Belgium: Beer, Chocolate, Fries!!!

So I know I'm really, really, far behind on updating everybody but I'll try and fill you guys in on what I've done! I went to Belgium on our four day break and it was such a relaxing and fun trip! We left Austria Friday night and got into Brussels on Saturday morning. Brussels is a beautiful city and I was able to find so much fun stuff to do there! I went with my friends Leann, Maura and Alissa to the chocolate factory which was delicious. The man who owned it has been making his own chocolate for the past 50 years and it was the best chocolate I have ever tasted! The beer in Belgium was also really good, almost as good as the Kartause brau beer that I drink in Austria (shout out to Jim Campbell, only you know how good Kartause brau is!) We also tried some Belgium waffles, which weren't exactly as good as I thought they were going to be, only because the chocolate they put on it is extremely rich. Belgian fries; however were the best I have ever tasted! Needless to say I did not go hungry while I was in Belgium. Brussels also has a famous statue know as the Mannequin de Pis...I'm not kidding. Its a statue of a little boy peeing and it is apparently supposed to represent the middle class of Belgium who brought economic stability to the city throughout the years. We were also able to see the church of St. Michael which was absolutely beautiful and was decorated in typical baroque style. The same day we also went to Brugge, and were able to stay with friends of friends, the Voenhage family at their home. They were the nicest people I have ever met! They took us to a soccer game Cercle Brugge vs. Kirvonjik. The soccer experience in the states is entirely different from the experience you get in Europe. The fans are so passionate about their teams and its hard not to get really into the game when your in the stands of thousands of screaming fans, decked out in green and black, the colors of Cercle Brugge. During half-time we were treated to Belgian beer and fries and talked about the game, after the game was over we were treated to more beer and talked about the game... IT WAS AWESOME!!! Koen and his family put us up for the night and treated us to a delicious breakfast the next morning. I am in love with the chocolate croissants in Belgium, they are delicious! Koen was nice enough to drive us into the city and we spent the day in Brugge. We took a boat tour of the city which is known as "the Venice of the North", for many of its streets are actually waterways. Brugge is so picturesque and has hundreds of beautiful bridges all over the city. We were able to go to a church that has a relic of Jesus, a cloth that has his blood soaked in it which was really cool to see, and we were also able to go to the Belgium Church of Our Lady which has Michelangelo's Madonna and Child which was beautiful! I would definately go back to Belgium in a heartbeat and it was one of my favorite trip so far!