Chocolate, Beer and Waffles

The title of this post says it all! A country that specializes in beer and sweet treats. What's not to love?

Manneken Pis

So upon arriving in Brussels, Belgium, we had a slight problem to face. We had nowhere to stay, for the first time in Europe, I had come to a city without a reservation for a warm and cozy bed. I had trusted some other members of our group, who were more experienced couchsurfers to find us a place to stay... only they hadn't. So we scrambled around town all afternoon searching for free wifi and hostels with available space but to no avail. Finally we got a hit from the SOS couchsurfing page which is reserved for those who find themselves stranded in a strange city with no place to go. A very nice and slightly eccentric man took us in. That evening, he brought us to an old carousel house that had been converted into a venue for music and dancing. He even arranged to get us into the Latin concert that was taking place there for free. After attempting to dance a little bit and finding we were to only ones in the room with two left feet, we parted ways with our host in search of some late night waffles (which were absolutely delicious!) and returned to our host's apartment utterly drained. But going to sleep wasn't the first thing on our host's mind. He is a film director and fancies himself a musician, specializing in percussion. So, we stayed up until the wee hours of the morning learning how to play several types of drums and tambourines despite our drooping eyelids. This man was probably one of the most interesting people I've met since arriving in Europe.

In Bruge

The next day, we set out for Bruge which is a small city an hours train ride from Brussels that looks like it was taken straight out of a story book. We wandered the city, explored the churches and admired the quaint town square with its massive bell tower before catch a train to Gent, another nearby town with beautiful churches, and it's very own castle! After wandering this city until dinner time, we set out back to Brussels and finished the night with more waffles, of course!

Town Hall at Night

The Arch

On our last day before returning to good 'ol Switzerland, we ran all over Brussels to see anything and everything we had missed two days before, when we were busy finding a place to sleep for the night. We saw the famous fountain with a sculpture of a baby peeing the "Manneken Pis" and the Park of Brussels, the arch of Half Centenary, the Federal Parliament, the Royal Palace, the Palace of Justice as well as some churches and museums along the way. We finished of the evening with a view of the Town Hall by night, which was absolutely beautiful in the way that is was lit against the night sky. My only regret about Belgium : not eating enough chocolate!



With love, from Lausanne

Mindy

I amsterdam

Dutch Pancakes

Yet again, I am trying to make up for lost time. This post and the following one are both much belated, so much so that I am struggling to remember all of the wonderful details of these particular adventures. So bear with me!

So, what is the first thing you do when it's early in the morning and you've just arrived in Amsterdam? You get Dutch pancakes, of course! And that is exactly what we did. We wandered the canals of the city until we happened upon a cute little pancake shop and ordered the local specialty : apple bacon pancakes. Boy, was it delicious. It had a wonderful sweet and salty quality, not unlike eating m&m's with popcorn at the movies, only of course we were in Amsterdam, and the sights were a lot more interesting than the latest blockbuster film to say the least.

I amsterdam

For the rest of the day, we explored the city by foot following along a particularly wide canal that seemed like a promising path. Along the way we stopped at the Rijks Museum, a church or two and some beautiful parks. At the end of our jaunt, we rested and ate at the Windmill de Gooyer. By the time we finished walking this path we were exhausted and struggling under the weight of our backpacks so we headed back to the center of the city for some refreshments. When it began to get dark we wandered over to the Red Light District. An oh was I surprised! Let's just say the ladies definitely aren't shy in that part of town...

Red Light District

Something that was a new and exciting adventure for me on this trip was couch surfing. For those of you who don't know, couch surfing is a website where people with extra beds and couches to lend network with travelers looking for a free place to stay. At first it sounds a but sketchy, at least it did to me. But I found that the people we stayed with on this trip were generous people who are interested in meeting new people and learning about different cultures, and the hosts themselves seemed to lead pretty interesting lives of their own. For example, we stayed with a very nice Dutch couple in Amsterdam, Henry and Mary who told us amazing stories about their motorcycle journeys through India, Eastern Europe and parts of the Middle East. On our first night in Amsterdam, we even attended a Blues concert at a bar where Henry played the base with his band.

Anne Frank House and Museum

On the second and last day of our visit to Amsterdam, we took a guided tour of the city where we learned some very interesting history about its politics and architecture. Our guide showed us the narrowest house in Amsterdam, as well as the Anne Frank house and museum, the Red Light district and taught us a very important lesson about being a pedestrian in Amsterdam : "If you here a bell, run like hell!" And let me tell you, that was some good advice! Afterwards, we strolled through some beautiful parks and payed a visit to the local flower market before heading back to our couches to pack for the bus ride to Brussels in the morning.


With love, from Lausanne

Mindy

This is Long Overdue

This post about my adventures to the Cailler chocolate factory, Gruyere and my first experience snowboarding in the Swiss Alps is long, long overdue! Because while students at home are beginning to bone up for their final exams, I just finished fighting my own battle against midterm exams here in Lausanne, and boy was it hellish. But just before this madness began, I had quite the adventurous weekend. 

On Saturday, March 29th I hopped on a bus filled with other exchange students for a tour and all you can eat chocolate buffet at the famous Cailler chocolate factory here in Switzerland! The factory is situated in the most picturesque little valley just next to the town of Gruyere. Our tour included a short history of chocolate and a insider's look into the entire chocolate making process. At the end of the tour, they led our ravenous group of college students to the tasting room, where we were able to eat as many delicious chocolate morsels as we could before exiting to the gift shop. (Needless to say, for most of us, "all you can eat" quickly turned into "all you can stuff in your mouth and your purse without the chocolate staff noticing.") Oh and on a side note, on the way out I milked a Swiss cow, and it is definitely real...

Next we walked along a wooded, riverside trail to the quaint little town of Gruyere, were we stopped to admire the castle, the cheese shops, and a particularly phallic museum dedicated to the "Alien" movie franchise. My personal advice when visiting Gruyere: stick to the castle and the cheese shops, and avoid the creepy extraterrestrial museum next door. Although, the bar adjacent to it sporting as similar alien theme is really interesting to look at. 

I am sorry to say that day two of this Swiss weekend of adventure began on the wrong foot. After missing the metro and attempting to run all the way to the train station while carrying skis, a snowboard and other miscellaneous gear, we finally arrived at the mountain. Verbier was absolutely breathtaking! Once there, we rode the gondola straight to the top. Being completely overwhelmed by the grandeur of the mountains, I failed to notice the signs warning off all not-so-advance skiers from venturing to this particular peek. Needless to say, I spent the majority of my first run in the Swiss Alps sliding down massive inclines covered in 4 feet of powdery snow on my butt. And, yes, that did hurt the next morning. But, "no pain, no gain" right! And in this case, the soreness and inability to walk... or really get out of bed... the next day was completely worth the view from the top! 

On the right, there is a rare shot of me actually on my feet while boarding in the Alps!





With love, from Lausanne

Mindy

I'm Officially Swiss!

So I officially became Swiss this week... well sort of. I apologize in advance for the ranting nature of this post, but sometimes a girl's got to vent.

Let's start from the beginning, shall we? 

You arrive in Switzerland, and you are super excited! After spending a week or two exploring and getting your student visa problems straightened out, you figure it's time to go declare your residency to the city so you don't get kicked out of their country. Yeah, you should probably get on that.... 

So you arrive at city hall, or at least where your GPS told you city hall is supposed to be. And after 20 or 30 minutes, you finally realize that that little hotel you've walked past 4 times, is actually city hall because "hôtel de ville" actually means city hall in French... As you enter, you silently curse all of your previous French instructors for never teaching you this little key phrase.

So you go inside, and open the door that says "Contrôle des Habitants" because this is what you were told to do. And you walk in the secretary starts yelling at you to leave in French... WHAT!?! So you stand outside the door with a befuddled look on your face before reading the sign on the door that instructs you to ring the bell before entering. Okay so you ring the bell, and a little light turns green and you enter again... Was that really necessary? Nope... but the Swiss like their rules. 

You're finally in, and you give them your paperwork and you pay your $150 fee and return home only to get a letter saying you are missing some of the paperwork. So you go back, and this process repeats itself a few times. Until you lose your nerve and start yelling at the city hall receptionist in English, and you really wish your French was better so they could actually understand how frustrated you are... Luckily, after that little spat, you have finally completed your paperwork and you will hopefully never have to see that receptionist ever again... Phew!

A week later, you receive a letter in the mail, and you nearly cry at the thought of having to deal with the contrôle des habitants AGAIN. So you open the letter, and jump with joy when you see that it is you summons to go to the Biometrics Lab to be fingerprinted. This is a good thing... this means you are in the home stretch of finally getting your residency permit! (Even though you have been living in Switzerland for a good two months now.) 

You go to the Biometrics Lab, and you step into this booth and put your finger on a screen that catalogs your finger prints and then takes your picture... Unfortunately, you weren't aware that your photo was going to be taken, so, like any other college student, you just dragged yourself out of bed without out brushing your hair or putting on any makeup. Great! Well, at least it can't be any worse than those passport photos you had to take in the Paris metro station. And when it's over, the nice Swiss woman directs you to a desk where you have to pay yet another fee for their services.   

Four days and one long trek to the post office later, you receive an envelop containing none other than your residency card! All of your hard work finally paid off! So what's the first thing you do? Take a picture with it and write an obscenely long blog post about the grueling process so everyone understands what you have accomplished!

With love, from Lausanne

Mindy

 

Smiles From Home

Today was a typical Tuesday abroad. I woke up, ate my favorite chocolate cereal, attended class, and checked my mail box on my way home. But today, a little yellow slip of paper was waiting for me in that letter box...

The anticipation builds!

So, of course, I turned right around and ran straight back to the metro station! I waited impatiently in line at the post office, and when they called my number, I giddily accepted my parcel and headed for home. (If I had had something to cut the tape with, that box wouldn't have made it past the parking lot!) 

I got the package home in one piece and hurriedly sliced open that pesky packing tape and emptied the treasures from home out onto my bed. 

Sometimes, all it take is a jar of peanut butter and some girl scout cookies to make you feel at home again. Thanks, Nana! I love you!

A photo of my delicious spoils

With love, from Lausanne

Mindy

Why Spain Took All My Money

Check Spain off my "Things You Must Do in Europe" List! It's a beautiful country, with awe inspiring architecture, delicious food (especially for meat lovers like myself) and absolutely amazing shopping!!! (In case you were wondering, those last two are the culprits behind my increasingly thin wallet.)

The beautiful Toledo

My first day in Madrid began much like my first day in London, with a walking tour of the delightful city. It began at Puerta del Sol, the center of the city where the city gates used to stand. After getting a crash course history lesson and an appetite whetting peek at all of the sites of Madrid, I stopped to eat an authentic Spanish meal with some new friends I met on the tour. I wrapped up the first day with a bit of shopping (okay a lot of shopping) and a little taste of the city's night life.

This is Amazing! EAT IT!

On Saturday I took a little excursion to the old capital of Spain, Toledo. Toledo is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen! The architecture is so original and unmodernized, it feels like stepping into a history book. The Cathedral of Toledo is absolutely breath taking too, with its high arches and intricate sculptures, it is by far the most grand cathedral I have visited in Europe. After working up quite an appetite, myself and two others I met on the trip went looking for a hardy meal. We found what we were looking for in a little hole in the wall place called  Casa de Cisneros where we all ordered a specialty of Toledo called Carcamusas a la Toledana which is a pork stew that was TO DIE FOR! Despite my wonderful meal, the highlight of my day was meeting up with my friend Zoe and some of the other globe-hopping WISE girls for dinner back in Madrid.

Some lovely WISE ladies

Palace Real

I spent the last two days of my trip with the girls from Iowa State. We toured the Palace Real, the Cathedral in Madrid, as well as the Reina Sofia Modern art Museum. (Personally, I wouldn't recommend the museum, I mean unless phallic sculptures and paintings are your thing.) On Sunday, we emptied our wallets yet again at the local Rastro Market and ate sandwiches from the famous Ham Museum, and delicious tapas. (Seriously, a meal with meat for less than 25 CHF! Is this heaven?!) I finished up my trip with a visit to Retiro Park after which Zoe and I said our good byes. It was so nice to see a familiar face it really makes being away from the people I love a little bit easier, thanks for letting me tag allong on your adventures, Zoe! I can't wait to see everyone at home and at Iowa State again in the summer!!!

With love, from Lausanne

Mindy

Carnival, Cows and Confetti!

On Saturday I departed Lausanne for Freiburg and Langenthal with a group of exchange students from Geneva. There, we toured the picturesque city and learned a bit about its history. Freiburg is a particularly interesting place because it rests on the border between the German and French speaking sides of Switzerland. The Sarine river is the geographical boundary between the two languages. We also explored a gorgeous Catholic cathedral in the heart of the city and picnicked at a quaint little restaurant overlooking the river before hopping a train to attend the Carnival in Langenthal. 

So what is this thing called "Carnival" that everyone seems so excited about over here? 

Think of it as a sort of hybrid between Halloween and the 4th of July put inside a giant snow globe full of glitter! There is a big parade, lots of beer, music, dancing, elaborate costumes and absolutely ungodly amounts of confetti!

This particular Carnival took place in a small Schweizerdeutch 
town called Langenthal. People started meandering toward the town center in the early afternoon on Saturday. Disguised children ran and shrieked as they threw confetti at one another while their equally costumed parents drank beer in the square. Later that night, the party truly began, the entire main street was packed with people in elaborate getups and brass bands played on every block. Vendors stayed open to sell their typically German bratwursts and other fair. And in the morning people awoke and went back, again sporting their colorful costumes, for the big parade! Bands played, people marched, and floats bombarded the crowd with confetti for more than two hours. When all was said and done, the street looked as if it had snowed for two days in a whirl of assorted colors. Everyone (myself included) will be shaking bits of paper from their hair and clothes for weeks!


Also, while waiting for the parade to start, on Sunday morning, we happened across a pasture filled with Swiss cows. So, of course, we stopped to take pictures! The cows were very friendly, some sporting large brass bells. A few even came up to the fence to investigate us, and one particularly curious fellow gave my hand a very wet lick when I reached out to pet him! I guess I can cross that off my bucket list!



With love, from Lausanne

Mindy