Two Christmases

Christmas this year was very nice.  I drove to Delaware to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Rachel and her family.  She has a huge family, and it was a lot of fun, though the first time I've been away from my parents on Christmas Day itself.  On the 26th, we drove to my parents' house and had a "second" Christmas with my family.  It was fun and the two holidays were lovely. I'm glad to be home with Rachel and my family, and glad to have so many loving and supportive people in my life.

Feeling Strange

Culture shock is a term used to describe coming back home and feeling very out-of-place.  When I came back to my room, I hardly recognized it.  It felt like a new hotel, or like visiting a childhood house I haven't been to in years.  Things continue to feel surreal, but are gradually returning to normal.  I spent the weekend with Rachel, which was absolutely wonderful, and whether it feels like home or not, it definitely feels like I belong.  Now, with Christmas less than a week away, and work tomorrow, it's time to finish adjusting quickly.  Again, these past three and half months have been the best of my life.  I am so glad I did them, and they will be a part of me for the rest of my life.

Flights Home and Recap

Yesterday, I flew from Brussels to London, then after a 6 and half hour layover, left Europe and headed back to the US.  On the flight to London, we circled over the city four times, each time flying lower.  The final flight we were so low that I could see people walking, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, St Paul's, and many other notable sights in London.  The first movie I watched on the way to the States was then X-Men First Class, much of which takes place in (and was filmed in) Oxford.  Returning home was odd, it honestly felt like yet another hotel, but I am slowly adapting back.

This has been the greatest trip of my life.  Here is the recap video- click to watch (it's a little long, but is excellent at showing all of the highlights of my amazing adventure):

Trip of a Lifetime Slideshow

Bruges, Chocolate, and the Final Day

Bruges

Today was my last day in Europe, as I fly home tomorrow.  I spent the day in Bruges, which is only an hour away by train.  Bruges is a beautiful city, sort of similar to Ghent, though with a bit more to see, and honestly more touristy as well.  The center was filled with Christmas Markets and all of the streets played music.  I did a self-guided walking tour (bought a little guide book at the tourist shop), although it was bitterly cold and sleeting/raining most of the time I was there.  I had to keep ducking in stores until I could feel my fingers again.  I climbed the belltower after a delicious lunch, which was croquettes and my first of three hot chocolates.  I had another hot chocolate at a small shop, just to warm up, then at the end of my walk I went to a tea room and had a waffle and the best cup of hot chocolate ever.  They brought a giant bowl (more like a tub) of warm milk, along with a bowl made of dark chocolate (I had chosen dark), filled with small dark chocolate pieces.  I put all of the pieces and the chocolate bowl itself into the milk, added sugar, and whisked (they served it with a whisk)- it was phenomenal.  I ended the day by walking to the edge of town to look at the Flemish windmills at sunset, the one time it stopped raining/sleeting.  I came back to Brussels, and my final night here is in a gorgeous suite.  My tiny cramped, uncomfortable room had problems, when the bathroom ceiling turned into a permanent shower (leaking massive amounts of rainwater from the ceiling), so they've moved me to one of the deluxe suites just for the night.

best hot chocolate ever

Belgium was fun, Flanders feels very Dutch, but Brussels feels almost exclusively French.  It's also interesting to compare Belgium to the Netherlands.  On the tour to Zaanse Schans I had learned that the Netherlands has a surplus of water, and the country is constantly finding ways to control and get rid of it.  I think Belgium has a similar issue, not with water but with delicious chocolate.  In nearly all of the chocolate shops (there is literally a chocolate shop every way you turn- even more common than gelato shops in Rome) they give you free samples.  On the train today they walked down the aisles handing out free chocolate.  Even on my pillow in the hotel, it's not mints, it's chocolate.  This is a very tasty country.

A side note, the blog will NOT end here, although the trip is over, I will continue to use this (probably a little less frequently) as a normal blog.  Please continue to read...

From Comics to Ghent

Comics to Ghent

The first thing I did this morning was return to the Comic Strip museum.  I went and enjoyed it a great deal.  It was primarily European comic strip artists such as Herge (maker of Tintin) and Peyo (maker of Smurfs), though there were others mentioned as well.  It was fun.  Afterwards I had considered leaving the country, and possibly taking a train to Luxembourg or Paris, but the cheapest trains were 200 euros or more.  So instead, I went to Ghent.  Ghent is a city I knew nothing about, except that there was a treaty signed here (ended the War of 1812).  It was a very beautiful place, and a lot of fun, also a very friendly town.  It took almost an hour to walk from the train station to the center of town (took the tram back when leaving), but once there it was nice.  I climbed the Bell Tower, went to the gorgeous cathedral, then to Gravensteen Castle.  I grabbed some take-away, then took the train back for a slightly early and more relaxed evening.  Tomorrow is my final day in Europe, as I fly back to the States on Thursday.  I have mixed feelings about the end of this amazing adventure, both very sad (that it's all ending far too soon) and very happy (to be going back to Rachel and my family).

Brussels to Antwerp

Brussels to Antwerp

This morning, I walked through Brussels going to one of the things in the city I wanted to see the most- the comic museum.  This city is renowned for comic strip art, and there are many wall paintings throughout the city, as you will see in the pics.  However I learned that the museum is closed on Mondays.  I walked through some of the city, looking at the painted walls and going to a church, then took a city sightseeing bus tour, getting off at the Atomium, a massive replica of a molecule that is left over from the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels.  I went to the top, finished the bus tour, then took a train to Antwerp.  Antwerp is a fun city, and much more Dutch feeling than the very French Brussels.  It is of course the capital of Flanders.  I walked around and visited the cathedral, which was filled with paintings by artists such as Rubens (who is from there).  I walked through their Christmas Market, then had dinner.  Continuing my attempts to try new local dishes I had roast wild boar with goat cheese- it was delicious.  Came back to Brussels and enjoyed my first cup of Belgian hot chocolate at Winter Pret- I honestly don't know what it is about chocolate here, but it tastes better than any chocolate I've had.

Brussels

Brussels

Today I woke fairly early and took the three-train ride (through Utrecht and Breda) to Brussels, Belgium.  The train rides were fine, though lugging all of my stuff was annoying.  I got to Brussels, and emerged from the Metro in the middle of Winter Pret- the massive Christmas Market that is centered less than a minute from the hotel.  I went to the hotel and they gave me a suite with two bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms, and a full kitchen.  They told me to come back later when the room was made.  I came back at night, and it had been a mistake- my actual room is about the size of a large cupboard, and the entrance is actually the bathroom.

I had lunch at the Market, then spent the rest of the day wandering around the city.  It's a very pretty city, and I especially liked it at night.  The winter markets all came alive.  The stores were all open very late, and in the central square there was a light and music show.  I had a traditional Belge dinner in one of the restaurant-filled alleys that surround the central square.  It was a three-course meal of croquettes, waterzooi (a buttery stew with chicken), dessert (caramel flan) and a beer- all for about the same price as a typical one-course meal with smaller portions in Amsterdam.  I watched the light show and went through the Christmas markets before heading back to the hotel.