In December I visited my friend, Amelia, in Milan, Italy. Milan is in Italy’s northern region and is home to the national stock exchange. It’s the wealthiest city in Italy and a global capital of fashion and design. Amelia was a wonderful tour guide, and showed me all highlights of the city, including: Also, notContinue reading “Weekend in Milan, Italy”
Author Archives: joelle
Grocery Shopping: Snacks🍿
In November my parents visited us and my mom wanted to make a cameo on the blog! This is her last one. Her blog post is below: Where are the Lay’s Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips? The local grocery stores in Belgium are smaller than grocery stores in the U.S. and so are theContinue reading “Grocery Shopping: Snacks🍿”
Paris 🥐🖼️🇫🇷
In November my parents and I spent a few days in Paris. Paris is the capital of France and is a hub of art, fashion, and culture. It’s called the “City of Light” (La Ville Lumière), both because it was one of the first European cities to use gas street lighting on a grand scaleContinue reading “Paris 🥐🖼️🇫🇷”
Amsterdam🚲🌈🧀
In November my parents and I spent the weekend in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands and is known for its canals, cheese, bridges, bicycles, and its slanted, gabled houses. The city prides itself on its liberal and tolerant attitude, and this applies to its thriving LGBTQ+ community, soft drugs, and prostitution. WeContinue reading “Amsterdam🚲🌈🧀”
Merry Christmas (Market)
Merry Christmas! Below are a couple photos of the Leuven Christmas Market. This market is one of the oldest in Belgium and has been deemed the “coziest market in Europe.” It was incredibly charming and we enjoyed hot chocolate and smoutebollen (fried dough balls doused in powdered sugar), live holiday music and numerous shops sellingContinue reading “Merry Christmas (Market)”
World Cup 2022
We watched the World Cup final at the longest bar in Europe, also called the “Oude Markt” in Leuven. The Oude Markt is a small square right in the city center that consists of one bar after the other. It was funny to see TV after TV, all tuned in to the World Cup. PeopleContinue reading “World Cup 2022”
Grocery Shopping: Bread🥖
My parents visited us about a month ago and my mom wanted to make a cameo on the blog! Her blog post is below: Grocery shopping can be stressful or fun when traveling outside of the U.S. depending upon your attitude. Struggling with language (easier now, thank you Google Translate), the metric system, and currencyContinue reading “Grocery Shopping: Bread🥖 “
The Cuberdon
The Cuberdon is a popular and traditional Belgian specialty candy. Dubbed neuzekes (or “little noses”) due to their triangle shape, these candies are raspberry flavored and made from sugar syrup, raspberry syrup and Arabic gum. They have a chewy outside with a liquid inside. Cuberdons originated in Ghent in 1873. Supposedly, a batch of medicinal syrup had hardenedContinue reading “The Cuberdon”
Grocery Shopping: Milk🥛
My parents visited us a few weeks ago and my mom wanted to make a cameo on the blog! Her blog post is below: I’ve noticed that Jo and Brev rarely drink cow’s milk. What was once a staple of our diet has faded away, even for Larry and I. (Although homemade chocolate chip cookiesContinue reading “Grocery Shopping: Milk🥛”
Belgian Chocolate Series: Taste Test🍫
While my parents were visiting, we decided to do a chocolate taste test! They even brought over some Seroogys Meltaways so we could test them against Belgian chocolates. THE CONTESTANTS Neuhaus (1857): Neuhaus is known for being the creator of the Belgian Praline, which is a chocolate filled with a soft liquid filling – likeContinue reading “Belgian Chocolate Series: Taste Test🍫”
The Jo Show 