ARRIVAL IN BRUSSELS

Texto de Joshua Berlinger

Tufts University

Today we left for Brussels for our Legal Studies excursion.  On the metro ride over, the excitement was palpable.  Charlotte, Sarah and I could not wait to explore the history of the city, the important EU organs that were there, and were maybe a bit excited for the world famous chocolate, beer, and waffles.  We met, Paco, CIEE Resident Coordinator, and Cristina,  our Legal Language Professor,  at the airport, and all seemed to go well, although Charlotte had to check her bag due to Ryanair’s unnecessarily stringent rules on airline luggage.  We arrived at Charleoi Airport, took the shuttle to Brussels, and the metro to our hotel, which although not in the most upscale neighborhood, was incredibly charming.  We then walked to a brasserie near Gran Plaza and had dinner, where I was eager to get my first Belgian meal (I specifically requested pomme frites). 

After, we immediately stopped at the first chocolate shop we saw, Leonidas, not realizing it was a chain in Brussels, but thoroughly enjoying our chocolate.  A few steps later we were in the Gran Plaza, and blown away by the beautiful gothic architecture (not to mention the gusty winds that pick up in the plaza).  We took some pictures, and walked over to the famous statue of Mannaken Piss (a little boy peeing), and were all amazed at how small it was in reality.  After a nice stroll, we returned to the hotel to get an early night’s sleep to prepare for tomorrow.