So Much to Catch Up On.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, filled with visitors, trips, and good times exploring Brussels! I don't even know where to begin in summing up all of the adventures... so I guess I'll just use my pictures to guide me through all the craziness that has happened in just two short weeks!

Walking through Parc Bruxelles.

Thursday: Brendan came to Brussels to explore this crazy city with me - we wandered through parks, went to the Fine Arts museum, ate waffles, and visited a number of cathedrals - so great having my brother here to explore Brussels in my last few weeks here. 

A pretty darn impressive Thanksgiving feast. 

I never guessed that Thanksgiving in a European country could be so delicious or so much fun. I was proud to be a part of this little group of Furman students who pulled off a very legit Thanksgiving feast - I even baked my first pumpkin pie to contribute to the meal! Not only was the food delicious but it was also a fun night of reminiscing about our time in Brussels (and so fun to have Brendan there to meet everyone and to share in the night)! 

Grand Place with Brendan and Will Phil.

Friday: Will Phil made the trip from San Sebastian! He only had a few hours in Brussels but we hit the Christmas markets near St. Catherine's, saw the lights show at Grand Place, and drank some Belgian beer at Delirium.

Sey and Shannon joined Brendan, Will, and I for our night out in Brussels.

The Tea Room in La Sablon.

Saturday: Brendan and Will left for Amsterdam and I stayed back to explore a bit more of Brussels and prepare for the next round of visitors. This pic is from the a delightful Tea Room in the hip Sablon area of Brussels. The whole Sablon area proved to be a fun place to walk around, filled with cute stores, fabulous markets, and a beautiful cathedral!

More treasures in Sablon.

Creepy Carousals at the Christmas Markets.

Sunday: Julie came to visit! So good to catch up with friends, whether that be while laying on my bed or while exploring European Christmas markets (complete with the world's creepiest carousal). 

Cinquantenaire Park.

Monday: Brendan, Julie, and I set off for a morning around Brussels before meeting up with Olivia at the train station. We visited my favorite Park in Brussels, the fabulous Cinquantenaire! Then they both went to Parliament with me where we had coffee with my supervisor, Stefan, lunch in the infamous sandwich shop, and took a mini tour of the building! So fun to share my everyday routine with them!

In front of Parliament with Julie!

In front of Notre Dame with my future roommates!

Tuesday: A crazy whirlwind trip to PARIS! Yes, Olivia and I arranged this little adventure as a surprise for Julie, yes I had to skip class, and yes it was well worth it! We took the first train out (6:37 am) and the last train back (22:01). But even in just 14 hrs in the city we packed in a visit to Notre Dame, dining on crepes and Angelina's hot chocolate, taking in the art at Musee D'orsay, walking along the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, and watching the Eiffel Tower twinkle!

Outside the Louvre with Brendan.

Arc de Triomphe.

The Eiffel Tower is always magical, especially when it sparkles!

Yep, we successfully pulled off our trip... 

waiting to catch the last train back to Brussels.

Last week at Parliament - unreal.

Wednesday: Back to reality. Julie and Liv left to return to London, and I had to return to work and class and quizzes, etc. Still I was excited to be back into my routine, if only for two more days of work!

Goodbye parliament.

Thursday: Last day of work, I was sad to leave but so thankful for the good times. This picture basically describes my life at the EP. Two cups of coffee on my desk, gchat up on the screen, a pile of notes from meetings, and a ridiculous poster about visiting Poland, ha!

Thanksgiving #2.

Thursday: As the perfect end to my last day of work, I went to a "Thanksgiving dinner" with both of my supervisors, Diane and Stefan, at Adair's supervisor's house. We figured out a few weeks ago that Diane was friends with Adair's supervisor, Andrew, so my whole office got the invite to the Thanksgiving feast that Adair (with help from Sara Beth) had prepared for her office! The whole night was fabulous, filled with lots of laughter, 80s music videos, and of course Diane and Stefan chanting "MG for president," as their new goal is to make me president so we can all work in The White House. So ridiculous, so great.

All that to say, time in Brussels has been crazy, wonderful, funny, and sadly is coming to end. Still this post proves that you can pack a lot into just a few short days, so here's hoping I'll be able to pack a lot more in over these next two weeks before I hop the plane back to the USA!