As our first
week has come to a close I sit here and reflect on the exciting
adventures. Throughout this week we have learned many new things about
the culture of Belgium and different topics in sustainability. Our
lectures have been very content rich, especially the organoleptic
sensory panel. As the week came to a close and the weekend neared I was
excited to see what Ostend had to offer.
Approaching the North Sea we
stopped to try out land yachting. Interesting enough it was challenging
but fun. Arriving in Ostend there was a guided tour of the city where we
learned about the history, culture, and night life. As the sun rose on
Sunday morning we gathered our belongings and traveled to the "go cart"
shop. These go carts were not like any regular go cart we entertain
ourselves with in the U.S. They consisted of four wheels, five seats, 4
petals, and one functional steering wheel. Whoever invented these go
cart bicycles were genius. My team had the best time riding around the
city of Ostend learning facts and history through a scavenger hunt.
We
traveled from Ostend to Bruges via train. My experience on the train was
fun. The ride is very smooth, cheap, and quick. In Bruges the shops and
Belfort were the extent of my afternoon. The Belfort was rough climbing
the 366 stairs to the top, but the view once we got there was amazing.
After the afternoon was finished, Gent was not too far away. I did not
think I would ever be so happy to see the Hostel after staying in a very
nice hotel, but I was. The rain throughout the day was inconvenient,
but we managed.
Seeing these new cities in Belgium has really opened my
eyes on how similar but very different they are from Gent. Ostend and
Bruges are very touristy each with their own unique history. They
contain many souvenir shops as well as more English speaking people.
They were all similar in a since that they close down around 17:00. This
is typically because the stores and snack bars close for the night.
This next week I am looking forward to the upcoming lectures and tours
because they are outside of my discipline. In addition, I am excited
about our upcoming free time to explore Gent.
XOXO
Hailey
XOXO
Hailey
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Read more from Hailey at http://studyabroadhaileypaulsen2016.weebly.com/in-country
To find out more about the U of A Faculty-Led: European Agriculture-Food Chain Sustainability
program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/SUSTEurozone/
