The first morning of our six day stop in Antwerp, Belgium was spent in a nearby concentration camp. It was legitimately one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I spent about 2 hours roaming around and listening to the various facts about the lives of both the people forced to live there and of the police forces from Belgium and Germany. It was simultaneously fascinating and devastating to hear of the toils of the lives of the prisoners, and truly gave me a whole new appreciation for life and for the survivors. That afternoon was spent solemnly reflecting with my friends and also roaming around the gorgeous city of Antwerp, enjoying its remarkable architecture and livelihood.
The next day began with a very early train ride to Paris with my roommate Katie and our friend Natasha and a whole lot of rain. Buckets and buckets and buckets of rain, not only in Antwerp but also in Paris. Luckily, by the time we had arrived in Paris, ate a quick lunch, and found Katie's family friend's stunning apartment our fate changed a bit. The sun began to shine on our short, 5-minute walk to L'arc de Triumph and we were able to fully enjoy the sites and sounds of Paris. We shopped along the Champs de Lycée and ate macaroons from the famous That evening we devoured some classic French food and watched as the Eiffel Tower sparkled on the hour. It is truly a magical sight! The next day was filled with more walking and exploring. We got to see the stunning view from Sacre Coeur and truly take in the city as a whole.
Despite our intent to travel to Cologne, Germany, we had a bit of a train fiasco and didn't quuuuite make it. Due to the fact that we don't have these very specific European chips in our credit cards, we couldn't use the ticket machines. So after some struggles we we made our way our to the only Belgium city we could find - Brussels.
After running around Brussels and trying to find a hotel for the evening, we got a full nights rest in preparation for our day in Belgium. The three of us spent the day looking at the gorgeous city and then went to see the EU! For those that don't know, the meeting place for the European Union is in Brussels and is called the European Parliament. My two friends were so kind as to indulge my need to wander around and spend a nice hour going through the self-guided tour of the EU museum. I got to see the full history and read all sorts of fun facts about what the EU has done over the last few decades. Needless to say, I was like a kid in a candy shop when I got to see all that I study come to life in front of me.
The second to last day was spent in the historic city of Bruges! The city was legitimately FILLED with chocolate shops. There were almost always four or five in a row, and we sampled enormous amounts of different favors and types. I also bought mountains of chocolate, a lot of which has since been eaten by my roommate and I.
The last day was spent mostly roaming around and finding wifi. Not too exciting, but still filled with some gorgeous sites and sounds. And of course, some Belgian frites and a few waffles.
If you have any questions or just want to talk to me, my email is ashby.manson.f12@semesteratsea.org and I love getting emails! I almost never have wifi and don't have Internet on the boat, so it's always nice to hear from y'all. :)
Also, to any of my ADPi sisters reading this - my roommate has been so kind as to oblige in taking a picture of me doing the diamond in front of every lion I see.
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