Derpin' in Antwerpen

I write. I love to do it, and when asked what, exactly, do I write? I am never sure how to answer correctly. On occasion, I write lengthy letters that may or may not be sent. I write rants and raves about things no one need ever pay attention to because they are usually born out of a burning pen and anxty ink. I write words, words, words concerning master Shakespeare and his extensive list of issues (and there are many). I write journal entries in all caps proclaiming, "I HAVE DRY SKIN AND A LOT OF READING TO DO." I write with a lot of grammar mistakes. I write for myself. However, today, I write about our adventures in Antwerp and Bruges and our abandoned chocolate factory hostel.






Here are a few things Belgium does correctly: fashionable shopping, chocolate that would make a diabetic squeal, and warm waffles. We arrived in Antwerp, only to discover that our hostel was, in fact, in a Moroccan neighborhood and used to be an abandoned chocolate factory. I am still not over the ridiculousness of that fact.



We have been enjoying our time in Belgium, Dutch-language-barrier and all. We shopped along some adorable Antwerp streets for one day then headed out to the beautiful town of Bruges the next. This, my friends, is where we tasted the perfection that is a Belgian waffle; made for us by a man who blew a kiss to us as we left asking us to come back for more. We almost did.


They weren't even deep fried as I thought they might be. There is no picture documented, but my face was covered in powdered sugar once we were through (I am still an American, and apparently Europeans aren't as messy as I am).


We also took a little boat tour after our waffles and enjoyed the warm sun, our fingers petting the canal water, and the scenic sights of Bruges. It was one of the most delightful days we've had, possibly due to the sugar high from the waffles, but still, Belgium has been good to us and we can't wait for the rock werchter festival tomorrow!!



PS Belgian chocolate beats Swiss chocolate, but both beat The US. Sorry Hershey's, tough break.




Madd.

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Spontaneity is the name of the game

As much as we loved Lyon, we knew there wasn't necessarily enough to do for two full days. So instead of sitting around, we headed to Geneva, Switzerland for the day!



We spent the day wandering around and eating some delicious chocolate of course!!



Our friend Stefanie Knight gave us a perfect itinerary for the day before we met up with her for dinner. We started at the United Nations headquarters, moved on to a great shopping area, and saw Geneva's old town area.






As we we're walking around we tried to find a way to describe Geneva and compare it to the other places we've been. The buildings looked French but not all of them. The food was a wide variety. There were some very modern looking buildings and streets contrasting with the older pieces. Basically we decided it looked and felt very Swiss, even though we have no idea what that means.


After all our wandering we met up with Stef and ate a delicious picnic of cheese, bread, meat, cherries, and wine along the lake.





It was a gorgeous day and we are so glad we decided to go! We were sad to be leaving this area, but Belgium has already been quite the adventure too.

We flew from Lyon to Brussels then headed straight to Antwerp. We're staying in Antwerp because all the hostels in Brussels were booked because of a music festival happening - which we will be attending!






We spent our first night in Belgium at a small Moroccan cafe next door to our hostel with an Australian boy we meet at our hostel and some locals watching the Spain v Portugal Euro Cup game. It's so fun watching soccer here in Europe because everyone is so vocal and excited the whole game.

These spontaneous experiences are my favorite part of travel and with only one week left, I'm going to fit in as many as I can!

Maggie

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Here Comes the Sun

Madd here!
The moment we stepped off of the train from Paris to Lyon we knew we had fallen in love (once again) with another European city. The sun is even warmer here than it had been in Paris, and Maggie's tan from her Tom's is more prominent than ever-haha.


We had a little detour from our metro stop to the hostel, however, and spent a solid hour wandering around a city we knew absolutely nothing about (did I mention we were wearing our 15 lbs backpacks?) Ohhh goodness, it's laughable now of course. I guess I just had no idea that when we began this journey that it would be a lot of map reading, getting lost, guessing, and facing fears. Maggie tried to lift my spirits as we were lost and our shirts collected sweaty moisture by reminding me that this was an adventure. I hadn't had a lot of coffee that morning, so I was less than enthusiastic you could say, but I knew she was absolutely correct. I wouldn't change a thing.


Lyon is stunning, and I am continually amazed by just how much each city has to offer. A unique flavor. We ended up in Lyon because 2 months ago I googled major cities in France and this one sounded good and had pretty rooftops. That was the extent of the planning for Lyon. But don't fret, there is much more to Lyon than pretty rooftops (though they are lovely).


There are DELICIOUS pastries. Maggie tried a brioche praline pastry today (I got an apple pastry), and they were some of the best we've had. We sat and enjoyed our treat and did some shopping in "Vieux Lyon," which is an adorable part of town that looked more like what I imagine Italy looks like.



We enjoyed the shopping around Lyon very much and have met some incredibly kind French people. We've found that as long as you make an effort to speak French (even beginner level) they respond warmly, a surprise we welcomed immediately.









It's been a wonderful few days in France. Walking down the Champs Élysées humming U2's "City of Blinding Lights," relaxing in Lyon's hot sun, munching on croissant's, and learning each day. God has been so good to us on this trip, and providing timing for us that can't be explained away because it's too perfect. Trust me. I hardly know anything when I wake up, but slowly, the Lord's been showing me that it really doesn't matter because to put it simply: He does.

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From Cashel to Dublin to Paris to Lyon

Hello friends! Madeline here! This post is what we like to call a "highlights reel."

Let's begin in the teeny tiny town of Cashel! We walked around the town and checked into our hostel (that we like to refer to as the professors old, squeaky house from the Narnia movies). Then we explored the Rock of Cashel!









We then set out once again for Dublin and got in some last minute shopping before we caught our flight to Paris. But mostly, we found a Disney store and I was beyond excited.



Rapunzel seems less than amused by my enthusiasm...too bad!





We then arrived in Paris! Finally! It was a bit of a mess from the airport since the train we wanted to take wasn't running and we had no idea where they were herding us, but it all worked out fine and we had no major issues-just the typical trials of travel! We had the pleasure of staying with Katherine Knight for our 2 nights there, and got to experience Paris from the perspective of someone who lives there! (and could show us which metro line was correct).


Ahh Paris, what a wonderful day we had there! The weather was the best we've had thus far, and we stopped by all of the highlights and made notes of here to go when we return in a couple of weeks.



Yes! This is Maggie who made it all the way up those stairs to be first level of the Eiffel Tower! I made it to the second, but I only have pictures on the camera, so for now, here are some typical American-girls-that-think-their-Eiffel-Tower-pictures-are-artsy pictures.










Au revoir mes amis!

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Goujons and Fairies

The second we left Dublin we finally felt like we entered Ireland. Our train to Galway was beautiful, complete with of 40 shades of green, and Nutella and shortbread (out favorite snack).







Galway has definitely been one of our favorite parts of the trip thus far. The hostel was bright, clean and the people were overwhelmingly kind. We met some really nice girls in our room, and one of them, Anna, walked around with us for the afternoon. We knew we'd be friends when she looked at us and asked, "have you ever watched Gilmore Girls?" the resounding yes filled in the following 2 days with laughter and an exchange of travel stories. She was so fun and we were bummed to leave for Killarney this morning without her!



In the adorable town of Galway we all had a delicious dinner at a local pub in town too! We all got the same meal (see photo below) of chicken goujons, which are basically really crispy chicken strips, with a side of chips and coleslaw. I had a beer which Madeline tried, but she likes Guinness better! I think our dad would be proud. The weather was beautiful, the sun burned my skin and we couldn't have been happier.


For our full day in Galway, we took a tour of the Burren National Park, a supposed home of fairies and leprachauns, and ended at the Cliffs of Moher. We had a charming, trickster named Desmond as our tour guide. He was an Irish man, at least 80 years old with a great sense of humor. He brought along his leprechauns and one of them whistled suggestively at you as you walked by. We were thoroughly entertained as well as enchanted by the "fairy tree" he pointed out along the way.


Also, along the tour we stopped at a delightful pub and split the most delicious traditional Irish beef Guinness stew. Yum!!


After exploring Ireland for a few hours, we made it to the cliffs. They are indescribable. No words can quite capture it, so here are a few pictures:














We went along both sides of the cliffs, the left side was terrifying! There was no barrier between you and the ocean below, but we went slow and it was well worth the hike. Also, at the top of the cliffs, we saw a couple get engaged! And being the cheesy American girls we are, we had to get a picture. Without their consent or knowledge of course...




We have been so fortunate to have had our introduction to Ireland a sunny one. Our walk through the Killarney national park today was gorgeous and we are coming to slightly melancholy terms that we cannot stay in Ireland for the rest of the summer.







I call this photo, "Madeline just chillin' on a 600 year old castle"

- Maggie (with editing by Madd)

We made it to the land of Guinness!

Madeline here!

Our first, and last, day in Dublin has been quite the success! Ireland greeted us off of our plane last night (which was the mini cooper of the airplane world) with a sloppy wet kiss. Europe has been nothing but wet, but no matter, we know how to work a raincoat (meaning we are a couple of American noobs with no umbrella).


Once we found a bus to take us from the airport to our hostel, we chatted with the kindest people we've met in Europe thus far. They were two elderly Irish women who were giving us tips for the best pubs in Dublin and advice for our safety. We parted them with a final wave and one of them advised us in her thick Irish accent, "you two mind yourselves now." I won't soon forget them.


Today was a new day! We headed into week 3 ready to explore. We began the day drinking! Haha, kidding-kind of. We DID take a tour of the Guinness storehouse, which was so full of fun facts and ended with a beautiful 360 degree view of Dublin at the top.


I did indeed taste my first beer, and as you can see in the picture, that's about as far as I got! It was a good first experience, and I love that it happened in Ireland.


We then began walking to St. Patrick's cathedral and got a bit turned around. This seems to happen nearly every day in Europe-they seem to not believe in street signs...but luckily a friendly Dublin native pointed us to our destination. The cathedral which was absolutely stunning to walk through, and learn more about saint Patrick's story! From there we explored the Chester Beatty Library, the National Gallery of Ireland, and Merrian Park. We found the best statue of Oscar Wilde there. If there was a contest for creepiest statue facial expressions, Oscar could easily make top 5.


Eh, maybe he was just thinking really hard. Maybe I'll cut him some slack. But for now, we're headed to a pub for some dinner then making our way to our next stop in Ireland tomorrow!

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