And so my trips are completed (for the time being). 2 friends, 4 flights, 3 countries, 11 days. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. Thursday morning after class I rushed to the post office to see if my phone had come. I had hope and alas my phone was there. There were basically tears at this point. So then I had to run to my room (all in the rain, might I add) and turn my phone on and download whatsapp and facebook messenger to even have contact with anyone all within a 20 minute span in order to still be able to catch my bus. 20 minutes turned to 35 minutes and I had to run to my bus but I made it! My flight from Dublin to Brussels was rather uneventful; I spent it doodling and listening to the same 5 songs over and over again because Spotify wasn’t quite cooperating. Got to Brussels, met Elexsa. We made our way to attempt to find a way to get to our hostel. Finally figured it all out after trying to decipher a variety of French phrases and got our train tickets. We got to our hostel and tried to find food somewhere. We couldn’t really figure anything out so we just started walking down some streets. At this point it was dark out, and we realized shortly after that the hostel that we were staying in was in the red light district of Brussels. Cool. So we are at this random restaurant that served risotto balls and brownies and tried Belgian beer. Let’s just say – yes to Belgian beer as a whole. Delicious. At this point, it’s getting a bit late and we are exhausted so we go back to our strangely placed hostel and settle in.
When we woke up the next day we had solid plans. There was this fake chipotle place in Brussels that we planned to head to later in the day. But first, a flea market. Well, actually, we had coffee first, but that is much less exciting. Anyway, I’m not quite sure if it’s a European thing or what, but the flea market was unlike any flea market I had seen before. The sellers basically just put some sheets out and had anything you wanted. Antiques mostly, but also clothes and shoes. Totally random things but really a find if you lived in the area and wanted to buy a lot because the prices were great. I ended up buying a old-ish stainless steal lighter that says “Brussels” on the front; I figured it was appropriate. After this, Elexsa and I made our way to get lunch. Chez Wawa. The food was incredible. If you thought Chipotle’s burritos were massive, you have not LIVED yet. I ate so much I could barely move. Next was The Atomium – apparently a Brussels staple but I had not heard of it before. It is basically a massive atomic structure, with spheres you can explore. The top sphere was amazing views of the city. But the true star of The Atomium was their current exhibit. It was basically a music and lights show, with entire spheres participating in this enthralling spectacle. One of the most beautifully trippy things I have ever experienced. This was about an end to our first full day in Brussels, but not before getting into the Belgian state of mind. Waffles and beer. Again I say, the beer was fantastic. And the waffles, well, how can waffles ever be bad? Chocolate waffles for the win.
Day 3. We really had no solid plans. We began walking towards a breakfast place we had found online. There was a line out of the door. Which was completely fair because the food was fantastic and not horribly overpriced either. The only downfall was the fact that we had to sit outside in 45° windy weather but I’ll say the sacrifice was worth it. I had poached eggs, salad and truffle waffles. And of course, coffee. (Side note: I don’t believe I mentioned before – the coffee in Ireland is not good. I don’t want to sound pessimistic and say terrible but…you know. So my travels include significant coffee intake.) After breakfast, Elexsa and I stumbled across Grand Place. The most beautiful spot. As we walked up, we heard music and a bit of commotion and got to see a Moroccan wedding commence – dancing and music making it a beautiful spectacle. These are the kind of things you really cannot plan. We decided it was time for more coffee and found this terribly fancy looking coffee and tea shop that gave a free macaroon with the purchase of coffee. Our first macaroon experience was delicious (and free). We spent the rest of the day making our way through Brussels. We went to a thrift store where I found a waterproof jacket with a hood for 7 euros. Still proud. Then we happened to stumble across another wonderful spot – the LGBT district of Brussels. Beautiful murals and flags decorated the buildings. We stopped at a small cafe and got beer and fries. Deliciously fried. We made our way back to Grand Place and got more french fries. But this time, they were served in a baguette. Seriously unreal and seriously delicious, only slightly messy. We went on to do a Belgian craft beer tasting, but only after sitting in Grand Place and enjoying the views and atmosphere. Although a fight did break out while we sat, it seemed like a very safe area, and the police were there in about 20 seconds.
The final day in Belgium was spent in the city of Brugge. Full of beautiful shops and restaurants, it reminded me vaguely of Winter Park. Well kept and a bit pricey. There I had some delicious ice cream and more fries. Too many fries. That night we left, and headed back to Ireland. Elexsa was on fall break, but I was not so I had to endure 4 days of classes. Boo.
I tried to do as much as possible in between my classes, so Elexsa could see a bit of Ireland. We made it to the Guinness Storehouse, but because our bus was late we missed the last tour. But we saw the outside, which was pretty cool and still got some beer at a local pub. The next day we went to Kilmainham Gaol, which is a jail that is famous for its activities during the Rebellion here in Ireland. Almost missed that tour too, but a friendly tour guide let us on the tour for free. A very eerie place, but also so beautiful in an odd way. The stories told by our tour guide really gave chills and made it so hard to imagine such a peaceful country was only so recently going through such hardship. The next day, we headed to Malahide Castle, only a short bus ride from my school. Complete with beautiful gardens and a well kept castle, this was quite an experience. There were many greenhouses to explore and it was all just so green. The castle was much smaller than I had expected but so well preserved.
After my Thursday morning “The Human God” class was finished, I headed back to my room and Elexsa and I made our way to the bus. Next stop: Norway. By the time we finally made it into Norway, it was pretty late with the time change and our difficulty finding the way to our airbnb. But alas, we made it and met the sweet Liv who provided us with the most comfortable beds of all time. That night we found ourselves desperately searching for somewhere to eat and ending up at a Chinese restaurant. What we failed to realize is just how expensive things are over in Norway. SUPER expensive. We had already planned on cooking most of our meals, and thank god for that because it was intense. In Norway, their currency of choice is the Norwegian krone, which made it all very confusing. Our veggie noodle dinner cost us about 20 USD, and it was far from a fancy meal. Afterwards, we went grocery shopping to buy breakfast and lunch for the rest of the trip to make ourselves and take with us. Our first official day was spent sleeping in (finally) and making our way to the “island” of Bygdøy. Beautiful landscape and museums of all sorts fill the island that is apparently quite popular in the summertime. Elexsa and I explored the area, shivering every step of the way. We went to the Holocaust Center and then to the beach. These incredible black sand beaches made it a great place to be, especially with beautiful views everywhere you turned. That night, we went to the Ópera de Oslo, where you can take a walk up onto the roof for views of the city. Again, ridiculously cold, but beautiful even so.
Our last day in Oslo was spent going to the local adventure park, complete with ziplines and obstacles course. I only fell twice, so I was pretty proud and as a first time zipliner, it was a great time. In the end we had to cut it short because it was too cold to even function and we went back into the city center for coffee and wifi. We began to look online for some cheap eats in Oslo, and found Rice Bowl Thai Cafe that served large portions for a great price. I slept for about 3-4 hours before waking up to catch the bus to make it to the airport.
Elexsa and I said our goodbyes, as I headed back to Ireland and she to Italy, and we both made our way to our gates. I fell asleep during my flight, only waking up as the plane touched the ground in Dublin. A bit startling but I was happy to sleep. So here I sit on the bus back to school, happy for the weather to be a bit warmer here in Ireland and happy that I had such a beautiful experience in such a short period of time. I will spend the next 4 days getting back to the work that I have ignored the past few days and then I will begin my fall break.
And all I can think about from this point on is: where to next? 🙂