So I'm in Antwerpen/Anvers right now!! I'm couchsurfing again and the keyboards are different so there may be spelling errors. Anyways, I LOVE Belgium, and couchsurfing! My host right now (Jef) and his friend who suggested him (Victorya) are AMAZING! Today we went around Ghent and I saw all of the major sights (including St. Bavo's Cathedral - sp? everything is in Dutch so I don't know the spelling for ANYTHING)!
Staying with Jef is so cool, when I got to my bed, there was literally a bag of chocolates with a card with his name on it there, like a hotel! He also showed me how to use his accordian! I've had more chocolate in the past 24 hours than I think I have ever had in my life! Tonight he's making Belgian Waffles! He's also hosting 2 more Canadians who are coming tonight and we're going to have a Belgian beer tasting night!
Victorya was also amazing! She showed me all around Ghent, where she went to school! Ghent is beautiful!! It sort of reminds me of Stockholm but not really. It's a gorgeous old town with lots of students! One of the places we went to was a soup restaurant where you can get a bowl of soup with a bunch of toppings in it (croutons, cheese, parsley, etc.), an apple and 2 rolls for 2-3 Euros!
Today is actually this Socialist/Labor Day holiday so there was a parade going on! I also had a curry flavoured chocolate!
So btw the answer to my titled question is Bruges is Dutch and Brugge is French (me when I figured it out: oooooooooooooooooh. . .). When I arrived and was trying to find the train to Antwerpen, a bunch of people helped me out and I got to practice my French! I must be somewhat understandable (very few people speak English - which was 1 of the things that shocked me) because I made it! I think my impression was that my friend Elspeth (who had lived in Belgium) spoke English and French so I thought everyone spoke English here and maybe were bilingual with French. I was SO wrong! In fact most people outside of Brussels speak Dutch - at least in the areas I've been! That's why I'm glad I have 2 Dutch-speakers showing me around!
Anyways, I thought I should also go quickly through my last few days in London - Karen and I went to Alternative Fashion Week - where I saw this cool Spanish-style influenced designer who will actually be in the NY Fashion Week in the fall!! We then went around shopping in Spitalfields!
The other day, I also went to the Tower of London for £1!!!!!! It usually costs £14 for students. In April, I found out the Tower of London was extremely discounted for Tower Hamlets residents with library cards. I can't believe I was going to miss it! I usually only spend an hour or 2 in museums, but I spent more than 4 hours there - only leaving so I could make it to St. Paul's Cathedral for Evensong. It was really amazing! I saw the site where Anne Boleyn was beheaded and the largest diamond in the world - the First Star of Africa! Literally the things I saw in there - the Exeter Salt and the golden punch bowl - is the sort of things you read about in stories - they're exquisite! Anyways I might get boring if I go into too much detail.
Shweta was right about St. Paul's - it's the most breathtaking Cathedral I have ever seen in my life! I will see if it beats the Sistine Chapel or not. . . After Evensong, I went to George's Inn, which Shakespeare and Charles Dickens knew about! It was also in one of Dicken's books, but I forgot which one.
Just before leaving London, I went to Ham House and Gardens in Richmond (a National Trust site) - and I LOOOOOOOOOOVE the outskirts of London!!! The people are SOOO nice!! It was also gorgeous - I could imagine being a heroine in a Jane Austen story! It makes me want to be rich! Or at least have rich friends who I can be friends with. Then I RUSHED to my French exam. I was almost late because I left for my exam from home and realized as soon as I left the building that I forgot my keys and my ID (which you need for exams here) and POUNDED on the door! No one was aroubd so I ran to the office, saying I HAVE AN EXAM IN 3 MINUTES I NEED TO GET IN NOW! They asked me to fill out a form to be charged £15 to be let in!!! First of all I did NOT have time for that, and 2nd of all - £15? HELL NO. So I ran back and pounded more. Luckily someone came and it turned out I was 1 of 3 people taking the exam so they were waiting for me anyways!
Then I went to Ben and Jerry's for Free Cone Day and got a Chunky Monkey and made my way to Wimbledon Park (I had been meaning to go). As I mentioned before, the outskirts of London are GORGEOUS and the people were so nice! SO different from the coldness of central London! Don't get me wrong, I love London, but everytime I leave and come back, random people always tell me about how happy and cheery I look - compared to other people). Then I went to the Chelsea football stadium - which was on my way back - the only reason why I went! I still love Arsenal!
Anyways this is getting too long! I will be going to Bruges tomorrow!!
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