Catching-up: the Policy Seminar Brussels and Luxembourg trip report
Hello hello! It’s the post-midterm, post-vacation season which means I am playing catch up with all my trip reports! It’s been a crazy month, I don’t really remember much about October, but I do know it was full of traveling, which means adventures, food and of course, fun. So a couple weeks ago, my Policy Seminar class took a trip to Luxembourg and Brussels to attend several hearings and meetings at some of the European Union’s most important institutions. For 4 days and 3 nights, we all piled onto another charter bus and drove off to these two important Euro-cities for some learning and a little adventure. First stop was in Luxembourg, to see the ECJ or the European Court of Justice. We attended a small hearing on a tax issue, then were briefed on the case and got some pretty cool free swag!
Right before attending the hearing. Excitement and intrigue!
We got cool ECJ lawyer swag and informational booklets. My inner nerd rejoiced.
After the hearing, the buds and I took a stroll around the city to see some of the sights and to grab some lunch.
I found a Filipino restaurant! I was ecstatic.
After lunch, we left Luxembourg and went on our way to Bruxelles or Brussels, Belgium. Saw some pretty interesting things along the way.
Alligators and antifreeze apparently should be sold in the same aisle.
We finally got to our hotel in Brussels after a long bus ride throughout the day. It was very 1960s minimalist.
The next morning we had an early start at the European Commission with a briefing about EU Enlargement.
Next was another briefing at the European Anti-Fraud Office, also known as OLAF. I felt so professional going to meetings at all of these different departments!
The third event on the itinerary was a talk at the United States Mission (like an embassy) from an American diplomat stationed in Brussels. It was probably one of the most influential presentations I’ve ever heard. Seriously inspiring!
We ended the night with dinner at a very cute Belgian restaurant in the Grande Place, or city center. It was absolutely gorgeous at night!
The dinner was…interesting, but the best part was definitely the Belgian waffle for dessert. Nom nom nommity nom.
Of course, many pictures were taken of the pretty cityscape.
The next morning, we took a break from the EU stuff and strolled around the city’s popular tourist areas. We first went to the Magritte Museum to see some famous art by one of my personal favorite artists.
Do the Magritte!
After the exhibit, we decided to explore parts of the city and found this beautiful palace nearby. Photoshoots naturally occurred.
And thus concludes the Brussels and Luxembourg trip. Even though it was for class, it was definitely a trip well-spent. Many laughs occurred throughout the four-day excursion, mainly at our professor’s verbal arguments with our old French bus driver. But any trip with my best homies is full of fun times of course. I hope you enjoyed this trip update. Until the next adventure, à bientot! :)
