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Belgium
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Today we woke up and had nothing to do, so we decided to go to Belgium for the day! This is definitely what we are enjoying most about living in Europe- it is SO easy to travel! For just $25 we were able to ride a train for 90min and we were in an entirely different country.
Belgium is known most famously for waffles, chocolate, and beer. It is a really interesting country because it is actually split down the middle into two different societies- the half closer to the Netherlads speaks Dutch and has a Dutch culture, while the other half (closer to France) speaks French and has a French culture. We started the day in Antwerp (a city closer to the Netherlands). This was the most amazing city we have seen thus far! When we walked out of the train station we were surrounded by diamond/jewelry stores. Apparently, Antwerpen used to be the diamond capital of the world (never knew!). Then we walked down the street into a ped mall setting that is considered "new Antwerp". Think of all the most modern and ridiculously expensive fashion stores- that is "new Antwerpen". We had fun window shopping and pretending that we were rich and famous.
We also visited the Rubens Museum (Rubens is a famous painter from the 1600's.) The museum is located inside one of Rubens' luxurious mansions. All of the paintings were on the walls of his bedrooms and corridors, and the exhibit ended in a beautiful garden outside. Next, we travelled down the street to "old Antwerp". We had thought that "new Antwerp" was impressive, but when we turned the corner we were in awe. The Antwerp town square surrounds a MASSIVE and beautiful cathedral called "Our Lady's Cathedral". The Town Hall building is also very impressive. All of the houses, buildings, and restaurants were built in the 1500's- and the architecture is spectacular! It was an incredible site to see it in person. Andrea definitely went a little picture crazy here!
In the late afternoon we hopped back on the train for a 30min ride to Brussels (a city closer to France). As its capital and largest city, this is Belgium's most well-known city...but we actually enjoyed Antwerp better. Brussels is a mix of modern and historic buildings, with a wonderful town square and beautiful castles. We were so exhausted by the time we finished seeing Brussels that we spent the majority of our time at a cafe drinking the best beers we had ever had! Andrea enjoyed their cherry beer and Nate preferred their stronger, trappist beers. We had such a wonderful time in Belgium. More than anything anything, it has made us want to travel more! This whole experience has really opened our eyes to how big the world actually is. We feel so blessed to be here and really apprecaiate all of our support from friends and family at home. Thank you to everyone! We will keep you updated on our adventures that lie ahead...
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