Barcelona Chillin

Weekend in Barcelona with everyones favorite group
starring Chuck, Forrest, and Team
June 14-17

Danielle, Chuck, Forrest, Courtney, and
some weird guy at the bar.

Barcelona or Barthelona? No one really knows the truth behind the age old pronunciation mystery but regardless of how you say it, the place is a must visit. The group landed in Barcelona on Thursday afternoon which was when the fun all began. A bus picked us up and proceeded to take us on a truly exhilarating bus tour of the city. We got to see some of the cities popular attractions including Camp Nou (the FC Barcelona stadium), Las Arenas (bullfighting arena gone mall), and La Rrrrrrrambla. After seeing a few sites, much to the groups' dismay, we headed to the hotel. Once we checked in we had a few hours to ourselves before dinner. A bus picked up the group to take us to dinner, but this time is was no ordinary bus. It was the FC Barcelona team bus! Chuck got to sit in Messi's seat, Forrest got to sit in David Villa's seat and the rest of the team sat in other player's seats. It was an awesome experience; some of the locals were even taking pictures of us as we went by because they thought we were the real team. Dinner was great that night, pretty sure it was tapas. On Friday, we toured the Codorniu winery. They showed us how they bottle the wine, they gave us free wine and crackers, they took us to where they stored the wine, they gave us free wine and crackers, they showed us where they grow the grapes, and they even gave us free wine and crackers! Friday night we had another team dinner down by the beach which was really cool. After dinner we went to a place called the Dow Jones bar which was a bar where the drink prices fluctuated with the bar's imitation stock market. Saturday was a free day and most of the group spent their free time enjoying a nice, calm, relaxing day on the beach. Saturday night the group went out with the intention of going to a club but unfortunately Chuck and Forrest were the only ones on the guest list so the group had to settle for another stock market bar. However, we still had a great time, mainly due to the fact that we found a foosball table in the back where many grueling, intense matches were had. Sunday the group got up and went on a scavenger hunt to find some of the most attractive buildings in the city. Everyone was really enthusiastic about it but unfortunately our team came in second place. And because our groups' unofficial philosophy is "if you're not first, you're last," we were all pretty upset. After the hunt, we headed off to the airport and caught our 21:30 flight back to Brussels. We arrived back in Antwerp around 1:00 but luckily we didn't have to get up for class the next morning so we could all get plenty of rest, which we desperately needed after a crazy weekend in Barcelona.

Gotta love free wine
know what Im sayin??

Chuck celebrating after his foosball
win over Forrest.

London Calling

Bloody Good Times in London with Group 3's very own Chuck McCarthy
(with special guest appearance from Group 2's Ryan Barto)

This is not a Frites shop

Just throwin' up the official
Group 3 sign

In a land where signs and menus are all in English, one can only have but so bad a time in London. After 4 weeks of blindly navigating the streets of foreign countries and ordering food from Dutch menus, praying that you get served chicken, it was a breath of fresh air to be a capable individual once again. Another great part about London was that their food is a lot closer to what we are used to eating in America. So, upon arrival, we set out to find the most American food one can get, Chipotle Mexican Grill. After getting our fill of home, we went on to visit some of London's most impressive and famous structures. We visited Big Ben, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and finished off the day with Tower Bridge. The next morning, after eating as many free croissants as possible at the hotel, we took a trip to Olympic Park. To our surprise, it was not very close to being done. With the Olympics about a month or so away we thought for sure it would be nearing completion. Unfortunately, due to all the construction, we were not able to get very close at all. Later that day, we headed over to Abbey Road Studios. Here we took pictures imitating the famous Beatles album cover which was very very cool. However, the pictures were not super easy to get. There were a bunch of people all lined up to cross the famous crosswalk; trying to get the perfect snapshot, while at the same time trying not to get taken out by a double decker. And take it from me, there are a lot of great places to get your picture safely taken and the middle of the street is certainly not one of them. And finally, the main reason for our trip to London, Saturday night's show at the O2 Arena. One of my favorite bands, blink-182, was playing there. The venue was one metro stop away from our hotel so about an hour before show time we laced up our party shoes, put our rock'n'roll game faces on, and hopped on the metro. The show was an absolute blast. The guys played a great set and we couldn't have had more fun. When we woke up Sunday to begin our journey home we thought to ourselves, "Say it ain't so, I will not go." But we both knew we had no choice so we turned the lights off and carried ourselves home. Na na na na na na na na na na.

Abbey Road
Chuck "McCartney"

blink at the O2 Arena

Midnight(s) in Paris

Eiffel Tower photography

The city of Love and Lights. Where to even begin? The lights? The love? The love of the lights? If you haven't been to Paris quit staring at your computer and start packing. This place was amazing. The scenery and architecture was unmatched and the food was phenomenal. You can't go wrong if you just grab a bottle of wine and start walking through the city or hop on a boat tour (the people become easier to tolerate this way anyway). The metro system was easy to navigate and getting to the many different monuments was a breeze. We even ate four tables away from former pro tennis player Lindsay Davenport. Paris was everything it was hyped up to be and more.

Wow!

What a stud

Lindsay Davenport approved 

Best steak in all the land

Photo bombed by bigfoot

Lovin and Leuven

Lueven, Belgium: June 6th, 2012

Timmermans, Stella, and Leuven

Here we have the best looking group of hand models ever touring the breweries of Timmermans and Stella Artois as well as the college town of Leuven in Belgium. Timmermans is known as the oldest lambic beer in the world and their brewers have perfected their craft in making fruit beers. They use their authentication and format (the different bottle sizes and types) to position their beer in the market.  A guide took us around the entire brewery and explained the different machines and the entire process of making the lambic beer. As you can see we got to walk through the beautiful town of Leuven and even got to pour our own beers at Stella Artois. Have you ever poured your own beer from the tap? It's delicious. Here's some pictures:

Brugge: The Final Resting Place of Bambi's Mother

Brugge Day Trip: June 5th, 2012
Have you ever seen a wet Brugge? Not for me. But a dry Brugge? - the nicest city in Belgium!

München 'n' Amsterdam

Second Free Weekend: june 1-3, 2012

Kelly and Courtney took off to Munich, Germany.

Known for their deep historical culture, large beer gardens, and Bolvarian food, Munich is located in southern Germany.  Even though it was a bit difficult to travel there because the airport is an hour drive from the city, the atmosphere, scenery, and people made the travel all worth while! Everything is prettier in Germany (to us anyway)...the people, buildings, cars, city center, even the dogs!

Only 1 euro for this view

After a late arrival and eating a traditional Bolvarian meal and drinking a mas (a liter of German beer) at the world famous Hofbrauhaus, it was time to rest for a long day of touring and exploring ahead of us.  Saturday's agenda was filled by touring the ----Castle, exploring the high end shops, touring the city center building - the only building in Munich to survive WWII.

Then making the travel to the end of the city to have some fun at the world's largest beer garden, capacity of 8,000 people!



Danielle, Chuck, and Forrest went to Amsterdam for the weekend!

We had a lot of fun exploring the city, experiencing some of the cafe's and the red light district.  The weather was a little rainy the first day but we still managed to have a fun and relaxing day. Friday we did a little more exploring and participated in a pub craw around the red light district.  It was interesting and a little unsettling walking through the red light district and seeing all of the girls in the windows since we've never seen anything like it before.  Saturday some of us went on a canal tour around the city and learned many interesting things, including the fact that the reason they have hooks on their gables is to enable residents to pull large, bulky objects up and into a window at the proper floor since their apartments are often too narrow to move stuff in the normal way.

Later in the afternoon some of us went to the Van Gogh Museum, which contains the largest collection of Van Gogh's painting in the world.  We had a fun time in amsterdam for the weekend, we just would have liked it if the weather had been a little nicer for some of the days.

Myyyyykonooosss

Mykonos, Greece: MAY 23-26, 2012

DAY 1: After a morning spent at the Spice Bizarre, it was off to the airport for a quick travel to Mykonos, Greece. It's a small Greek island known for its beauty and nightlife!  

Classic Greece

Our hotel was on top of the hill with an incredible view of the blue waters of the Mediterranean.  Walking down the hill was a bit of a challenge as we made our way to dinner at Little Venice, but we were all happy to be spending some quality, relaxing group time after traveling.

Incredible Scenery

 We had a 5 course meal for dinner including breads, Greek salad, appetizers, chicken and rice as an entree, and an array of fruit for dessert.  Our waiters were very friendly and lively as they teased our group with live seafood.

Dinner at Little Venice

After dinner we stayed in town and ended up running into a club promoter that took us under our wing and showed us the fun places to go to. We stopped in two bars/clubs before ending up at Club Skandonavia where we proceeded to dance the night away while having fun with locals and other tourists.  We weren't used to the typical hours that the nightlife began so when we looked at our watches and realized it was 4am, we left as others were still experiencing what the island brings best.

Skandinavian Bar & Disco

DAY 2: Everyone started the day a little later after sleeping in from the late night out.  We had time to do whatever we wanted, some went into town to do a little shopping and look for authentic gyros that everyone raved about while others soaked up the sun by the pool.  We reconvened as a whole group for dinner at the same restaurant and enjoyed another authentic greek lasagna like meal called Moussaka.  Since we were now familiar with the typical nightlife, we went back to the hotel to freshen up before going back out on the town.  We ended up at Club Skandonavia again but it wasn't as poppin' as the night before.  Luckily we had a large group of us so no matter what we still had a fun time and ended up staying up till all hours of the night!

Some of us even tired octopus at dinner!

The beautiful sunset while
waiting for dinner

DAY 3: Although we had planned on going sailing to various coasts, the water was too choppy so instead went to Paradise Beach.  BEST DECISION EVER!  Paradise was the perfect name for how beautiful and entertaining the beach was.  Even though the water was a little chilly, it was so clear and fresh that it didn't stop anyone from going in and swimming around.  The weather was perfect and some of us even got a little too much sun.  We had an optional group dinner or dinner on your own, so some students stayed at the beach a bit longer.

Our group at Paradise Beach!

The group went out again for a final night of Mykonos fun, and this time Tokman even joined us!  After mingling and dancing til early hours in the morning we figured it would be a good idea to catch a few hours of rest before our ferry ride the next morning. 

DAY 4: Before we knew it we were boarding our 5 hour ferry ride heading to Athens.  Since the ferry ride took up the majority of the day, once we got to Athens we checking into our hotel and had a group dinner.  It was a little rushed but still a delicious five course meal consisting of bread, a plate of cooked veggies, salad, fried fish and potatoes, and chocolate ice cream for dessert.  It was raining a little and everyone was tired from our long day of travels so we all just hung out in the hotel and had a relaxing night.

In front of the Olympic Stadium!

DAY 5: We got on a bus tour where our new tour guide, Maria, talked about some of the historical landmarks we passed on our way The Parthenon.  On the way we stopped one of the stadiums where the Olympics were held and had a chance to get off the bus and take pictures in front of it.

The Parthenon

In the Acropolis 

We then made our way to The Parthenon where we got off the bus and walked/hiked our way to the top.  It was very hot out and The Parthenon was under a little construction but it was still as beautiful as ever and everyone got amazing pictures.

(Jive) Turkey

Istanbul, TURKEY: MAY 22, 2012

Inside the Blue Mosque.

An early flight to Istanbul allowed everyone to catch some sleep on the plane for an eventful day ahead of us.  We arrived at the airport to our tour guides that were very welcoming and knowledgeable.  Lunch at a local restaurant offered us authentic Turkish cuisine including grape leaf and stuffed pepper appetizers, Kabobs, rice, and potatoes.  We also had an amazing desert called Baklava served with ice cream that everyone could not stop talking about!

Our entire study abroad group with the
Blue Mosque behind us in the distance.

We then toured Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia where we were able to learn about the history of the buildings themselves as well as the Muslim religion.  We were asked to take off our shoes in the Blue Mosque and ladies were instructed to cover there hair and shoulder with provided cloths if they were in-properly dressed in respect of the culture and religion.  During our tour, we witnessed practicing Muslims and were able to place explanations with actions.  We then went to the Hagia Sofia where we received walkie-talkie headset so we could listen to our tour guide while wondering around the inside of the Mosque.  The tour guide was very knowledgeable about both Mosques and the culture and history behind them.

Some girls that had to cover up
 their shoulders with the provided cloths.

The Blue Mosque.

Turkish Carpet Manufacturer 

After touring the Mosques, we attended a carpet manufacturer and sales pitch where they explained the different types of rugs made and how each are produced.  Hundreds of rugs were laid out for our viewing as we drank Turkish tea. 

The Grand Bizare

Before dinner we had a little time to go the the Grand Bizarre and haggle with some of the shop keepers for items such as jewelry, scarfs, purses, and spices.  Lots of students purchased faux Ray-Ban sunglasses and designer handbags.  Kelly received a "birthday discount" on a Tori Burch handbag she purchased! 

Dinner was held at a restaurant just across the street from our hotel.  the rooftop view was beautiful!  We were served cold and hot appetizers, salads (these are customarily shared between partners at each table), an entrée of mixed meats and vegetables.  We received two glasses of complimentary wine along with a box of Turkish delights! 

Several students went out to experience the nightlife in Istanbul and to celebrate Kelly's birthday!  We enjoyed several beer towers for the tables and Kelly received a few free drinks form bartenders as we sang her "Happy Birthday!"

Asia in the background!

The next day, before our flight to Mykonos we went to The Bosphorus Strait where we were able to see Asia across the water!  Most of us ate lunch right on the water and when we met up as a group again we soon learned that our bus had broken down.  We sat around and waited for another bus to come and prayed that we didn't miss our flight to Mykonos.  Luckily we made it with a little time to spare and were able to check our luggage and get a snake before getting on the plane.

Bologna or Baloney?

BELGIUM: MAY 19-20, 2012

This was our first free weekend that we were able to go wherever our hearts desired.  Nora and Danielle went to Bologna, Chuck went to Milan, Forrest went to Dussedorf and Cologne, and Kelly went to Amsterdam.  Courtney had a wedding to attend back home so she didn't even arrived to Antwerp until the following Monday.  The professors were very accommodating with her situation and it didn't really create any problems.

Brussels Sprouts

BELGIUM: MAY 17, 2012

Today we had a tour of Brussels!  We got on a charter bus at the Monty and took that into Brussels where we had a tour guide get on the bus and point out all the various landmarks around the city.  It was really interesting and we got a lot of good pictures and saw so many famous buildings without having to walk for hours and hours. After the bus tour we got off and had a short walking tour of other things that were not accessible by bus and then got free time for lunch. Afterwards we had time to do some shopping on our own and then met back up to get on the bus and go back to Antwerp.