After realizing in Brazil that the only acceptable course of action was to spend more time with Ekaterina (bus companion turned girlfriend), I called an audible and crossed the Atlantic. After taking a car, a bus, another car, two flights, and a train, I finally arrived in Antwerp.

The first few days in Antwerp made it clear that late fall weather is slightly colder in Belgium than in Colombia. Who would have guessed? As I initially had no intention of traveling to Europe when I originally left the United States, I was quite unprepared. Luckily, wrapping a borrowed scarf around my head seemed to do the trick.

It turns out Antwerp is a lovely place. I’ve very much enjoyed walking around the cobblestone streets and attempting to decipher the Dutch signs that crowd the sidewalks. Belgium has all sorts of beautiful castles, cathedrals, and other cool things that start with the letter “c” (like delicious cervezas…though perhaps I’m getting my languages mixed up).

One day, we went to a brewery where the tour guide badmouthed Heiniken and suggested he brushed his teeth with it. Quite the character. After we sipped our beers with 9% alcohol, we went to dinner, but not before I spotted a most unusual store. Perhaps it makes more sense in Dutch.

Getting back to castles and cathedrals, we spent one day taking a tour through Ghent. After a nice drive through fields of windmills, we ended up at some sort of Indian dance party before making our way to see the large buildings of stone. The United States needs more cathedrals. Someone should get on that.

We watched the sunset over the canals to wrap up a wonderful day.

I’ve decided Belgium gets my stamp of approval. Despite certain (mistaken, uninformed, and, in this case, blatantly wrong) Belgian girlfriends who have informed me California IPAs are an abomination, I’ve made the executive decision to return quite soon. Next time, I’ll be sure to bring a coat.