The heart of Europe – Brussels

A little flashback to my time in school...

From April 3^rd - 8^th 2011, me and my class went on a trip to Brussels, the EU’s heart-city. In the morning of April 3^rd we started our journey in Klagenfurt, Carinthia. From Cologne on we took the train to Brussels. Later in the afternoon we finally were in Brussels and checked-in at our hotel vis-à-vis the train station. The hotel itself was quite clean and very comfortable, whereas the quarter itself wasn’t what would be called “worth seeing”. The next day we visited the Atomium, which is one of the city’s emblems and it was more than amazing! The view over the city was breathtaking. 

Afterwards we went to the European Commission, where we were told many interesting facts about the EU, some of which we had already learned and discussed before. We learned, for example, that the European Commission is responsible for the political independence and has the right to propose new EU legislation. 

Subsequently we went to see the Grand Place and the old parts of the city, which both were worth seeing.

There we made a stop to eat some “frites”, which are typical for Belgium. They tasted very good and I think I’ll eat them again someday. The Grand Place is enclosed by old buildings that are beautifully decorated with gold and statues. On Tuesday we were expected at the European Parliament, there we experienced that the members sit together by parties, not by country and that most plenary sessions are hold in Strasbourg. At the parliament we were told many things, but we had bad luck – all of the delegated were in Strasbourg at a conference. On the way there we saw the King’s palace, the town-hall and the Saint-Michelle cathedral of Brussels. Directly afterwards, we visited the EU-Representation Office of Carinthia, where we were told what exactly is done there. 


Afterwards we had the chance to visit the old town again, as well the Manneken Pis, which is really small,

and some more emblems of the city. What actually was funny was a statue of a women-pis, because it wasn’t even an emblem but much bigger than the original Manneken Pis. The next day we spent in Bruges, a city with a medieval atmosphere. There we did a Grachtentour, which was enjoyable a lot! The city itself is absolutely wonderful and we all would have liked to stay there for maybe one more day. Bruges is often called the “Venice from the north” and it is really worth the title. In the evening we returned to Brussels. As our trip slowly came to an end, we spent our last few hours in Brussels. Together with our teachers we ate at a snack bar before leaving. With the train we went back to Cologne, which was really impressive. Some of us also took photos of the city during our free-time. On Friday morning we went back to Klagenfurt, where we landed at about 12 a.m.and were all happy to be back in our home-sweet-home again. All in all, this journey was a good experience for all of us. Moreover, the class got to know each other much better, which strengthened us in holding together, whatever comes. Within this trip I must say, I didn't learn only about the EU but a lot more about what I could reach one day!

I definitely enjoyed this journey :)