Last week was the first week of classes, plus a long weekend, thanks to a Greek Holiday on Thursday. I only have classes Monday - Thursday, so I had a very short week. I'll be taking a Food Safety Management course that focuses on the microbiology of food pathogens (yes...a Microbiology Lab is in my future...). I will also be learning about the marketing side of food in Food, Taste, and Society. To round out my food classes, I have a Sensory Analysis of Food lab and lecture (tasting, seeing, feeling, smelling food is involved). Starting this Thursday, all the study abroad students will be taking a language class and a cultural class to help us get to know Greece a little better...both I am very excited for! All of my classes are so different from Iowa State lectures - very little homework, only one lecture a week, and only one exam (with a spectacular grading scale). I will keep you all updated on these throughout the semester!
Brussels Baby
Wednesday night we took off for our Brussels adventure. We experienced the infamous Ryan Air (a discount airline in Europe) for the first time. The plane was a lot more comfortable than expected, but don't expect anything for free. There's no time for the lights to be off, either, because the flight attendants have to walk down the aisle at least 100 times to sell you food, drinks, perfume, makeup, and even lottery tickets. Apparently, though, Ryan Air is one of the best airlines in Europe (and it's cheap!), so I would recommend.
We landed around 10pm and found a taxi ASAP to get to our AirBnB that was only 20 minutes away. In Greece, that taxi would've been 20-25 euros....boy were we in another country. We paid 71 euros for this short (and terrifying) taxi ride to an equally terrifying little town. It was dark and quiet and we had no idea where we were. Once we got inside the apartment, we could breathe...but very quietly so we wouldn't wake the host or other guests. This place was only for the first two nights - closer to the hotel and cheaper. We learned very quickly that you should just pay the extra cash for something in the city. Transportation will eat your funds away. We took trains into the city (sometimes paying, sometimes not). At the end of the day, we would've spent the same amount on the pricier stays. We are always learning.
Brexit?
Before deep-diving into my trip, I want to inform everyone about Brexit, as it happened the same time I was in Brussels. As many of you probably know, Brexit is the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. This means that England, Scotland, and some of Ireland are no longer apart of the European Union. Being apart of the EU meant free trade and free movement of people. Basically, this means anyone in the EU can sell to anyone else, and people are free to move, work, and travel to other countries without much trouble. Now that Brexit has happened, all of this COULD go away, or it could stay the same. There will be a whole bunch of negotiations between the UK and the EU this year to determine the rules and laws between them. If no deal is determined, huge taxes can be put on goods moving to and from the UK from the EU, which is a huge problem considering part of Ireland is actually in the UK.
All of this being said, Belgium made it very clear how much they love the UK by hosting a celebration the night before Brexit happened. In the Grand Palace square, iconic London decor was set up and a band played British music. There were a lot of tourists from the UK visiting for this celebration and to be away from their country when Brexit officially happened. While there was a majority vote for Brexit by the people, it was only 52% - meaning 48% of the UK are not happy at all. This celebration was lighthearted and brought the European countries together one last time. It was really cool to see everyone singing and celebrating together with the square lit up with blue and red lights.
Waffles Anyone?
Our first day in Brussels was a blast. We arrived in Brussels around lunch time and immediately found waffles. There was the cutest little waffle truck outside the train station that had street waffles for only 2 euros. We then had lunch at a cafeteria-like place. French is the primary language in Brussels, so translating and communicating was always an experience. I ended up getting Chili Cheese Croquettes - which was basically spicy cheese curds (yum).
We signed up for a Belgium Waffle Workshop for later in the day. This was probably my favorite experience of the trip. We were joined by a group of American study abroad students visiting from London, some London Natives, some French girls, and a woman from Iceland. Our instructor taught us the in's and out's of waffles - the difference between Belgium Waffles and Street Waffles, the classic toppings, and how the waffle iron came about. Then we began the baking. We learned the recipe and made a batter (enough for 14 waffles). Then we cooked the waffles in a traditional iron. Finally, we got to top our waffles with whatever we wanted - cream, chocolate, fruit, nuts, cookie butter, etc. Let me tell you....there is nothing like a homemade Belgium waffle. If you are in Belgium, even for a short amount of time, DO THIS. It was well worth the money and so much fun!
Manneken Pis and Beer
We made our way to the Grand Palace - kind of the tourist hub of Brussels - for most of our trip. This is home to Manneken Pis, the statue of a little boy peeing. Manneken Pis is honestly an icon and everything you saw in Brussels had something to do with him. We found chocolate, waffles, a Pandora charm, and even a corkscrew (my favorite...still sad I didn't buy one). Apparently there is a female version of Manneken Pis named Jeanneke Pis. I say apparently because we looked EVERYWHERE for her and never found her. Google her and you can get an idea why she isn't as popular a her brother (kinda disturbing) and look for their dog!
We spent some time at Delirium Village, home to hundreds of beers and cocktails. This place is the place to be on the weekend. People crowd the streets, making it almost impossible to get into the buildings. If you want a party, check this place out. You have a good mix of tourists and locals, and everyone is having a good time. I tried a few different beers on the trip, my favorite being Trappistes Rochefort. The beer in Belgium is a different breed - don't expect Busch Light. The darker, richer beers were around 13% abv, meaning it didn't take much to get you a little tipsy. I love dark beer and I was thoroughly impressed with everything I had. We went to a grocery store to get a few other kinds to try (for a lot cheaper). The fruit beers are very sweet - good if you don't like beer. If you are into IPA's, try the world famous Duvel. I didn't mind the taste, but it had a lot more hops than I like. All in all, if you plan to go to Belgium, you better like good beer and ask the bartender for their favorite.
Chocolate and....MORE WAFFLES?
As I mentioned before, near Manneken Pis was the primary tourist area, use him as a landmark. First of all, always start your day with a street waffle...or three. After that, try some of the other food. One thing we kept seeing and had to try were the fries. You buy a cone of fresh fries and top them with any sauce you want - ketchup, mustard, garlic aioli, cocktail sauce, etc. I got the aioli (apparently a traditional sauce) and wow was it good, and they photographed beautifully.
Our last day in Brussels, we decided to do our own chocolate tour (the one we were going to do was sold out). We started with hot chocolate at Le Comptoir de Mathilde. You pick a flavor, grab some hot, frothy milk, and stir it in. I had tiramisu dark chocolate.....so good. Being semi lactose intolerant, I was scared of the milk, but it was worth the stomach cramps. Next, we walked through all the different chocolate shops, trying samples and picking things to buy. If you don't want to bring any chocolate back home (a HUGE mistake), you can get by on all the samples...my stomach was overflowing. Definitely check out the Godiva store and Elisabeth Chocolatier - they had beautiful displays and amazing choices. At the end of the day, I went back and got some of the hot chocolate sticks from the first store.
Before heading back to our airbnb, I decided to suffer some more and buy a giant chocolate chip pastry. We had walked past it a few times, lines forming outside the building. I had no idea what it was but I decided I had to try it. After eyeballing it with another tourist from the states, we made the executive decision to go in. It was more than worth it. This giant loaf was flaky like a croissant, crunchy like a good loaf of bread, and oh, so chocolaty - how else can you finish a day full of chocolate?
Brussels is a beautiful city, even in the rain. I would recommend making a stop here - even if that means taking a train from Paris for a day. It is home to some amazing food and great beer. Below are a few more pictures! Next week, I am so excited to be traveling to Tel Aviv, Israel, where I will take a tour of Old Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the Dead Sea! I will also have my first full week of classes - so stay tuned!
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