I have finally made it to the last leg of my journey!
After Cologne, Miles and I took a 6am train to Antwerpen (it was the only last minute train we could get for under 100 euro)! We were so exhausted, but so ready to have made it successfully onto the train. There was however, a moment of panic when we realized that our printed tickets were only to Brussels! After, some stress, ques, and pointing we discovered that open ended tickets to Antwerp were included.
So relieved to be on the train to Antwerp, at last!
We arrived and I was amazed at my ability to successfully bring us to St. Jansplein (where my Uncle and Oma live) without incident...though the ice and suitcases did not make friends.
Despite our timely arrival, the rest of the family were not at home due to some expected and unexpected circumstances. Nonetheless, it was so great to finally be able to settle in for a little bit.
The Antwerp train station, listed among the most beautiful in the world! It's true...and I should have taken more pictures.
The Grote Markt---shown are the guild houses
Miles in front of the statue of Brabo, the hero of the Antwerp who cut the hand off of the toll collecting giant. The name Antwerpen means 'hand-throwing'
I'm not going to lie, I ate a lot of fries! And they were fabulous, every time.
Behind me is the Cathedral of Our Lady (which we did not go into because they charge...which is preposterous anyway)
We went to Desire de Lille...it was fabulous. Belgian waffle, of course.
Panakuken- the Belgian take on the crepe or the pancake...sort of both but different. I think they are fabulous. Tender, moist, and a little chewy. This one was great but, I think lemon and sugar are my favorite toppings!
We stayed in Belgium for about a week, exploring the city, being lazy, and eating!!!
We also went to Amsterdam for New Years Eve to meet up with my lovely friend Hannah!
We were only in Amsterdam for a day, over a holiday, so we sort of missed out. Still it was cool to experience it---I didn't anticipate it being as typical as everyone says, but it was!
Also, I booked our hostel for the wrong date and we were homeless! Luckily, Hannah and her friends let us stay with them at their lovely hostel for FREE! Lovely is a loose term, free was really the only thing lovely about it!
These photos should describe what the entire hostel looked like! Not to mention the bugs and potential blood stains on the mattress...but that's another story!
Amsterdam hosted the biggest fireworks display in the world this past New Years Eve and if you were watching the countdown on TV, you definitely saw us standing in the crowd! Cool, huh? No pictures though, don't ask me why!
Trash littered the canals and streets New Years Day
Beautiful swans in the red light district
I have been extremely busy lately with a new serving job in Brevard, applying for grad school and/or a fellowship with this organization. I can't seem to get my schedule settled and my to do list is a mile long!!! I promise that clothes pics will come soon (when I am finished battling my camera). Also, my after-work motivation is at an all time low! Wish me luck.
After Cologne, Miles and I took a 6am train to Antwerpen (it was the only last minute train we could get for under 100 euro)! We were so exhausted, but so ready to have made it successfully onto the train. There was however, a moment of panic when we realized that our printed tickets were only to Brussels! After, some stress, ques, and pointing we discovered that open ended tickets to Antwerp were included.
So relieved to be on the train to Antwerp, at last!
We arrived and I was amazed at my ability to successfully bring us to St. Jansplein (where my Uncle and Oma live) without incident...though the ice and suitcases did not make friends.
Despite our timely arrival, the rest of the family were not at home due to some expected and unexpected circumstances. Nonetheless, it was so great to finally be able to settle in for a little bit.
The Antwerp train station, listed among the most beautiful in the world! It's true...and I should have taken more pictures.
The Grote Markt---shown are the guild houses
Miles in front of the statue of Brabo, the hero of the Antwerp who cut the hand off of the toll collecting giant. The name Antwerpen means 'hand-throwing'
I'm not going to lie, I ate a lot of fries! And they were fabulous, every time.
Behind me is the Cathedral of Our Lady (which we did not go into because they charge...which is preposterous anyway)
We went to Desire de Lille...it was fabulous. Belgian waffle, of course.
Panakuken- the Belgian take on the crepe or the pancake...sort of both but different. I think they are fabulous. Tender, moist, and a little chewy. This one was great but, I think lemon and sugar are my favorite toppings!
We stayed in Belgium for about a week, exploring the city, being lazy, and eating!!!
We also went to Amsterdam for New Years Eve to meet up with my lovely friend Hannah!
We were only in Amsterdam for a day, over a holiday, so we sort of missed out. Still it was cool to experience it---I didn't anticipate it being as typical as everyone says, but it was!
Also, I booked our hostel for the wrong date and we were homeless! Luckily, Hannah and her friends let us stay with them at their lovely hostel for FREE! Lovely is a loose term, free was really the only thing lovely about it!
These photos should describe what the entire hostel looked like! Not to mention the bugs and potential blood stains on the mattress...but that's another story!
Amsterdam hosted the biggest fireworks display in the world this past New Years Eve and if you were watching the countdown on TV, you definitely saw us standing in the crowd! Cool, huh? No pictures though, don't ask me why!
Trash littered the canals and streets New Years Day
Beautiful swans in the red light district
I have been extremely busy lately with a new serving job in Brevard, applying for grad school and/or a fellowship with this organization. I can't seem to get my schedule settled and my to do list is a mile long!!! I promise that clothes pics will come soon (when I am finished battling my camera). Also, my after-work motivation is at an all time low! Wish me luck.
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