"Get around round round, I get around..."

So it's been awhile since my last update.... I've had a busy couple of weeks! Here's the big news: I have finally left Belgium. It's not that I don't love my new home in Brussels, but I am so centrally located in Europe that there's no excuse not to be exploring the continent. My friends and I took a spontaneous day trip to a city in the Netherlands called Maastricht two weeks ago. It was a beautiful day, so naturally everything was just 10 times better because of the sunshine (something we're not used to seeing in Brussels). We left for another country in the morning and made it home in time for dinner. I'd call that a great success! To prove I saw sunshine... here are some pictures from Maastricht:




















Then last weekend, my friends and I booked a trip to Colonge, Germany for the legendary Carnival celebration. It's the biggest street festival in Germany and one of the largest in all of Europe! Getting off the train in Colonge was comparable to walking into an extremely colorful and loud dream. There was hardly anyone who wasn't dressed up in some kind of costume. Some were in tacky halloween costumes, some were decked out in Colonge flags and hats, and a few were just downright creepy full body animal suits. In a group of 10 Americans, we knew we stuck out like sore thumbs. We immediately needed to go shopping and pick up some Carnival gear. Before we could do that, we had to cross the 1 tourist-y activity off of our list: climb to the top of the Dom Cathedral, one of the largest in Europe. Here's me at the top of the Cathedral after climbing 533 steps and some friends and I at the train station celebrating Carnival after scrambling to find costumes:






















After countless beers and brats in Colonge, we returned home for 1 day of rest. I only had one day to recover because CIEE (my study abroad program) took us on an excursion to a small town in the French-speaking area of Belgium called Binche for its famous Mardi Gras celebration! After getting excused from class (apparently partying on a Tuesday afternoon is a valid excuse), we boarded the bus and made our way to Binche. Thousands of people crowd the streets of this tiny town for the festivities that last the three days preceding Ash Wednesday. We were there for the most important of the three days- the parade! Then men of Binche dress up in giant hats adorned with ostrich feathers and parade through the city throwing oranges at the onlookers. When I say throw, I mean they really pelt them at the crowd. Most people were coordinated enough to catch several oranges. I on the other hand, left empty handed and with a battle wound on my arm from a flying orange. The flying oranges and traditional costumes (called "Gilles") have been tradition since 14th century AD. It was mayhem and a blast. Here are some photos from the day:




































Tomorrow I'll be taking a break from French and jetting off to Madrid, Spain to visit my roommate from school, Izzy, and my friend Stephen!

More to come after that... Adios!