Greetings from Leuven, Belgium!

My fellow Loyola students and I have been living in Leuven for a couple of days now, and things couldn’t be going better. Our first day in town consisted of a short tour of the Loyola House and the town of Leuven itself. Since Leuven is a somewhat of a college town, it didn’t take long for us to start feeling comfortable in our new home.

Leuven itself is stunningly beautiful. Cafes, restaurants, bakeries, bars and more line the cobble stoned streets. Centuries old ornate buildings are a dime a dozen. Walking through some areas makes you feel like you’ve stepped into another time period all together. And although Leuven is small, there is always a new discovery to make- even if that means you have to get a little lost to do it!

One of my favorite things about living in Leuven so far, however, has been all of the delicious Belgian food. Belgium is famous for three dishes in particular: mussels, fries, and waffles. In fact, one of the first things I learned about the fries is that “French” fries were actually invented in Belgium! Although the fries are incredibly tasty, the waffles are by far my personal favorite. In Belgium, waffles are a dessert rather than a breakfast dish. They are served plain or with toppings such as gelato, fruit, nutella, chocolate syrup, or whipped cream. Definitely worth the calories if you ask me!

Next up on the agenda are trips to Ghent and Brugges, Amsterdam with the Loyola group, and London with a few of my friends- that’s three countries in one week!