The Belgian
Experience
This past weekend my friend Lena and I were invited to
travel home to Belgium with our friend Léticia. We took Lena’s car and drove
about 3 hours to the city of Brussels. Although I had spent a lot of time in
the Brussels train station on my previous trip, I was very excited to see what
the rest of the city had to offer!
A Canal in Ghent
Where is it from
again?
Friday evening we arrived at Léticia’s house where we were
greeted by her family. Léticia’s father spoke English but her mother really only
spoke French so the conversations moved back and forth between French and
English. We had drinks and chips as appetizers before we were graciously served
her parent’s version of a Spanish rice dish and a speculoos tiramisu for
desert. Speculoos is a type of spiced biscuit that I would compare to
gingerbread found in this part of Europe. While Léticia began explaining how
speculoos was from Belgium, Lena wasn’t so sure. Being from Germany, she stood
firm in her belief that speculoos was from her home country. All I knew was I
had tried it in the Netherlands and had no idea where it came from. We decided
to google it where it confirmed all of our assumptions. Speculoos is a biscuit
that came from Belgium, Germany AND the Netherlands! It is interesting to see
how many cultures share similar aspects of life without even realizing it.
Where ever it came from, you’ve gotta try it!
Speculoos Biscuits
Speaking of food, I am sure all of you American’s reading
this have heard of Belgian Waffles, Belgian Beer and Belgian Chocolate. We all
hear about those and think it is some sort of thing we just HAVE to try when we
go to Belgium. The truth is, we already have! Belgium is the proud “owner” of
the waffle and there are actually two types. One is a light, square version
from Brussels and the other is a dense, sugar-filled version from the Liege which is in the south of Belgium. If you take the batter from the first and combine it with the
shape of the latter, you get: The American Hotel Waffle. I am sure you’ve all
tried it! Next is the beer. Since I am not 21, I don’t know if we sell Belgian
beer in the United States but I’m guessing we do. There are over 2,000
different types of beer from Belgium so I would assume we have at least one or
two. Look up popular Belgian beers and see if you recognize a few! I tried a
couple while I was there but I don’t know much about good beer so I’m hesitant
to give out any recommendations. Lastly is the chocolate. Yes, it’s
spectacular. Run to Godiva at any mall and try out a piece of Belgium.
The Great Belgian Waffle!
Waffles from the South of Belgium
Waffles from Brussels
Gothic Ghent
Saturday we traveled about a half an hour outside of
Brussels to the city of Ghent. This is a Flemish city (meaning they speak
mostly Dutch). I had heard that the city of Bruges was the city to see. I also
had heard that Ghent was just as lovely and quite similar but not as far away.
(This sounds like Utrecht vs Amsterdam all over again!) I never made it to
Bruges though so you’d have to see for yourself. You could always ask my
parents too since they made it to both without me. I really enjoyed my day in
Ghent with the girls. We walked around with a guide book from Léticia’s father
and looked for the “must see” spots. We visited the outside of a castle and a
cathedral as well as some fancy buildings that looked important. It’s not that
the names or purposes of these buildings didn’t interest me, it is more that I
just really enjoyed seeing the city even without remembering all of that
information. My only complaint about the city was that most of the beautiful
things to see were under construction. I didn’t take many photos because the
streets were torn up and bulldozed, the cathedral was lined to the top with
scaffolding and my favorite view had a rickety metal bridge placed right in the
middle crossing the canal, obstructing the view of the buildings.
Look carefully and you'll see that metal bridge I was talking about!
Inside the Cathedral was very different from any other
Cathedral I have been to in Europe. It was extremely dark with enormous amounts
of black and stone decorations. There was so much décor that I wasn’t sure what
to even look at. It was tremendous to contemplate. I realized then how
different people’s experiences of Christianity can be. It was humbling to enter
into someone else’s sacred place and think about the idea that even with a
place so different, we still are worshiping the same God. It was a pretty cool
realization for me.
A Castle in the City
Goin' Broke in Brussels
That evening, back in Brussels, Lena, Léticia, her boyfriend
and I all went to a tiny little restaurant called ‘t Potverdoemmeke (don’t
worry, I checked with Léticia for spelling!). It was the coolest atmosphere of eclectic
historical style and it served “typical Belgian food”. I ordered some yummy
Belgian meat balls covered in a sweet sauce and served with Frites (Belgian
French Fries) and homemade mayonnaise.
Sunday we spent the day touring the city. We did a little
shopping (which ended up with me using up my one allowed European splurge on a
leather bag!), tried some mussels, $1 waffles, chocolate and walked around the
city. Léticia guided us through the beautiful government buildings which
reminded me of Washington, D.C., as well as through parks and statues and we
ended up at the City Center which is encased in extremely unique architecture.
We went to see the Manneken Pis which was much smaller than we all had imagined
and that concluded our tour. With a weekend well spent in Belgium, we headed
home.
Fun Fact: In Brussels the majority
of people speak French!
Brussels Centre
A Girl’s Weekend
By far my favorite part of traveling to any city is the
social interactions that come with it. Every place I have gone so far, I have
gone with friends. The time I get to spend with people while traveling is
extremely important for building friendships. Seeing new places together brings
up many topics of discussion that otherwise would have never been thought of.
Each time I go somewhere with these girls, I learn so much about them as well
as myself. I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. It’s the reason I
am here! Thank you Léticia for allowing me to enjoy your hometown. Thank you
Lena for enjoying it with me. Of course, thank you all as well for reading!
Léticia, Me and Lena in Ghent
Brussels Centre
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