Belgium

A Quick Two Days in Belgium

Belgium is the very first country I ever visit in Europe. I am seventeen years old, standing in Brussels with my best friend Aidan, and everything feels new. New continent, new language, new food, new sense of independence. It feels big in the best possible way.

We stay at Hello Hostel in Brussels, and the very first thing we do after dropping our bags is sit at the hostel bar and order our first beers in Europe. It feels like a milestone. Not because of the beer, but because of what it represents. We made it. We are finally here.

While sitting at the bar, a local overhears us talking and tells us that if we want real Belgian food, we need to get out of the tourist center and take the tram. We listen. We hop on without really knowing where we are going and end up at a small neighborhood restaurant filled entirely with locals. No menus in English. No tourists. Just people eating dinner.

We order traditional Belgian dishes and try juniper beer, which Belgium is known for. It tastes herbal and strong and completely unfamiliar. It feels like the most authentic welcome we could have asked for.

The next morning we wander through the old city center, taking our time in the main square. The buildings are massive and detailed, covered in gold, and feel almost unreal. It is one of those places where you just stand there longer than you mean to, trying to take it all in.

From there we end up at the chair museum, which is exactly as strange as it sounds and somehow still interesting. After that we visit the Atomium. Walking inside it and learning why it was built feels surreal. It is easily one of the most unique buildings I have ever seen and one of those places that makes Europe feel different from anywhere else.

Before leaving Belgium, we stop at the Godiva factory. I order a hot chocolate and it is so thick it feels closer to melted chocolate than a drink. It is rich, warm, and completely over the top. The perfect way to end our time there.

Belgium is only two days for me, but it stays with me. Not because of how long I am there, but because it is the beginning. My first European country. My first taste of travel on a completely different scale. Everything feels exciting, unfamiliar, and full of possibility.

It is the start of something much bigger, even if I do not realize it yet.