Belgian Extravaganza!

Hello World!

Well a lot of exciting things have happened since I last wrote, many exciting adventures Europe side! First of all I got to experience my first EuroStar trip; the EuroStar is a high speed train that runs in a tunnel underneath the English Channel to get people from London to mainland Europe. I am not going to lie, the idea of taking a train under the ocean freaked me out completely, but it really wasn't that bad because you are only under there for like 15 minutes. My train went from London to Brussels, Belgium....we also made a stop in France. I now have 4 stamps on my passport SOOOOOO EXCITED! I began my thoroughly enjoyable weekend with a long awaited reunion with a friend I have known 7 years but had never been to her side of the world. It was wonderful to finally see Belgium, we went to Brugge which is an absolutely beautiful city full of historical buildings, pristine gardens and canals zig zagging the landscape. I was in awe at how the city epitomized what I viewed Europe to look like in my head. I felt like I was on a movie set. If you think the sites of Belgium were stunning, the food was even better! The next day we spent in Gent, where my friend is from, and let me tell you, I had the best food I have had thus far on my trip! We started the day off with homemade bread and quiche that was out of this world. We continued the carbo loading with some cute candies that looked like noses. They kind of reminded me of Gushers, which is always a positive thing. The day continued with cathedral viewing and castle exploring, and oh yeah a real Belgian Waffle! Waffle House ain't got nothing on the real deal! Then we took an adorable river cruise through the canals of Gent, but before that we got cupcakes and scones! It is a really good thing we walked our butts off because I think I could have easily gained 10 pounds in 5 hours that day! That night we went to a free concert in town called DeWachtNacht which means waiting night. It was put on to remind the governments of the world of the millennium decisions that are suppose to be fulfilled by 2015. The decisions were made to stamp out poverty in the world. I thought this was fascinating and my International Relations class talked about it today in class. Before we went the concert we had to make one more carb stop, FRIES! Fries are actually originally a Belgian thing not a French thing, they are just called French fries because a French knife was used in cutting some of the first fries! CARB FACT OF THE CENTURY!!!!!

The next day we ventured to Brussels for movie. We saw "Going the Distance" with Drew Barrymore. It was a super cute movie and it kind of made me a little homesick because the actors were speaking American. This sounds so hoosier but speaking American is a real thing, I mean speaking English with an American accent. I do miss it greatly! To put the filling in the metaphorical pastry of the weekend, I got a real European crepe, complete with chocolate sauce. What can be better than a weekend of a good friend, amazing food, and beautiful scenery?! Absolutely nothing! This is what Carpe Diem is all about!

This week will be spent exercising and doing damage control! IT WAS WORTH IT THOUGH!

Carpe Diem everyone! Seize the Day!