Wandering Eats

Brussels, Belgium…it’s a place that many people can’t point out on a map and is actually completely underrated. It’s small and very easy to see in a short amount of time, but the culture and food this city has to offer is unbelievable! To begin, Brussels has beautiful architecture all throughout the city, especially in its central square Grand Place. It is beautiful to visit during they day, but really special to see at night with all of the buildings lit up.

The Manneken Pis is one of the largest attractions to see in Brussels…but honestly one of the most anticlimactic sights ever! There is a lot of history to this little guy around the city, but really it has just turned into a tourist attraction and something for shops to sell souvenirs for.

The food in Brussels is hands down some of the best food you will find around. To start, a common meal to have in Brussels is mussels and fries, which are fantastic paired together!

FRY CONES-you must, must, must eat these while in Brussels. It is also 100% okay to have them for a few different meals because I definitely did in the two days I was there. Make sure to try curry ketchup, or any of the interesting sauces you’ve never heard of-the options are endless!

And of course, did you even visit Belgium if you didn’t have a Belgian waffle WITH Belgian chocolate and other goodness added on? These are sold all over the city and I honestly don’t think you could find a bad one. These waffles are unbelievable, but make sure you don’t eat them after a meal or there’s no chance you will even be able to finish half of one! These are waffles you really want to enjoy.

A restaurant in Brussels that I had heard of before is called Speck and serves brunch food all day long, along with other foods. They are known for their Eggs Benedict and fresh smoothies, and it is definitely worth any wait you have! I’d highly suggest having brunch here a time or two while staying in Brussels.

Lastly, beer is a big thing in Belgium and it is fantastic. There is a bar in Brussels that is extremely popular among locals and tourists that we were suggested to visit by friends, and we loved it! We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at Delirium Cafe, where they have over 2000 beers on tap and have won awards for it. Delirium beer is a local beer with different brews, and I would highly suggest a visit to the bar and to try each of the Delirium brews!

My time in Brussels was short, but I really hope someday I can return to eat my way through this amazing city again, one fry cone and waffle at a time!

So, I’ve been living in Italy for nearly 8 weeks now and honestly no one has any idea where I am in this country. I’ve been living in this tiny town about an hour and fifteen minutes north of Venice…so yeah I’m pretty far into Italy. My wonderful little town goes by the name of Paderno del Grappa and is made up of around 2000 Italians, 100 Americans, 1 school campus taking up most of the town, 1 pharmacy, 1 pizzeria, and a Sports Bar on the school campus. Surprisingly enough, and anyone from good old Marion, IA might think this is in no way possible, this tiny little town has THREE roundabouts and they are thriving!

Anyways, the fun part about living in this town is that my neighbor is pretty much a massive mountain that goes by the name of Monte Grappa. It’s a beautiful sight to wake up to every single morning, but this weekend I was lucky enough to have the chance to hike this mountain! After 8 weeks of looking at it, I was confident I could take on the treacherous hike to the top and ready to see the views it had to offer.

Some background on Monte Grappa to start. Monte Grappa is right next to the Dolomites, which is the southern part of the Alps. Monte Grappa itself has a lot of history during the World War I time period. During the war, the Austrians entered Italy and tried to get to the peak of Monte Grappa to pretty much take control of Italy. This meeting point of Italians and Austrians resulted in massive losses on both sides, and now stands a beautiful World War I Memorial at the peak of the mountain. It is one of the most beautiful memorials I have ever had the chance to visit.

The hike itself was something I was never going to be prepared for. One of our amazing professors in our program, Mr. Simone Bigolin, is a hiker and was more than willing and excited to take a group of us up the mountain. He warned us how long it would take, but that didn’t really set in until we were actually hiking. Simone was extremely proud of us because we made great time in getting to the top of the mountain…3 hours!!! Yeah you read that right, I hiked up a mountain for 3 hours. We started at about 2000 ft above sea level and made our way up to nearly 6000 ft above sea level. We went from sweating and having the sun beat down on us while we climbed trails of rocks for 2 hours, to freezing and climbing snow and ice trails for the last hour. There were hard, hard times, but it was so worth every second of that climb. When we got to the top, there was the memorial a little further up and a restaurant there, too. We REALLY enjoyed that meal at the top of the mountain, let me tell you.

Although it was a hard hike, I really did love every second of it and want to begin hiking more. The views at the top of this mountain were unbelievable, and I can now say I’ve hiked up the big beauty that is Monte Grappa!

Berlin, Germany is so many things. The mayor of the city in 2004, Klaus Wowereit, put it perfectly when he said, “Berlin is poor, but sexy”. I continue to use this quote for multiple reasons; it’s hilarious but it’s so true! Berlin is an astonishing city, but in reality it is quite poor compared to the other German cities. The incredible thing about this city is the history, as it is so recent, and the ways this history is remembered throughout the city. Additionally, Berlin has now turned into an alternative sort of place that seems to attract young people, while still holding onto much of its past culture through older locals. All of this comes together to create this absolutely wonderful city of Berlin, Germany.One of my biggest suggestions for Berlin is doing tours through Sandeman’s New Europe Tours. We did a FREE two and a half hour walking tour around the city and saw nearly every sight necessary to see in Berlin. We also did their Pub Crawl that night and had an absolute blast visiting local bars and clubs with almost 50 other visitors. They have a bunch of other tours through the company, and I would seriously suggest booking anything through them!

The tour started in Paris Plaza(there’s quite an explanation behind this one!) next to the Hotel Adlon. Hotel Adlon may not mean much to you, but it is actually quite popular! We realized it was a very nice hotel when there were crowds and police cars surrounding the street and exit, awaiting someone’s departure. We have zero idea who exited that hotel, but we saw them and they were a big deal!! This hotel has had many famous guests, including our very own Barack Obama, but the most famous of guests was the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Why is this so special? Well, this is the iconic hotel where he draped his baby over the edge of the balcony….now you know the hotel, huh!On the tour, we saw tons of sights, like I said earlier. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe(also known as the Holocaust Memorial) is one of the most moving sights in Berlin. This memorial was only finished in 2004 and contains 2711 concrete slabs of different heights. It is specifically for the Jewish people that were murdered during the Holocaust, as in a close by park there are memorials for other groups such as homosexuals and the mentally ill or handicapped that were murdered. It was a very important decision to give each group their own memorial within the city, but it is extremely meaningful and considerate in my opinion. In the Holocaust Memorial, you are able to walk throughout the entire outdoor memorial and create your own feelings and interpretations of the history that is portrayed through the memorial. It is really a beautiful and moving memorial to visit if you are ever in Berlin. You can also visit the museum right next to the memorial, and only a block away is a parking lot where underneath, Hitler’s bunker used to exist. This is where he ended up killing himself, but there is absolutely nothing to mark this or commemorate him, as it should be. The next stop was Gendarmenmarkt, a square surrounded by three stunning buildings. Directly in the center is the Concert House of Berlin, to the left is the Neue Kirche(German cathedral), and the right is a nearly identical French cathedral. The French built their’s first and the German’s wanted to out do them, so they made nearly an identical cathedral that has a few characteristics that are better. It’s another funny story in Berlin’s history to learn about!   We also went by Humboldt University, which used to be a palace that was nicknamed the “Baby Making Palace” since the old king made it for his brother. His brother had to have a child for him to carry on the monarchy, as the king himself could not have children and was gay, so his brother asked what was in it for him and the king gave him a palace. Add that to the list of humor within Berlin. Also, can you imagine going to university in an old palace??(step up your game Iowa, Macbride Hall is not impressive in comparison…).  Humboldt sits on Bebelplatz, a plaza that includes the State Opera House and a memorial for the infamous Nazi book burning that took place in the square in May of 1933. A plaque is also included in the plaza with the words(in English), “This was a prelude only, where you burn books, you burn people at the end”. Another moving memorial within Berlin.We ended the tour next to the Neue Wache, which is a simple yet powerful memorial to all victims of war and dictatorships. Within the building, there is a single room with a single statue in the middle called Mother and Her Dead Son, symbolizing the victims of the war being the families that lost loved ones. 

Some other great sights on the tour included:

The Berlin Cathedral(again, this place is Iowa Pentacrest GOALS!):The Radio Tower(or “Pope’s Revenge” hahahah Google the story behind this one):I loved the above ground pipes throughout the city, running down the streets in bright pink and blue colors. This is because the city is built on top of an old swamp. The last sight we had to see was obviously the Berlin Wall and East Side Gallery. Both are absolutely beautiful and must see sights when visiting the city. The East Side Gallery is the more iconic part of the wall, with murals covering the long portion of the wall. The other part of the wall is a very basic, cement wall that has not been painted over. Lastly(I promise), we had to experience Germany through much of the food and drink of course! Bratwursts, sauerkraut, currywurst(a Berlin must), wienerschnitzel, and of course flights of local beers. Not much more you could ever ask for!

My first trip to a major Italian city was the absolute best in Florence. Tons of people I talk to say it is their favorite Italian city and I can confidently agree that it is the best(but I should probably visit Venice and Rome before making that decision). Florence is an easy 2 1/2 hour train ride and located in the beautiful region of Tuscany, which many know for the wine. The Tuscan countryside is amazing, but the architecture and art all throughout the city is what really makes for the beauty within.To start, Florence’s number one site to see is the Santa Maria del Fiore, or The Duomo. The cathedral is one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen. The dome of the cathedral and the campanile tower over the city, and as you peek through the buildings, you can always know if you are walking the right way since the dome is hidden amongst the buildings of the city. My biggest, biggest suggestion for Florence is to make sure you get the tickets and climb the campanile AND the Duomo. It is absolutely worth the 1,000s of stairs you will have climbed at the end because the views of the city are unreal.  You can always go see David, but it costs money and takes a lot of time, so you can always check out the outdoor sculpture area to see a replica of him:)Another must-see site is Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge that is full of high end jewelry stores. This bridge, along with all of the others along the river, make for amazing views of the vibrant buildings and is a perfect spot to walk along on a sunny day. It’s also super romantic so if you want to check it out with your significant other, you’ll fit right in! If you’re like me, you take pictures with your roommate and try to compete with the lovey couples surrounding you. A half day trip I highly recommend if you are in Florence is a wine tour into the Chianti region, which is very well known for great wines. The one we did took us to two different wineries and two small villages, and it was one of the best parts of our trip. It actually ended up being three-fourths American students who were also studying in Europe, so we met a lot of new friends along the way! Here’s a wine tip we learned along the way: if you order a Chianti wine, the real ones have a black rooster on the label. If there is no black rooster, it’s a fake Chianti!

A weekend in Switzerland is one I will never forget for a few reasons. Not only because it is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever visited, but I also spent $15 on a Quarter Pounder meal at McDonalds. They are not kidding when they say Switzerland is the most expensive country in Europe, but it is honestly worth the money spent!

We stayed in Zurich for the entire weekend, which is the largest city in Switzerland and actually not the capital like I always thought… Zurich is located north of the Swiss Alps and Lake Zurich is directly south of the city. We spent our first day exploring the city and seeing some of the major sites like the Grossmünster, Fraumünster and St. Peter Church. Between the old churches and the colorful homes and storefronts, the architecture throughout the entire city was beautiful.

Grossmünster:

Fraumünster:

The next day, we took a trip to Lucerne and Engelberg with a great tour company called Best of Switzerland Tours that I would highly suggest booking trips through. They do numerous day trips to different towns, other countries and up the mountains. Lucerne was the iconic Switzerland town that I have always imagined. It was beautiful and picturesque in every possible way, and the Alps in the distance from the city were additionally amazing. Lucerne by day and night are equally beautiful so prepare yourself for picture overload here!!

Engelberg was the last stop on our day trip and this was all the way up in the mountains. Mt. Titlus is a popular mountain and ski destination right in the town. Now something I didn’t mention earlier was that this was literally the first time I have seen mountains…I flew over them once when I got here in January but this was completely different. It was amazing for me!!!

And of course during our time in Switzerland, I was able to overly indulge in two of my favorite foods: chocolate and cheese. I can confidently say that the Swiss do both right! And although loads of money was spent, Switzerland has hands down got to be one of the most beautiful places I have been. Highly suggest a visit here and traveling to many of the different towns if possible!

I just want to say thank you to everyone who is staying updated on my travels and is semi-interested in my life; makes me feel pretty special and I appreciate all of you who do! Many, many more travels and posts are to come!