Very Important People

Admittedly, even though I was in Brussels for 2 days I did not get to see much of the city. But I still learned a lot. I could tell you of the places I didn’t go and the things that I didn’t see that I wanted to but let’s focus on the experience that I had.
It’s funny but every city that I go to in Europe is definitely European but that doesn’t mean that they all look the same. Brussels was the same way, European but definitely metropolis. The first day that we arrived it was a mad scramble to get to the specific commission building we needed to be at. There was enough water in the air that everyone looked disheveled, but not enough for an umbrella. The lady we asked for help gave us directions and then said ‘it’s across the street from the pretty glass building’. That last sentence was not helpful. There are skyscrapers that are ‘glass buildings’ everywhere in this part of town and none of them look ugly.
Moving on… The first meeting was in a Commission building, but not the commission building because of security reasons. When we walked in I felt like I was going to debate the future of the world in the classy board room. Even though the lecture was requested to be in English apparently the fact that we are from Torino trumped that. The lecturer only spoke {sarcasm} Italian, French and a little bit of English. Our professor translated which was nice. I was so proud of myself because I think I would have gotten most everything between listening closely to the Italian and reading the slides.
After that we had a little break where we went and bundled up a little more and then grabbed some ‘Belgian’ waffles {tourist trap} and then some Belgian fries. And then we walked to a really nice building where we had to have our names on the list to get in. I felt so important as I walked into the annual conference of the European People’s Party and the icing on the cake was that they keynote speaker was Jose Manuel Barosso. Barosso is a wonderful man that is the Commission President. Not only does he have a lot of influence, but he is considered a strong leader and he was a really good speaker. To watch what we were saw you can go here. After him there was a panel and all the talk centered around the euro zone. The euro is kind something that all the people who are educated or read the news talk about. That night I went to the hostel well informed brain active, and so tired.
The next day only held more important places as we went to the Committee of the Regions to hear about what this group actually does. I think of all the places I visited and learned about this branch most closely matches my personality. They are close to the people/citizens and give them a voice as well as the fact that they don’t make the important decisions but the help to influence them and guide them down the path that makes the best sense for the citizens and not the big guys. The speaker was so kind to us and made the talk fun and interesting.
We had a little break where I grabbed lunch with some friends and then we walked to the park to eat it and enjoy some more fall weather. The little café that we got lunch at is a chain, but they need a similar option in the US. It’s kind of like healthy, fresh, premade food. Whole foods meets Trader Joe’s…errr something like that.
Our next big building was the parliament building. It’s one of the three parliament buildings, but the other ones are in different countries. We heard a little background on the parliament and what was happening in the chamber presently and then we got sit in the chamber. It was so neat! We were supposed to meet a deputy {high official} of Italy and get to ask him some questions but were not able to. Even though he had nothing to do with the situation, the fact that he represents Italy means he had to be present at the negotiations. When I was in Brussels, the fate of the Italian President was being negotiated and decided in Rome. It’s amazing, scary, and exhilarating all at the same time. I didn’t find this out until Thursday.
Instead of meeting with a member of parliament I went and learned more at the Parliamentaruim, a museum about the Parliament. It was actually really fun and interactive. It’s brand new and has lots of hands on technology that gives the history of the EU, parliament, and world events. Before we went we were told it was supposed to be an interesting building so lots of people opted out of going. It was so worth the extra time!

The next day it was off to the airport and back to home sweet Torino!

This is a very condensed version of these 2 days, that doesn’t have many details in it. If you have any questions, want clarification or more information let me know!

Getting there is {more} than half the fun

Last Saturday I took almost the entire day to make my way to Bruges. It was not supposed to take that long but because of the company I didn’t mind so much. Well except for the almost missing the boarding time for the airplane. It was another lesson for me that no matter how much you plan, you don’t control the world or the circumstances in it. It was also a lesson not to fly out of that particular airport if at all possible because getting there is a pain!
My traveling partners and I took a series of transportation that day; metro, train, train, bus, plane, bus, train, train, and then more feet. That is the simplified version. And leading up to the plane it was what we have now coined as “Italian Style.” This term is used in a variety of situations.
When we arrived in Bruges we walked out of the door {to a huge “pickpockets beware” sign, why thank you} and into sweet little town. We walked to our hostel which was quite the trendy little place. Emphasis should be added to both those adjectives. Then it was off to a free walking tour. Did I learn stuff on the tour? Yes. Was the tour good? Ummm, not my favorite. Do I now not like the movie ‘In Bruges’ as much as the locals? Getting pretty close. Will I watch said movie? Yes…I guess…I will
Part way through, we stopped following the tour and got Belgian fries. They make a great dinner for very hungry on a budget students. And then we headed back to where the tour was but they had left so we settled down in the crazy Irish pub. It was such a neat place, called Druid’s Cellar and was underground in a cellar. The bartender was so nice and soon everyone was joking around. We met some guys that were there for a Parkor like competition and they were from the Netherlands and then some locals. After a bit we headed out and it was time for bed. It was a little earlier than expected but it took so long to get there I was tired!
Sunday is not the best day to be in any European city, especially a small one but we managed just fine. After breakfast we headed out on the town. We went under a hotel that used to be the foundation of a church that was destroyed. It was so neat down there! And then we traveled the streets stopping and looking in all the windows at the delicious chocolate. Some of the other girls wanted to do a boat tour but instead I just walked around and tried not to get hit by bikes.
Afterward we found a waffle place and had a little snack and then we were off exploring again. We decided to rent bikes and it was so fun. Although I do not recommend cobblestones if you can help it! I was sore the next few days. We stopped and got more fries, looked in more chocolate shops where we got delicious hot chocolate. The real stuff warm milk and melted chocolate. And yes I even bought some truffles. We spent the rest of the afternoon riding around the city and out to the windmills, enjoying the fall leaves and the crisp air. That night we went to the hostel’s restaurant for dinner and I got a veggie burger. It was literally a patty made out of vegetables and mashed potatoes fried to keep form. It was good though.
After our food we headed back to the pub from the night before. It was a little bit of a different scene. I discovered that there is a thing called pub quiz and that it is very competitive.
The next day we headed out for Brussels. It was a short stay in this town that I have fallen in love with, but I am so glad that I got to spend some time enjoying it!

Disclaimer: I wrote this and then the days got really busy so I didn't post it. I figured that ya'll would want to see pictures. And then I remembered that these were the days that my camera battery was dead...so there's not very many pictures. So sorry!

Catching up

I am alive...

really I am.

I have been visiting a wonderful town {ok, fine it's a city. But it's tiny}called Bruges in Belgium and then going to some pretty important buildings in Brussels. I have been unable to post and then I came back to Torino and had to catch up on some:

school, tests, sleep {still in process},

and get used to my apartment again.

So this is to let you know that I am still alive and I will be posting soon about the adventures in Belgium!