it that way so that I can maximize my time, but by the same token, I already have several hundred pages of reading assigned after one week of class. That's not terrible, but not the way I really envision spending a lot of my time in Brussels!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Waterloo and Villers-la-Ville
Today I went on an excursion with my study abroad group to Waterloo and Villers-la-Ville, two beautiful villages located less than an hour away from Brussels. Waterloo is famously known as the battleground at which Napoleon suffered his final defeat. There we explored the visitors center and climbed up approximately 200 stairs to a large lion statue that has been erected as a monument to the nearly 30,000 soldiers who died in the battle at Waterloo. The view from the lion, which has a surrounding walkway, is jaw-dropping, with expansive fields and the village itself visible from a couple hundred feet up. The fields on which the battle was fought are still farms and are still maintained. Although there are many remains (uniforms, bullets, bones) from the battle on these fields, it is illegal to use a metal detector to look for things, so the site remains largely intact.
After Waterloo, we went a short distance farther to Villers-la-Ville, a small rural village that is home to a centuries-old abbey, the ruins of which can be seen by visitors. We ate lunch at a tavern directly across from the abbey, and a procession of monks passed us as we ate...not something you see every day. The ruins are beautiful and a large percentage of the buildings remain intact, which is impressive considering it was built in the 1300's. After touring the abbey, we went on a two-hour hike through fields and small neighborhoods surrounding the village, which was beautiful. A bees nest and excessive mud on the trail did not detract from the scenery.
Aside from the historical significance of these places, it was refreshing to see how much the landscape changes in such a short distance. The fresh air and all the walking was a relaxing way to spend what was technically my last day of summer vacation, since classes start tomorrow.
After Waterloo, we went a short distance farther to Villers-la-Ville, a small rural village that is home to a centuries-old abbey, the ruins of which can be seen by visitors. We ate lunch at a tavern directly across from the abbey, and a procession of monks passed us as we ate...not something you see every day. The ruins are beautiful and a large percentage of the buildings remain intact, which is impressive considering it was built in the 1300's. After touring the abbey, we went on a two-hour hike through fields and small neighborhoods surrounding the village, which was beautiful. A bees nest and excessive mud on the trail did not detract from the scenery.
Aside from the historical significance of these places, it was refreshing to see how much the landscape changes in such a short distance. The fresh air and all the walking was a relaxing way to spend what was technically my last day of summer vacation, since classes start tomorrow.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Le Palais Royale
Yesterday I went with some friends to the Royal Palace of Belgium, where the royal family historically lived and conducted business and still does, to a much lesser extent. It is only open during the month of August and is free to enter, so we lucked out being able to see it. The palace is, in a word, ridiculous. I think it's pretty typical for a royal palace, but there are basically dozens of rooms, each of which are very open with 30-40 ft ceilings, gold-plated everything, and really intricate carvings, sculptures, and furniture. It makes your jaw drop to see how beautiful it is in 2009, so you can imagine how amazing it was a couple hundred years ago.
Yesterday I also officially registered for classes, and I got all of the courses that I wanted, so I was quite pleased. I will be taking a required class that's all about the history and culture of Belgium, along with beginning French, policies of the European Union, the E.U.'s approach to security and development, and international law. Some of those classes probably sound terrible to most people, but to a political science loser like me, they will be amazing because the E.U. classes would simply never be offered in the U.S., and on top of that, are being taught in the city where the E.U. is based. I'm excited to hear political analysis from the European perspective too, since it will certainly be different than the U.S. view.
The class schedule is way more chill than in the U.S. There's only one day that I have three classes, and on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays I only have one class. I think there will be an equal amount of work but it's less time in class, which is nice. My first day of class is on Monday, but it shouldn't be too stressful since I don't start until 4:30 p.m. and end at 6.
Yesterday I also officially registered for classes, and I got all of the courses that I wanted, so I was quite pleased. I will be taking a required class that's all about the history and culture of Belgium, along with beginning French, policies of the European Union, the E.U.'s approach to security and development, and international law. Some of those classes probably sound terrible to most people, but to a political science loser like me, they will be amazing because the E.U. classes would simply never be offered in the U.S., and on top of that, are being taught in the city where the E.U. is based. I'm excited to hear political analysis from the European perspective too, since it will certainly be different than the U.S. view.
The class schedule is way more chill than in the U.S. There's only one day that I have three classes, and on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays I only have one class. I think there will be an equal amount of work but it's less time in class, which is nice. My first day of class is on Monday, but it shouldn't be too stressful since I don't start until 4:30 p.m. and end at 6.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Getting Settled
I apologize for the gap in between posts. The hostel we were staying at for orientation charged to use their internet connection, so I did not get a chance to update the blog.
I am starting to feel more and more comfortable in Brussels. In just a week I've seen several different sides of the city and I have tried three of the most delicious and famous traditional fares of Belgium: chocolate (amazing), waffles (to die for) and beer. You can go to cafes here and choose from a menu of hundreds of beers. I went to one bar that has a beer for every year A.D.; in other words, they now have 2009 beers you can choose from. It's mind-boggling. And it's refreshing to be in a culture where drinking does not include the concept of drinking just to black out or drinking in house parties and doing stupid things. It's quite common to sit at a cafe for hours and maybe enjoy two or three beers. Granted, the beers are much stronger, but it is a drinking culture that I find much more sophisticated.
I finally learned of my permanent housing situation and got to move in this evening! I am living with a host family, which is what I had requested so I was very grateful. I am living with a middle-aged couple who are originally from Spain, which is cool because not only is it a perfect example of the diversity of Brussels but it will ironically give me a chance to improve on my Spanish, which is not something I had been planning on doing upon my arrival in a country that is bilingual in French and Dutch!
The couple also have a 19-year old son who is living here until he starts his studies in a couple weeks. That gives me another young person to get in contact with, and it's cool because he knows of some local spots to go and seems very open to the idea of international students living in his house.
I'm living on the top floor of a four-story town house in a beautiful residential neighborhood that's only a five minute walk to school. Although that means I'm a public transporation ride away from downtown Brussels, it means that for my daily travels to school I'm in a really convenient location. I'm sharing the upstairs with another study abroad student. He's from St. Louis but is studying here with a program different from mine. He seems quite nice and gives me another contact outside of my program, which I figure could be a good way to meet more people.
I'm slowly but surely adjusting to the European lifestyle...much of it is completely different than in the U.S., but most of it is surprisingly similar. The only bad thing so far really has been the heat: there have been three days in a row of 90 degree heat and humidity, which for a country that is used to rain and cold has taken people quite off-guard. There's no air conditioning in most buildings (including my house), so it has been miserable to sleep. But other than that everything has been a blast!
I am starting to feel more and more comfortable in Brussels. In just a week I've seen several different sides of the city and I have tried three of the most delicious and famous traditional fares of Belgium: chocolate (amazing), waffles (to die for) and beer. You can go to cafes here and choose from a menu of hundreds of beers. I went to one bar that has a beer for every year A.D.; in other words, they now have 2009 beers you can choose from. It's mind-boggling. And it's refreshing to be in a culture where drinking does not include the concept of drinking just to black out or drinking in house parties and doing stupid things. It's quite common to sit at a cafe for hours and maybe enjoy two or three beers. Granted, the beers are much stronger, but it is a drinking culture that I find much more sophisticated.
I finally learned of my permanent housing situation and got to move in this evening! I am living with a host family, which is what I had requested so I was very grateful. I am living with a middle-aged couple who are originally from Spain, which is cool because not only is it a perfect example of the diversity of Brussels but it will ironically give me a chance to improve on my Spanish, which is not something I had been planning on doing upon my arrival in a country that is bilingual in French and Dutch!
The couple also have a 19-year old son who is living here until he starts his studies in a couple weeks. That gives me another young person to get in contact with, and it's cool because he knows of some local spots to go and seems very open to the idea of international students living in his house.
I'm living on the top floor of a four-story town house in a beautiful residential neighborhood that's only a five minute walk to school. Although that means I'm a public transporation ride away from downtown Brussels, it means that for my daily travels to school I'm in a really convenient location. I'm sharing the upstairs with another study abroad student. He's from St. Louis but is studying here with a program different from mine. He seems quite nice and gives me another contact outside of my program, which I figure could be a good way to meet more people.
I'm slowly but surely adjusting to the European lifestyle...much of it is completely different than in the U.S., but most of it is surprisingly similar. The only bad thing so far really has been the heat: there have been three days in a row of 90 degree heat and humidity, which for a country that is used to rain and cold has taken people quite off-guard. There's no air conditioning in most buildings (including my house), so it has been miserable to sleep. But other than that everything has been a blast!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
My Adventure Begins
Today was the first day of orientation, which meant a lot of boring information presented in a conference room, but also my first chance to really see some of the main attractions in Brussels and to get a feel for the city. I think it's similar to many nearby European cities, but it has a peculiar mix of modern, artsy European-style buildings alongside blocks of 15th century (and even earlier) architecture. Many of the people here are friendly and most speak conversational English, which makes getting around very easy.
There are 26 people in my group, and they are from all over the U.S. (I'm the only one from MN). We're all staying in a nice, but not overly spacious, hostel that's a five minute walk from the Grand Place and Mannekin Pis, two of the most famous attractions in Brussels. Pictures are hopefully to follow soon, but take my word, the Grand Place is the most fabulous square I've ever seen, with a city block perimeter of huge, ornate castle-like buildings surrounding a massive plaza filled with people, restaurants, museums, etc.
One of the coolest things about Brussels so far is its diversity: you can literally walk down the street and hear 10 different languages. It's one of those places where most of the people are not actually native, but are visiting either on business, vacation, or are recent immigrants. In fact, in what is mind-boggling to many locals, in five years an estimated 40-50% of the Brussels population will be Middle Eastern immigrants. The face of Europe is rapidly changing.
I still do not know my permanent housing situation or class schedule...those questions will hopefully be answered in the next several days. But for now I am really enjoying being independent in a city where, outside of my study group, I know no one. It is a thrilling experience that I encourage anyone interested in travelling to take on.
There are 26 people in my group, and they are from all over the U.S. (I'm the only one from MN). We're all staying in a nice, but not overly spacious, hostel that's a five minute walk from the Grand Place and Mannekin Pis, two of the most famous attractions in Brussels. Pictures are hopefully to follow soon, but take my word, the Grand Place is the most fabulous square I've ever seen, with a city block perimeter of huge, ornate castle-like buildings surrounding a massive plaza filled with people, restaurants, museums, etc.
One of the coolest things about Brussels so far is its diversity: you can literally walk down the street and hear 10 different languages. It's one of those places where most of the people are not actually native, but are visiting either on business, vacation, or are recent immigrants. In fact, in what is mind-boggling to many locals, in five years an estimated 40-50% of the Brussels population will be Middle Eastern immigrants. The face of Europe is rapidly changing.
I still do not know my permanent housing situation or class schedule...those questions will hopefully be answered in the next several days. But for now I am really enjoying being independent in a city where, outside of my study group, I know no one. It is a thrilling experience that I encourage anyone interested in travelling to take on.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Arrived Safely
I arrived in Brussels around 10:30 their time today after a long but painless travel day. However, after the airport my day has not been going as smoothly...the cab from the airport was ridiculously expensive and I am finding boring ways to burn the three hours I have before I can check into my room at the hostel I'm staying at (today is a national holiday so no stores/restaurants are open). I haven't seen much but Brussels seems beautiful, with lots of old architecture mixed in with a modern European vibe.
I haven't slept in about 24 hours so excuse me if this post is not worded very clearly. I was really nervous about things going wrong on the way here, seeing as its the first time I've travelled alone internationally, but so far everything (with the exception of being homeless for 3 hours) is going well. Tonight I will be going out for an informal drink with the participants in the program and tomorrow my orientation begins, so I should be learning a lot more about what I will be doing for the semester, and I will be able to answer a lot of questions people (including myself) want to know.
I haven't slept in about 24 hours so excuse me if this post is not worded very clearly. I was really nervous about things going wrong on the way here, seeing as its the first time I've travelled alone internationally, but so far everything (with the exception of being homeless for 3 hours) is going well. Tonight I will be going out for an informal drink with the participants in the program and tomorrow my orientation begins, so I should be learning a lot more about what I will be doing for the semester, and I will be able to answer a lot of questions people (including myself) want to know.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Starting a blog
Blogging is something I've never done before, so please bear with me as I try to figure out how to make this look good. I decided to start not only so that I could remember all my experiences while studying and travelling, but also so that I didn't have to tell the same stories or share the same pictures a hundred times. This way if you're ever curious what I'm up to you can check up on me (I'll try my hardest to keep it updated).
I leave tomorrow and I literally have not packed one thing, nor am I mentally prepared, so the next 24 hours could be an interesting and stressful time. But I wouldn't have it any other way!
I leave tomorrow and I literally have not packed one thing, nor am I mentally prepared, so the next 24 hours could be an interesting and stressful time. But I wouldn't have it any other way!
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