As my brother tells me that he would like to go to Leuven for Erasmus, I realize that it's been more than half a year since I finished my Erasmus in Belgium and that I haven't scribbled anything about it here yet (shame on you Michaela, how classic). 

However, the more I reminisce the more I miss it and can still feel the "post-Eramsus" blues. My best friend (who was on Erasmus in Barcelona btw, I know...goals) googled it and it seems that it is a legit syndrom. Ok, enough moaning, Erasmus is over, period....So I guess, I will now pour myself a glass of that Duvel I brought home with me from Leuven and get started on this wild ride called Erasmus...

You all probably know by now that I decided to go on Erasmus and chosen Leuven (my other option was Paris, but more on that in my previous article), where I spent amazing 5 months of my life. I won't talk much about my beginnings because I already summed that up. Now it's time for you to hear the end of the story and for me to finally close that chapter.

When I look back at all the pictures, I see happiness, I see smiles, I see colours, I see friendships, I see me- core me. Let's dive into the details now. I hope you will fall in love with Leuven as easily as I did and will immediately consider moving there for good (ok, I am fine with you only visiting). 
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​Welcome to Leuven, city of students, beer, splendid architecture, true friends, cultures, opportunities and tireless studying! 

THE BEST BELGIUM CAN OFFER

Let me start more generally and sum up Belgium as a country and what it has to offer you, what to see, visit, taste and experience. 

Starting with food (yes, you know me well and I also know you well), there are many specific types of dishes, drinks and flavours that can be linked to Belgium. Even though, Belgian cuisine isn't the most recognised in the world, it sure has some hidden surprises and treats to offer. Not much credit is given to Dutch cuisine in general, however, at least the three staples such as beer, fries and chocolate need to be given that well deserved credit, am I right? I am all against stereotypes, but these three fellas can't escape us!

In Belgium they don't always have a warm cooked meal for lunch. Instead, they prefer to have a baguette (trust me, there is a baguetteria on every, I mean EVERY corner). These baguettes would be our typical school lunch, because apart from that, there was not much choice to be honest (unless we cooked, which was not that often). Good luck to everyone allergic to gluten, who doesn't have the time to cook at home, since baguettes are lifestyle in Belgium.

Beer isn't only a drink, it's a culture. I have never drunk that much beer ever in my life, even though I am from Czech (nope, I can assure you that we are not a number one beer country...Czech meet your true rival- Belgium). After you spend some time in Belgium, you finally understand what true beer is. Any "beer" that is under 8% of alcohol is simply not a beer.

The best thing about drinking the proper beer (meaning at least 10% of alcohol)?
You can only have 2 of these and end up being tipsy (read drunk).

I don't even want to count how many beers we managed to drink throughout our Erasmus. The number would probably give me a slight heart attack, but well, we enjoyed not being judged for drinking beer all the time, cause who doesn't, when in Belgium?!

We visited beer festival in a small town church, beer festival in a huge expo hall, in  Brussels, went for a beer into pub with more than 2000 beers (you will be choosing from a proper 100 pages menu- and yes it takes you 30 minutes to choose one beer), we bought a box of 24 hoegaardens and carried it home for 20 minutes, we managed to finish 24 hoegaardens and bought an additional box, we drank 30cent beer and we drank 6€ beer, we drank beer to help us cure hangover and to get us drunk again, and we found truth in beer when there was no wine and when we needed some encouragement during desperate-3am-assignments-writing period (read: we ran out of Monster Energy).

Ok, enough of me talking about beer....

​You all probably know that Belgium has a Dutch speaking part and a French speaking part, and also a tiny German speaking part (don't even let me start on all the Governments they have!). Leuven is situated only 15 minutes away from Brussels, and falls under the Dutch speaking part (not Brussels though, there they speak French) (I know...too complicated). 

Brussels
I am going to be honest, for me, there was not much to see in Brussels and would choose Leuven over Brussels every time. However, of course we had to visit the capital of Belgium and the EU itself. Generally, his very official yet culturally diverse and busy city is beautiful, but some parts are better not visited.

If there's an occasion to visit Brussels, it would be Brussels Food Truck Festival. If you are a fan of food (who are you if not?!), sun, friendly atmosphere, music and parks, this event is simply made for you! We managed to get proper sunburnt during that afternoon (probably because we hadn't seen sun in the previous 3 months), listened to nice live music and tasted food and drinks from all over the world.

Apart from that, Brussels is much nicer during spring or summer. So if you want to go visit during the winter, expect rain and  cloudy grey-ish city with not very thrilling ambiance. However, this only is my point of view! You may find it completely exciting to explore the city or live there. 
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​Ghent
Me and Tyryza went to Ghent with our Finnish friends, Rebecka and Fredrika, for a one day trip. The weather was amazing and compared to Brussels, there was a lot to see in Ghent. So if in Ghent, make sure you visit the Old Fort in the very centre, walk alongside the river, take picture for Instagram in the Graffiti Street, visit the Beguinage (which is a must in EVERY city), wander and get lost in the cute little streets and notice the architecture style of most of the buildings. 
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Oostende
Combination of Belgium and beach doesn't go together as well as beer and Belgium does, and that's a fact. Or maybe me and Tyryza just chose the worst place possible when wanting to see the beach in Belgium. Yes, this huge disappointment is called Oostende and there's nothing special to do in that place. The beach looked like in some kind of sea resort 40 years ago (referring to pictures my parents had shown me when there,  back home). Ok enough moaning Michaela, at least we saw the beach, our bare feet could touch the sand and then we at least found a pretty park on our way back. But frankly, I would never go again (just so you know that everything isn't perfect in Belgium, even though I won't stop praising it haha). 

Random parks and road trip
Since Honza (University of Worcester students who came with me and Tyryza) had his car over in Leuven, we could go on some road trips and explore (we literally went on one with him :D ). To show you we didn't only visit cities and towns but also a bit of a nature, Park van Tervuren is situated just outside Leuven and is extremely pretty. Therefore, if you are seeking a little getaway into the nature, this place seems to be perfect fit. Don't forget to bring your picnic basket and food with you! 
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​ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ERASMUS IN BELGIUM


​Many people have been recently asking me about Erasmus in Leuven, coming from my home University of Worcester in the UK. So hopefully, this little section will provide you with necessary information when wanting to go on Erasmus to Leuven from the UK. As for the course- I study BA (Hons) Marketing, Advertising and PR in Worcester and could go for an Erasmus to Leuven or Paris because they offered the combination of all the subjects above (which is very rare actually, PR is a hard one to find guys). 

School
The only actual reason that you go to Erasmus for, but not always the only thing we remember and are looking forward to. However, in our case, I am pretty sure we all will remember "the school" part. Firstly, this was a bit of a shock, since the system in the UK is completely different from the rest of the world I guess, or Belgium at least.

At Worcester, we would only have 4 modules throughout a semester (which they call courses in Belgium, whereas "course" in the UK means your degree, the curriculum or what is it that you are studying, therefore you can imagine our confusion). Each of such modules (mine were Marketing, Advertising, PR and one elective) lasts for 3 hours, thus you only have lectures for 12 hours a week. WHICH IS NOT HAPPENING IN BELGIUM ;----). In the UK we are evaluated based on our written essays, reports and  presentations all done either individually or in teams (yaaay, team work). We also have exams, but I only had one in the UK so far and will have my second one in my final year.  

Whereas in Belgium we had 9 modules, school 4 days a week from 8-4 or 10-6 or similarly. Despite being in school almost every day, we had shorter lectures, each lasted for 2 hours only. But there was not much sense going back home in between the lectures, since the campus was situated quite far away from the centre, where we lived. In Leuven, we had a combination of UK's teaching style and Czech style. We were evaluated based on written essays, reports, presentations, test and exams both oral and written... uppffh... yes. The semester is finished by the end of June, which compared to UK's middle of May seemed a bit harsh, especially due to the amount of sun outside, which made studying for exams 1000 times harder. 

Altogether we submitted at least one (in some minimum of 3) written assignments for each module, we passed 5 exams, from which 2 were oral, we wrote some tests and had at least 5 presentations. So in overall, I can say it was a busy busy semester. 

Also, I am still not sure which University we attended, whether it was KU Leuven or its association or branch, but I guess, we need some mysteries in our lives after all... Hahaha I am just kidding. We attended University College Leuven Limburg (just UCLL please), which recently got separated from KU Leuven and is now its branch, association, division, partner, however you wish to call it, but still belongs to it. 

I am glad I had a chance to experience different teaching style and approach. When you then put "Erasmus in Belgium, Leuven" on your CV, it will stand out and make difference, since it really is about academic experience in this country rather than going out and partying till dawn (we still managed to do both, I mean...IT IS STILL ERASMUS). 
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FINANCES & ACCOMMODATION 
OK, another topic which most of you have asked me about, so I decided to sum it up quickly. Accommodation is best found by yourself, since the University does not provide you with any option to stay in the halls of residence. We all were supposed to find our accommodation ourselves, with a help of housing services and University representative. The only tool they provided us with was website where all the University approved landlords were listed. Fortunately, the website was mainly in Dutch, so this is when you start to expand your vocabulary :---)) You will find words like Kot, Te huur, de flat, etc. almost vital for your survival in Belgium.  

After a week of desperate calling and apartments viewings we managed to find a studio. We also didn't make it easier for us by only looking for a studio for two. We had few viewings but wanted to live in the centre and together. Towards the end of the week we managed to find a lovely studio for a very reasonable price in the halls of residence RIGHT IN THE VERY CENTRE, which was 1 minute away from the Oude Markt (I know, everyone familiar will say it's the DREAM). Me and Tyryza both paid around €320 per month and had a whole studio with "bathroom" and kitchen for ourselves! I used the quotation marks there, because it was not a bathroom, but more like an airplane toilet cabin installed into a studio haha, but we loved that plastic bathroom of ours! This magical studio was at the Mgr. Karel Cruysberghs residence. 

I suggest you join some Facebook groups if looking for accommodation or make your research beforehand. You can stay in the hostel during the induction, which is what we did, but you will still need somewhere to go afterwards, right? Trust us, homeless life- we've been there and it ain't fun haha. So be prepared, get in touch with people and start looking in advance. 

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Apart from that, the finances were quite ok to handle. We did not have a part-time job and the EU grant did not even cover our accommodation (the grant is €250 per month), however, I did have some money saved and that helped. The transport in the city was cheap, we only paid for €20 semester. Or you can always buy or rent bike, because EVERY ONE OWNS A BIKE IN LEUVEN. As for food, in order to save some money up, we always went grocery shopping to ALDI, LIDL and COLRUYT all at the same time and bought the cheapest picks in different shops. Meat was a bit pricy, but if you avoid shops like Delhaize for usual shopping, you should be fine. Another advantage of Belgium is that it is the country of Alpro. So imagine all the Aplros you can have for the lowest price ever (you no longer have to dream about dark chocolate hazelnut milk)! As for the phone operator, we all used Mobile Vikings sim cards we got from ESN and paid around €15 per month (you can go cheaper, but we wanted to have data). Beer (ok, Stella) was €2 in student places, or around €3-4 for stronger and better beer (read Duvel). For a proper meal you would pay up to €10 unless going for student a meal into Alma, in which case it would be more like €3 haha. 

We decided to enjoy Erasmus to the fullest, so instead of saving every cent, we rather made sure we have the best experience ever. Which doesn't mean we were throwing money away, but just had enough on the side for the "pleasures" (trips, parties, clothes, food, drinks). 

Now back on something more fun. Look at this! Even the SKY in Belgium was perfect. This was our awesome view from the studio. Bart, I know you are reading this and dreaming about the (back then ours, now just your) sky.

We were not short on drinks as you can see. 

Best cocktails in town: Bar Nine (Levander Margarita, Strawberry-basil smash, Caipiroska, Candy Crush), Matizze (any Daiquiri), De Rector (Raspberry vodka approved by 6/6 French girls & Bart)
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Best beer: The Capital (any special type of beer - 10% and more - served in fancy glass), De Werf (Leffe on draft), anywhere (as long as it is Duvel or Tripel Kanunik, you are covered) 

IT'S ABOUT TO GET EMOTIONAL 
We had it all. Endless laughs with my French girls, fighting with my Tyryza over whether to go for our beloved pad thai for lunch fourth day in a row or whether to cook at home (pad thai won, always), cocktails in Bar Nine (read lavender margarita or strawberry-basil mojito), dinner dates with my Jesuses, having an excuse to drink 10% beer everyday, forever regretting the amount of fries eaten, waiting for delayed buses in a proper rain, regretting not purchasing a scuba diving suit, going to Cantus dressed as Princess Leia and getting all the boys' attention, spending sleepless nights with my roommate working on assignments due next day, having to connect your laptop to a CABEL INTERNET (Kotnet, I won't ever miss you), drinking beer in church, on streets, in bed, in bar, at school, EVERYWHERE, exploring beautiful cities, spending maybe too much money on cocktails (no regrets), not finding Brussels attractive at all - compared to Leuven, nothing is more picturesque. 

And here's to the people, who made my experience magical.
​To Tyryza, my partner in crime/classmate/roommate/partymate/travel buddy/everyday date/team mate/study buddy/personal make-up artist/Duvel sharer/bus ride buddy and basically 24/7 company, who shared every single moment of this ride with me. To Jesu, my Spanish picantón owning my heart and bringing sunshine to my life since April 2016, who is the biggest surprise Erasmus has brought me and what I am the most grateful for ever since then. To our French girls gang Adele, Camille, Maïlys, Gaëlle, Jeanne and Pauline, who always knew how to make the funniest situation from an awkward moment by sharing their sex stories, who shared our teacher crush with us (Camille, I know you are now kissing your phone screen saver with  Tim :D) and those who should learn everyone how to dance when 'One dance' is on. To our Mexican diva Jessica, who brought warmth and sun with her kindness to Belgium for everyone. To our Belgian party spirit animal/guide/soulmate/funny & kind friend/Belgian sky lover (ok the last bit sounds weird)  Bart, who knew exactly when to bring out those fire shots and raspberry vodkas and would never let any of us down. To Honza, who's been on this journey with me since 2014 and ate almost all the pad thais in Leuven with us. To Moni and Verena, our Austrian gals, who would always help anyone with anything and were the loveliest girls. To Fredrika, Rebecka and Noona, our Finnish (party) buddies/Gin & Tonic addicts and the best story tellers. To Marta and Daniela, our Portuguese always-cold-in-this-weather and fabulous nutritionists/queens who could not simply stop dancing when `Ai Se Eu Te Pego` was suddenly on. To Jorien, Artem, Alfonso, Alberto, Daniel and guys from the Cruysberghs residence, who always were up to go for a beer, organise something, share our cuisines or simply watch a movie and made us feel super comfortable in our accommodation.  And to everyone who we met and shared this crazy ride with.

​It's been wonderful, spectacular, awesome, super and I miss you. 

Here's to our endless laughs, to pre-parties in our kitchen, to me and Tyryza finding sparkling Ice Tea insanely tasty in the morning after, to our cheese or pancake nights in the halls, to our international dinners drinking Soplica and eating paella, to being with people from all over the world, to making new life-long friends, to eating fries in a pub and not giving a single F about it, to moving from one bar to another throughout the night, to dancing to One Dance, to spending 30 hours on the bus, to sleeping for 2 hours before exam due to endless studying, to being wet all February because it was raining EVERY SINGLE DAY, to meeting my boyfriend, to drinking Belgian classic- lemon Jenever, to going for a sushi boat, to having pad thai 30 times per week, to waiting for my boyfriend in front of Maccies (romantic, I know), to getting ready with Macklemore, to waking up before Tyryza and waking her up when preparing my breakfast, to the main time we discovered face swap, to not being able to remember where we had our classes, to coming to school through the field, to morning brunches and late dinners with Jesu, to watching GoT episodes before everyone else did, to drinking beer and shots, to taking random pictures, to taking videos of us all dancing on One Dance, to sticky nights at Ambiorix, to posh nights at Bar Nine, to meeting people from all over the world, to finding out more about Belgium, to smoking more cigarettes than accepted, to destroying our umbrellas in the endless rain, to falling in love with Belgium, to always having a place in our heart for Leuven and to never forget our friends and experience from Leuven. 
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I miss it. Sometimes more than I should. Why? I don't really know to be honest. Perhaps, because it was a time for me when I was more or less careless, no real responsibilities, job, third year at the University coming towards me, my future after graduating was still close, but far enough to have enabled me to fully enjoy that semester and so on. 

I miss my Erasmus friends (guys, WE ARE HAVING THAT REUNION IN JUNE, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! I really miss you), I miss sharing every minute with Tyryza (sometimes we were fed up with each other), I miss the city, I miss having my boyfriend in the same place and seeing him 3 times a week (now I only get to see him once a month), I miss drinking beer everyday (and trying to hide that beer belly under my jumper), I miss Belgian sky (Bart will understand) and I miss it all. 

Dank U Leuven. I am coming back (my pink pad thai is coming yas) and I will forever remember my time spent there. 

I hope you enjoyed this article.
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See you at my new adventure, 
Michaela xx

​Hey you guys, travellers, my friends, strangers, ladies or men, anyone, 

I've been missing you lately, therefore, I have finally decided to sum up all 3 of my trips to my beloved Amsterdam in the past three months. Of course, as always, I am about to give you some (hopefully) valuable tips and share the most amazing pictures and stories, so you can all be even more tempted to visit this incredible city (don't thank me)! 

As you all know (those who don't can read all about it HERE) I spent my second semester of my second year at the University abroad. I went for an Erasmus Exchange to Leuven, Belgium (aww, I am getting emotional even when typing that, ok, more on Erasmus is coming soon!) which allowed me to easily travel to Belgium's neighboring countries. One of these is Netherlands, where I only have visited Amsterdam so far (shame on you, Michaela). However, I have managed to visit the aforementioned beauty three times already, so not that bad, right? Hence, I kinda feel like I am privileged to call myself an "Amsterdam expert", but frankly I am just an incurable Amsterdam enthusiast...

For those, that have not been to Amsterdam yet- be aware of the high possibility of easily falling in love with this city. 

Ok, maybe it's about time I stopped praising the beauty of this city and being all emotional. There is no need for me to exaggerate, since you will soon find out the reason for all of the above! I also do apologize in advance, since you are most likely to be ending up buying yourself a ticket to Amsterdam after reading this article. So please forgive me for putting you into this difficult situation. 
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In order for me to clarify those three visits mentioned earlier, I went to Amsterdam first with my roommate and friend back from Worcester- Tyryza and Dominika, which was on 1st of April and we just stayed for the weekend. Then, me and Tyryza spontaneously decided to go see Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on their tour, also in Amsterdam, 7 days later. Lastly, I visited with my parents on our way back from Belgium, which was made easier and less sorrowful with this Eurotrip my dad had planned (Thank you dad, it really helped me to get over the Good Bye). So in overall, I have visited 3 times already, every time with someone else and with a different goal of each visit. 

I don't really know where to start, since there is so much I want to show you and tell you! Anyways, let me start chronically..


P.S. it is a long one, so grab a snack, glass of wine or beer and dive into it :)

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AMSTERDAM IN THE SPRING 

There is no better time of the year to plan a visit to the country of the tulips than spring. We had been planning this trip long in advance, since we knew that this visit just had to work out! And it did. Luckily, our best friend when it comes to traveling- Megabus did not let us down this time either. The connections from Brussels (Leuven, where we studied and lived was situated about 20 mins from the capital) were often and very cheap! I think we paid around 20 euros for the roundtrip. The journey also lasted for only few hours, which was ideal since we had to go to lectures right after our arrival back (well, haha, we missed the classes anyway cause our bus was late, AND it truly was late haha, this is not just an made up excuse).

One of my tasks was to find an accommodation beforehand. As usually, I first tried to message some potential hosts on Couchsurfing, which was proven successful. Very kind and friendly Couchsurfer Koen provided us amazing accommodation. I would like to thank him this way once again for being very kind, being wonderful host and also introducing us some of the city.  

On the first day we only stayed at Koen's, who made us a dinner- hamburgers and mashed potatoes with lettuce in it, which me and Tyryza both inspired by that recipe then made many times at home (Dank u Koen for the inspiration). We basically chatted the whole night, got to know our host, Dutch society, Amsterdam, Netherlands, shared some opinions and went to sleep. This is what I enjoy about Couchsurfing the most, it is not the free accommodation (students-on-budget alert!) but getting to know locals, local stories, local places, the community, interior of the houses, the way of living, the city from another perspective and the people. I definitely recommend everyone to try Couchsurfing at least once in their life since it brings an unforgettable and valuable experience. 

On our second day in Amsterdam we decided to see all the highlights the city provides, wander around the cozy streets of the centre and the canals and basically just to absorb the atmosphere. Since we stayed near the city centre (I'd say it took us about 30 mins tops to get there) we decided to first go to see the Vondelpark. As for the size, this park is huge! Beware of the bikers (fyi- you will hear this many more times from me haha) when you go there, apart from that, the park is really green (Thank you Michaela for sharing this astonishing information) and has a friendly and sporty atmosphere. You may find a spot there for a BBQ, chill with your friends on the grass or go for a run/walk. If you come out of the park (in the direction of city centre) and turn right you soon will arrive to Museumplein, where another but way smaller park is situated along with the museums- Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam or Moco Museum, which we did not visit. However, the main reason all the tourist head to this park and in front of the Rijksmuseum is the I AMSTERDAM sign, where everyone (including us of course) has to have a picture!! I would like to just quickly warn you- take a deep breath, feed your dad before deciding to go there and try to ignore other's people existence for the time spent there. You will definitely wait at least 10 minutes (if you are not one of the people (very lovely people) that just make their own way to the sign and ruin all other people's pictures) just to take one mainstream picture haha :---))) I bravely/cleverly took my Polaroid camera with me to have a physical/tangible memory and the guy who took our picture completely ruined it, and we only asked him cause he was handsome, soo... I should probably move on already from this unfortunate moment..Lesson- being handsome doesn't mean he can take pictures. 

We had a quick lunch from Albert Heijn (the best supermarket ever- just saying). We went for salads and smoothie, which both are very affordable and DELICIOUS! Honestly, if you have a chance to grab those salads from Albert and eat them outside in a park, go for it! Luckily we found this supermarket in Leuven too, which definitely saved our lives there haha! (I bet Tyryza is craving one of them salads while reading this, sorry mate!)

Moving on, after taking loads of pictures in front of/ on/ under/ next to/ wherever the sign and first letters of our first names (M,T,D) we headed into the very centre of Amsterdam to find one specific café, which was recommended to me by my Twitter follower (thank you so much for this tip) that has a panoramic view over the whole city! This secret beauty's name is Blue Amsterdam and can be found on one of the canal streets in the centre. The day was pretty hot (which obviously me and Tereza weren't used from Belgium any more) so we decided to quench the thirst with some homemade beverages (do recommend the lemonade and ginger lemonade).

After using the wifi and finishing our drinks we wandered around the canals and city centre. Visited few souvenir shops and chilled. After it started to get darker we decided to pay a visit to the Red Light District. There is where all the fun started. Ok, so we knew it was forbidden to take pics of the ladies (google it if you are not aware of Red Light District), however, by not even intending to and rather focusing on taking a snap of the whole street Tyryza got caught by one of the ladies in the windows. She ran out of her "office" towards us (AND YES, WE WERE ACROSS THE CANAL) and started screaming at us (Tyryza almost dropped her phone, that is how terrified she got haha) "STOP IT, FUCK YOUUU, STOP IT BITCH OR I WILL FOKIN KILL YA!" (oh yes, this became our very own rap song then). So Tyryza's bad karma managed to catch us up again and in a big way! We then quietly disappeared from the crime scene. 

- So just to brief you, taking pictures in the Red Light District is forbidden and you can get told off, or like in our case get your life can be in threat. Honestly, rather don't make the ladies angry, or their manager can get to you and force you to delete the picture or leave..

Being all terrified to death we rather escaped the crime scene as already said before and headed home to shake this trauma off haha. However, the crazy lady at least gave us theme for an original rap song from Amsterdam composed by us. I won't be sharing much, because nobody would get that and I bet you would immediately stop reading my post and started thinking we are crazy (if not already thinking so) haha (read: actually because of copyright since the song is such a hit). We then headed back home all ready for sleep and rest. 

Ok, I think you could have gathered how the "M" letter looks by now haha 
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Our third day was all about the BIKES! Amsterdam and bikes just go together so we couldn't miss riding them for one day. Even though the bikes and bikers can get on your nerves when you are being a tourist and walking in Amsterdam, because we all got almost hit (well, actually hit) by them at least 4028 times per day. So we were indeed desperate to switch the roles and for once be the ones angry belling at everyone every 9 minutes while riding the bike. Don't ask me where we rented the bikes, since I don't even remember the name and would definitely not recommend you the one we went to. The owners were very rude, not paying attention to us at all, therefore we waited to be served for almost 30 minutes and it was all very weird and random. However, the only reason we did not leave was the dog they had there, cause we just kept petting him and would completely forget about the grumpy owners, haha classic us- give us an animal to pet and we are all yours (well ok, this sounds weird haha).

​After we FINALLY found our way out of the city centre we decided to ride to the port of Amsterdam and use a transport boat that got us to the other side: Amsterdam-Noord across the river (or sea if you prefer). We did not expect much, however, I believe we could have done something more interesting than choosing to visit the industrial/other side. Well.. at least we could ride them bikes properly and fool around for a bit. We then got back to that small ferry and were back on the cool side of Amsterdam B-). 

It was about lunch time when we found one of the fresh food markets that take place regularly during the weekends. We were supposed to meet Koen (our Couchsurfer) at one of these markets, however, the messages were not sent and received (read iPhone and iMessage, if you know what I mean) and, therefore, we had no place and time set to meet. Despite the failure of communication and mobile devices we randomly bumped into Koen at one of the markets, which was really random and such a coincidence. Koen then recommended us to try typical dutch meal- herrings (which is a type of a fish). Well... I love fish, but this one though? No thank you haha, it was very slimy, pickled and served with onions and gherkin. We chose a sandwich with herring and I can proudly say I am never having this fish again, sorry Amsterdam, this is the only thing I have to rebuke you for...

The rest of the day was very bike-related. We just biked around the city, around the park, used the bike bell at least 14238633051 times, got lost at least 824932529 times, bumped into (ok, hit, I admit) tourists at least 124364043 times and enjoyed it loads! I would definitely recommend you to spare 1 or at least half of your day in Amsterdam to rent a bike and just ride around the canals, parks and streets. You will immediately fall in love with biking and trust me, the following day walking will become extremely annoying haha. 
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When we arrived home, we decided to thank our host by cooking a dinner for him (we had no idea it would turn out that tragic). Ok, let me set the record straight- we can all cook very well, specially Tyryza, who we also call Jamie Oliver, however that night, the Universe just was not on our side. Our meal- chicken, spinach & potatoes took 4 hours to prepare, YES FOUR WHOLE HOURS instead of 1 hour. We felt so embarrassed since we kept our host waiting and the least was to cook him a dinner to thank him for having us at his. So embarrassing. We just wanted to disappear from that place and buy him some Maccies instead. Sorry Koen, we really can cook. Next time we promise it will be better haha! 
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Last day in Amsterdam we decided to spoil ourselves and went for breakfast goals. We went to Pancakes! Amsterdam and had the ultimate queen of pancakes- American pancakes with maple syrup and bacon (oh yaas).

Later on, we walked around the canals and visited a market on the Herengracht street, where we were all tempted to buy those black tulips. Later on we found our way back to Koen's place, packed our luggages and left Amsterdam (sadly). The sun was shining back then and we keep reminiscing this amazing weekend till now. 

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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis aka night spent in Amsterdam

Ok, as I briefly mentioned before, me and Tereza went to see Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on their Tour in Amsterdam on 10th of April (yes, we really went back after just 7 days). You may ask, why didn't you go to see them while they were in Belgium? Well, the answer to that is that we first- searched for the tickets after he already performed there, second- another reason to come back to Amsterdam (it was mainly the latter, you know it). So, we went to Amsterdam again to see them on Sunday. (Yes, mom and dad, I admit, I missed Monday's classes). 

We decided not to book any accommodation (very, very good idea, way to go) in order to save some money and be pointlessly adventurous. 

When we arrived to the concert, we were surprised how actually small the venue was. However, it only was an advantage since it all was more personal and had this intimate atmosphere. The tickets were honestly really cheap, I think we paid about 40 euros each. I mean having previously listened to their album about 343253 times it was a definite YES for us. We enjoyed the concert to the maximum, sang along with Macklemore, danced, and reflected with his speeches and comments. These guys for sure are humble and love their fans. That's it, end of the story, if you are thinking about going for their concert, definitely go for it! 

The night, however, was not as awesome and easy as we had thought. The concert finished quite early, around 10pm and our bus was ought to leave at 7am the following morning. So, we first went to Maccies (classic), where we tried to survive in the air-conned room till they closed (2am). It was bloody cold outside, so with a cup of tea we decided to walk back to the train station and warm ourselves up with the walking. Ok, this was a suffer, we then had to stay in an elevator at the train station, which kept opening itself and just to clarify- it was like -30 degrees outside! Insane idea, I think we both lost our kidneys that night, but it was still worth it haha. To top it all off, the bus came about 2 hours late, so we had to wait for another extra 2 hours outside. That day couldn't possibly get any worse hahaha. But we survived! No surprise here, bad karma stroke again.

Amsterdam in June with my parents

​Last but not least I visited Amsterdam with my dad and Blanka on our way home from my Erasmus. These two were kind enough to provide me with  a lift from Leuven home. However, this was not just any kind of a lift. We first spent some time in Belgium, then continued to Amsterdam and last stopped in Berlin, from where we then headed back home to Czech (read legit euro trip).  

I have just noticed how INSANELY LONG this post already is, which is me being all classic because I always tend to get "a bit" carried away, however, I will take the things more generally from here (I bet you've heard this one from me before as well), otherwise this post can easily turn into a novel. So, if you are still with me, thank you for being patient and curious as always, I appreciate it soo so much! xx

First day in Amsterdam was relaxed, we only managed to arrive in the afternoon because we were packing My and Tereza's studio and basically my whole life in Leuven (crying emoji). I wasn't really in the mood for travelling, but still, the idea of seeing Amsterdam helped me to get through the emotional goodbye..

Anyways, before leaving I just had to take some beers from Belgium with me at home, and I also got my parents hooked up on them (don't thank me folks), so we paid a quick (read bought 1341394103 beers) visit to Albert Heijn. After successfully buying 10 years worth of supplies of beers (just in case there was the end of the world, an apocalypse or just thirst and we needed some beers haha) we finally arrived to Amsterdam! Yay! This time we stayed in an apartment via Airbnb (my dad is a huge fan of this concept btw). Therefore, as I said, first day we only had a walk around the city, chilled, tried to uplift grumpy and sad Michaela (ice cream proved successful) and went back to bed early to gain some energy for the upcoming day. 

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Second/last day in Amsterdam was much more productive than the previous one. (by the way, this is almost the end of this post, hold on, you can do it haha, you can make it till the end, the pictures will be worth it, I promise). 

First thing in the morning we wanted to see Anne Frank's House, HOWEVER, you apparently need to register online to visit in the morning (which is impossible because it's sold out months in advance!). Hence, the only chance to visit it is to start queuing in front of the entrance from 3:30 pm onwards. So, we decided to come back later in order to visit the House. After this unsuccessful attempt it also started raining (2:0 Amsterdam:us) and we had to find a café (any roof) to hide. Well, the timing was actually good cause I wanted to take my parents to Blue Amsterdam Café (which became my fave) with an overview of the whole city. All soaking wet we finally arrived and had some refreshments there, enjoyed the rainy view over Amsterdam and waited till it was no longer raining cats and dogs. 

A fuel in the form of food was needed, so as to we had (surprise, surprise) fries. This time, we went for the well-known and probably the best fries in Amsterdam- Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx. Just beware of the sizes, don't ever go for large because you will get a portion like for Shrek and you will struggle for hours to finish the fries (been there, done that). Few minutes after, I mentioned herring (yes that tasty fish :))) to my dad, and he all enthusiastic had to try it. This time I decided to skip ahahaha, but my dad loved it! So I think you should definitely try herring, since it's a Dutch classic! 

Picture in front of I AMSTERDAM sign was next on our agenda, however, it did not go quite as planned. We tried to take a picture in front, but due to 12593130000 people intending to do the exact same, we had to wait for a bit (read 10 mins). This was not my dad's cup of tea and we then left, no proper picture from June in front of my "M" letter, but well, whatever (read I had a tiny argument with my dad but beer then put things back in order with him). Instead, we decided to visit Moco Museum, where Banksy and Andy Warhol had an exhibition. This exhibition was greatly educating and interesting. After finishing this we sent my dad to have a pint in a pub (The Euro was on and he would have been grumpy queuing with us for Anne Frank's House). 

And as you have already read, me and Blanka went queuing for Anne Frank's House. The queue was ABSURD. It led all the way around the street and we waited there for 1,5 hours (yes, really), but at least we finally caught up on our lives and chatted the whole time. FINALLY we made it to the entrance and went in. The tour itself was beautiful, the house was bare, but you could see presentation of what it looked like. The story is incredible itself, therefore this was such an emotional and strong experience. I think it's definitely worth the wait, the museum and the actual diary is there, if you have an afternoon or 3 hours to spare, do not hesitate and pay Anne Frank's Huise a visit! 

Last night in Amsterdam couldn't have been complete without having a beer and dinner near the red-light's district, right? So being all tired and feeling like amputating our legs after having walked the whole day we went for one (or two, ok, three) drinks and enjoyed the lively atmosphere of this amazing city. The next stop the following day was Berlin. This is how our Amsterdam adventures were ended.

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That is it! Yassssss! Finally, you made it to the end of this article of a novel's length (my apologies, but I had to tell and show you everything!)

Just to conclude, I love this city, it does not have the atmosphere of a capital, yet is very beautiful, relaxed, natural, optimistic (not because of the weed of course), diverse and hustling! You can never get bored in there, plus there is always a new canal or hidden street to find in Amsterdam. I hope you have enjoyed reading this article and are all motivated to pack your luggage, buy a ticket and go to Amsterdam right now! I really enjoyed all three visits and will always be reminiscing the wonderful and exciting time spent there. I for sure know this was not my last stay in Amsterdam, because you can't just get enough with this beauty! 

So....till next time, Amsterdam. 

Thank you for being here and sharing my adventures with me. 
Michaela xx
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Hallo, Hola, Bonjour, Ahoj, Hello again!!

​After few months, I am back here to share some of the first impressions I have got about Erasmus and exciting moments from Paris and Barcelona, where we went for a week, that are worth sharing. 

Most of you probably already know, but for those of you that don't, I am currently spending a semester abroad in Leuven, Belgium, completing my Erasmus Exchange Programme. I arrived on 31st of January along with 2 of my classmates from Worcester Uni- Tereza (Tyrýza- whom I share a studio with) and Honza. 

Honestly, Leuven wasn't my first choice for Erasmus. I wanted to go to Barcelona (as everyone else did I think :D, because you know- sun, beach, Spanish language, sangria, Spanish food, siesta and the city) but since I study all Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations it was hard to find a partner University that could offer us all of these three subjects at once. Finally, I could choose between Paris and Leuven. I've chosen Leuven and I don't regret my choice. Even though in Paris, the semester ends in April, however, I was quite afraid of the language barrier as I don't speak French at all (except from the basic greeting phrases and some nasty words haha). I've just had this tiny feeling inside me that Paris would not be the right choice for me (as for Erasmus, otherwise Paris is always a good idea, right?). Soooo anyway, I just felt Leuven would be a friendlier place to choose, and it sure is (Thank you, Leuven). 

So that's how it all started. 
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The first week we had an induction for all the incoming Erasmus students organized by the UCLL (the University we study at here). That week was full of different activities, city tours, team-building and getting-to-know each other activities, parties, trips, but also some paperwork,  registrations and formalities. Most of the Erasmus students stayed in the hostel so it was easier to get to know everyone. However, we did have to find an accommodation  for the whole semester, which was really stressful (as it always is when it comes for seeking an accommodation). It was quite challenging to combine all the activities prepared and seeking for a room and arrange viewings. Nevertheless, me and Tereza managed to find ourselves a studio in the very centre of Leuven (next to the Oude Markt - which to you who are not from here won't tell anything, so a small hint- it is very famous square with a lot of pubs on it). So except from the very strategic location of our accommodation, it is also a very cosy studio with nice atmosphere in the whole building (halls of residence, to be clear). There are lot of fun events organized with the help of halls, so it's really nice to socialize with everyone this way. 
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Let me take things more generally from here, otherwise this post would be longer than ever and since I also intend to squeeze our trip to Paris & Barcelona here... uuups. 

By the way, if you really want just an overview, take a look HERE. You can find a blog post for my home University, which is rather brief and clear. 

Let's have a closer look at each category here. 

LANGUAGE

Honestly? I am so glad that everyone, and I really have to say EVERYONE in here speaks English. And surprisingly very, very, very well (ok, calm down Michaela). I mean, it doesn't matter whether you go shopping, use means of transport, order drinks, get lost, are extra curious at school or have an inquiry about anything, there is always someone who speaks English and is willing to help you. I have not come across anyone that wasn't able to speak or understand English YET (*knocking on my wooden table* (probably only Czechs would understand this haha)). Even though Belgium has two main (plus one tiny German speaking part) language groups- Dutch and French, all the students, kids, elderly and teachers have great spoken English. Basically, this makes all the things related to school and school projects easier. Well, knowing Dutch language (as Leuven is in the Dutch speaking part) would have made it easier for everyone of course, but at least in Leuven, you will survive with your English. 


MONEY

Another area that I would like to mention is the moneeey. Since we came to Belgium on Erasmus from the UK as "UK students" the grant we have been receiving is considerably lower than if we would come from Czech Republic (almost as twice as much, lucky you guys!!!). When considering the amount of money we have been receiving from the EU monthly, Belgium ends up being a more expensive choice than for instance Spain. The expenses are ranging from the monthly rent (we pay about 645 euros for a studio per month- each 323 :) ) to basic grocery shoppings and travel expenses (even though our Leuven bus pass is only €20 for the whole semester, so I am not moaning about that). But it sure will slowly drain your bank account  (crying emoji) (even with the grant, as it unfortunately is really low) and especially when you don't have a part-time job, which is what I was used to from my home Uni. But we are still managing and are still able to travel, buy ourselves nice clothes and some food (don't worry mom and dad, I am not starving here). I am not exaggerating, but it would have been nice to receive at least a tiny bit more of € from the EU :--) (well, don't judge me- I am Czech after all and we are all known for being a bit greedy (but in a good kind of way))


SCHOOL

And finally, the reason we are all here :D . The education system here is different from the one in the UK and it is harder than I expected it to be. Luckily, I am still used to the system in Czech schools, which is focused more on spending more time at school and learning a lot by heart. However, in Belgium, it seems to me like a combination of both.  You will get to learn by heart, attend twice as many lectures (4 in the UK, 8 in Belgium), do projects in teams, deliver presentations, write reports and essays, do written and oral exams, prepare for each lecture and spend more time at school in general. It was quite intense from the first day at school, when we had to hand in a report the next day. I mean we are on Erasmus, right? Where is the partying everyday and occasionally attending school? JK- I have only missed one week of lectures and only because we were away (shouldn't really be bragging about this here tbh). 

Instead of my 4 modules that I am used to attend, I now have 8 modules, that are here called courses, which, you can imagine, made things a bit confusing first time at school (as in the UK course is what you study, the field of study, what you will have on your diploma BUT HERE they call lectures courses). The modules (courses) here differ a lot and I also have to attend some Management modules (UNFORTUNATELY). On Mondays I have Organisational Communication and Strategic Event and Risk Management, on Tuesdays it is Project Management and Consumer Marketing, on Wednesdays Advertising and Internet Marketing, then on Thursdays we can finally chill and finally, on Fridays we have Public Relations and Cross-cultural Communication. To be honest, vast majority of the modules I'm taking are quite interesting and I have already gained some valuable knowledge, but in some we cover only the basics AGAIN (like in Advertising and PR, which is rather useless for me here, but still something interesting comes up every lecture).

There is a lot of group work, actually, in every module we are divided into groups and are supposed to deliver either a presentation, essay or project during or by the end of the semester (plus exams in some). On the other hand, the lectures are only 2 hours long here in Leuven, which is useful especially when you have that many modules. I am not going to lie, there is a lot of homework to do when we come back from school, but it usually links to the lecture and is quite fun to do (OK, SOMETIMES.. NOT USUALLY...wait! did I really just say that?). Lastly, the semester is prolonged as well since we will be finished (if we pass all the exams) by the second half of June. I believe you are already bored with this school stuff, so let me just finish this off with saying that I am only hoping to successfully pass all the exams, reports, presentations and essays and get it over with. 
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Another Belgian pleasures

Since the previous paragraph about school is rather skeptical and really compares systems in two different countries (just for you to have an overview) in this short paragraph the attention will be paid to the irresistibles of Belgium.

When I say Belgium, first things that usually come to one's mind is beer, waffles, chocolate, Atomium, Manneken Pis and the EU. I don't like to talk stereotypes but you have to admit (if you are foreign) that at least one of these things have just come up to your mind too.

As Leuven is the base of Stella beer, where its brewery is situated, of course we already paid a visit to it. It isn't a base of Stella Artois only, but of many MANY types, brands and flavours of beer, as well as the whole Belgium is- and this is me, someone coming from a beer drinking country- Czech. We are lucky enough to be able to enjoy the most flavour interesting beers available on every corner here. My personal favorites are Duvel, which is a 8-9% but still a very sweet beer, then Kriek, which is cherry-flavored beer and of course Hoegaarden. If you are a wine lover, Belgium is probably not the right place for you, even though we FINALLY found ...drinkable wine in the supermarket (Yaay, fireworks!). 

Quite related to the whole beer topic- going out or clubbing (if you can even call it clubbing :D) here is completely different to the one in the UK (fortunately? unfortunately? still can't decide what I prefer- would actually prefer something in between). Ok, so we live near the Oude Markt, where more than 20 pubs & bars are situated (we chose our position well B-) ) so if you are going out, nobody here actually dresses up (yay, can go in my t-shirt and jeans) so you don't have to spend 3 hours preparing for a night out like in Worc. Secondly, as I have already mentioned, if you are a beer lover, you will love going out here, as very often the only affordable drink in the pub/bar is a BEER! (3,50 for Duvel, 2 for Stella, if you go to student's bars it's way more cheaper!) So let me sum it up. It is all about beer, beer, beer and once again beer. Pre-drinks are beer, if there is anything discounted or offered for free it's beer, what everyone usually drinks in a pub/bar is also a beer. So yep, I have probably never drunk that much of a beer like during these two months here (but I am still craving the beer after a dreadful and long day at school, so Belgium probably got me into that deeply haha). Also am drinking one of those cheeky Hoegaardens while writing this, so you can imagine how the beer culture here has influenced everyone. Ok, enough of the alcohol related topics, shall we? I know you all guys, this is probably the only thing that interests you, but wait for me to tell you about the rest! 
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Waffles, fries, waffles, fries, which one do I choose to try first? We actually first had the fries. The portion was bigger than huge and it equals your all day meals, but I probably understand why the fries are such a boom here. Honestly, I had already tasted better fries, these were just from a usual "Frietkot", which is some kind of friterie, that is available on every, SERIOUSLY, EVERY corner. If you find yourself hungry, there is about 19101001% possibility that a frietkot is situated maximum of 10 meters from you. It was said to me that these small shops are typical Belgian and since they are super cheap, students pay them visits very often, even though are extremely unhealthy. 

And the waffles? The plain ones from Pinocchio's in Leuven are the best (below the Quick Burger situated on the opposite side of the Town Hall). These are just for 2 euros and are both fluffy and sweet. But of course we had to try the combo ones with all the toppings in the world. We did and had some regrets for about an hour and then we craved another one haha, classic. You can also get waffles in Belgium on almost every corner, students eat waffles as a snack, some for breakfast and some enjoy them as a treat, there are savory ones, chocolate ones, plain ones and many more. Moreover, if you are vegan or just love Alpro, Belgium is the place for you- as it is a Belgian Brand, you have a wide range of flavours and types. 


And that is it for now (AS FOR THE ERASMUS, THERE IS PARIS AND BARCELONA BELOW ALL THIS :D )! These are my first impressions from Erasmus and mostly Leuven. Be prepared for another articles that will reveal much more from my stay in here.


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WEEKEND TRIP TO PARIS 

Before the easter break has actually started me and Tyryza decided to do a little Eurotrip in order to visit friends from our University that are on Erasmus in Paris and Barcelona. We spent about 37 hours on the road (read: being tortured by the inconvenience of Megabus, jk- we love this cheap mean of transport) and visited 2 big cities.  

First stop- Paris
Bonjour! 

We arrived on Friday night and were welcomed by our friends (Beka, Tyna and Ernest) at the bus station. Expect no tips for cheap-ish accommodation in Paris as we stayed at our friends' place.

​The sun woke Me, Tereza, Beka and Tyna up on Saturday and we were all ready to explore one of the Paris's classics on this lovely spring sunny day. We did the obligatory or must-see circle on Saturday. We began in the Jardin du Palais Royal (Palais Royal Gardens) where we had the best coffee Kitsuné (which is a must try) and enjoyed the delicious coffee in the gardens while the sun was spoiling us with its rays. Then we continued to the one and only Notre-Dame. On our way to the Notre-Dame we entered a pet store where they held cute little puppies behind a glass cubes and people could watch them and hopefully pick one of the puppies to take home with them. It was horrible and there was loads of children just knocking on the poor dogs' windows. Such a sad thing to see on a Saturday morning. Anyway, after Notre-Dame we wandered through the main streets of Paris, crossed the river and headed to the Jardin Du Luxembourg. But before! we found the Patisserie Sadaharu Aoki where we bought Green tea or Earl Grey flavored Japanese/French macarons and Black Sesame Eclair- everything tasted so different yet delicious. So with our small packages from the Patisserie we finally headed to the Luxembourg Gardens in order to relax for a while and sunbathe. After the break we continued with sight-seeing and visited the Eiffel Tower. I know it's a classic but considering the fact that I only had been to Paris once before this trip I deserved to spend some time with this beauty. Overcrowded as always, this time we at least decided not to go up to the tower and see it just from the ground. As it was still very warm and sunny we marched back to the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile and Champs-Elysées. Being a bit naughty we went into few stores and bought some stuff. We were absolutely starving so we bought a snack in Paul. By that time we were barely walking so the girls  left us but me and Tereza still continued exploring. We got lost and ended up at La Fayette's Gallery. We really wanted to climb all the stairs and see the view from the top of the Gallery but OF COURSE they had to close it exactly when we finally reached the top. Nevermind, starved and tired we continued and somehow ended up somewhere who knows where (typical), had a traditional onion soup and very VERY good wine in a local wine bar. That was the end of our first day. We basically walked everywhere so on our way back home we almost couldn't make it from the metro station haha, that's how tired we were. 

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I have to say that I am proud of us as to have managed to see it all in just two days in Paris. Of course, if it wasn't for our amazing guides slash friends Tyna and Beka we would have never seen what we did and enjoyed it fully!

(btw- if you really have made it till here in this article, I appreciate your patience and commitment, I really do. I just wanted you to know that O:-) )  

Our last slash second day in Paris we started off with a yummy breakfast in Soul Kitchen where we enjoyed their homemade apple crumble muffins and coffee. This bistro is situated almost next to Sacra-Coeur which was our next stop. After climbing around 37325203 steps to see it we then just wandered through the nearby streets, squares and absorbed the again sunny atmosphere. We stayed in Montmartre afterwards where we went to see the Moulin Rouge, Amelia's bistro (Café des 2 Moulins), had lunch (read got super full with Chinese food) and then came back to the centre and relaxed in a park. A bit later on, Beka joined us as well and we visited Louvre and the park. As usual, we came by the time they were closing it down (read: bloody Sunday) but we at least saw (read: took a selfie with) Mona Lisa (what else, right? haha) and explored it just a bit. We finished this amazing and sunny stay with a view over the Eiffel Tower in a lovely sunset.

Thank you PARIS AND GIRLS, YOU WERE AMAZING (AS ALWAYS)! 
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And finally BARCELONA
Hola!

We arrived to Barcelona in the middle of the night after spending about 14 hours in the bus and went straight to bed. What are the odds.. it is only raining in Barcelona like 10 days in a year AND it was raining/cloudy/cold 3 out of 4 days while we were there. CAN IT BE MORE TYPICAL? OF COURSE NOT :)))) Anyway, I believe we enjoyed it as much as we could despite the lack of the sunshine and warmth, also unfortunately our friends couldn't spend that much time with us because of school/illness. You know that I love Barcelona and it will probably still be among my TOP 10 cities to see and since we could stay at my friends' room on UAB campus there was no reason why not to combine this trip to Paris with Barcelona as well. OK! It may seem from the pictures that this trip was mainly about food and it may not be 100% true but let's give it at least 60% hahah (joking, we'll give the 40% to wine). Trust me, you WILL get hungry from the pictures. I will give you a lot of pictures and some tips, so be prepared. 

Among the main sightseeing spots we managed to visit La Rambla, Sagrada Familia, Gothic barrio, La Boqueria Market, Park de la Citadel, Casa Batló and the beach. However, the programme wasn't that hectic as we were already a bit tired after Paris and most importantly, the weather just wasn't good to visit all the places. We also experienced St.Patrick's Day and drank Guinness in Barcelona. 

As there already is one post about Barcelona in my blog, I will only add loads of pictures and recommend you some food places. If you want to find out more, click on one of the previous blog posts (read: I can't even type the keyboard now, that's how this post is long). 
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FOOD PLACES TO VISIT IN BARCELONA
- BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER

THIS IS THE END OF THIS POST, I PROMISE. IT WILL BE DEDICATED TO FOOD PLACES IN BARCELONA, THAT WILL BE NUMBERED ACCORDINGLY IN THE SECTION BELOW. All these places are inspired by girls from A Cup of Style, who  recommended them. TAKE A SNACK AS YOU ARE READING THIS BECAUSE YOUR MOUTH WILL START WATERING EVEN FROM JUST LOOKING AT THE PICTURES.

Brunch and Cake (1)
Possibly the best brunch ever. Honestly, the food presentation and portions are on point! We had some difficulties finishing our meals but it was worth it! Prices range from €7-11 for food and drinks €2-6 (coffee, smoothie, milkshake). It is a bit pricy but if you consider the portion and presentation it is definitely money well spent! Everything was delicious but the best ones were probably Pancakes, SMOOTHIE BOWL!, Banana bread, Bagels with scramble eggs and Eggs Benedict on waffle. Coffee, however, is not that good. You can also find many Brunch and Cake bistros all over Barcelona. 

Chök (2) 
Cronuts/donuts and chocolate choice of the year. This heaven is situated near to La Boqueria Market. One cronut will cost you €3.50 but have a look at all the toppings! Delicious delicious delicousss! 

La Granja Pallaresa (3) 
Churros are a MUST TRY while in Spain/Barcelona. These churros with dark chocolate are spectacular! I can't remember the prices, but it was extra cheap and so tasty. Big plus is that the chocolate is not overly sweet and is rather thick, churros on the other hand are fluffy, sweet and not oily at all (you usually find the oily ones). Situated on la Rambla? What else should I say to convince you to go? 

La Paradeta (4) 
Sea food and fish MUST VISIT! SEA FOOD LOVERS LISTEN! If you are a fan of fish or sea food, or even if not you should definitely try this local restaurant where you can first choose your meat/fish/sea food (from the counter, fresh from the sea), sit down and wait for your meal to be called away so you can pick it up made to perfection. We tried tuna steak- 10/10 points, calamari- well 5/10 (they could have cooked them for a longer period) and Tereza had shrimps which were delicious also. The steak was €14 for two huge pieces and you can choose the meat yourself. Great concept, great food! 

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This is it! I promise you my next post will be much shorter! I hope you have enjoyed reading it and gathered at least some inspiration/ understanding from it. I would like to send my condolences via this article to all the people affected by the attacks in Brussels, which is only 25 km away #PrayforBrussels.



Thank you for sharing my adventures with me. 
Michaela 

Hey you guyyys, as the first semester of my second year in Worcester has just finished (well... I still have to do loads of work but let's just say it's over and celebrate hah) I've decided to sum up (GET PREPARED TO SEE HUNDREDS OF PICTURES) my life, experience, school, travels, adventures, parties, food, work, well basically everything I have been up to since September 2014. 

All right, so it all started in September 2014, when I arrived to Worcester, on a warm late summer evening and checked into a reception, received my room keys (more on the "halls" topic later on) and unpacked 1 big luggage, 2 small cabin bags and 1 horrendously huge parcel. Tbh, I already hate packing/unpacking as I have to do it approximately 246 times a year :--))
The first night, to be honest, was horrible, I even think I cried as I had NO CLUE what was going to happen and what was I going to do in a foreign country (despite already working in UK twice). BUT, I woke up next morning, all motivated and convinced this was the greatest idea I'd ever done so far. Ok, let's not analyze every day from now on... 

September 2014 was all about getting to know people, lecturers, Uni, system, getting all the paperwork done, documents signed, part-time job sorted, living, Uni materials and the loan sorted, partying, going on trips, joining societies, engaging, socializing and making life-long friends.
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Halls
Well, this is not the part when I tell you how amazing it was, however, we met so many great people there, I am glad I had a chance to live on halls.
Nevertheless, sometimes you just happen to wake up 466 times a night before an important presentation as your flatmates are partying and making so much noise so even campus security has to turn up. Or you get woken up very pleasantly by a fire alarm, because someone (STEVE) is making pancakes at 4 AM and burns butter so the fire alarm is turned on. Or someone vomits on the staircase and the cleaning lady doesn't turn up as she is a cleaning lady but this isn't in her job description, so nobody cleans it and you just keep walking around a vomit for 5 days. Or your flatmates never take out the litter, or you don't and so on...
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​On the other side, when you run out of sth, you can always just go downstairs and get it. Or you can join random parties. Or meet new amazing people. Or if you can't fall asleep you can just go to kitchen and find your flatmate having a nice cuppa of hot chocolate. Or you can never feel alone as there is always someone. Or you can just wake up 5 minutes before the lecture starts as you live right on the campus (just in case you are not doing business- my case of course). In overall, it wasn't bad at all, it was a good experience, but I wouldn't come back to living on halls, especially when you experience the luxury of living in a city centre in a private apartment B-)
In case you are all wondering (I know you are not but..) I was paying about 85 £ per week O:-)
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In October 201​4 my dad came to visit me and we spent some quality time exploring Worcester and traveling for a bit together. Also, school started becoming a bit more serious than the previous month and we already had to submit assignments and do some group work. We were allocated in groups to work with throughout the whole year. I am so glad I chose my group. We had the best time, even though it was mainly on lectures, we laughed way too much. I had a chance to visit Morgan Motor Company factory, as we were working with Morgan for assignments, projects etc., and to see the whole production process live. Wonderful experience. I was lucky enough to get a part-time waitressing job in local buffet, which was, well, a good experience, but wouldn't come back probably. Lastly, I experienced my first Halloween in the UK. 

Uni
​In my first year we had two compulsory modules to attend- Marketing & Management and Economics & Finance (ugh, I am bad in math, so you can imagine why this was the least favorite module for me). Then I had Creative Communication (the module I enjoyed the most) and General English in the first semester/ Spanish in the second (if you plan on taking a second language module in the UK...well, don't). I only had school 4 days a week, working on weekends, classic :D I successfully managed to finish my first year at Uni!

In my second year I had 3 compulsory modules (well, ok)- Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations. I somehow did not enjoy the Marketing, Advertising modules as much as I did first my year as we covered a lot of a similar material. However, I found assignments really challenging and gained a lot of new information from the field. PR module was new for me, I found it interesting, however it was about 40 of us in the class (usually there is hardly 20 people), as there was only one Occurrence, so it was a bit noisy. We had to create a PR campaign, which was very educating and challenging as well. The last module I took was Preparation for a placement to help me secure a placement. We'll see if we get there (hopefully). Had lectures 3 days a week, worked for the rest (as always). When you get to that point in your life, you actually  wonder whether you are in the UK because of a Uni or because of work. So this was my first semester of my second year at Uni, I am going on an Erasmus Exchange Programme to Leuven, Belgium for my second semester, which I am  so unbelievably excited about. Will let you know how it's going. Don't worry. 

As for my course- MARKETING, ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS, in overall, the lectures are educating, fun, interesting, you are supposed to do a lot of reading at home (well, tbh ain't nobody get time for that, but we try!) and then in the lectures, you go straight on working in groups on some projects/case studies/activities (-not always, but in my course usually). The assignments are either essays or presentations (except from the exam from Economics and Finance in my 1st year!! :-/). Sometimes you have to spend the whole night in Peirson to do them. Research, research, research, referencing, referencing, research, referencing and so on. It is all about these two "Rs". The best feeling is when you receive a good grade from an assignment. As for the campuses, I've had almost all of my lectures in the city campus (the one we call Hogwarts) and only few on the main campus, where the halls are. 

Oh my, this post's already getting long! I do apologize, but I just want to say everything haha. Ok let me make it shorter. 

In November 2014 me and Marie traveled to Barcelona, where we had the best time in our life. You can see the whole adventure HERE. Just a little preview, for those, who haven't seen it yet.
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I bet you have to click on that link to Barcelona's post now :-)
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In December 2014 I went home for a Christmas Holiday, however before leaving Worcester, the International Committee organised a Christmas Party, which I was a part of. I was volunteering as a part of a Non-Uk Student Committee and helped to organise events and meetings, where I met so many incredible people. It was a great fun, shame I had no time in my second year to join them again...but will do in my third year, I promise!

When we arrived in January 2015 we had just one week of lectures and then 2 weeks off again. So we grabbed the opportunity and went to Dublin! You can check our Irish adventure in Dublin right HERE (if you haven't done so yet). However, I am still going to show you a bit to tease you. 

February and March 2015 were all about Uni, assignments, lectures, working, being in Worcester. With our International Committee I had a chance to take part in organising a Chinese New Year, which was a truly unforgettable experience. 

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Spring 2015 in Worcester was beautiful. We spent a lot of time in the nature, having some time before all the exams started and to take a break from all the studying. 
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We mostly studied till the end of May 2015, when we had our last exam. And holidays could start! Before heading home in June 2015 me and my friends went on a hike to Malvern Hills, me and Marie went to Cheltenham and Birmingham and lastly, I visited my brother in Brighton. More pictures from our June in the UK HERE. What a lovely end to first year at Uni! 

To those, who have been brave enough to have made it till here, I do congratulate you and am assuring you that from now on, it is going to be pictures mostly!

Let me just quickly recap my second year. I arrived to UK in middle August to get a job. I got a job in a restaurant, where I met so many incredible people and spent a lot of fun time with them during our shifts and after work. My sister came with me and we had wonderful time together, we traveled, danced, eaten, laughed and were freezing as well. School was pretty hectic, new obstacles overcome, assignments uploaded, Erasmus confirmed, new friendships made, loads of hours worked, bedroom shared with ma mate, money earned, experience gained, places visited, many nights partied, lots of Maccies eaten, floods seen, both my parents visited... and it all went so QUICKLY and I couldn't believe I was leaving... which was hard to be honest.
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sooooo, basically... SINCE SEPTEMBER 2014 I have....
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​.... and that's it! You've made it to the end of this post!

​Being an international student is a truly wonderful experience. I cannot be more grateful to be here, in Worcester, studying what I enjoy and hope am good at, combining school with work, being independent, going on an Erasmus to Belgium in January, traveling, living life "in English", speaking languages, coming across countless cultures and backgrounds, sharing everything with my amazing friends, parents, and colleagues. I am thankful for everyone being here for me and being a part of my adventures. I'll keep you updated. 

Love to you all
Michaela xx

Hello there again!
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I am going to be honest, I started writing this post in the end of August, but somehow got extremely busy and lazy (ok, the latter) and did not finish it till now! :-/ However, I see no better chance to finally tell you about my summer adventures than in this cloudy chilly November.
After I came back home from UK in June, I spent almost all the time with my family, friends, basically with everyone I did not see the whole academic year. There was a lot of things on my traveling agenda during the summer, starting with a trip to Russia with my family, Music Festival Colours of Ostrava, trip to Sumava and Croatia with my girls. Anyway let me start from the beginning…


Здравствуйте. It was the 29th of June and me, my dad, sister Emha and Blanka (who is my dad’s wife, I don’t like the expression step mother, so just you know) headed to Russia. We spent 5 marvelous days in Moscow and then another amazing 5 days in Saint Petersburg. This trip was full of Russian adventure, fun, laughter, great time, food, drinks, places, monuments, sightseeing, culture, history, Russian language and confusion as well. I had no idea what to expect from Russia as it all seemed a bit exotic, dangerous and yet exciting for me. So let's get a closer look. 

 

After a relatively quick flight we finally landed in the capital of Russia, Moscow. We were accommodated in the city centre, just 3 minutes away from the nearest metro station and 5 minutes away from one of the main streets (yaay, food within walking distance!). My dad managed to get us an accommodation via airbnb, which was great as we had the whole place rented for us. Except from the sneaky and irritating neighbor, a lady in her sixties, who seemed to have no other job but watch us and make us some troubles (like when we were drinking wine on the balcony and 3 minutes after 10pm she told us we were loud even though we were not at all and threatened us with calling an embassy or whatsoever), but whatever (actually it was funny to listen to our parents argue with her with they elementary school knowledge of Russian language). 


The first day was a chill, we got ourselves into the Russian atmosphere and were trying to get in the mood for a proper Russian experience (having Russian caviar and champagne on the balcony during the sunset).
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Second day was much more productive and after our breakfast we headed into the city centre and our adventure could begin! First stop: Red Square, which is basically the most famous square in Moscow, where all Kremlin, Lenin Mausoleum, Saint Basil's Cathedral and GUM Shopping centre is situated.
We visited all of the above. First the Department Store, followed by Mausoleum. It was particularly creepy inside. Relatively small all black room, everything made from black marble with hundred of guards on every corner. Moreover, it was extremely cold inside in order to keep Lenin in the right condition. Lenin was displayed in the middle and people were just walking quickly around the display of him. Altogether we were there only for a minute. Secondly, we went to the Saint Basil's Cathedral, which is built in the typical Russian Cathedral style, with colorful little towers and domes. This is a must visit place! 

In order to have a full and proper Russian experience, we found a cozy underground typical Russian bistro for lunch and had a great traditional meal and a pint of beer to finish this awesome day off. 

Second day in Moscow was a BAD DAY. Bad karma hit us again and the luck was not on our side. It first started when we got lost in the metro as we got a bit confused by the names of the stations. Finally we found the right way and arrived to the desired station. Then we went to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, which was back then pulled down by Stalin in 1953. Fun fact: Pussy Riot was arrested here when performing inside the Cathedral whilst naked. 

Bad luck again- my father was not allowed inside since wearing shorts.. Hovewer, later on we decided to go on a boat trip. We got out tickets and were all ready to take the trip on Moscow River. Being unlucky again we couldn't go. When the boat arrived, the sales lady rushed back at us and gave us our money back as the boat had been broken. Weeelll.... Already feeling a bit upset we went to the Novodeichy Convent. It was all beautiful, but some parts were under construction, therefore we couldn't visit all the parts of the tour paid for. Moreover, we got lost in the areal when we were looking for the entrances. Nevermind. Feeling a bit tired we then sat down for a while in a park and parents fell asleep for a minute. But no resting allowed! We got back on our feet and continued. 

The next stop was the Lomonosov University. An enormous object of buildings, also, one of the seven sisters skyscrapers. Tourist weren't allowed inside so we just continued our tour when it started raining. Bad karma stroke back again haha. The most tiring day ever. Sorry my feet, I love you, don't be mad at me I kept repeating to myself. After we found the desired refreshments we crawled back to the metro station and headed home. 

Lastly, on our way back home when we wanted to visit one last place where we could have a nice overview of the whole city, BUT the view and all the pathaways were under the construction so we couldn't see a thing. Wonderful, right? Enough of the bad luck already pleeease! That day we managed to walk for about 20 miles. I swear :---)

The third day was rather calm. We finally went on that desired boat trip on Moscow river. Then, unfortunately we wanted to visit Kremlin, which was closed that day (see my father's disappointed face in the third picture). In overall we were just wandering through the streets in Moscow and enjoying the sunny weather. 

Last day we visited Kremlin, finally. It was freaking hot outside, the best weather to spend the whole day under the direct sunshine. When we got inside the areal, we were lucky enough to arrive just before the beginning of the change of the guards. Which was huge, it was a ceremony/ performance almost an hour long. There were horses, guns, gunshots, soldiers, men, guards, dancing, amazing choreography and timing. After, we visited all of the small cathedrals and chapels within the area. And then continued into the front area of Kremlin, which is full of beautiful gardens and fountains. Lovely lovely lovelyyyy. An amazing end to our Moscow's adventure! 

To sum up, Moscow was beautiful, the culture and history could be seen and felt on every corner however, people weren't as welcoming as I had expected and most of them were a little rude and not willing to help (language-wise: as I don't speak Russian, I managed to learn the basics and read the Azbuka but when speaking English, most of the people were not willing to cooperate...but oh well, hey, this is probably most likely to happen in Czech Republic as well). On the other hand, Saint Petersburg was more European if I may say. Almost everyone there was more polite, friendly and definitely more willing to help. It also wasn't as guarded as Moscow was. In Moscow you could see police and soldiers or guards on almost every corner, but in Saint Petersburg very rarely. But this is just my point of view (and mostly at people). Both of those cities boast with splendid history, culture and architecture. Neither of them is more beautiful, both are marvelous and worth visiting.  

Third day in Saint Petersburg we went to Hermitage and Winter Palace. It was huuge. We spent 6 hours in the museum just walking and watching pictures, sculptures and exhibits of famous artists. Except from the never ending queues it was amazing. What irritated me the most were organised groups of Chinese people. With all respect to all my fellow Chinese students and friends, BUT when you are standing in front of Da Vinci's picture of Madonna and suddenly group of furious Chinese rushes in and starts pushing you and everyone else in order to somehow get closer to the picture AAND starts putting their cameras, ipads, selfie sticks, iphones and computers or whatsoever in front of the picture so no one can see. I mean reaaally?! Looking back at it I have to laugh, it was kinda funny....Moving on, we saw work of Rembrant, Rubens, Goya, Michelangelo, El Greco, Botticelli, Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh, Gogain, Da Vinci and many more plus the whole interior of Winter Palace and antient exhibition. I was surprised how much information I managed not to forget from school about all of the above. 
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To conclude, Russia was amazing indeed. I am so glad my dad took us there and we had a chance to see and explore this country a bit. Even though it is relatively close to our culture, there are still some very crucial differences. And unfortunately I cannot share the same opinion about Russia as my parents do, as it is noticeably closer to their hearts than mine. However, we had a lot of joyful moments in Russia and I hope it can be seen from the pictures attached. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and got a clearer picture of our adventure there. I hope I will talk to you soon. 

With love, 
Michaela 

Hello again. Long time no see. It's been about two months since we went to Dublin, so I have finally decided to sit down and put all of our memories and photos together. Here it is!  


It all started when we were checking Ryanair website (again). It was after Christmas break and another Worcester week (which is a week when we don't have lectures at Uni) was coming towards us. This time it was not only me and Mary, who wanted to go for a trip but also few more people. When we checked Ryanair, there were flight tickets to Dublin. Just £20 for a round trip?! :----))))) Insane. We didn't even hesitate and booked those tickets immediately. 

Here it is. "Ah uh ah uuuh". This is Mira's video from our second day in Dublin, actually. This small playground was situated right next to our Hostel. We are normal, don't worry, we just got carried away a bit. Ok, Let's get back to the day of our arrival. 


We had to get to the city from the airport somehow. We found some buses, but had no clue, which one is going to the centre and which is not. After finding out we stood there for another hour, because we didn't know that we had to buy bus tickets before actually getting on the bus. For future reference- do note that there are some kind of tickets machines situated near the bus stop or you can buy them in news stand. I am not even going to mention how tired we were after the "night", also it was freezing in Dublin. We got off the bus, some lovely old-ish lady told us where to. We had already booked the accommodation so we just needed to find the place and check-in. On our way to the Generator Hostel I took some pictures of the lovely centre of Dublin.