I thoroughly enjoyed the week that I spent in Belgium while doing my chocolate research. My first stop in Belgium was Brussels. I had a beautiful Airbnb in Brussels and was living in a nice neighborhood. After getting settled in, I visited the Grand Palace and went to the Choco Story Museum to complete my chocolate research. I also had my first waffle. This waffle was delicious! I visited some other little chocolate shops and also went to an art museum to view some paintings that I had studied in one of my Art History courses. I then went to a musical instrument museum. Brussels is filled with museums! Before heading home, I had to stop by the Manneken Pis which is this small bronze statue of a little boy peeing. This was quite disappointing. It was much smaller than I had expected and there were so many people trying to take pictures of this statue. This was similar to the Mona Lisa experience that I had. 

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The next day, I had nothing planned so I decided to go to Ghent. I was blown away by the Gravensteen Castle. The stone work and architecture of this castle and other buildings in the city were incredible.

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The following day, I was back in Brussels for the first day of the 2017 Flowertime. The ground in front of the Grand Palace was decorated with flower petals and different fruits and vegetables. The displays made were truly pieces of art. Some of the rooms inside of the Grand Palace were also decorated. I was so grateful that I was in Brussels during this time.

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To learn more about my chocolate research in Brussels, use the link below:

https://andymagellan2017.blogspot.com/2017/08/day-10.html

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Leaving Brussels, I headed to Bruges. I absolutely loved Bruges! Bruges is a cute little town with cobble stone streets. I could walk everywhere. This was so refreshing, knowing that I did not need to learn how to navigate another transportation system. All of the stone buildings and canals make this little town so charming. I did interview a chocolatier in Bruges. 

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To learn more about my chocolate research in Bruges, use the link below:

https://andymagellan2017.blogspot.com/2017/08/day-15.html

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My time spent in Belgium was quite exciting and I enjoyed every moment of it. I will definitely go back to Belgium to get some waffles and chocolate and visit some other cities.