The longest and oldest market in Europe

On my way back from Brussels, I stopped by the town of Liege to check out what I heard was the longest and oldest market in Europe. They were not joking about the "long" part man...the market was over a mile long!

Derek and I walked the whole time we were in Liege, from the train station to the market, and back again. It was a total of at least 10km through the city. The interesting thing, was that when I went to class two days after the trip, a classmate from Belgium told me that Liege is actually the most dangerous town to walk in as there are a lot of muggers and thieves. Haha...if I had heard that before I went to Liege, I surely would have taken the bus man! Thank God that nothing happened while I was there!

Mussels from Brussels

On the first week I was in Maastricht, I remember Derek saying we must have mussels in Brussels when we visit Brussels. To be honest, I never knew that Brussels was known for having good mussels. Haha, in honesty, the only thing I could think of was the movie "Muscles from Brussels" starring Jean-Claude Van Damme! =p

In any case, while in Brussels, Derek and I found a really nice street which was filled with restaurants selling cooked Mussels and Paellas. Imagine Boat Quay, with all the seafood restaurant people trying to grab you into their restaurants, and you will have a pretty good idea what the atmosphere was like on that street.

About the food...all I can say is that it was the best bowl of garlic mussels I have ever tasted! The price was really good too, 10 Euros for a bowl of mussels, a plate of french fries, and a glass of beer! Oh yes, Belgian beer rocks! Its was a very nice dinner...very nice indeed. =)

Imagine singing in this choir...=)

While hiking around Brussels, I came across this cathedral just outside the main shopping area. It did not look very special from the outside, but I realised how wrong I was the moment I stepped inside...

Just look at the sanctuary! There were so many sculptures flanking the pews, and the pipe organ was massive!

To top that off, there was a choir singing hymns there too. Imagine being able to sing in that choir, in that cathedral...with the huge stained glass window just beside you...wow! I'd bet it would be a dream come true for many choir members I know!

My first European backpacking trip! =)

I went to Brussels and Liege last weekend, went there with Derek. We were totally blown away by what we experienced! Our first stop was Brussels, and my goodness...what a beautiful city it is! 

We took the train from Maastricht to Liege first, then switched trains to go to Brussels. The train system in Belgium is really good! The first thing you will notice is how incredible punctual they are, the time listings are accurate the minute. And they really do keep to the timing. 

This is my first time taking a train, and it was a good experience. The ride was smooth, and quiet! Its also very affordable to travel within Belgium, the return train ride to Brussels cost me a total of 13 Euros, which is around S$26. Not bad I must say! =)

One of the first things we saw in Brussels was the main square. As you can see from the picture, the buildings surrounding the main square is so beautiful! The building you see in the pictures above is actually a hotel...cool eh!

We walked the entire day, and visited the square both in the day and at night. I actually prefer the city at night, Brussels has really good night life. Which is so different from Maastricht, where shops close at 5pm and all that is left to do at night is drink at the pubs.

One sad thing I noticed about the city, was the amount of graffiti on the walls of the buildings there. Imagine, the buildings are so old and beautiful, but you have people painting all over the walls just for their own amusement. Its really sad when you see a nice old church with its walls all covered in paint.

The Dutch really love their soccer...I mean Football!

I have to admit first, that I am not exactly someone who watches every single EPL or Champions League match. I don't really stay in touch with soccer news that much, or have soccernet as my web browser home page. However, I do catch the occasional big game here and there...and I do know some basic knowledge of whats going on in the game in recent times.

After coming here to Maastricht for just 5 days so far, I must say that I am so grateful that I watched a little soccer here and there while I was back in Singapore. The Dutch REALLY LOVE their soccer man! It has been the topic of so many conversations I have had with the dutch guys here, it totally breaks the ice with them! Knowing names like Edwin Van Der Sar and Ruud van Nistelrooy also come in useful for playing a game called "Spot the Dutch Soccer Star". Its really fun, you just sit down in the cafeteria and look out for dudes that look like famous dutch players...its not difficult to spot them, really. Just check out the picture below! Haha, I spotted Ruud Van Nistelrooy! Or at least someone that really looks like him. On retrospect, I should have half squatted while taking the photo, I'm pretty sure the real Nistelrooy would be towering over me if I was standing next to him. 

Oh, I also learnt something from one of the guys here. Over here in Europe, the game is called Football, and NOT Soccer. The guys get quite irritated when you call the game Soccer. Yeah...so a word of warning for you, be sure to use the word Football, and not soccer when you talk to the guys from Europe.

My walk to school each day...

Maastricht is a really beautiful city! The roads and buildings here have so much character and history! These are just a few pictures of my walk to school...

I learnt today that the university I will be studying in used to be a monastery, that explains a lot. Just check out this lecture theater! Looks amazing doesn't it? I was speechless when I first stepped into it...I was expecting the usual lecture halls that I see back in Singapore, certainly not this grand converted church chapel!

It begins today...

Today is the start of my 5 months long adventure in Maastricht, Netherlands! To all those who came to see me off at the airport, thank you very much! I am going to miss all of you a lot while I am away...especially my family, and Sam! =)

I had a very interesting trip from Singapore to Maastricht, it was long and arduous. I had to carry 2 pieces of hand carry luggage with me, both weighing a total of around 12kgs? It was not fun...and to make things worse, the airline lost one of my luggages! Sigh...fortunately they managed to trace it and will be sending it to me soon. Praise God!