My second day in Belgium was another success. After a lovely breakfast of warm baguettes with ham and cheese and a chocolate filled croissant (they are so heavenly I can't resist), I spent the rest of the day exploring Leuven! We decided to walk to the train station so I don't get lost tomorrow morning when I make the 20 minute trek to get to my internship in Brussels, and let me tell you it is a trek! Now I know why Belgium people don't get fat off of all of those pastries! Not only do I have to make that walk, but then I have to walk 20 minutes once I get to Brussels to get to the office I'm working at! Good thing the Lehigh hills have trained me...
Anyways, on the way back we stopped at a patesserie and enjoy a pastry that we didn't know how to pronounce and actually turned out to be not that great, but because we ate it outside on a Belgian walkway it was delightful. Then we spent the rest of the day just walking and exploring the city! There was a decathlon going on which we found out the hard way when a police officer blew his whistle at us and told us to stand back as four bikers whizzed by. THAT would have been a disaster. Leuven is a definitely a cool European city. It's not as glorious as Paris or London, but it has it's own secret charm and is definitely more family-friendly. The streets are cobblestone and every trip out involves at least a dozen stumbles and trips between our group, but I like it; the city has about 10 times more swagger because of those little medieval stones.
After our lovely walk I decided to explore the city on my own and went for an afternoon run. I was a little cocky and went out without a map or any sort of communication device thinking I knew the city after all the time I'd spent in it (a mere day and a half), andddd I got lost. Good news though, I ran probably about 7 miles trying to find my way back to our little institute. I didn't want to look like a lost American so I would casually pretend I was catching my breath (slash really was) and would desperately search for a street sign or monument that I knew. Most of the time I was out of luck. All the darn street signs are in Dutch/Flemish which I don't have the slightest idea how to read let alone pronounce, so they all look the same to me. Thankfully, after about 45 minutes, I saw a spire in the distance that belonged to the town hall building by my dorm; hallelujah! It was long and a little bit stressful, but I'd say the run was a success; getting lost is part of the journey right?
Belgian has been great so far and I am excited to see what my internship is like. I'm not gonna lie I'm a bit nervous (this is my first real job and all!). I wouldn't mind serving them coffee and making copies while I get my bearings straight, but I will suck it up and be ready for anything! I'll let you know what it's like tomorrow. Goede nacht!
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