This week my friend Alex has one of her friends from school visiting for her spring break, which means we've been extra touristy around Brussels this week!
Last Saturday I went to Leuven (20 minutes-ish outside Brussels). The town was really cool! It actually reminded me a lot of Lawrence, Kansas (for all of you hailing from the midwest!). Everyone in Leuven is Dutch, so if you speak French they are NOT happy (not really a problem since all of our French knowledge is miniscule anyway). Leuven has a very laid-back and college town feel to it which gives it a much more chill atmosphere than bustling Brussels.
On MONDAY, I visited the ATOMIUM, which is a major Brussels landmark (I actually saw it on my bus tour the first week here, but that didn't really count because it was raining so I never got out of the bus haha). It's a giant atom. It supposed to be a specific kind of atom I think, but I have no idea what kind that would be. The picture included with this post is of my friend Aimee and I in front of it. Anyway, the Atomium is ENORMOUS and also waaaaay on the opposite side of Brussels from where I live (aka a 45 minute metro journey via two different metro lines). However, the Atomium is a MUST see. Also, there are several metro stations leading up to the Atomium that are really cool on the inside, so on our journey home we got off in a few of them to take pictures. I think my favorite stop was one with a bunch of scientific facts on the walls and a mural including trees, water, and PENGUINS!
And FINALLY, today I visited WATERLOO (where Napoleon did surrender, oh yea...I've had that ABBA song stuck in my head literally ALL DAY). It was a gorgeous day to visit because it was actually SUNNY and semi-warm (a rare occurrence as I'm sure you've gathered). Waterloo is a suburb right outside Brussels and is very cute. It was nice being outside the city with a more neighborhood/suburban feel. The largest monument at Waterloo is a GIGANTIC HILL with a huge staircase leading to a GIANT lion statue on top. In French it's called "la Butte du Lion," but the English translation is just "Lion Mound." Gives it a lot less appeal, doesn't it? Anyway, the hill is some 300 steps to get to the top. It was really windy, but the views from the hill of Waterloo and of the fields on the other side were really breathtaking. Of course, being a tourist attraction we had to pay to walk to the top of the mountain, and as part of the deal we also "got" to see a giant panorama illustration of the battle. The picture itself was cool because it was in a big round building, so it was like you were standing right in the middle of the battle. On the other hand, to add 3-dimensional effect, the Belgians thought it would be cool to add really cheesy mannekins with half their limbs missing to the display. Which was, well, cheesy. haha.
Despite that, the 3 trips i got to take this week were so fun! Headed to Germany this weekend to visit my fellow Villanovan abroad, Heather Ashton!
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