Beer in Belgium

After London and Paris we needed a change of pace, so we headed to Brussels. Our tour guide Jackson had the next two days off and was also planning on traveling so he decided to tag along with us.

One of the things Belgium is known for is it’s wonderful waffles. These waffle stands are all over the city and are a tasty treat for under 2 euro. 

The architecture in Brussels was a mixture of the old and new. Often times there was a new modern building right next to a building dating back to the 15^th century. The Grand Place is a perfect example of the 15^th century architecture. It is a square with gothic style buildings all around it.

 

The St. Goedele- St. Michiels Cathedral was a favorite while we were visiting. In the basement of the church you could see the remains of the old church that was built in the early 13^th century.

After a quick nap we all decided to head out to a local bar to check out another Belgium classic- Beer. We went to Delirium, a local bar that broke the Guinness book of world records for having the most beer on tap! They have over 2000 different flavors, we found a great cherry beer.

The next day when we were leaving we made a split second decision to go to Bruges, Belgium for a day trip instead of straight to Amsterdam. We ate lunch at a local pub and walked around the city to experience the culture.

Do As The Parisian Do

Paris was absolutely amazing.  We arrived in Paris late Saturday night and went straight to our Hotel to go to bed.  The next morning we got up and took the metro to the Eiffel Tower.  Seeing it for the first time unbelievable. The size and the beauty of the tower were surreal. 

The lines were long so we decided to go see some other sites and come back tomorrow.  We went to the Saint Chapelle. This Chapel was built by Louis IX to house the relics of the Passion of the Christ including the Crown of Thorns and a piece of the Cross. There are 15 windows that are almost floor to ceiling. The windows are the most amazing thing about the chapel.

Next we went to Notre Dame.  

We were sent on a mission by Stasia’s roommate, Alisha to find the relics of Cross and Crown of Thorns.  They were originally housed in Saint Chapelle and were moved to Notre Dame. The relics were in a separate Treasury room connected to the church. 

Our next stop was the famous Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Elysees.  

We climbed 284 stairs to the top to see the view.  Twelve avenues connect to Arc which give it the appearance of a star from the sky. We had a great 360 degree view of the city.

That night we went on a bike tour with The Fat Tire Bike Tour Company.  At first, we were very rusty and a little nervous riding bikes through the busy streets of Paris. Our tour guide, Jackson, is from California and is currently working in Paris.  We biked through the Latin Quarter to Notre Dame, stopped for some homemade ice cream, and then through the glass pyramids outside the Louvre.  

The Tour included a boat ride through the river Seine.  It was dark by then and the Eiffel Tower started to sparkle with lights. We enjoyed the view with a glass of wine. We met two girls, Cindy and Rochelle, from New Zealand that are living in London. We made plans with our new friends to have a picnic by the Eiffel tower the next night.

On Sunday we got up really early to go to the Eiffel Tower.  We rode a double decker lift to the second level and then to the very top.  Stasia was a little afraid to stand near the edge.  There were two men hanging off the edge of the very top of the tower painting and we thought this was crazy because the tower stands just over 1000 feet.  On the way down we stopped at the restaurant level where they had a theater set up that had a video showing many of the movies that the Eiffel Tower has featured in.

After the Eiffel tower we took the metro to the Louvre.  The Louvre is so big if you spent one minute at each art piece it would take you nine months to see the whole museum.  It is very easy to get lost!  Our favorite part of the museum was the foundations of the Medieval Louvre and of course the Mona Lisa.  We were tired after walking around so we laid down on the lawn of the Louvre and took a nap like a true Parisian.

That night we met Rochelle and Cindy in the Champs de Mars (field of Mars) the park in front of the Eiffel tower.  We brought wine, cheese, crackers, and of course a baguette and had a picnic watching the sun set.  Jackson, our bike tour guide also met up with us and we all watched the lights on the Eiffel Tower sparkle until midnight.

 

Stasia and Jessy

In response to Corby and Bryan’s question on the Philadelphia blog:

Q: What kind of action figures do they have in Europe?

A:  Many of the statues around Europe look like huge action figures. There are many statues of soldiers and kings.