I had quite the day of travel on the way to Brussels. I took a bus from Crans to Sion, a train from Sion to Lausanne, then I switched to another train from Lausanne to Geneva Airport, and then finally I took a plane from Geneva to Brussels. In Brussels we stayed at an adorable cozy apartment in the center of the city. On our first night, we tried the Belgian beer and treated ourselves to Nutella waffles of course!
The next day, Olivia and I went to Musée Magritte and Musée fin de siècle. My favorite was the second museum because there were lots of beautiful impressionist paintings and the works came from the time period that we are learning about in art history.
Afterwards, we stopped for hot chocolate, went inside a beautifully lit church, met up with Petey, and walked around the markets during the afternoon. While in the market we bought a baguette and some goat cheese to share. It was very European and it made for a delicious snack. Between the snack and our dinner we stopped at a bar and had a drink together. It will be very different when I go back to the United States as a 20 year old and I will not able to drink because I am so much younger than all of my peers!
For dinner we went to a restaurant in le grand place and had mussels, beer, and frites. The combo was amazing. After dinner we saw the Manneken-Pis statue that everyone makes such a big deal about. I thought it was funny so I bought a miniature Manneken-Pis to put in my dollhouse collection.
The next day (Thursday), we went to Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts. The museum was huge because it is actually multiple museums compiled together. Surprisingly, we learned a lot about Native American and Asian history. My favorite section was Musée du Coeur (heart). There were a lot of beautiful heart shaped antiques and old valentines cards.
After having Thai food for dinner, we stopped at a waffle stand for a much-deserved Belgian waffle for dessert. My waffle was topped with chocolate, strawberries, and whipped cream therefore it was not very easy to eat but I enjoyed every bite!
The next day, Friday, Olivia and I went to Musée du Costume et de la Dentelle (a fashion and lace museum) during the morning. The main exhibit was about fashion during the ‘70s. Fun fact: the sale of blue jeans in Europe rose by 300% during the ‘70s. After walking through the museum, we met Petey for lunch at Les Filles- Plaisirs Culinaires. The restaurant is very interesting and I highly recommend it. The place is not easy to find and there is no advertisement outside- I heard about it from a friend who had traveled to Brussels before me. When you enter the seating is family style and the waitress brings you 3 appetizers that are pre-selected. Then, you take your plate and go into the kitchen area to serve yourself the main dish, which was delicious chicken, vegetables, and potatoes. The dessert was a delectable pear and almond cake. I was very satisfied and very full after the meal.
During lunch, Olivia mentioned that we were in Brussels but she felt that we had learned a lot about other parts of the world and not very much about the city of Brussels itself. So, after lunch we went to Musée de la Ville de Bruxelles and learned about the history, the layout, and the people of Brussels. We also saw all of the Manneken-Pis costumes that are on display- he has hundreds! It was interesting to learn about the legends regarding the importance of the Manneken-Pis.
Later that afternoon we gathered our things and jumped on the train from Brussels to Paris. I am very happy to be back home in Paris after a week of traveling. I was excited to see my host sister Gaelle today! She was on holiday with her parents in the country and we had been exchanging emails/photos while apart. Today I ran errands and did some homework. Tomorrow I am running 20 miles since I am training for the Paris Marathon and did not have much time to run while traveling. The marathon is almost a month away- April 6th! Mark your calendars! I better get to bed now!
Bonne nuit,
Hannah
La vie de "French Hannah" 