Now on to Belgium! I think I've already written about the first two day there, so I'll start with Friday. No, just kidding. I remember where I left off now! I went shopping with Livy's sister on Thursday and we bought headbands and smoothies together. It was so much fun. After shopping I met up with Liv and we went out to eat. We sat at a little table for two over looking the water. Oh-so romantic! The food was fabulous. I ate a chicken and vegetable wok and Livy had a salad. After dinner we went to a chocolate bar and had some of the most amazing ice-cream ever. It was covered in chocolate, caramel, and walnuts. Heaven. That night we sat on her couch and started catching up. It was the first time we had spent just talking and nothing else. It was so nice. This is what Alex and Livy time is all about. We went to bed pretty early that night because Livy had a test the next day.
On Friday we woke up, ate breakfast and then I journaled while Livy studied. I then walked into town and ordered Subway for lunch. SUBWAY. Subway. Suuuubwaaaay. I put everything on it. That's how I like my subs. A little bit of meat, tons of veggies, and some oil and vinegar. I took it home in a bag and ate at it at home with Livy. She didn't have much for lunch because she had a swimming exam just a few hours after. That was my first sub in 7+ months. I was so happy. I didn't want to have to finish it. But like they say, all good things must come to an end. A few hours later Livy left for her exam (which sounded impossibly difficult) and I went to her computer and named all of her songs on iTunes that I gave to her but weren't named. I had fun singing along too. Once Livy came home and said that she had passed her exam (YAY!!!) we headed into town to sit in the sunshine in the center plaza with all of the tables and bars. I ordered a must-have raspberry beer. Livy said that they were amazing and she was right. It was nice to just sit and talk and enjoy the nice weather. I felt so European. That evening Livy's older brother picked us up at her apartment and took us to their home. She gave me a tour of the house and I then met everyone in her family and made homemade pizzas with them. They were delicious. After dinner we watched the movie Troy and then talked until we both fell asleep.
Saturday morning Livy woke up early to study and then I woke up for breakfast with the whole family. We ate fresh bread with everything! Sprinkles, nutella, jam, cheese, butter, pate, and probably a few more things I'm just forgetting. Oh yeah, speculoos! Yummy stuff. After breakfast Livy and I took the bus into the city to do some shopping and grab a drink in the plaza. That evening her family picked us up and we all went to Brussels. In Brussels I did some market shopping, chocolate shopping, and postcard shopping. I found the most perfect gift for my Aunt Patty and I cannot wait to give it to her! It's so perfect. Once we saw all of the touristy things, we searched for a place to eat dinner. It's not too hard to find where all the restaurants are considering there is this section of town where they are lined up one after the other with table outside and inside. You walk through the crowded streets and smell every spice fill your senses and you are tempted by every restaurant. It was crazy. We finally settled on a fancy restaurant and I ordered chicken with mushrooms and gravy over a biscuit. It's very typical Belgian food they told me. After our fabulous dinner we of course got ice-cream and ate it on our way back to the car. The ice-cream is amazing in Europe. Simple as that.
On Sunday we went to the Atomium, an iron atom magnified 165 billion times. It was used for the World Expo of '58 and we were able to go inside and take pictures from the top. I was very impressed. It was so shiny! That afternoon I saw my first ever field hockey game. The highest mens level from Livy's club was playing. I really enjoyed it. It was a fast paced game and that made it very enjoyable. After the game people spend an hour or more socializing and drinking. Once we were finally home Livy and I made the salad for dinner and her mom made the steak and fries. This is really typical Belgian food and it was of course just as amazing as everything else in Belgian had proved to be. We then went to our room and watched The Holiday (one of my favorites...I brought it with me to Spain haha) and then went to sleep.
Monday morning Livy and I got ready for the beach! We took the train to Knokke. It was chilly so we kept our sweaters on the while time. We went to a cafe and ate crepes and hot chocolate before walking and talking on the beach for hours. We took the train home in time for dinner with the family. That night we started watching The Da Vinci Code but stopped in the middle because Livy was tired...but I was wired. I was so wide awake and into the movie but I didn't want to watch it without her. So we went to bed but I couldn't get it off my mind so I made her tell me stories about butterflies and cupcakes.
On Tuesday we made waffles! Lots and lots and lots of sugary waffles while listening to Glee blaring in her kitchen. It was amazing. That day we also finished watching The Da Vinci Code. We watched a lot of Glee and then we watched Eurotrip and laughed a lot. It was a lazy day for us...but completely wonderful.
Wednesday was a sad day. I had butterflies all day. I had to say another tearful goodbye to my best friend. It's always hard. I don't handle goodbye all that well. Like Livy said last year, "I've learned so many things this year, but goodbye wasn't one of them." It was tough, but I got through it and now I am doing just fine! I miss her, but I know that I get to see her again in June. Thank goodness!
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