Day 11

Brussels Day

We wake up early to catch the train. We arrive a little bit later than expected. Brussels is a very different environment from the peaceful city of Kortrijk. Brussels, as the capital of the European Union and of Belgium is very busy. We ride the metro at rush hour and it is crowded.

Because of miscommunication and a misunderstanding, we expect to meet important peoplee. Instead of wearing our most comfortable clothes, we wear formal attire.  I wear HEELS! Later, I change to my sneakers at the train station.

Enjoying the View of Belgium. We pass by Ghent, one of Belgium's biggest city on our way to the capital.

Arriving in front of the Parlamentarium

The Parlamentarium museum is very informative and interactive. Security was strict. Like the 1302 Museum, we are given devices that serve as our tour guide. The only difference is that we don't dial codes or numbers, we tap them on censors.

A scale model of the Parlamentarium

Learning about the different functions of the Parliament buildings.

Watching a documentary about the Parliament.

We have lunch at the park.

Overdressed for the occasion, we sit by the pond and enjoy our lunch like we're having a picnic.

A really cool Architecture that captured my attention while I was in the park. I think it's an apartment.

After lunch, we rode the Metro again to Atomium.

The Atomium is a famous monument in Brussels consiting of 9 steel spheres that are 18m in diameter each.

We also go to Mini-Europe, a miniature park in Brussels that reproduces scaled models of the most attractive edifices in Europe.

Roughly 80 cities and 350 buildings are represented in mini-europe.

Okay, this is really not Paris' Eiffel tower, but let's pretend for one second it is. Hahaha.

A scale model of Ronchamp Chapel by famous and legendary architect Le Corbusier

After visiting Mini-Europe and Atomium, we don't have the luxury of time to visit the center of Brussels. We ride a train back home and arrive just in time for our farewell dinner.


FAREWELL DINNER

We have fries, potatoes and Beef stew. It's my favorite Belgian dish since my host family served it. After dinner, each of us says something about our host family. We don't expect it to be so sentimental.  We say a few words to our host, but we save goodbye for tomorrow.

J.Lo and I who became attached to our host family are saddened by the imminent farewell. I stand by J.Lo for moral support because she's very sad and emotional that night.

Our host family Justien and Bart share their experience with us. (Writing about this wrenches my heart. I miss them.)

The last picture of us with the host family (credits to Faith V. for the picture)

When we return home, we give our host family our token of thanks. I give them a simple painting of the Bruel towers which makes the night more sentimental. They also give us souvenirs from Kortrijk. Staying with the Weydts family is indeed a blessing for J.Lo and I. They make us feel like we're part of the family and because of their emanating warmth, J.Lo and I never felt homesick. While packing our things, J.Lo and I recall the wonderful experiences we share with the Weydts. We want to stay longer with the Weydts.