Belgium: Famous for Chocolate, Beer, Waffles and Mussels

I got of the train in Brussels at around 10:30AM and quickly put my luggage in a locker for the day. First stop was the Magritte Museum, the building is just as fantastic as the art inside. The Magritte exhibit was amazing, following Magritte through his life, and different stages of art. I also saw an exhibit on Orientalism from Delacroix to Kandinsky, which was even more incredible, although somewhat ironic as over eighty percent of the paintings were of Egypt.
Next we walked around and saw the Grote Mart or the Grand Place in Brussels It is an absolutely beautiful main square with old buildings, and the whole place is a bustling market on Saturdays. We then went to Delerium, a bar with every Belgian beer. I am not a big beer person, but the bartender gave me a lighter beer with a honey aftertaste, and I really liked it! Additionally, as we walked we stopped at the many chocolate shops around the city. They are everywhere, and are all extremely delicious. We got one piece at every place, and my favorite was a dark chocolate with a praline filling from Leonidas.
We explored the city, with Sarah as my guide, and I got to experience the tempermental Belgian weather, as it rained five or six times in the span of a few hours, and after every time the sun would come out. I absolutely LOVED Brussels, as it looks like a story book, most of the people speak English and there are helpful signs everywhere.
After grabbing some amazing Thai food for dinner, we headed to Leuven, where Sarah lives. Leuven is a really cool place, with tons of bars, restaurants and shops, and over seventy percent of the population is under thirty years old! It is a really friendly place as well. In Brussels, most people speak Dutch and French and a little English. In Leuven everyone spoke perfect English as well as Dutch. Sarah has friends from a whole slew of countries, and it was really great to meet them and go out with them. I was also surprised by the price of alcohol, as a beer was about 3 Euros and a cocktail 6 Euros, where as in New York drinks can be as expensive as $20 each!
I cannot express how much I enjoyed Belgium. From the two cities I saw I feel that it is a beautiful country, with culture and character, but still is easy to navigate and maneuver. I don’t think there is a ton to do as a tourist, you would only need two days in Brussels to see everything, but it would be a fantastic place to live. I would definitely recommend a semester abroad in Leuven for anyone who is still deciding!