My Last Adventure - Amsterdam

My oh my how it's been quite some time. Like I referenced in my last post, finals are insane here. Insanely hard. The past month I've been here has been mostly spent studying. BUT, we did take a little break for a day trip to Amsterdam a couple weeks ago. Only a 2 1/2 hour bus ride away, we said why not? I wanted to make it up there even if it was at least for a day.

There was a worker's strike with the train system at the time we went, so Izzy and I had to wake up extremely early to catch a one hour bus ride from Leuven to Brussels just so we could catch our bus that would take us to Amsterdam. We had smooth travels up to the Netherlands, and got to Amsterdam around 10:45 am.

When shall I move in? 

Our first stop? The Pancake Bakery for brunch. This is one of the most famous restaurant/bakeries in Amsterdam, known for their dutch pancakes. I tried the dutch apple pancake and was extremely pleased with my choice. We did have to wait about a half hour to be seated because it's that popular, but I'm so happy we went.

After, I was determined to get a photo at the Fault In Our Stars Bench from the movie. After getting a bit misguided, I ended up finding it, only to find people wanting to do the same thing we were. The bench was so cool, with tons of people who had signed it and quotes from the book. How cool that must be for John Green?!

We then made our way toward the Rijiksmusem where we took some photos in front of the infamous "I Amsterdam" sign. But before hand, we sat along the canals for a bit which was so nice. When they say Amsterdam is truly a bike-friendly city, they mean it. It's almost a pain to get around there by car, because it's so accommodating for cyclers.

M for Mal! 

A bit tired, we took a break and grabbed a Starbucks and walked along the Floating Flower Market. Tons of vendors have stands that literally float on one of the canals -- although I was a bit disappointed as much of it was touristy. I was hoping to find some of those beautiful Dutch tulips!

Lastly, we made our way back to the train station, cutting through the Red Light District on the way. Can't say it's a place I need to go back to. Because the Netherlands legalized marijuana, it was definitely prevalent throughout the neighborhood. You could smell it all around you, and I was quick and ready to leave as soon as we entered.

How bittersweet I was that this was my last adventure to a new country. Be on the lookout for a recap post as I am heading home a week from TODAY! 3 finals and a little packing stands between me and my ride home to America. I've got lots to reflect on - and I can't wait to do so as I'm traveling home.

Living the Belgian Life in Gent

This past weekend, I had the privilege of staying with a Belgian family just outside of Gent in De Pinte, Belgium. My grandmother actually connected me with the family through a friend of her's whose family hosted the husband when he was studying in the United States. I am so thankful she did, because it made for such a fabulous and relaxing weekend.

We got to Gent on Friday because we were to spend a day there with our Flemish Art & Culture class. It was a long day -- we spent 5 hours in one museum we definitely didn't need to stay at, as well as a contemporary art museum. After being with our class, Izzy and I went to explore the city ourselves before we met up with the family we stayed with for dinner.

Doing some research, I discovered there is a street in Gent that is completely covered in graffiti, so we went to snap some pics and to explore. If you're ever in the city, look up "Werregarenstraat" to come across a tunnel that leads into a narrow street absolutely covered in graffiti. Every so often, they completely paint it over in white so that artists can start new projects, but ultimately it's a street meant for individual expression. I wish I would've known about it sooner, because I definitely would have bought a spray can of paint to add to the art on the wall.

After, it was time to meet up with the family we stayed with for the weekend. They took us out for the best dinner at "De Gekroonde Hoofden"- one of the oldest restaurants in Gent and well worth the visit if you're a fan of ribs. I ended up getting honey glazed ribs -- and the best part? They're all you can eat. We left the restaurant with full stomachs and sticky hands.

They took us to their home after where we were to stay for the night. It was so nice to sleep somewhere quiet and peaceful for a couple days. Especially when living in a residence with 20 other housemates.

The next morning, we were off to visit Gent. Frank who was hosting us drove us into the city where we got to explore for the day. Much of it was spent walking around and we got to see the three major churches that make up the town, Sint-Michielskerk, Saint Nicholas' Church, and Saint Bavo's Cathedral. Along with this, we went up the Belfry Tower to get a lovely view of Gent. There are plenty of canals running through the entire city as well, so we had the opportunity to simply take in the atmosphere.

By the end of the day - close to dinner time - Frank came and got us by his boat. Like I said, Gent has A LOT of canals, so there are plenty of ways to enter the city. We ended up getting to chat with a couple of his friends who were having a drink with him where they docked before we made the trek back to De Pinte where they lived. The ride was so lovely.

When we got back to his house, his wife was cooking dinner, and we chatted a bit more over drinks before eating. She ended up making this delicious lamb with potatoes and carrots that was heavenly. Being a college student who has to cook for herself, this felt like such a luxury. Because I don't want to spend tons of money on spices and flavoring for only for a semester, much of what I eat is pretty bland, so it was great to have someone else cook for a change.

After dinner, Frank showed us some photos of his travels and time he spent in the United States which was really neat to see. Before we knew it, we all went to sleep to wake up for the long boat ride we were taking on our last day.

Around 10 a.m. the next day, we got out to their marina where we went on a long boat ride. It was so cool to see all the homes and towns located next to the rivers we were on. It reminded me of being up at Lake Wawasee in the summer, something I miss so much. We eventually docked at a town called Sint-Martens-Lament. This ended up being where Frank grew up, and he showed us the perfect little path we could walk along for an hour before lunch. It was all Belgian countryside, homes with huge yards, just beautiful. I even befriended a couple sheep along the way.

The town itself was very adorable as well. All white buildings, a little church, nice restaurants. I would love to eventually move to a little place like this one. It was so peaceful - maybe after I've traveled the world for awhile, I can move to some place like this one. We looped back to their boat where we had a lovely lunch full of seafood. After, an ice cream truck pulled up that makes their treats with dairy straight from the cow, and it was so yummy. The perfect way to end such a relaxing weekend. We were so thankful for the opportunity to stay with them and to see a different side of Belgium.

Dublin' it Up in the City

Just two weeks ago, I found myself in the city of Dublin, Ireland for a quick weekend trip with Izzy and Annelien. All of us had always wanted to go, so we said let's do it!

Because of the delays during our trip to Spain, we had one day in between Spain and Ireland at home in Belgium, so much of what we did was very spontaneous while we visited (little time to plan unfortunately). Let me just say, the flight coming in was absolutely stunning. Because Dublin sits right near the water, we got to see much of the coastline upon flying in. 

Overall - I would give Dublin a 7/10. It's definitely a neat city with tons of history, but it's quite expensive when you're balling on a budget, and you truly don't need more than a weekend there. If anything, this trip fueled my desire to go back and visit the rest of the country, mountains, cliffs, and all.

Upon arriving, we got driven to our hostel by this adorable old Irish taxi driver. It's so weird seeing them drive on the other side of the road, let alone being present in a car while it happens, but he drove us about 20 minutes away to the heart of Dublin. We stayed in "The Generator Hostel" which ended up being very trendy, very different from the hostels we've stayed in before. 

Because we couldn't check in until 2, we went in search of lunch. We ended up going to the Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland dating back to 1198. It was everything you would imagine a typical Irish pub could be. Fireplaces, dark mahogany walls, beer glasses the size of your head - old Irish men drinking at 11 in the morning - it reminded me of the Three Broomsticks from Harry Potter. It was fantastic. I had a delicious sandwich and ended up trying some Irish hard cider (no Guinness for me - yet!)

The rest of the afternoon was spent simply exploring. It ended up raining a bit (what a surprise). We stopped in the late afternoon for one of the best "iced" hot chocolates I've ever had. Yes, you heard me. In the biggest mason jar, you get hot chocolate, topped with ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup. It was the absolute best. 

We ended up going to bed early that night due to the exhaustions of traveling. The following day was my favorite, though. We started our morning off by visiting St. Stephen's Green, a massive park in Dublin. As we walked through, we met an old Irish man who was fond of feeding pigeons. He ended up wanting us to do the same, and my friend Izzy went right for it. I'm not too fond of birds after an incident I had with one at a young age, but before I knew it the guy was giving me oats in my hand and I had a pigeon resting right on my arm. Don't worry, PLENTY of hand sanitizer was used after I was finished. He was a little quirky, but it made for a hilarious memory.

Kinda happy, kinda not...

After, we walked by Trinity College and decided we were going to visit Howth, a little harbor town on the coast of Ireland. It only cost 6 euros to take the train to get there, and boy was I happy we did. It was definitely my favorite part of the weekend. We couldn't have gone on a better day. Clear skies and a little bit of wind added to the ambiance of it all. You could walk all through the town and just see so much blue sky and rocky cliffs. I ended up making a couple new friends along the way as well...

Meet my new friends!

Howth, Ireland

Upon coming back, we trekked through the Temple Bar area where much of the nightlife happens. It's a cool little area to hear live music, but definitely something you only need to do once or twice.

Sunday, we visited the Guinness Brewery, which was much more awesome than what I expected. Not only do you get to learn about how the beer is made, but they teach you how to "craft the perfect pour" of Guinness. Let me tell you, it's an art. After you get through the museum, they have a "gravity bar" where you can see lovely views of Dublin while enjoying your complimentary glass. It was a lot of fun and I can proudly say I am a true fan of the beer.

Graduated with honors! 

Later that day, we were looking to go to the old jail located on the outskirts of the city, but little did we realize that you had to book in advance before you could go. So, we got there only to find out we couldn't visit which was disappointing. The rest of the evening was filled with relaxation, as we had an early flight the next morning. Our hostel ended up having live music on Sundays, so we sat in the restaurant and listened for a bit.

All in all, Dublin made me realize how much I want to go back to Ireland to explore more. I'm so thankful to have traveled to all these cities, and I'm so excited for a few more adventures we have in the works in my last 2 months ahead. Up next, an update on a visit to my favorite city in the world ... Paris! 

Dinant, You Didn't Disappoint

In my free time here, I've started to read lots of travel blogs to gain new insights and inspiration when it comes to exploring Europe. In doing so, I've come across multiple individuals who have put Belgium high up on their list of some of their favorite places they've visited. And now I can understand why.

If you ever have plans of traveling to Europe anytime soon, please put this little country on your list! While you've got to visit Brussels, Bruges, and Ghent, there are so many precious towns and cities to explore (and it isn't expensive to get to many places!) In working a little research magic, I came across the wonderful town of Dinant. An easy day trip from Leuven, we came for the gorgeous views and to climb the citadel that overlooks the town. 

Getting to your destination is just as much of an adventure as it is once you arrive. I've learned this very quickly. Upon arriving at the train station, I stopped by Panos for a Nutella croissant (something to indulge in when traveling) and got comfortable sitting on the train. I kicked back with my feet resting on the seat across from me. 10-15 minutes pass by, and the conductor comes through to check tickets. Once he arrived to me, I have never heard someone yell so much French. Lesson learned, but apparently you can get fined 25 euros for each FOOT you have rested on the chairs across from you. I pulled off the confused and scared little American card nicely, and thankfully didn't get fined. 

The farther south we traveled, the more French I was hearing. Dinant is located in the Southern half of Belgium -- and everyone speaks the language! I love it. 2 hours later, we pulled into town, with no plans set in stone.

After walking down the street, we turned a corner to this view.

Just stunning. See that huge rock behind the town with the wall? That was the citadel we climbed. Somehow I had this brilliant idea I should get back into running and ran 3 miles the day before. It's safe to say my legs were definitely not happy with my decision to take 300 something stairs up to the top.

But the view was so worth it. The original citadel (no longer intact) was originally built in 1051. The one we climbed today? Built in 1815. (Sorry mom for the following photos!!) but we stood up on the ledge to completely take in views of the city. Don't worry, it was extremely large, and we weren't the only ones doing it. Was it scary? A bit. But it was so exhilarating to just stand up on this wall, looking out over this tiny Belgian town and the beautiful countryside. One of those moments I will surely never forget. 

I'm on top of the world, HEY!

I even got to practice some French at a nearby restaurant where we grabbed some lunch. Dinant, you treated us so well. I can't wait to discover more hidden gems in Belgium while I still have time.

The Grand Béguinage // Groot Begijnhof van Leuven

Today was a dream ... in more ways than one. Not only was it 55 degrees and sunny (a rarity for Belgium), but I spent my afternoon exploring the most absolute beautiful place in Leuven. The Grand Béguinage is a completely restored historical neighborhood in the southern part of the city that is now owned by my university and houses students and professors alike. But the neat part about it all is the history about this place. The Beguinage was built in the 13th century - yes, you heard me. It's that old. And so romantic. And so peaceful. And so serene. I just want to spend all of my afternoons here.

Back in the day (900 years ago), this place was a community for unmarried, religious women. I caught myself saying multiple times, "Is this real? Am I actually walking through something as beautiful as this?" This is what I love about travel. Sure, you can go to the big cities like Paris, London, or Amsterdam and experience huge monuments, massive museums, and touristy places and have a good time. But how neat is it that this world is full of millions of little cities and towns full of hidden gems like Leuven?

Discovering this place was surreal as well. Leuven is a fairly big city full of busy streets, bike riders everywhere you look, plenty of apartments, restaurants, academic buildings. Soon after I turned a corner, things got quiet and the next thing I knew I was walking down a cobblestone path that led me to this quaint and quiet neighborhood. Barely any souls around, I could take in the sights and just completely lose myself in the moment.

I was immediately reminded of 2 movies: 1. The Holiday with Cameron Diaz. You remember when she goes on vacation and stays at that adorable cottage in the British countryside? This place was the Belgian equivalent. and 2. Harry Potter - Privet Drive. So many matching homes, it felt like I was in Surrey. Enjoy some of my favorite moments snapped below.

Thank you, Belgium

As of last Tuesday, I have been here for one month.

what.
what.
WHAT.

Time is flying by so fast. As much as I can't wait to see my family and friends when I get home, I don't want to leave. With everything I've done in the past month, I can only imagine what the next four will bring.

This being said, study abroad isn't all glamour and travels. There are tough days, days where you wish you could walk down the hall to your mom's room and talk to her about the challenges you're having. Days where you don't want to go to that boring class. Days where you just want to snuggle in bed all day. And that doesn't always happen necessarily.

But you push through regardless. Belgium has already given me plenty of opportunities to grow as an individual, and for that I am so thankful. I would say in general I am a pretty independent person, but this country has brought my independence to a whole new level. They say when you go off to college, you learn how to live on your own, how to manage your time, etc. But this place is different.

After going from a schedule at Hanover where I'm busy from 8:30 am to 11:00 pm at night to a schedule in Leuven where I don't have to be awake before noon only to be busy for 2-3 hours a day, accountability means something different. It means forcing yourself to do your school work, to make time for friends, to travel, and to find time for yourself.

I'm learning to find a balance between relaxation and productivity. I have more time to enjoy the things I don't get to at Hanover. If I want to take a break from homework to go take a walk outside, I can do that. (Let me tell you, there are some beautiful places to walk here). I'm learning how to do it all.

With this, I am looking forward to warmer days and the adventures that come with them. Meanwhile, we spent a chilly weekend in Belgium with one of Izzy's friends who was visiting from her study abroad experience in Italy. It was tons of fun, we ended up going to Brussels for the afternoon and showed her around Leuven which was lovely. Enjoy several pictures below:

Views from "Mont des Arts".

Belgian fries with "sauce Americaine" - still no clue what it was. I can't seem to get on the bandwagon with the mayo obsession here. 

Still on track with my waffle goal.

Tropismes - the coolest bookstore fit for royalty.

The Grand Place of Brussels.

Phi Mu love from across the pond. 

I will forever obsess of Kasteel van Arenberg. It is so serene and calming here. I almost forget I'm in Belgium when I visit. It feels like walking through the grounds of a peaceful Irish manor.

Happy Sunday friends - until next time.

Youda Best, Budapest (Part Two)

Here goes **Part Two** of my adventures in Budapest. I'm still in awe of how much we accomplished in such a short period -- but we had the best time and I couldn't have asked for a better experience (get ready for LOTS of pictures).

DAY TWO:
After getting plenty of rest, we woke up to grab breakfast before heading off on the day's adventures. We grabbed food at this place called Cserpes Tejivó, a little breakfast/brunch place to fuel up. One of the great things about Budapest? It's cheap. They do use a different currency there, the forint, although Hungary is a member of the EU. Their bills are measured in thousands, so for a typical dinner, you may pay 2500-3000 forints (around 8-10 euros). Our breakfast ended up costing 470 forints - so basically 1.50 in euros. And look at how great it was!

After getting my chocolate fix, it was off to Buda Castle. We hadn't ventured to the Buda side of Budapest, but the castle is perched on the top of this plateau that overlooks the city - well worth the visit. Traveling tip - pay for public transportation and the bus will take you all the way to the top of the plateau so you don't have to climb it or pay 10 euros to have a trolley bring you.

The views were absolutely stunning. You get this gorgeous look of the Danube River, you see the bridges connecting the two sides of the city, and there is a fantastic view of Hungarian Parliament (a must!) It's one thing to walk by that building, but you must travel to the Buda side of town in order to see a complete view of the building in all its glory. A mini photo shoot also ensued, so enjoy some of my favorites below.

After taking in some beautiful views, we grabbed lunch and then headed back down the hill. If you take some time to walk around the top of Buda, you'll get some great views of the mountains I mentioned behind the city - you can see little towns spread throughout and it's just stunning.

Once we took a bit of a breather at our hostel, we decided to go to this pub that Annelien loves to visit when she comes here. We were a bit concerned we wouldn't be able to go, as it was Sunday and everything is closed then in Europe - but the place was open and boy was I glad it was.

If you ever go to Budapest - stop by For Sale Pub. While it does have a bit of a Texas Roadhouse vibe (peanuts to eat at every table, shells and hay scattered across the floor), what people go for are the notes spread all throughout. Thousands hang from the walls and ceilings, written by people from all over the world who have visited. Of course we had to make our mark, so we grabbed one of the coasters and placed ours on a wall. Hopefully one day I can come back to find it.

Leaving our mark in Budapest. 

For dinner, we were craving pasta, so that's exactly what we went and got. With our bellies full of Italian, day two was a wrap.

DAY THREE:
Again, we slept in and enjoyed the morning. We grabbed a late breakfast at a place called Friccolla - all fresh ingredients, organic foods, extremely healthy (think of those trendy places in big cities that sell those green juices with ingredients you've never heard of it). I had a great sandwich on ciabatta bread with ham, mozzarella, and sun dried tomatoes which satisfied my morning hunger.

Once we finished eating, we stopped by a mall so Annelien and Izzy could do a bit of shopping. Like I said, Budapest is really cheap -- so if you're looking to shop, this is the place to go. Later on we took the metro to Annelien's neighborhood where she lived when she studied abroad here. The building she lived in was beautiful. While I can jazz up this city as much as possible through these posts - parts of it were saddening.

Budapest has lots of old buildings with beautiful detailing/architecture/etc., but many of them are deteriorating because no one is refurbishing them. Who knows why they aren't being cleaned up, but you could see paint chipping off many of the buildings, exposed brick, and rusted walls slowly falling apart. It was a beautiful tragedy - the city is so old, but no one is doing anything to fix them up.

Annelien at the metro stop in her neighborhood

At the end of her street - you come across Hero Square. Used to commemorate the Seven Chieftains of the Seven Magyars, it includes the tomb of the unknown soldier (also a place where many political demonstrations have taken place). After walking around for a bit, we stopped for food and then relaxed again before the final stops on our Hungarian explorations.

I don't know if it was fate or just a stroke of luck, but our hostel ended up being 3 minutes away from a cat cafe! It was the greatest thing. If you aren't aware of how these work, they're basically cafes where you can drink your cup of coffee while playing with kitties at the same time. So, I ordered my cat-puccino and did exactly that. So fun! I just wish there was one at home for me to go to. Makes me miss my cats even more.

One cat-puccino please!

Two more stops were to be made on this trip. First, we tried Kürtóskalács, a delicacy first made in the Hungarian-speaking parts of Romania for festivals that is now eaten on the reg. They describe it as a "spit cake" made with a sweet yeast. You can get it with different toppings (I went with chocolate because duh!). Very different, but yummy.

Our last stop: Szimpla Kert. They call them "ruin pubs" where you can eat/drink and socialize. They completely take over these old buildings and factories that are practically falling apart and refurbish them into restaurants. So cool and very funky. Originally, we were searching for a rooftop restaurant that would overlook the city, but we determined it would still be a bit too cold to do so.

All in all, Budapest treated us so well. As for my next couple weeks, I will be spending time getting to know my area a bit better. No major travels until our spring break hopefully. On my list for now? Visiting Lille, France (just a train ride away), possibly Luxembourg, as well as the tulip fields in the Netherlands once the weather gets a bit warmer. Soaking in every moment has been key, but I can't wait to see what new adventures Belgium brings me!