Today marks one official week in Europe and I could not be happier with the experiences I have had. Classes are very interesting and our host family is amazing. I thoroughly have enjoyed sitting around after dinner and just talking about the differences between Europe and America and learning about our host family’s day to day life. The first excursion to Bingen was amazing and a great way to start! The views from the Marksburg castle were amazing and I loved listening to our guide and his comical stories about what life was like in the castle.
The first weekend of travel we decided to travel to the city of Brussels. I personally had no idea what to expect about the culture or infrastructure of the city because it is not something that we often learned of in history class. I only had one agenda, which was to consume a Belgian waffle. The trip completely blew my mind and exceeded expectations, not only was the food amazing but the town itself was beautiful. We made absolutely no plans of where to go and decided to start at the Grand Place and just wander around from there. The Grand Place was very intricate and breathtaking, and as we walked around the city it only got better. It seemed that every corner we turned there was either a jaw-dropping cathedral or a building coated in gold. In addition to this, I not only got to eat a waffle topped with white chocolate and whipped cream, but we had wonderful chocolate and French fries. I was also very surprised to learn that French fries actually originated in Belgium and I plan on giving proper credit where it is due when I return to the states.
The return back from Brussels was very hard because I felt like we needed an entire week to see everything there, but it left me in high spirits for the weekend trips that are to come. We also were introduced further to German culture by experiencing a customs check in which German officers stopped the bus and lined us up to search for drugs. Overall, the trip was so much more than I ever expected and I fully hope to someday return to Brussels, Belgium.
Au Revoir,
Lauren Baker
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