My class trip this weekend was full of “when will I ever be able to do this again” moments.
My International Business of the European Union class traveled to Brussels, Belgium this past weekend to meet with several organizations in the European government.
Our first meeting on Friday morning was with the European Parliament. After leaving the European Parliament we were welcomed by NATO. We spoke with Ms. Antonella Cerasino, Head of NATO Assessment Team and Mr. Daniele Riggio, Press and Media Officer. Our last meeting of the day was at the European Commission with Messrs. Tom White (Honeywell’s Vice President for Government Relations Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Maurits Pino (Directorates-General for Competition).
After our meetings were over we changed out of our suits as fast as we possibly could and several of us jumped the next possible train to Antwerp, Belgium TO SEE BEYONCE! Yes, you read that right; Beyoncé was performing in Belgium coincidentally the same weekend that we were there.
I’m not really the kind of person who drops hundreds of dollars to see someone in concert, but hey, I’m abroad! And when else would I ever get the opportunity to see one of my favorite artists perform in a country other than the United States?
Beyoncé is everything that everyone hypes her up to be. The show was full of flashing lights, fire, and confetti. Not only was it visually incredible, but her performance was flawless! She performed a mix of her greatest hits like Single Ladies and Halo along with some new songs off her recently dropped self-titled album Beyoncé. But she didn’t just sing the songs, oh no, there was a full set choreography to go along with every song.
Tip for traveling: Look into trains and the metro! They are both much cheaper options than taxis. Brussels to Antwerp was about an hour and twenty minute train ride, and €8.40 round trip. Compare that to a one-way taxi ride with a flat rate of €150!
We were given Saturday to explore the city of Brussels on our own. We stumbled upon a celebration in the square of the Grand Place, quickly checked Belgian chocolate off our lists of things to bring home with us, and even made it to Manneken Pis, the infamous urinating baby statue seen everywhere in Brussels.
Even when it comes to hot chocolate here you had at least 20 options. These nifty spoons had a block of chocolate stuck on the end that when dunked into hot milk made for a delicious snack!
To finish up our afternoon in Brussels we got something you can’t go to Belgium and not get, waffles! With a variety of fruits and chocolate to choose from it was hard picking just one waffle, and on top of it already being hard to choose, I don’t think I will ever be able to find a waffle in the United States that even closely compares.
