Week 8 - Cultural Development

Vrolijk Pasen iedereen!

At last the words I have been waiting for – off university for two whole weeks! Two friends from Ireland came to visit Belgium, for one week, which was nice to see some familiar faces again.  I made it my duty to take them to explore Belgium’s culture, famous cities and landmarks, as I have already seen most of these I had more knowledge and experience which came in handy. We explored Bruges, Hasselt, Brussels, Antwerp, Leuven and Liege. Einstein, A (1941), 'The only source of knowledge is experience.' When I came to study abroad I knew it would expand my knowledge and experience for the better, which is why I am ensuring I make the most of this opportunity.

Cara, Leanne and I at The Belfort Castle from the movie 'In Bruges'.

Bruges.

Cara and I at the Bruges Canals.

Bruges has the nicest Belgium chocolate so of course this was our first adventure to taste this! We explored the beautiful scenery of Bruges, went on a canal cruise, dined in an Irish Pub and of course squeezed in a little shopping. In January we all watched the movie 'In Bruges' together so it was nice to actually visit where the movie was shot.

Hasselt is a small city where I am living and there is not a lot of things to do but we still explored and found things to do. We visited the Japanese Gardens, Jenever Museum and of course the Irish Pub.

Tasting the delightful Jenever shots!

Japanese Gardens Hasselt.

Japanese Gardens Hasselt.

Last year one of my friends had done Erasmus in Leuven which regrettably I did not get to visit, therefore I made sure I would visit it when I came to Belgium. We had heard a lot about the city of Leuven from many people and it definitely lived up to the expectations. It reminded us of Belfast, busy and full of students, which was right up our street!

Exploring the streets of Leuven.

Sampling the famous Leuven cocktails.

Reference

·         Albert Einstein (1941)