Lila's Birthday

Thursday, April 5 was my friend Lila’s 21^st birthday. To celebrate we went to Chi Chi’s to have dinner and some drinks. They offered pitchers of margaritas so we had a couple of those. After dinner we sang Happy Birthday and the waiter gave her a sombrero to keep. We paid the bill and then went to the ritzy area of Antwerp called SOHO. Apparently this is where Belgian celebrities hang out but we didn’t see any, not that we would recognize them anyway. After the bar is SOHO we went to a club called Local. We had never been there before because it is generally really hard to get it but one of the people we were with knew a guy that managed the place so we got in right away. It was pretty fun but we didn’t stay long because our midterm was the next day. Even though we had to go back early it was still a fun night and she had a great birthday!

Local

National Bank of Belgium and such

So finals are finally over and now we have started our marketing “blitz course”, which is a class crammed into 2 weeks. Monday, April 3, we had 6 hours of one class. It was a long day! Since then we have only had 3 hours which isn’t too bad. I’ve gotten used to 3 hours of class at a time. Tomorrow we have our first midterm for marketing. It seems a little crazy to have a midterm after only 4 days of classes but we have learned a lot already and it shouldn’t be too hard. Yesterday, Wednesday, we went to the National Bank of Belgium to listen to an economist give a speech about banking and the European Union and stuff like that. I was a nice speech but not really the most interesting speech ever. The Bank is really pretty though!

 This weekend I am heading to Paris and meeting up with my dad and Kathy. I’m excited to have a break and travel! I’ll let you all know how it went when I get back. Until then I’ll talk to you later.

Leuven, Belgium

On Thursday March 22, 2012 we had a field trip to Leuven, Belgium. It took about an hour and a half to get there by bus. Our first stop was the famous Stella Artois Brewery. We were given a tour of the brewery and were able to taste the beer at the end of the tour. It was really interesting. They recycle 99% of all waste at the factory. That means all the recycled cans and bottles are cleaned and reused. Also all the labels that are taken off and recycled and used for making other paper products such as napkins and toilet paper. It was also really cool to see all the bottles getting filled. They can fill up to 80,000 cans of beer in one hour and they operate 24/7/365. That’s a lot of beer!

After the tour we rode the bus over towards the center of Leuven and were given free time for lunch. Most of us went to the Kebab shop and got Kebabs with freits, that’s french fries in Dutch, on top. Yummm. After lunch we took a tour of the city. We went into St. Michael’s church and saw the town hall. We also saw the university that is situated in the middle of the city. The university is extremely old and beautiful. The city holds around 38,000 students. It’s a beautiful city, almost to the point where I wish our program was there but I still LOVE Antwerp! We rode the bus home and arrived in Antwerp around 6:00pm. That was the end of our day.

The next day, Friday, was the last day of our classes! It was gorgeous out and after class I went shopping and walking around Antwerp. It was great. This morning, Saturday March 24, 2012, a bunch of people went to the farmer’s market. It was a lot bigger than what I expected and I loved it. I bought a baguette, cheese, and strawberries, as well as a watch and a pair of earrings. I also had my first churro. I got back to the Monty around 1:00pm and I have been studying all day for my finance final that is on Monday. Wednesday I have an Operations final and finally Friday I have my Management final. Wish me luck. Time to finish strong!

Spring is Finally Here!

The Last Days in Paradise

The last day we slept in and eventually made our way back to the ancient area of Rome. We found a nice café and had sandwiches and coffee and hot chocolate for me. Delicious! While we were there we wrote postcards for the families and just enjoyed the day. Afterwards we continued to walk around and did a little shopping. We also went back to Vatican City to send our post cards and went to the Spanish stairs one more time to see it in the daylight and take pictures. The day was very nice and relaxed. Around 6 we got on a bus to go back to the airport and catch our flight back to Brussels. That night we stayed in a hotel near the airport and slept for a few hours. The next day we took a cab back to the airport, took a bus to the train station, and took the train to Brussels International Airport. It was quite the haul but we made it. I waited for Dylan to check his bag and then watched him walk though security. It was a sad moment watching him go. Once he was through security I walked to the bus that would take me to Antwerp and got on. The rest is history and my amazing Spring Break was over.

Vatican City

The next day we signed up for a tour of the Vatican. The previous night I had asked to guy at the front desk if the tour left from the hostel and he told me it did. The next morning when I signed up the people informed me that it didn’t leave from the hostel instead it just started in Vatican City. Dylan and I had about 20 minutes to get from the hostel to the Vatican. We ended up making it just in time but it was a little stressful. We first toured the Vatican museum, which I was glad we got a tour guide for because it is gigantic. All of the artwork was amazing and I particularly liked the Hall of Maps. At the end of the museum the guide took us into the Sistine Chapel. No pictures are allowed in there but I was able to sneak a few just for my readers!  J The Sistine Chapel was absolutely amazing. It’s unbelievable that Michelangelo was able to paint it almost entirely by himself.

Next we were able to go into St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s gorgeous and HUGE. An interesting fact that I learned it that the cupola that sits atop of the basilica is actually not attached. It is so heavy that it just sits on top and cannot be moved.

After touring Vatican City we went and had lasagna at a little restaurant. Not very many people in Rome spoke English so ordering was kind of difficult. Next we walked over to the Castel Sant’ Angelo built to hold the remains of Emperor Hadrian. We didn’t go inside we just walked by it and took some pictures.

. Both of us were exhausted and we had a hard time figuring out the bus system so we slowly made our way back to the hostel. At the hostel we took a nap and woke up about 3 hours later. We decided to go out to a nice dinner, just the two of us, and our tour guide from the first day recommended a nice area we could go to. We walked around for a while and finally decided on a little Italian restaurant. I had spaghetti with meat sauce and Dylan ordered seafood pasta. We also ordered a bottle of wine. After dinner we went to a bar that was by the train station. The atmosphere was kind of weird but Dylan and I made friends with the bartender and he gave us quite a few free drinks. He said it was his last night working there so that’s probably why. He was a really nice guy and he was great at bartending. He would do a bunch of tricks and throw the glasses around. I was impressed. Finally we made our way back home.

Bastine Chocolate Factory

I just realized that I forgot to blog about my visit to the chocolate factory next door to my dorm. On February 21, instead of having classes the group took a tour of the Bastine Chocolate Factory. We started the tour by watching a video on how cocoa is grown, harvested, and converted into chocolate. After the short video we went downstairs to where all of the chocolate is made. We watched to owner fill the chocolate molds then fill them with marzipan by hand. They also showed us how they are able to mass produce using machines. I was chosen to try making the design on the chocolate using a little fork-like utensil. I pressed down too hard and the owner made a joke about it. We were able to sample the chocolate and it was delicious. They also gave us a box of chocolates as a gift when we left. We then had the rest of the day off to just relax. It was a good day. J

RomAmoR

On Tuesday, March 6 at around 9:00pm Dylan and I arrived in the Rome airport. We waited to take a shuttle to the train station then had to walk from the train station to the hostel. The name of the hostel we stayed in was Alessandro Downtown. On the way to the hostel we stopped and ate dinner at McDonalds. I know it’s terrible but it was the only thing open and we were both exhausted. The hostel was about a 5 minute walk from the train station down a somewhat scary road, at night that is. The hostel was pretty nice. I definitely liked the one in Barcelona better though. As soon as we got checked in we headed to the room and went to bed. The next morning we slept till about 9 or 10 and then signed up for a tour of Ancient Rome.

The Coliseum

Turns out we were the only ones that signed up so we ended up having a private tour with a guy named Tim. He was really nice and you could tell he loved the history of Rome. He told us that he had just moved there about 9 months ago from Holland where he studied ancient history at a university. He first took us to the Coliseum by metro. We had excellent views of the Coliseum and walked all around it. Unfortunately our tour did not go inside though. We also saw the Roman Forum, Pantheon, City Hall, Circus Maximus, and the monument built when Rome became a part of Italy. The monument is massive and very white. Tim told us that most Romans do not like it because it is so large and they think it is too bold I guess you would say. It’s beautiful but they feel it’s an eyesore.

The Monument

My favorite of course was the Coliseum but I also really liked the Circus Maximus. The Circus Maximus is where chariot racing used to take place. Now it is just a big field with somewhat of a track but it is cool to stand there and imagine what it used to look like.

Circus Maximus

Also some other places we saw during the tour were the balcony where Mussolini stood and the site where Michelangelo’s house used to be. After our tour Tim took us to a small pizza place just around the corner from the Pantheon. There pizza was amazing! After lunch I suggested we get gelato so Tim also took us to his favorite gelato place and joined us for a cone of gelato. I got coffee and chocolate gelato. Finally Tim left and pointed us in the direction of the Trevi Fountain.

The Pantheon

When we got there I wasn’t too impressed. I thought it would be in an open area and that the fountain would be massive. Instead it is tucked away in a corner with shops surrounding and it isn’t quite as big as I thought. There were also a million tourists surrounding it. We of course took pictures in front and tossed a coin into the fountain. Later that night we walked to the top of Pincio Hill to see the sunset over Rome. It was stunning. You could see the Pantheon, St. Peters Basilica, and the monument all in one glance. My friends Cat and Lauren also met us to watch the sunset.

Once the sun was all the way down and it was dark we walked to a nice little restaurant just past the Trevi Fountain. We shared a bottle of wine and I hade fettuccine alfredo. For desert we had more gelato. Gelato crushes ice cream any day! After dinner we walked around a little more and went home to bed.

Trevi Fountain at night

The Last Day in Barca

Our last day in Barcelona we went to La Segrada Familia or “the sacred family” church. It is made to look like it is made out of sand/clay. La Segrada Familia is gigantic! Tourists are able to go inside but we weren’t able to because the line was too long. In order to get in you need to be there at the crack of dawn. If I am ever in Barcelona again, which I will be, I definitely want to go inside.

After taking pictures in front of the church we headed over to Montjuic Park. It is a park the covers the majority of a hill to the side of the city. Atop the hill the views of the city and the water are gorgeous. We took a cable car ride to the top of the hill where there’s a castle. The castle of Montjuic is its name. We wandered around the castle for a while and then ate lunch on top of the castle with the views all around.

After lunch we walked down the hill to see the Olympic stadium from the 1992 Olympic Games. After seeing the stadium we walked to the metro which was really far away and made our way back to the hostel. Dylan and I gathered our bags, sent our post cards, and took the bus to the airport. I was sad to leave such a great city but I will hopefully return in the future. Off to Rome we went!

Gaudi and more Sangria

Monday we woke up earlier and were out around 10:00am. We first went el Mercat, the market. They had a bunch of fresh fruit stands and meat and cheese stands. We bought fresh food to make sandwiches and had a picnic later that day in Park Guell. We rode the metro to Park Guell which is a park with a bunch of Gaudi sculptures.

Gaudi is an artist that did a bunch of mosaic work. The park was huge with hiking trails everywhere and great views of the city. I kind of reminded me of the Hollywood hill. We ate lunch in the mail part of the park and the pigeons went crazy. They loved our scraps. After going to the park we went to finally check out the beach.

The water was obviously still freezing but it was so nice outside. I collected some sand in an empty water bottle to bring back. We walked from the beach to marina and sat at a restaurant to share a pitcher of sangria. After the first pitcher the group split and some of us went to another restaurant to try their sangria. That restaurant had the best sangria yet. There was so much fruit in it that it was like a smoothie. We later met up with Laetitia’s local friends and had a drink with them. They recommended a few places to go on a Monday night and we parted ways.

The hostel had a program where they took us out so we decided to go with them and make some new friends. Dylan met a few Canadian guys and they became friends. We ended up going to el gato negro again and then to a club called otto zutto. It was a little too crowded for me so we left after about an hour.

The Catalonian Way of Life

The second day in Barcelona we slept in a little bit and didn’t end up leaving the hostel until noon. We took the metro to the marina and bought lunch from a street vendor. We all got these pizza type things will pork, tomato sauce, and cheese inside a crust. They were sort of cold and I think they were meant to be heated before eating but they were still pretty good.

Around the marina there were also street vendors selling clothes and souvenirs so we did a little shopping. I bought a pretty purple picture frame that had Barcelona 2012 written on it. After shopping we went to the aquarium. It was fun and I loved seeing all of the different types of sea animals. They even had penguins!

We were going to go check out the beach after the aquarium but the sky turned grey and we decided to just go back to the hostel. A nice siesta later we woke up and got ready to go to dinner. We decided to have a nice seafood dinner at the marina so we went back and ate at El Rey de La Gamba, “the king of the shrimp”. Dylan and I split seafood paella which is a traditional Spanish dish consisting of shrimp, chicken, and shellfish overtop of rice, probably my favorite meal yet. We also drank sangria. The atmosphere was great and I had a wonderful time. I would go back in a heartbeat!

Barca, Barca, Barca

Friday, March 2 was the first day of Spring Break. After a class field trip to Punch Powertrain and the Fruit Auction the bus dropped my roommate and I off at Brussels airport. We flew Vueling from Brussels to Barcelona which only took about 2 hours. She was able to book a free hotel for the night using her air miles so we headed to the hotel after landing. Somehow we missed our street and ended up taking a cab about a block and it cost us 7 euro. What a rip off! The next day Dylan and others met up with us at Plaza Catalunya which is like the city center plaza. I was so excited to see Dylan! Our hostel was only a few blocks from there so that was really convenient. The hostel was nice and everyone there was really friendly. It felt a little like a college dorm so we were all very at home.

Plaza Catalunya

Once everyone arrived we went back out to eat at a tapas place. The tapas were delicious but the service was the opposite. It took 2 hours to eat 4 little tapas and some other people’s food didn’t even come out so we just paid and left.  

My tapas

Dylan and I then went over to the Camp Nou, where FC Barcelona plays, to go to the FC Barcelona museum. In the museum were all of the team’s cups and trophies as well as a bunch of memorabilia. We were also able to see the stadium with no one in it. After the tour we stocked up on Barcelona gear and gifts for his family. We rushed home to get changed and pick up our tickets and then went to the game which started at 8:00pm.



More than a Club

 The game was really fun even though we didn’t get to sit together. Barcelona won 3-1 but Messi, the star player, ended up not playing so I was bummed about that. The fans were all really into the game and the lady next to me kept yelling in Spanish. We went back to the hostel after the game and got ready to go out.

We went to a bar called el gato negro or “the black cat”. They pretty much just served crazy shots. You would tell the bartender the strength that you wanted and the flavor and he would make it. All of the shots were flaming and had tricks that went along. I had a few shots but most of them were gross. We then took a cab to a club called Razz-ma-tazz. It was alright, they had a live band playing and the place was huge.



Razz-ma-tazz



Mom takes on Antwerp

My mom came to visit on Thursday, February 23. I had classes that day and the next day so I felt kind of bad that I couldn’t spend too much time with her but she had a great time wandering the streets of Antwerp and enjoying the European way of life. We were able to get meals together and they were wonderful, a great change from my normal cheap pasta. Friday night we went out to dinner at a nice restaurant near the church and town hall. We ate traditional Antwerp meals, my first since I’ve been here.

On Saturday we took the train to Amsterdam and oh boy what a day that was! We bought our train tickets no problem and got on what we thought was the right train. After being on that train for a little while to ticket man came around to check our tickets. Turns out that wasn’t the right train, it was the high speed train which costs quite a bit more. He gave us the option to either pay 70 euro more per person or get off in Rotterdam. My mom was about to pay until the lady sitting behind her offered to help us find the right train in Rotterdam. The lady was so nice and helpful. She was originally from Rotterdam and her husband from Paris so they rode the high speed train pretty often. We got on the right train no problem and then almost missed the Amsterdam stop because I didn’t recognize it… oops!

Thanks for nothing Mr. Train man..

When we finally arrived in Amsterdam we decided to do a canal tour ride that allowed us to hop on and off of the boat all day long. We first went to the Anne Frank museum but the line was really long so we decide to just wander. We went in a few shops and ate authentic hot dogs which tasted so much better than American hot dogs. Then we rode the boat to the Van Gough museum. It was interesting but it was the sort of thing were if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all, unless you really love Van Gough I guess. I also was sad when I found out they didn’t have starry night and that it in a museum in New York. We left the museum and ate soft serve ice cream that was so good and then went into a diamond place. We were able to see the Queen of England’s crown that had giant diamonds.

Needless to say I couldn’t afford any of them. Then the second mishap of the day occurred when we were going to get back on the boat. An old lady that worked for the boat company told us the boat left from a different spot in 2 minutes so we ran down the streets of Amsterdam as fast as we could and made the boat but then the boat didn’t even leave till 15 minutes later. We were so out of breathe it was hilarious. Hungry and tired we made our way back towards the train station and decided to have dinner at the largest Chinese food restaurant in Europe called the Sea Palace. It’s a floating restaurant on the canal. The food was good and all of the Chinese business people around us were very drunk so we had a good time laughing at them.

Sunday we went to a flea market and hung out in Amsterdam. I was able to see a lot of the city that I hadn’t yet seen. Tuesday we made a trip to Bruges. I wanted to climb the bell tour and go to a brewery. Turns out the bell tour was closed for construction and we arrived at the brewery too late to go on a tour. I was kind of sad but we made the most of it and saw the city and then ate fish and chips at a little restaurant with a nice view of the bell tour.

It was a good day and I loved having my mom visit me. Remembering our fun times together makes me miss her. I’m glad she was able to come!



Love Her!



Last Stop: Munich

The last stop of our 10 day trip was Munich. We arrived on Friday the 17^th of February and checked into our hostel called the Wombat. After getting settled in a few of the girls went to dinner at the Augustine Brewery and ordered traditional Bavarian meals. I split a dish with Lauren that had a variety of food topped with a mushroom sauce. It was delicious! Then we walked around the field that Oktoberfest is in, it was covered with snow. We also saw the lady Bavaria statue.

The next day the group woke up early to take a tour of Dachau. I had already been there before with the church when we went to Germany in high school but this time it was a little different. Since going in high school I think that I have matured a little more and I was able to have a deeper understanding of the pain and suffering that took place there. Visiting the concentration camps in definitely a saddening experience but I think it is important so that other generations are able to learn from the mistakes of earlier generations. It is a way to learn and look forward so that it does not happen again.



The Gate to Dachau



After going to Dachau I went with a few friends to the BMW museum and Olympic Park. They were both pretty cool. We then walked over towards where dinner was and were able to see the Glockenspiel. Dinner was at the famous Hofbrauhaus, where Hitler made the name of the Nazi party official. We were served chicken and German potatoes but of course the main item was their beer.

It is served in liter glasses only. Somehow I managed to drink two glasses. There were also people that performed traditional German music while we ate and the restaurant is designed to look like you are sitting inside a beer barrel. It was fun to say the least. It was a good night and a good end to the trip. The next day we loaded the bus and drove home. THE END… for now

WIEN -- Vienna

The bus ride from Budapest to Vienna was relatively short. When we arrived we checked into the Wombat Hostel then got back on the bus for a bus tour. The bus was so warm and cozy and dark, making it impossible to stay awake. We did stop and get off at Hundertwasser House. It’s an apartment building with all sort of crazy colors and it isn’t straight at all.

After the nap/bus tour a few of us went to dinner at a sushi place. It was delicious but instead of salad with ginger dressing they served seaweed salad. I tried so and the texture was so chewy and gross. Later that night we ended up just staying at the hostel bar. They had pool and music. The next day we took a walking tour of the city. We first walked through the open air market, then saw the opera building and the St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

The Opera House

Open Air Market

We also were able to see the Lipizzaner horses of the Spanish Riding School walked back into their stable. Vienna is a beautiful city and I was much more appreciative of its beauty the second time I was there.

For lunch the whole group went to a nice restaurant and all ate the traditional Wiener schnitzel. It was delicious but I wasn’t too much of a fan of the traditional German potato salad. After lunch we had free time and of course went shopping during the free time. After, we went to the opera as a group. It was a small opera and I liked it. It wasn’t a big dress up affair. It was small and short. Later that night we went to a small local bar and then to a “drum and bass” club called Flex. That was about all for Vienna. The  time spent there was short but nice.