Spring Break: Brussels

On the way from Amsterdam to Paris, we stopped in Brussels for an afternoon. I knew nothing about Belgium besides its waffles, but it was so much cooler than I expected.

Seeing as it was my stop between the two cities, it's fitting that the architecture felt like a mix between Amsterdam and Paris. Most of the buildings looked like more elegant versions of Dutch architecture — minus the leaning walls and floors — and they all had a style reminiscent of Paris, though I can't put my finger on how. A lot of the buildings had gold accents, and there were some surprisingly extravagent ones the main square.


My group spent a fair amount of time at Delirium Cafe, which boasts the most beers of any bar in the world. The menu looks more like a textbook, but luckily the bartender was more than willing to help figure out which of the 2,000-some beers would fit each person's tastes. If you weren't totally sure which sounded good, he'd let you sample a couple before deciding.

Of course when in Belgium, you have to get a Belgian waffle (or two). Not a huge shocker, but they're nothing like the ones you'd get in the States, and the best way to describe them is probably "life-changing." They've got crystalized sugar and taste almost more like a big, fluffy churro. I highly recommend getting one covered in speculoos. As a nod toward recreating its deliciousness, I'll probably have to start drizzling cookie butter on my Eggos in the future.

Spring Break: Amsterdam

Fun fact: contrary to popular belief, weed isn't actually legal in Amsterdam, it's just decriminalized. But that doesn't mean coffee houses can't overtly sell it or people can't smoke conspicuously in the streets, because in general, officials don't care what people do as long as it's not harming lives or business. There have been high amounts of deaths from illegal drugs lately, so signs around the city warn people not to buy hard drugs off the street because "coke" dealers often sell white heroin. If you visit the site provided on the signs, one of the safety tips listed is to let one person try the drug first to make sure it's safe. Quite the opposite of any official advice you'd hear in the U.S.

The canals in Amsterdam are so pretty, and a boat cruise is the perfect chance to admire all the adorable homes.

In the words of the tour guide, "It's not that you're way too high right now, the buildings really are leaning."

The Red Light District live up to its reputation of tons of prostitutes. They stand behind glass doors but are very nonchalant, some playing on their phones or having a snack while waiting for customers. It's very casual and doesn't feel nearly as seedy and dangerous as people make it out to be. In a way, it's like any other business district.

The Anne Frank House was an obvious site I wanted to see while in Amsterdam. Seeing the small, dark place where her family and the WHO?? had to hide was incredibly moving. There's still a bookcase set up so you can walk through feeling the same as they would have in the 1940s, which made it feel all the more real. It's one thing to see a Holocaust memorial in Berlin, but it's another thing to put a face to a victim and learn so much about her thoughts and feelings. I'll confess I never actually read the diary, but it's next on my list of things to read.

For obvious reasons, the Anne Frank House blends in with other homes in the
area. It looks like the inconspicuous flat-roofed one reflected in its window.

One thing I didn't expect to love as much as I did was the Heineken factory, fittingly called the "Heineken Experience." Before the tour I wasn't even that big a fan of the beer, but as soon as I stepped through the door I got excited. It was really interactive and fun, almost reminding me of an adult version of the Discovery Center.

The Heineken Experience was just that — quite the experience. We got to taste
the beer before alcohol was added and stir some of the grains as they cooked.

Spring Break: Berlin

My original plan was to cover spring break here in one fell swoop. But trying to explain five cities in one post would probably be a bit much, so I'll start with Berlin.

I'll be honest: Berlin is not my favorite city by any means. But I guess that means it's good my spring break tour started there before moving on to Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris and Barcelona. None of that is to say I didn't have an amazing time though.

In general, the city seemed weird compared to most European cities because it had such a range of architecture. Most cities have the same sort of "feel" with most of their buildings, but not so with Berlin. It's known for being one of the more modern German cities, and that definitely comes through. A lot of the main buildings have the type of cool old-looking architecture that I'm a sucker for, but others are plain and boring.


One of the coolest things about Berlin is the way the city deals with the Holocaust and acknowledges its past mistakes. The creator of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe left the design up to interpretation, but I can say that walking through it, I felt an eerie claustrophobia that I don't think was an accident. Other interpretations say the different-sized blocks are meant to show how people from all walks of life were murdered, or that they represent stacked coffins and the increasing number of murders toward the end of the war.

Since I'm not a huge meat person, a lot of traditional German food doesn't appeal to me too much, but I still ended up having one of my all-time favorite meals in Berlin. I ate at the restaurant that served the first döner kebabs in Berlin, and it was absolutely phenomenal.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Tuscany for the weekend was beautiful. Our trip started in Pisa, which is a really quaint city. Obviously the big draw is the Leaning Tower, which is in Piazza dei Miracoli with the less-famous but equally cool Pisa Cathedral and Pisa Baptistry. The tower makes for fun pictures and something to check off your bucket list, but other than that there's not a ton to do in the town. It's still a really cute town to grab lunch and gelato in though. Walking down the streets is so peaceful because there are hardly any cars and the rest of the city isn't packed with tourists like Piazza dei Miracoli is.

Piazza dei Miracoli has not only the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but also an equally impressive cathedral and baptistry.

The streets of Pisa are really quiet, which is a change of pace from Roman drivers who don't seem to have any traffic rules.

Florence was our next stop. I was not prepared for how jaw-dropping the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore would be. Because it's the city's main landmark, I'd seen plenty of pictures of the Duomo on top of it beforehand, but I hadn't realized how intricate the entire building was. It was equally cool to see from Piazzale Michelangelo, which was 100% worth climbing 441 stairs for an incredible view of the city. Especially because it helped burn off the gelato and two lunches we ended up eating. Even though we'd had a sit-down lunch, we wanted to stop at All'Antico Vinaio, which brags Florence's best sandwiches. General consensus from my friends was that it was a bit overrated and Santi Brothers near our campus in Rome is better, but the sausage, sheep's cheese, truffle oil and eggplant panini I got was well worth waiting the line that ran out the door. La Carraia also had probably the best gelato I've had in Italy.

The Duomo is the most recognizable part of the cathedral and Florence as a whole, but the entire building is incredible.

Visiting Piazzale Michelangelo for a breathtaking view was probably the coolest part of Florence.

Florence's best panini? Yum.

Florence's best gelato? Double yum.

Spending the next day iin Trequanda was a more relaxed Italian experience. After learning to make pasta (as in the noodles themselves, not boiling water) and going on a tour of the vineyard, we sat down for a wine tasting. Until then, I didn't know much about how to judge wine other than "yum, this tastes good," so it was definitely an informative session, and I'll be using that information in the future. The view of the Tuscan landscape was also beautiful, especially seeing the sun streaming through the clouds.

Even on a somewhat cloudy day, the rolling hills of the Tuscan landscape are beautiful.

Learning about wine makes drinking it all the more enjoyable.