Hey! So, I haven’t written a blog post in a while but I’ve been majorly busy with travelling to Brussels (pictures below!) and trying to win over classes of indifferent students.
This post is kinda overdue, in that I went there last weekend, but I really wanted to write a post about it because the memories themselves make me so happy ❤
Last weekend, I went to Brussels for the first time ever and it was an absolutely amazing experience. I honestly think that Brussels is my favourite city I’ve ever been to.
I went with my favourite Belgian and we left Arlon around lunchtime, spending the afternoon visiting the major tourist hot spots such as the Atomium and the Mannekenpis. Yes, for those of you that just googled those two monuments, Belgium is famous for a massive monument shaped like an atom and a statue of a young boy peeing. The Atomium is incredible, it makes you feel so tiny standing next to it! And well, apparently, the story behind the Mannekenpis is that there was a major fire and a little boy put it out, saving the city by peeing. You can choose whether or not you believe it. Honestly, this country gets weirder every single day (how many other cities have a statue of the Côte D’Or chocolate elephant in the centre?), but that’s why I love it so much.
The architecture in Brussels is simply stunning; it’s totally not what you expect. My favourite place in the city was the Grand-Place, this big market square surrounded by beautiful, old buildings; I’ll put a picture below.
We then went to a birthday party thingymabob in the evening and the host was absolutely lovely. I was rather nervous about having the whole night in French (as ever) but all went swimmingly I believe, especially after 4 rum and cokes. French is a lot easier to speak after a drink, something I didn’t know until coming out here. I think I also acquired the ability to walk in heels that night, I only tripped a few times and now that I can walk in them, I want to buy more. Honestly, I’m gonna have to start shipping my stuff back now at this rate.
At the party, one bizarre cultural thing that I did pick up on was the whole ‘kiss on the cheek when you leave’ thing. In England, it’s customary to tell people you’re leaving and say bye, maybe hug the host if you know them well or whatever, but that’s it. Here in Belgium, they seem to say ‘bonsoir!’ and give a kiss on the cheek to every single person there. It’s a very strange custom and takes a while, but it’s nice, I think. Everyone at the party seemed really open and friendly and it was great fun 🙂
I can’t express how glad I am to have received Belgium (Arlon) as my Comenius location. I’m so incredibly happy here 🙂
Me infront of the Atomium!
The Mannekenpis
The Grand Place
The Côte D’Or elephant
Ma vie en Belgique <3 